Oil Level

[Thornback]

I'm running a Merc 4-stroke 60HP EFI with approximately 200 hours since brand new. It still has the original oil from mfg and when I check the oil level with the dipstick it is always 2 inches above the full mark. Yes, two inches. I always level the motor, as recommended by the owners manual, with the tilt control before checking. I have waited until the next day after leveling the motor but the dipstick still shows 3" above full. The engine runs perfect. Anyone experience this? Am I making oil

[lilmule]

No not making it shurely, vehicles we check when engine is warm for correct oil level.About time for an oil change isnt it,follow mfg recomendations.I have a 2 cycle.Unlike 2cycle where we burn it,yours sits in a bath or crankcase and is reused and breaks down over time.
Since not familiar with how the ol level should be Id take it to the dealer,warrenty is in mind.

[Thornback]

Thanks for your reply and opinion. It's out of warranty. I picked up the oil and filter today and also purchased an extra quart of oil. I'm going to mark the dipstick and make sure when I put the new oil in I fill it to the level I mark, no matter what is indicated on the dipstick. Heck, the factory may have inserted the incorrect dipstick. I'll put in the amount that has worked flawlessly for the past 200 hours. You can't argue with success.

[mikechell]

If it's "always been over full", then you are NOT making oil, it was over filled to begin with. If you fill it to the full mark then notice, a day or two later, that is again over full, then you are making oil. If it's making 2 inches of oil in a short amount of time, you probably have a leak in the low pressure pump.

[Thornback]

Today I measured the used oil I drained out -- I got out 4 3/4 quarts and some was still in the old filter. I have installed a new filter and put in 4 5/8 quarts of oil The oil level is still below the factory level. I'm going to pull it out of the garage in two mornings and run the motor for five minutes and then wait 5 minutes to check the oil. I'm going to put in enough oil to be at the same dipstick level it has been running since new. I'll post back after my 'test run'.

[Thornback]

I pulled the boat out of the garage and made a test run for 5 minutes and then waited 5 minutes before checking the oil level. The dipstick is showing the oil level to be about 3/8 inch lower than it was before I changed the oil. It now has 5 quarts in it. I'm going to go fishing in about a week and I'll check the level after that trip. I want it exactly where it was when I drained out the factory oil. Manual and dipstick be damned, I'm not going to run it with less oil than it came from the factory with and has run perfectly for the past 200 hours.

[mikechell]

Just to be clear ... the engine did not come from the factory with oil in it. The factory fills an engine, runs it for a very short amount of time to ensure no leaks, then drains it. It gets filled again when some boat builder or mechanic hangs it on a boat.
The top dot on the dipstick is where it SHOULD be filled to.
As a Honda Marine Master Mechanic that teaches people how to work on four stroke outboards for a living ... that's my educated opinion on this.

[Thornback]

Thanks for your info -- What you say about the mfg oil being drained I did not know. And thanks for your educated opinion which under normal circumstances make sense to me. But I can't allow myself to run the engine with 2 quarts less than it has flawlessly operated with for the past 200 hours. I don't want to argue with you, as you have the credentials to know more then me, but my question to you is this: Would you drain 5 quarts of original oil from a perfect operating Honda outboard and put back in only 3 quarts?

[mikechell]

I am going to go with the "standard" answer on this. If the manual says my engine is supposed to have three quarts in it ... then I am putting three quarts in it, no more. If the book says five, and my dipstick says I am full when I have three in there, then you need to order a new dipstick.
I have see the rubber plug on a dipstick that was loose. If you didn't pay attention, you'd miss it slipping and giving you a wrong reading.

Go by the manual ... put it what it says, not what was in it, unless they match, of course.

[Thornback]

Thanks again. You make sense, but I will mention the rubber plug can't slide up the dipstick because it's at the top of the dipstick up against the locking handle. I'm going fishing in two days, probably run the engine for an hour total, and I'll report back how the engine performed with the 5 quarts of oil.

[Thornback]

I went fishing this morning and ran a river, probably put 45 minutes total run time on the new oil, running between 4,000 and 4,500 RPMs. Engine started and ran flawlessly. When I loaded the boat on the trailer I checked the oil with the dipstick. Oil was 2¾" above the "Max" mark on the dipstick. The oil on the dipstick was smooth, clean, no smell, and no bubbles or foam. There are 5 quarts of oil in the engine.

[mikechell]

It's a trade off. Horizontal engines have the benefit of no hydraulic drag when over full. So you will notice no performance issues. Nor will you cause the oil to go bad if overfull.
The trade off, will you be able to notice if you've "gained" oil the next time you check the level? If you fill it to the top mark, then you have an "indicator" that will let you see if the level has risen. If you are using some kind of tape measure to get your "2 3/4"" measurement, then you have an indicator for level changes.

[Thornback]

Your diagram makes sense as does your theory. I have made a file mark on the dipstick to indicate the 5 quart level, so I will use that mark as my reference each time I check my oil.