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Old 03-26-2013, 04:04 PM   #238
Capthead
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City: Long Beach, CA
Vessel Name: Heads Up
Vessel Model: Grand Banks 42 Classic
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 956
There has been so much improvement in conventional oils that a strict change interval and good filters will most likely be comparable to synthetic use as far as our boat engines go but for me I'm sticking to synthetic.

I think all the years with the older oil that was used in the engine had it so carboned up that it wasn't holding the compression and that extra blow by was causing oil loss and adding to the break down of that oil.

I have no way to prove it and I never took photographic records, which I should have, but seeing the vastly decreased start up smoke and sheen on the water makes me believe that the synthetic cleaned out the carbon and the lubricity is sealing the cylinder walls to rings better.

Is it going to make these engines last longer? I think so, but here in CA they could start a campaign to change out all these old diesels in pleasure boats like they did to the commercial fishermen. If that happens, they're gone anyway.
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