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From: (no name) (no email)
Date: Sun May 11 2008 - 10:28:53 EDT
In a message dated 5/11/08 12:02:12 AM, Leonard justifies alternating engines
on a long passage.
> We needed the downtime to do injector pump oil changes as well as engine
> oil
> changes. There is more detail but part of the 6 hours was engine
maintenance
> as required. Keeping the hours of the engine staggered was the way to go.
> . . . . . Our longest period was Bermuda to Azores (12 3/4 days) and that
> alone is
> over 300 hours meaning 6 injector oil changes and 2 engine oil changes.
>
Just another argument for the "solera" oil change system.
Several years ago I discussed the "solera" oil change system that I have been
using on my boat for the last six 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 but it never is completely refreshed. 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 just had the oil tested on my 34 year old Perkins 4-107 and
it
passed with flying colors.
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 without worrying if I have exceeded the oil change
interval. The solera oil change method seems to be working fine.
Larry Z
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