Water in my oil...uh-oh.

[416rigby]

We have the boat in a slip for the month. I left the kicker in the up position. It is normally stored in the down position while on the trailer at the house and while going down the road. Last couple times out I noticed a bit of normal looking oil at the bottom of the cowling at the dock. I thought maybe some was leaking out a vent or something. Motor runs perfectly but puffed a bit of smoke on start up. I figured it was from being tilted up all the time at the slip.

When we came home today, I pulled the cowling and there was a bit of butterscotch looking oil in the bottom of the cowling and at the air intake area. This is where it would settle while tilted up. I pulled the dipstick...and as I feared, butterscotch. Any ideas? I'm going to pull the boat and change oil and fliter but I'd sure like to know how the oil got water in it. We rinse thoroughly with a hose at the slip when we return from fishing but I can't imagine it's getting in that way.

Motor is a Nissan 8hp. It's been a fantastic little gem.

Ideas?

Rick

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Rick, I would venture that it is running too cold, and that you're getting fuel (and consequently some water) bypass into the crankcase. Could be a stuck thermostat, or just running slowly in very cold water

[Hunkydory]

I will 2nd Steve's venture.  In Sitka, Alaska this year when I checked the oil & found it making oil with that butterscotch foam around the Inside of the add oil port, I too was concerned about water in the oil. The previous time it was making oil in 2007 there was a much stronger smell of gas in the oil unlike this year.   I had been running many hundreds of miles this year in 41 degree water at displacement speed, so considered that as a possibility too, though only the one motor was having the problem & I was alternating their use.   Was very relieved both times when changing the thermostat cured the problem. 

Jay

[416rigby]

Thanks, gents. I flushed out the system but didn't smell any fuel. I'm going to talk to the outboard mechanic at work tomorrow to get his help checking out the thermostat. I'll let you know what we find.

[damason]

I too had a 8 hp Nissan. It ran great, however the aluminum corroded away and the motor just dissolved. When I ran it in salt water I always brought it home and flushed and rinsed it with fresh water. The motor just came to pieces and the aluminum was just like small sand stone which crumbled.

I would never buy a Nissan motor for use in salt water. I was told by a mechanic that the older Nissan motors are made for fresh water only and they "rot" away when used in salt water.

[416rigby]

Talked to a Nissan/Tohatsu/Mercury mechanic today and he said the same thing you guys did...thermostat is stuck open and we're getting condensation in the oil. He showed me where it was and it's a simple fix. I ran the motor in the slip today after work for about 10 minutes and the water coming out the pee hole wasn't any warmer than the water she's floating in, so there ya have it.

Never heard anything bad about corrosion issues on Nissans in particular, but ours is a 2006 and this is the first problem we've had with it. Corrosion could be an issue if the internal anodes were not replaced when needed. Did you change them out, Dave? I'm going to have a look at ours when I pull the boat at the end of the month.

[starcrafttom]

I had to replace both thermostats in the 225 this year. it was really easy but not cheap. Honda is proud of its parts

[BrentB]

We replaced 2 thermostats on a Yamaha F225 for $80.
Thanks goodness a gasket isnt needed. Who knows what those would cost

[416rigby]

They're all proud of their parts. Who else would charge 780 bucks for a starter? Yep...Yami 250hp we had on a previous boat. I just about had a heart attack. Insurance covered it though...

[hardee]

416Rigby said.....
"......Insurance covered it though..."

Rick, the heart attack or the parts

Hey really, hope it is an easy fix.

Harvey
SleepyC

[416rigby]

Changed out the thermostat today. It was simple. Now when the engine is warmed up the water coming out the pee hole is warmer than what she's floating in. The old thermostat was nasty and stuck open. I can't get it to budge. Thanks for the input, gents.

Rick

[Wandering Sagebrush]