new atomic 4 owner

[trebor]

I have a v drive system on my atomic 4 question is how do I check level of oil in v drive I think oil is seperate from engine oil and should be 30 grade. The previous owner has used nothing but 30 grade non detergent oil in the engine would there be a problem converting to rotella diesel 15w-40 oil for the engine any suggestions would be appreciated

[67c&ccorv]

Do you have an MMI manual?

[JOHN COOKSON]

. The previous owner has used nothing but 30 grade non detergent oil would there be a problem converting to rotella diesel 15w-40 oil any suggestions would be appreciated

The standard advice used to be don't put detergent oil in an engine that has been lubed with non detergent oil because it will break a bunch of gunk loose.
Others in the forum know more about this than I so hold till they weigh in.
Welcome to the forum.

TRUE GRIT

[Mo]

Hi and welcome aboard the forum. I wouldn't hesitate to change to 15w40 and continue to use it. When I bought my boat there were about 5 quarts of 10w30 on board that the previous owner had there. I just switched to 15w40 (in 2008) and did frequent oil changes.

As a matter of fact, I had water in the oil situation that turned out to be the exhaust manifold break. I ended up having to do multiple oil flushes in efforts to get the water out of the basepan a few time and had lots of 15w40 diesel oil in my garage. I used it , but when I went back to 30 weight I noticed the engine allot noisier. It was at this point that I put 15w 40 once I'd fixed the problem. I put 30 weight in the engine once after that after reading that the 15w40 wasn't going to be good for the engine and found it not to be near as good as the 15w40...so I did some research, talked to a petroleum engineer, and it was he that told me it was about the best made out there for this engine.

You will not notice the oil staying clear right away but I change mine every 25 hrs or so...usually 3 times a season...but my boat is fired up almost daily. After a few oil changes you will notice you have to check the dipstick carefully as the oil stays pretty clean and is hard to see on it...that is clean oil and a clean engine.

So, my advice would be
-switch to 15w40,
-spend some time to ensure you have a clean fuel system, tank, filters, carb and fuel.
-ensure engine temp is not hanging around the high end of safe range...

We can pretty much ask anything of these engines at this point.

[edwardc]

Hi Trebor,

I have a V-drive too, so I'll try to answer your questions.

...how do I check level of oil in v drive...

There is a short dipstick attached to the knurled black knob (see attached photo). Oil can be added through the dipstick hole. The V-drive doesn't hold much. Total capacity is only about a pint. I use a small clear squeeze bottle ( like the ones for resturant Ketchup) for adding oil to avoid making a mess trying to hit the small hole.

...I think oil is seperate from engine oil and should be 30 grade. ...

Yes, the v-drive oil is totally isolated from the engine and reversing gear. It is possible (and even desirable) to run two different grades of oil in the engine and the v-drive. I run SAE 30 in my v-drive and SAE 15w-40 in my engine.

The previous owner has used nothing but 30 grade non detergent oil would there be a problem converting to rotella diesel 15w-40...

The Walter v-drive manual recommends 1 pint of SAE 30 Heavy Duty Motor Oil, Exxon Spartan EP-68 Gear Oil, or APG-80 Gear Oil.
DO NOT USE SAE 80 Motor oil or any multi-grade oil!
Since the v-drive runs at a lower temp than the engine, and there are no combustion products (like carbon) to deal with, the v-drive oil should remain clear and clean for a long time. Because of this, switching the v-drive between non-detergent and detergent oil should be harmless (but needless) because there should be no gunk buildup to break loose.

[hanleyclifford]

If you are going to change from non detergent to detergent I recommend you have an oil filter and be prepared to change it often, at least every 10 hours. Start with cheap 10-30w for the first few flushes because it's going to be ugly.

[Al Schober]

Uhhh, Ed?
Where's your water pump?

[edwardc]

edwarde thanks for the reply my first post was a little vague the engine has always had non detergent 30 oil but the v drive has straight 30 weight oil. My question is would there be any problems switching to rotall diesel 15w 40 oil for the engine or should I stay with the 30 non detergent oil your thoughts please Bob (trebor)

If it were me, I would switch. The benefits of modern 15W-40 would seem to outweigh the (temporary) consequences of switching from non-detergent to detergent.

Hanley's got it right. Initially use some "sacrificial" cheap detergent oil & filter, and change it after a little run time (~ 5-10 hrs), repeating until it comes up clear. Then go in with Rotella 15W-40. The technique is much like that used for clearing out water-contaminated oil.

Uhhh, Ed?
Where's your water pump?

It's the new transparent aftermarket pump, made out of Unobtanium.

Seriously, though, the picture is from when I was replacing my engine a few years ago. If you look closely, you can also see there's no alternator belt or starter either.

[romantic comedy]

Typically you dont want to put detergent oil in a non detergent engine. The detergent is designed to keep the "dirt" in suspension. It will cause the oil to become very dirty quickly.

I would also question that the engine was run with non detergent. It is not that common and harder to find.

[romantic comedy]

Yes, you can keep using non detergent oil. Oil filters are not a quick thing. You can certainly keep using non detergent. I know that I would.

Indigo electric has an oil filter kit. Some guys here have oil filters. Just ask and they will tell. Also you can search here for that topic.

Get sailing first.

[edwardc]

I would also question that the engine was run with non detergent. It is not that common and harder to find.

As would I. Even straight 30 weight is getting hard to find. But 15W-40 (also known as 'Diesel Oil') is common as dirt. It's one more good reason to switch.

... Oil filters are not a quick thing. ...

??? 30 seconds to spin one off and spin a new one on.
You must be talking about the oil screen on the pickup tube inside of the pan. Granted thats a major job to get to, but I don't think it does anything for dirt suspended by detergent oil. If that were the case, all of us who use detergent oil would be having to clean our oil screens constantly, and that just doesn't happen.

Indigo electric has an oil filter kit. Some guys here have oil filters. Just ask and they will tell. Also you can search here for that topic.

Yes, I have one of the Indigo oil filter systems that came with the boat. It's an easy add-on project, and I would highly recommend one if you don't already have a filter.

[hanleyclifford]

Further thoughts on the subject: https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/questio...1060843AAxqO2S

[romantic comedy]

Ed, I just meant that hooking up an oil filter is not a quick thing.