OIL AND LUBRICANTS

Boat Care Tips

One of the most important aspects of boat care is proper lubrication. With proper care and the right mix of products you can extend the life of your engine and prevent expensive repairs, and best of all, you can do most of this maintenance yourself.

Now, before we give you some helpful hints, we want to dispose of some myths about oil and engine manufacturers.

First, you will not void your warranty by using oil other than the engine manufacturer brand. As a matter of fact, Sierra offers the most extensive warranty in the marine business. No engine manufacturer backs their oil and lubricants with a longer or more extensive warranty. If your engine is damaged because of the quality of a Sierra lubricant we will pay for parts and labor to repair, plus we pay for incidental expenses like haul-out and towing. Sierra offers the best warranty in the marine business, hands down!

Second, Sierra offers the widest variety of oils on the market to match your engine’s needs. 4-stroke, 2-stroke, gear lubes and engine greases. Sierra has the right lubricant for the job. Our oils are blended to the same high standards as the OEM oils and meet the same FC-W and TC-W3 certification standards. Sierra offers specific oils for your brand of engine, not a “one oil fits all” like some companies.

The following list is a general maintenance that “most” engines will require or should have performed. Be sure and read your engine manufacturers recommendations and follow the maintenance schedule specified for your engine.

INBOARD / STERNDRIVE

Engine oil and filter should be changed every 50 hours or at a minimum of once per year.

Sterndrive gear lube should be changed every 50 hours of operation or a minimum of once per year. Gear lube should be checked for water and debris that could signal internal damage before each and every use of the boat!

Sterndrive zerk fittings on the outdrive should be lubricated several times during the coarse of the season with a non-Teflon marine grease, like Sierra’s Premium Marine Bearing Grease.

Sterndrive pivot pins and steering cable ends should also be lubricated with Sierra Marine Bearing Grease.

OUTBOARD

Keep oil reservoirs filled with Sierra NMMA Certified TC-W3 2-stroke oil.

4-stroke outboards should have their oil and filter changed every 50 hours or at a minimum of once per year with Sierra NMMA Certified FC-W oils in the specified weight for your engine.

Gear lube should be changed every 50 hours or at a minimum of once per year. Gear lube should be checked for water and debris that could signal internal damage before each and every use of the boat!

Trim rams, pivot pins and steering cable ends should all be lubricated as necessary with Sierra Premium Marine Bearing Grease.

TRAILERS

Wheel bearings should be checked and the grease topped off with Sierra Premium Marine Bearing grease. Formulated specifically to not liquefy and wash out when submerged like non-marine rated greases.
Wheel bearings should be re-packed once per year and the bearings inspected and replaced as necessary.
Trailer brake fluid reservoir should be checked for moisture and debris by a trained brake technician with the proper tools to bleed and purge your brake lines.

Winterization Lubrication

Winterization (Off-Season Storage) is the most important single maintenance job you can perform on your boat and engine. In cold climates, devastating engine damage from freezing can cost thousands of dollars to repair in the spring. In all climates, improper fuel storage can make starting your boat in the spring impossible.

Sierra offers a complete selection of winterization lubricants and the tools necessary to perform the job. Many boats and engines will have certain specific ways to winterize, and you should refer to the proper procedure for your boat and specific motor. However, the basic principles are the same for all engines, and Sierra has the lubricant for the job.

• Stabilize your fuel with Sierra Gasoline Performance Additive and Stabilizer. Be sure to run your engine after stabilizing your fuel. Many owners add stabilizer to the fuel tank but forget to run the engine. This allows the fuel in carburetor, injectors and VST tanks to varnish and gum up your engine.
  
• 4-stroke engines need to have their crankcase oil and filter changed. Sierra offers specific weight oils to match the OEM requirements and all Sierra oils are formulated to meet or even exceed their OEM equivalent. Don’t wait till spring to change your oil. Oil breaks down over the course of the season and becomes acidic. If you wait until spring to change your oil, the acid can damage the bearings, crankshaft and other internal engine components. Plus, for most boat service shops the spring is the busiest time of the year and you may have to wait weeks for your boat be serviced!
  
