Take a look at my oil samples

[SILENTKNIGHT]

Can someone tell me if there is any concern on these samples. I dont know if something is of concern? This boat will be heading up to NY from Punta Gorda Fla.

 

[tiltrider1]

The report says that the engine and tranny appear to be normal. Some concern about your tranny oil cooler. Your generator appears to have some minor issue with its cooling system.

None of this would give me concern. You need to keep doing the testing so we can see if anything gets worse over time.

 

[DavidM]

They generally look fine. The engine analysis shows low sodium and potassium, so no salt water intrusion. Wear metals look fine. I do wonder why you changed the oil after 25 hours.

The transmission is a little more concerning as Blackstone notes. The high copper and nickel could be corrosion from the cupro-nickel cooler tubes but the high lead can only come from the transmission bearings. So keep an eye on it.

The generator is showing a little high sodium and potassium which is indicative of sea water intrusion particularly with the low hour interval. But it isn't that bad. When I got a slug of sea water into my engine the sodium jumped up to a thousand or more.

FWIW I had the same boat and engine as you. I am pretty sure the sea water got up into the engine while it was being hauled for shipment or residual water sloshing during transport. I changed the oil a couple of times and it was fine afterwards. I now run the engine for 30 seconds while the boat is in the sling to expel any water. You probably would need to do the same with the generator.

Enjoy the trip north. Do you do it every year? How fast do you run- slow trawler speeds of 7 kts or so or higher planning speeds?

David

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

im going to change ATF fluid again when it arrives in NY & then send out samples again. Maybey even change the tranny cooler & lines?

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

I just closed on the boat, im having a captain take it up.....first week of April

 

[C lectric]

Engine: The 25 hrs is as noted too short an interval to tell much. A lot can depend upon the hours the engine sat to get those 25 hrs. Long periods of inactivity can produce high iron in the oil. Light rust can form on the cylinders which then is scraped off when the engine is next started. It might settle down once the initial rust content is gone.
Copper, see comment below. THe other metals such as Moly, tin, lead, chrmium seem to be ok even for the low hours.

Gear: Copper can leach out from coolers where the bronze/brass makeup of the unit can be affected by the oil. Not to be ignored but keep up the testing.
Read the posted article below also.
Lead might be a bit more interesting as it could be solder from the cooler, bearing material or part of the alloy of the cooler body/tube stack itself. Lead is often part of the alloy that makes up the cooler itself. Copper high, lead high.

Generator:
Much the same comments as eng. , not enough hours and long intervals between uses can cause a bit of rust which then gets scraped off elevating the iron.


You don't say this boat is new to you or if you are just starting a testing program. I think I remember you asking about this as a potential new to you boat, CORRECT? So is it now yours?

When you are considering oil changes pick a good oil and stay with it. Base the decision on what is readily available in your area. There may be slight differences in the oil makeup that affects the copper and if you keep changing the copper won't stabilize.

I would also do another test in about another 25 hr interval or when you get home to see if the readings change much or stabilize. I often do this after repairs OR a questionable test reading to see if the questionable readings are still changing or stabilizing.

And my last comment is one shot tests like this are often not of high value unless they indicate something catastrophic such as coolant in the oil which does not appear to be the case.
Testing should be a constant program to get the most out of the information over a period of time to show trends or sudden changes.

JMO such as it is.