I have a 2009 merc 4 stroke and it seems to be making oil. I have been doing a lot of reading lately and am wondering if any of you other merc 4 stroke owners have seen this with your motors. I have been fishing all winter on the river and have read that running it in cold weather can increase the making oil because the motor never gets up to temp. Interested to see what is happening to others with merc 4 strokes.
Is it running rich and dumping gas into the crankcase? Does the oil have a gas smell to it? Engines don’t make oil they burn it, if you are getting gas in your oil change it before it gets too diluted and takes out a bearing.
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I have a 2009 merc 4 stroke and it seems to be making oil. I have been doing a lot of reading lately and am wondering if any of you other merc 4 stroke owners have seen this with your motors. I have been fishing all winter on the river and have read that running it in cold weather can increase the making oil because the motor never gets up to temp. Interested to see what is happening to others with merc 4 strokes.
Get rid of it….. Seriously though, that’s a Merc problem. My Verado made oil like a beer guy makes urine.
#1. Get a smart craft gauge set or at least an engine oil temp gauge so you can monitor the temp.
#2. Swap out the thermostat and make sure everything is working.
#3. Run your engine enough to get it up to operating temps.
This was a chronic problem with my Verado and I’ve seen many other Merc (specifically Verado) owners have this same problem.
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Is it running rich and dumping gas into the crankcase? Does the oil have a gas smell to it? Engines don’t make oil they burn it, if you are getting gas in your oil change it before it gets too diluted and takes out a bearing.
It does smell like gas. From what I have read the gas is getting past the seals. I am changing the oil this weekend. What I am wondering is will it lead to an early demise of the engine or cause other problems even if I change the oil often and keep a close eye on it? Will I get a normal life out of the engine?
I figured it was running rich. Check and see if you can get a warmer thermostat to run in the winter. The fuel is leaking past the rings on the pistons. it’s not good, it can wash out the rings and they may not seal as well, it’s best to be able to get it up to temp. As long as you change the oil and filter often enough the bottom end will be fine.
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It does smell like gas. From what I have read the gas is getting past the seals. I am changing the oil this weekend. What I am wondering is will it lead to an early demise of the engine or cause other problems even if I change the oil often and keep a close eye on it? Will I get a normal life out of the engine?
If you stay on top of it there is no reason to think you’ll shorten the life of the outboard. However what I found concerning was that my outboard made 3 quarts of oil in as many winter months. At the price of Verado oil that’s really going to hurt. PLUS, if you happen to go all season assuming you’ll change oil for winterization, you may cause damage.
So did you ever fiqure out how water was getting into the crank case?
oops I guess we were typing at the same time.
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So did you ever fiqure out how water was getting into the crank case?
If you are asking me.
The answer was it was gas washing past the rings. Faulty thermostat stuck open, faulty cooling system parts and questionable if the rings weren’t seated properly by the dealer. A cool engine running cold, the Verado’s CPU dumped more gas into the top of the engine in an attempt to get the engine functioning properly which actually exacerbated the problem.
When I bought my Merc 4 stroke a few years back the salesman told me if I trolled alot not all the gas would burn up and would mix with lube and be pulled back into the crank case. He told me that this was nothing to worry about, If you troll alot or run at low rpm, check and change the oil If it rose 1/4 inch or more. Mine is a 25h.p. so 1/4 inch is alot, so a larger motor could probably handle a little more. Also he said, do’nt worry about the filter, just change that at scheduled maint.
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When I bought my Merc 4 stroke a few years back the salesman told me if I trolled alot not all the gas would burn up and would mix with lube and be pulled back into the crank case. He told me that this was nothing to worry about, Also he said, do’nt worry about the filter, just change that at scheduled maint.
Seems odd to me that if Merc is so aware of this they would attempt to rectify the problem.
Yea, when you put it like that. I bought it 07-08. You’ld think by now they’ld have figured it out. I just never gave it much thought. This is the first time I heard someone talk about it. I troll alot and have never had a problem.
My Verado was a 2009. I’ve talked with guys who have newer Verados and complain of the same problem.
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When I bought my Merc 4 stroke a few years back the salesman told me if I trolled alot not all the gas would burn up and would mix with lube and be pulled back into the crank case. He told me that this was nothing to worry about, Also he said, do’nt worry about the filter, just change that at scheduled maint.
Seems odd to me that if Merc is so aware of this they would attempt to rectify the problem.
It’s not just Merc, Yamaha has the same issue.
It’s not just Merc, Yamaha has the same issue.
X2
My Yamaha Tech informed me of this some years ago…Yamaha had a Tech bulletin out shortly after that addressed the problem by (basically) adding less oil on the oil change. I haven’t had the problem since but I rarely troll anymore.
What Tom Said.
When you change the oil, fill it to middle of the dip stick between full and low. I had the problem with my 50hp after I did this never had a problem. Have yet to see it on my 115.
My Yammie F150 has the same problem, short runs in cold weather seem to be worse.
Cure was to make sure I run the motor enough to get it warm and then a short run at full throttle, that seems to keep the level down.
Al
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