• “Fogging” your engine applies a thin layer of sticky oil to the inside of your engine, which acts as a barrier to corrosion over the off-season. Fogging refers to the smoke that comes from the exhaust when the oil is sprayed into the engine intake. Sierra Fogging Oil is specifically formulated to protect your engines internal components and to reduce the amount of “fog” emitted from the exhaust.
  
• Finally, change your gear lube in the lower unit. Never drain and leave empty your lower unit for the off-season. First, this promotes corrosion on the bearings and gears. Secondly, more than one boat owner has forgotten come spring that the unit is empty and water only lubricates for a few minutes before the entire lower unit seizes up! Sierra Hi-Performance Synthetic Blend gear lube has been independently tested and proven to out perform even the most popular OEM gear lube on the market in areas such as corrosion protection and water emulsification.
  
• Sierra offers many specific tools to aid you in engine winterization. Gear lube pumps, filter wrenches, oil and fuel filters are just a few of the items Sierra produces to make your maintenance job easier.
  
• Finally, if all this sounds like more than you can handle, contact a marine professional to have the work done for you. You might sleep more soundly on those cold winter nights knowing your boat and engine have been professionally winterized. To locate your nearest service professional visit our Dealer Network.

   

Gas Saving Tips

Not only will proper lubrication of your engine add to engine life and lower repair costs, but it can also save you money at the fuel pump.

Follow a few simple rules and improve your boating experience and your gas mileage.

• Engine oil is critical to the operation of your engine by reducing friction and preventing premature wear on internal engine components. Be sure and only use quality marine rated oils like Sierra TC-W3 certified 2-stroke oil and FC-W certified 4-stroke oils. Sierra offers a complete line of engine oils to protect your engine, and Sierra also offers one the most extensive lines of quality marine 4-stroke oil filters that meet or exceed their OEM equivalent.
  
• Just as engine oil is critical to reducing friction inside your engine, lower unit gear lubricant reduces friction and protects your lower unit and outdrive gears and bearings. Change your gear lube every 50 hours or at a minimum of every season. You should inspect your gear lubricant each time you use your boat.
  
• Keep throttle and shift linkages lubricated with Sierra Premium Marine Grease to reduce drag and keep your engine responsive to your control.

The Bottom Line

It is always less expensive to be preventative about your boat and engine maintenance than to wait for a problem to occur. Take care of your boat and engine and it will take care of you and your family.

Spring Tune-Up Lubrication

Proper lubrication of your boat engine and trailer will help keep you on the water and out of the service shop.

Sierra offers a wide range of lubricants to keep you on the water having fun and our lubricants are backed by the most extensive warranty in the marine business. The Sierra Limited Lifetime Warranty, we pay parts, labor and even haul-out or towing if one of our products cause damage because of a manufacturing defect. Not even the OEM engine manufacturers back their products with this extensive of a warranty.

• 2-stroke engines need their oil tanks filled with Sierra Premium Blue TC-W3 certified oil.
  
• 4-stroke engines should have their crankcase oil checked and topped off if necessary. Crankcase oil should be changed at the end of the season, so you are ready to hit the water when the weather gets nice. Sierra offers a full line of FC-W Certified oils in weights to match your engines requirements.
  
• Check your gear lube, top off as required.
  
• Check wheel bearings and grease trailer hubs.
  
• Lubricate pivot pins, outdrive zerk fittings, trim rams and steering cable ends with Sierra Premium Marine Grease.
  
• Check nuts and bolt on the console, windshield and compartment hatches. Sierra offers a full line of Loctite products to keep nuts and bolts from vibrating loose while running across the water.
  
• 2-stroke engines should have Sierra Combustion Chamber Cleaner added to the fuel to clean your engine of power robbing deposits that build up in 2-stroke engines.
  
• Sierra Fuel Stabilizer should be added at the “in season” rate to fuel tanks to keep fuel fresh and slow down evaporation from ethanol fuel additives that clog up fuel systems.
  
• Check trim systems and add Sierra Power Trim and Tilt fluid as required. Sierra Trim Fluid is compatible with both ATF and motor oil operated systems.
  
• Finally, spray shift components and throttle linkage with Sierra White Lithium Grease spray to lubricate and protect from corrosion.