Engine Oil gone after 4 trips

[winddawg]

Doesn't this engine have an oil cooler on it? If so that is another potential path for engine oil out through the cooling system (as t-mac suggested in his post) and into the exahaust. Still you would think that you would see some oil in the water around the boat.

-Dave

[hawaiianstyln]

Can you change back to regular? I know it's been about 4 times using the boat after running Synthetic, but I thought you weren't suppose to ever change it back..????...

Tranny and Vdrive fluid levels are good (as I expected).

[NorCaliBu]

I checked the dipstick in the water after it had been running and almost half of the dip stick registered oil (clean oil). I checked it when I got home on the trailer and nothing....

If the trailer was nose high at all that will affect your dipstick reading.

[kb3]

I will add just one more train of thought here. I may not be in the same boat (pun intended) but my HH burns oil like no tomorrow. It is still under 100 hours, but burns over a quart every 10 hours of use. So far Malibu and Inmar say it is ok....just wait a bit for it to break in. We have been around and around this subject a few times with my problem with no actual solution.

Just adding my two cents to a subject that may not be simple and easy to figure out.

[SacRiverRat]

Can you change back to regular? I know it's been about 4 times using the boat after running Synthetic, but I thought you weren't suppose to ever change it back..????...

Tranny and Vdrive fluid levels are good (as I expected).

You can mix and match dino/syn oil without any issues... That is old wives-tale type stuff that you can't change back and forth, or that it would cause your oil level to go away.

This discussion is getting funny - sounds like a bad oil change to me. You easily could have not put enough oil in... or it is leaving through the exhaust some how. These things take more than 5 quarts of oil, also be sure to fill, or partiall fill the filter before you put it on.

Put another quart in, to get it up to the full mark on the dip-stick, and then run it on the fake-a-lake, and check the exhaust water for oil.

[hawaiianstyln]

Works for me, thanks everyone!

[hawaiianstyln]

Just wanted to update you on this... Today I took "RadioMan's" advice and changed back to regular (not Synthetic). I got a motor flush and flushed it for 5 minutes on the trailer, then drained the oil. I talked with several people about doing this as well as some motor head at Checkers autoparts and everyone seemed to think it was okay to switch back if I have only put about 8 hours on the engine with Synthetic. Some of you may disagree. Who knows... After I drained it, I filled it back up with 5.5 quarts of regular 20-50 PZ like I have always used. Ran it on the trailer for 30 minutes and no oil residue or anything coming out the exhaust. I even put two buckets down there and let them fill up and NOTHING....All water... I checked EVERYwhere in the engine compartment for leaks, sprays, and residue to only find nothing but a clean engine and bilge.

Then, I raised the trailer wheel up as far as it would go and the engine almost looked level at that point. I checked the oil level and it was at the Max line.

Now all I have to do is monitor it when I take it out next.

[NorCaliBu]

If the trailer was nose high at all that will affect your dipstick reading.

...I raised the trailer wheel up as far as it would go and the engine almost looked level at that point. I checked the oil level and it was at the Max line...

V-Drive! I forgot your engine is backwards. I should have said "make sure the engine is level".

I'd bet that your engine is fine.

[SCOTTDOMINE]

I agree, probably everything is good. Oh, and they should take around 6 quarts if you don't fill the filter and you get all the oil out.

[footnlongline]

Just wanted to update you on this... Today I took "RadioMan's" advice and changed back to regular (not Synthetic). I got a motor flush and flushed it for 5 minutes on the trailer, then drained the oil. I talked with several people about doing this as well as some motor head at Checkers autoparts and everyone seemed to think it was okay to switch back if I have only put about 8 hours on the engine with Synthetic. Some of you may disagree. Who knows... After I drained it, I filled it back up with 5.5 quarts of regular 20-50 PZ like I have always used. Ran it on the trailer for 30 minutes and no oil residue or anything coming out the exhaust. I even put two buckets down there and let them fill up and NOTHING....All water... I checked EVERYwhere in the engine compartment for leaks, sprays, and residue to only find nothing but a clean engine and bilge.

Then, I raised the trailer wheel up as far as it would go and the engine almost looked level at that point. I checked the oil level and it was at the Max line.

Now all I have to do is monitor it when I take it out next.

If you are going to check the oil when the boat is on the trailer, put a level on the floor and jack till it's level, this will give you a better reading than looking at the engine. Checking on the water is the best though.

[GeorgeWBush]

My 88 5.7 liter doesn't burn a drop ever. One thing I always thought was odd though was that with 5 quarts (per the manual) it always reads way over full on the dip stick (both on the water and on the trailer). Could that be because the dip stick tube has slipped into the blocks an inch? If so could that cause a problem? I always assumed it just wasn't the original dip stick, but I never considered the dip stick tube. This thread made me wonder....

[footnlongline]

My 88 5.7 liter doesn't burn a drop ever. One thing I always thought was odd though was that with 5 quarts (per the manual) it always reads way over full on the dip stick (both on the water and on the trailer). Could that be because the dip stick tube has slipped into the blocks an inch? If so could that cause a problem? I always assumed it just wasn't the original dip stick, but I never considered the dip stick tube. This thread made me wonder....

I doubt your dip stick tube dropped, I think you are not getting all of the oil out when changing. I think your better off being a little low on oil than you are with too much. Too much oil can froth or foam up in the crank and cause a drop in oil pressure. My friend ruined one of his truck engines by overfilling.

[Steve16r]

so you did have a cracked head my guess is tha you didnt put enough oil in it cause you left the filter empty and put only 5 quarts in mine takes 6. i put 5 quarts in my suburban once and the oil light came on and the dipstick was bone dry once i put the 6th quart in everything was fine. or you have a cracked block, head or gastket