Myles said:  "I couldn't agree with Paul more on this one."

I'm not sure exactly what it is that we agree on, but it is always good to know that we agree on something.  :-)

You make a good point that it pays to buy a good engine, but then all the name brand ones are good.  The choice between a Perkins, a Cat, a Detroit, a Cummins, a Mack, or any of the other main ones is really not much.  They are all very excellent, and they will all last well, assuming reasonable maintenance and care in operation.

The point that I was making is that when someone says his automobile engine lasted 60,000 or 100,000, or even 250,000 miles with a certain treatment, I am not impressed in the least.  A 100K on an engine should be a very small percentage of its life, and it should last that long with even the most minimum care.  In fact, you can get a half million miles out of any decent diesel with a minimum amount of maintenance.  I do not begin to get impressed until about the million mile mark without an overhaul.

You say that you are getting tired of all these oil threads.  Well, that is just as well.  Most recreational boat users never put enough hours on their engines to wear them out anyway, even with the bare minimum amount of maintenance.  It therefore really does not justify a whole lot of effort to extend the engine life, since engine life was never really a constraint to them in the first place.  If you have a good diesel in your trawler, and if you will never put 5,000 hours on it, then you should feel free to do whatever you like with your engine oil.  As long as you do not completely abuse your engine, it should last that long.  It won't take much more to reach the 10K mark.  Beyond that, however; you will have to start being very concerned about your oil; or else just resign yourself to paying for in-frame overhauls about that often.

You are also right that other things are more likely to cause a breakdown at sea than engine oil, and you have named some of the big ones.  These certainly deserve the lion's share of your maintenance resources.  I also would be very happy to see some discussion on these other items.

Paul Kruse

From: chud
Sent: Friday, October 09, 1998 6:36 PM
To: trawler-world-list@samurai.com
Subject: RE: Diesel magic bullet & free lunch?  (Hammerdown)

I couldn't agree with Paul more on this one.  [snip]

The whole oil change and oil additive posts are starting to bore me.

    Don't hurt me to bad, just my opinions,      Myles!!!

Jack,

 Now you're talkin!!!  This has nothing to do with changing oil.  And is

much more vital to not only the length of life of the engine, but on it's
day to day reliability.  Day to day reliability and operational efficiency
are what concern me more.
One question I have for the pros,  why don't gasoline engines have a  "
WAIT " light, from when you turn the key on till you turn to ignition, like
diesel engines?  What is the purpose of the pause?  And what about these
pre-lubing systems I here about?  The mechanics I have talked to say that a
film of oil on all moving parts at startup is paramount to avoid engine
problems.

  Myles

[snip]
The whole oil change and oil additive posts are starting to bore me.
[snip]
If you have a good diesel in your trawler, and if you will never put
5,000 hours on it, then you should feel free to do whatever you like
with your engine oil.
[snip]

Two things:

1. Why is this oil thing so fascinating to trawler folks?
   Maybe because anyone who can afford a trawler has had some successes in
   life.  Those successes were probably the result of making a good thing
   better or making a not so good thing work.  As time permits, the trawler
   is an excellent target for these energies.  It's not the oil, or the
   GPS/DGPS or the hull shape, it's merely the Skipper applying to his
   boat, the same principles he's been using in pre-trawler life.

2. I'm not nearly in the same financial arena as a real trawler owner,
   but if I were, and if I had owned a trawler for 5 years or so, and the
   engine had a few thousand hours on it, and I was planning a retirement
   cruise a year or two long... no amount of fuel or oil additives, or any
   type or system of lube filters would dissuade me from considering a
   complete engine overhaul or even the installation of a brand new
   engine.  But in the interest of fun, I would still mess with all these
   controversial gadgets.

Because I can't/don't, it's satisfying to read about those who can/do.
My vote is to keep 'em coming!

Nick

PS
Why not install a separate pump and valves for the GCF. That way if
there was a problem with the external GCF plumbing, the engine lube
system would not be compromised, and you'd eliminate the concern of
reduced oil flow or pressure to the real system.  You could also put a
fresh roll in while the engine was running, or polish the lube oil when
the engine wasn't running --one could install montiors for self shutdown
in the event of a leak or plugging; timers could be employed if
intermittent operation was in order...

Jeff,

Maybe, but you have to put these things in priority.  Your navigation

system is in the top five of that list while oil changes are in the bottom
five, I don't care how successful you are.  All the rest are just
entertainment value.

    Myle