www.iFourWinns.com

Hey wondering how hard it is to change the oil. I'm a farm kid so used to wrenching and simple things like oil changes. Anytime have experience or a link to the steps? Suck it out the dipstick hole or is there a better option?

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'16 FourWinns HS190 SS
4.3L Merc

The best option is to use a vacuum pump that has a garden hose style adaptor that will screw on to the threads on the top of the oil dipstick tube. That is much faster that using the thin tube tha you can snake down the dipstick tube. The bigger challenge can be the oil filter. Hopefully you can get at it. I find that the cap style wrenches work well in tight spots. Do you have a remote filter? That makes it easy.
Don't forget if you live where it freezes you need to do a full winterization. If I had a brand new boat Id get a Mercruiser manusl and make sure it all gets done right.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Yes I'm in a cold weather area and just took the boat to the dealer to winterize it. Seemed like the procedure would have been more time than I had to do it. I'd just have them change the oil too, but $175 seems kind of high for something so simple. Figured I'd just do it in the spring. I'll look at the manual, but if I remember correctly, the filter is easy to get to.

In another part, I read that a lighter weight synthetic oil can increase performance. Anyone doing that and or is there any proof to that?

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'16 FourWinns HS190 SS
4.3L Merc

Stick with the recommended oil for your engine.

As for the oil change, it is very easy to do yourself. It takes more time to do the prep and clean up than to actually change the oil. I use a couple empty gallon jugs and one of these:
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... aQodfzcNUg

Picked up the pump at my local Kmart to use until I bought a better one. It works so well that I'm still using it four years later. The pump hose fits tightly over my dipstick tube, so you don't have to fish the hose all the way down the tube. I change oil in the fall just before I take the boat to be winterized. Better to have clean oil sitting in there all winter.
Oil and filter costs me around $50 vs $150 for the mechanic to do it.

Tip:
If you have the remote mounted oil filter, punch a hole in the top of the old filter before removing it or pumping the oil out. This lets it drain into the oil pan and makes swapping the filter much less messy.

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2004 248 Vista "Amante"
MC 5.0MPI/B3

A new boat under warrantee for sure use the Merc 25/40 marine rated oil. In a marine engine without an oil cooler, I would not use a 5w/ 10w/ anything oil because it will thin out at the constant high revs and load of marine use. Even though the engines run cool compared to automotive use, the oil temps a good deal higher. All I've ever used in this boat is straight 30, 40 and the Merc 25/40 oil and all have had about the same oil pressure readings cold and hot. If you use the lower viscosity oil you may get low oil pressure readings with a hot slow idle.

Here's one of the better vaccum oil changers (very fast) with my fabbed up garden hose adaptor...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d0wisrd7z8xjn ... p.JPG?dl=0

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Thanks gentlemen! Great tip on the filter.

After reading through the manual, I will stick to the merc oil.

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'16 FourWinns HS190 SS
4.3L Merc