The Severe Operating Conditions of Marine Engines
Proper maintenance and lubrication are the keys to extending marine engine life.
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the boating market is growing at a healthy pace. In fact, the 18 million boats on the water in 2006 reflected a 13 percent increase since 1989, while the $39.5 billion in sales represented a 6 percent growth over 2005. Marine engines operate under more stressful conditions and experience much higher loads than automotive engines. A typical engine in a pleasure boat spends around 10 percent of its time idling, 60 percent of its time running at cruising speed (around 4,000 rpm) and 10 to 30 percent of its time running at wide open throttle (around 5,500 to 6,500 rpm).
A performance boat, on the other hand, may spend 95 percent of its time operating at wide open throttle, reaching up to 8,000 rpm. Because stern drives usually feature 1:1 gear ratios, the engines must pull much harder than automotive engines, causing them to have shorter life spans.
Operating conditions are also different, with marine engines making use of surrounding water for coolant. In order to fight corrosion in the cooling system, all the fittings have to be manufactured of corrosion-resistant materials. Proper maintenance is crucial to extending engine life, and a well-maintained marine gasoline engine will usually operate for around 1,500 hours before requiring an overhaul. �The typical gasoline marine engine will run fine for the first 1,000 hours,� reports the NMMA. It is at this juncture that the engine starts to exhibit small problems. If these small problems aren't addressed, they can turn into major problems, which may make the last 500 hours of life difficult to reach.
Diesel engines are built to finer tolerances than are gasoline engines. They will accept much more abuse and often deliver, if well maintained, 8,000 hours of hard work before needing a major overhaul. According to the NMMA, the color of marine engine exhaust smoke can indicate potential problems. When the engine is operating properly, the exhaust smoke should be clear. Any color change should be taken as a warning sign.
Black smoke is often caused by engine overload, a restricted air supply or a faulty fuel injector in the case of a diesel engine, causing improperly burned fuel particles to blow out the exhaust.
Blue smoke appears when the engine oil combusts, often as the result of worn piston rings, valve guides or oil seals. The oil can come from an overfilled air filter in a diesel engine or excess oil in the crankcase.
White smoke is caused by water vapor from dirty fuel, a water leak into the cylinder, atomized (but unburned) fuel or air in the fuel.
The NMMA advises boaters to check the level and condition of their motor oil at least once a day and preferably before each start. When checking oil levels, boaters may sometimes discover that the level increased, often an indication of water in the oil sump. This could result in a cracked cylinder head, a broken piston or both when turning the engine over. The mixture of oil and water will often have a "milky" appearance. A low oil level is often the result of an oil leak that could lead to engine seizure. Check the bilge for oil residue. The oil pans of marine engines sitting low in the bilge come into consistent contact with water, which can slowly corrode and cause pinhole leaks in the pan.
AMSOIL offers premium synthetic motor oils for both gasoline and diesel marine applications, keeping engines operating in top condition
Shotover Jet Ltd. jetboats - Engine Life Increases 500 Percent 
More than 60,000 tourists annually visit Alpine Canyons, South Island, New Zealand for high-speed thrills on Shotover Jet Ltd. jetboats. The tourist trade is tough service for the boats. The Chevrolet 454 cu. in. V8-engined jetboats are in service 365 days a year, making up to 28 high-speed river trips a day. The boats develop maximum torque at extremely low engine operating temperatures, due to the cooling effect of the snow-fed river water they draw. How does Shotover protect these hard-working engines? With AMSOIL synthetic motor oils and AMSOIL by-pass oil filters. Before converting the boats to AMSOIL motor oil and filters and propane fuel, oil change intervals were at 25 hours and engine life in the 500-hour range. The propane fuel, AMSOIL synthetic motor oil and AMSOIL by-pass oil filter combination provides 400-hour oil change intervals and engine life up to 2500 hours; that's 16 times greater oil service life and five times greater engine life; a huge savings for Shotover Jet Ltd.
TEAM AMSOIL OFFSHORE #77 DOMINATES
IN LAKE CUMBERLAND, KY
The new equipment was tested on Saturday by Bob Teague and Paul Whittier logging over 160 miles trying different set up combinations. The extensive testing combined with the newly prepared boat paid off by a dominant performance during the Sunday’s two races in which the finish points of each race were combined to determine the final winner.
Team AMSOIL started on the pole position in each Cat Lite heat and battled in beginning of each race with Team Propstop through the first couple of turns until gaining the lead. In each race, Team AMSOIL continued to extend the lead. At the end of the second race, Team AMSOIL established a lead on the rest of the fleet of nearly one-half lap.
This was the first offshore race ever held at Lake Cumberland. The spectators loved the event and Team AMSOIL was very popular with the fans as well as a number of AMSOIL dealers in the area.
Team AMSOIL credits the winning performance and reliability of its boat to the outstanding lubricants used in the engines and all systems in the boat. The new 15W50 Dominator Racing Oil allowed Team AMSOIL to log over 4000 racing miles on its Mercury Racing engines last year with not one engine problem. The Team has also proven that the absolute best oil for a Mercury dry-sump VISSM drive is AMSOIL “MCF.” After two years of racing, Team AMSOIL’s VISSM drives are still in new condition.
Team AMSOIL captured virtually every title possible in the Cat Lite Class during the 2008 racing season. The Team is the current OPA Cat Lite High Points Champion, OSS National and High Points Cat Lite Champion, and SBI Super Cat World Champion. Team AMSOIL is also the holder of the OSS World Endurance record for Miami to Bimini and back, and captured the POPRA World Kilo Record in its class with an official average speed of 131.981mph. Team AMSOIL is now headed to Ocean City, Maryland to compete in the first race of the Triple Crown Series on May 31st. As the defending champion of the Triple Crown Series, the Team intends to keep its title in the Northeast circuit.
The AMSOIL Offshore Race Team is extremely proud to announce the continued support of AMSOIL Inc. The company’s great sponsorship package, dedicated racing department team and superior lubricants all make it possible for Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing to achieve success! Teague Custom Marine is an authorized AMSOIL dealer and offers the complete line of high performance lubricants in its store and for purchase online. United We Race!
E-mail Donna Order Online for fast delivery anywhere in the USA or Canada Order Amsoil
Independent Amsoil Dealer, Donna Fooks - 925-513-7904
Referral # 1231284
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| WestCoastSynthetic-Oil Brentwood, CA 94513 donna.amsoil@sbcglobal.net Amsoil Independent Dealer Donna Fooks 925-513-7904 |
| When you demand the best you get the best from Amsoil Premium Synthetic Oils, Lubes and Greases. |
| Keep America on the road with AMSOIL, The Original Synthetic Motor Oil |
.Everyday, Americans improperly discard over one million gallons of dirty motor oil. AMSOIL INC. is doing its part to eliminate that pollution. In 1972, AMSOIL developed the first API-rated, long-life synthetic motor oil. In 1983, AMSOIL pioneered by-pass ultra-fine oil filtration. Shortly after, AMSOIL introduced the revolutionary Trigard System, making fill-for-life motor oil a reality. AMSOIL is the only oil company that protects our environment in this way. |
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