Dry Oil Dipstick-gctid825631

[njosephson]

Went down to the boat today for a Saturday lunch cruise around the lake. Its been a couple of weeks since we last used it. Engine started fine - after idling a couple minutes we noticed that it didn't sound quite right. Shut it down and checked the oll, the dipstick was dry. No sign of smoke (ever) - no sheen in the water, no sign of oil in the bilge... I'm not really sure where to start looking and I'm reluctant to call a mechanic without having something to go on.

Boat has run great since we replaced the outdrive this summer. The only incident we had was that we dug some clams coming out of the swinomish channel in mid august but boat has run great ever since with no sign of overheating or other issues.

Any thoughts about where all that oil could have gone?

Any thoughts on where the old has gone?

[builderdude]

If there's no evidence of oil leaking in the bilge it may be using oil over time. I'd put in two quarts and see where it's at on the dip stick.

[Centerline2]

its a safe bet that it went out the exhaust!

I would add more oil and run it a couple minutes and check it.. get it exactly to the full mark and then go run it for an hour or so, stopping to check it periodically.... if you dont notice the level dropping, and after you have a couple hours on it, change it again and you should be fine... but keep a close eye on it.

I have seen engines driven for a couple miles without oil in the crankcase, and then refilled and ran with no noticable change in performance or longevity, due to the oil residues left behind... engines are tougher than one realizes and as long as they dont overheat, that can take a little abuse... im not saying you DONT hane engine damage, but if you only started it and ran it until you heard the lifters ratteling, and then shut it down, its more probable that no severe damage has been done yet...

[CptCrunchie]

"njosephson" post=825631 wrote:
Any thoughts about where all that oil could have gone?

As others will attest, I'm no mechanic. I do, however, have some experience with this, even though it was with my Toyota.

I only use Mobile1 synthetic in all my vehicles and boat. They recommend the 0W-20 grade for my Toyota, 'specifically designed for Honda and Toyota engines'. I started using this, but I couldn't keep it in the engine; it just seemed too thin. Like yours, mine didn't leak, yet I'd go through 1-1.5 liters every 14 gallons of fuel.

I switched to 10W-40 and have had no issues. Moreover, the engine runs like a top. I use the same grade in my boat.

My 2¢.

[njosephson]

Great advice - I'll fill it up and give it a try tomorrow and see what happens.

[iceclimber]

Does your boat not have a low oil alarm ?

[njosephson]

I would have thought that it would have one, but in this case I didn't see/hear any lights/buzzers...

[builderdude]

No alarm could be a bad oil switch, bad wire connection, or bad alarm itself. Does it sound before starting?

[Norton_Rider]

Boats have low oil pressure alarms but not a low oil level alarms. As long as there's enough oil in the sump to cover the oil pump pickup it should have enough oil pressure and the alarm will not go off.

[88fourwinns]

In inboards that do not have an oil cooler it is possible to have high oil consumption due to the constant high load on the engine. What grade of oil was used?

I would use:

Mercruiser 25/40

15/40

20/50

Straight 30 or 40

Not conventional multi visc oils like 5/30 or 10/30 or 10/40. They can thin out and shear down...