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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Wed Jun 13 2007 - 21:04:50 EDT
The several recent posts about oil change trials and tribulations prompt me
to repost the following:
Several years ago I discussed the "solera" oil change system that I have been
using on my boat for the last five years. It is a slight modification of the
continuous oil refreshment approach used on large commercial diesels which
must be operated on a 24/7 basis. The name comes from the sherry making process
in which new wine is added to the top barrel in a tier of barrels while
properly aged wine is removed from the bottom barrel.
The sump capacity of my engine is 6 quarts and the manufacturer's suggested
oil change interval is 150 hours. I have fitted a needle valve to the oil
filter block which lets me bleed off oil while the engine is running. On long trips
I bleed off one quart of oil every 25 hours of engine operation. The valve
has a short length of piping attached to it, bent to make it convenient to feed
into an empty oil bottle, so the process can be conducted without mess. The
pipe is sealable with a safety screw on cap. I then add a quart of new oil. All
this without shutting down the engine. The quart of old oil is mixed into the
diesel fuel tank. Waste not, want not.
The entire contents of the sump will be replaced within the 150 hour running
period. True, the engine never gets an entire flush of new oil except at the
beginning of the season. The average age of the oil gradually climbs until it
approaches the 100 hour mark and there is probably a drop of the original oil
in the sump. Still, the additives are replaced and the filter stays much
cleaner than it does with the traditional oil change method.
I must confess that I adopted the method for its convenience rather than for
the benefits of continuous operation. My engine is artfully arranged so than a
traditional oil change is impossible without creating a mess that takes a
considerable time to clean up. Still it has proven its worth on long passages and
I can sleep nights with the engine purring away without worrying if I have
exceeded the oil change interval.
Larry Z
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