OIL to GAS rate

[mybentrod]

I got my darn Oil warning alarm back.

OK....so I have recently had some issues with my Oil saddle tank resevior on my Merc 200 EFI. I filled up the saddle resevoir and put the rest in the main oil tank. I started with about 1/2-1/3 of a container. It got rid of the alarm. I have taken the cap off of the saddle oil tank on the engine and lifted the flaot, the alarm quits. PLUS, the tank is half full, and I understand that it MUST BE 100% full....see I am learning...lol

How often does everyone refill their oil per tank of gas. Think, tanks are different per boat.....I am using a 25 gallon tank. Quarts of oil per gallon of gas.

[aceoky]

I fill the oil EVERY time I buy gas (maybe "overkill" but beats forgetting IMO). ON the older ones before oil injection, the one I have now is a ratio of one pint two cycle oil to six gallons of gas.

[gillman]

i think on my old engine it's 50:1 but sometimes i add a little more. For as your oiler alarm i throw a rod out of my engine last year over that. So i don't trust the alarm anymore. It may be butting out oil but not enough.

[mybentrod]

I guess my question is more of.... I am wondering if the main oil tank is sending oil into the saddle resevoir. I am thinking if the saddle tank is burning oil and the main tank is not feeding it, or is it that the saddle tank is being sucked dry quicker than it should or that is the rate that is normal for a 200 EFI. I filled the gas tank last weekend and because my fuel gauge doesn't work I want to ensure I don't run out of gas on the water. Now I need more oil???....I know, I know...welcome to owning a boat...lol BUT, is this the normal rate? 1/2-1/3 a container full of oil went into it last weekend. Some in the saddle tank, and the rest in the main tank. I didn't fill the main tank by any means, but I did put some in. Now, the saddle tank is half full again and the low oil alarm is back.

[olducker]

i think on my old engine it's 50:1 but sometimes i add a little more. For as your oiler alarm i throw a rod out of my engine last year over that. So i don't trust the alarm anymore. It may be butting out oil but not enough.

I do 50:1 to

[mhall]

Take it to your dealer. Your oil alarm should not go off until you get dangerously low. Even then you have about a half to one hour of running back up container on the engine inside the Cowling. Shouldn't be doing that and you may have to turn up the mix in order to get it to stop, or the alarm itself is going bad and they will do that.

[mybentrod]

Take it to your dealer. Your oil alarm should not go off until you get dangerously low. Even then you have about a half to one hour of running back up container on the engine inside the Cowling. Shouldn't be doing that and you may have to turn up the mix in order to get it to stop, or the alarm itself is going bad and they will do that.

Thanks Mark, I appreciate the advice. I kinda learned that folks HAVE had issues with their alarm, but my undercowl resevoir WAS only half full and the engine IS burning oil. (Blue smoke) I am just curious to know how much oil does an engine burn normally to then put my consumption rate to it. I am not near the boat to see if the main tank is dry, (which is why now my undercowl resevior is running low,) or it burned half the tank on the undercowl resevoir and it is not getting refilled from the main tank. Make sense???? Just curious if the amount I put in last weekend could have been burned up by now from the running I did.

[floatman]

I have a 1993 merc 200 efi it had over 500 hrs. on it when the rings on no. one cylinder let go, dint know why but it did the other cylinder were fine they had 90 lbs on each one, thew the hole time I never had a problem with the saddle tank. it never got low even if the main tank was low, I think their may be something going on with the main tank.
When my mechanic rebuilt the top end. he Bord no 1 cyl and sleeved it with a new piston and new rings for the other 5, he got a kit to disable the oil injection and I mix the oil 50 to 1, he said if I could see the plastic shaft that runs the oil injection that I would be worried all the time that it would break, so I mix it and forget about the oil thing

Gary

[mybentrod]

I have a 1993 merc 200 efi it had over 500 hrs. on it when the rings on no. one cylinder let go, dint know why but it did the other cylinder were fine they had 90 lbs on each one, thew the hole time I never had a problem with the saddle tank. it never got low even if the main tank was low, I think their may be something going on with the main tank.
When my mechanic rebuilt the top end. he Bord no 1 cyl and sleeved it with a new piston and new rings for the other 5, he got a kit to disable the oil injection and I mix the oil 50 to 1, he said if I could see the plastic shaft that runs the oil injection that I would be worried all the time that it would break, so I mix it and forget about the oil thing

Gary

Great, thanks Gary...I have that to worry about now.....lol Just kidding. I have read that before and have also read that there is an after market product that is made of other stronger material. OK.....well I got home and checked the oil in my main tank and it was dry as a bone so I guess it does burn oil at an accelerated rate. I am just learning the charachteristics of this boat. I will have to put more oil in it every time I go out.

[floatman]

I don't know how much oil a 200 will use on a fishing trip. I always kept mine mostly full and would add gallon at a time. The purpose of oil injection is for convince and to burn oil as needed, like when you are idling the computer sends less oil then when you are going 5000 rpm, one of the guys in the club had a 225 merc that almost burned more oil than gas he traded for another merc, but my point is their might be something wrong with the sending unit, just a thought

[mhall]

bentrod, your engine shouldn't be burning that much oil per trip, better get her looked at.

[mybentrod]

Now keep in mind, it wasn't by any means full before the trip on Sunday..main tank was a little less than a third full....so an empty tank might be expected. However, my concern is still with my oil sending unit and my engine. I don't wanna ruin my engine trying to get used to the charachteristics of it. Floatman that's kinda what I was thinking. Thats why I asked this forum. I want an experienced opinion so I don't get jacked at the marine mechanics. Thanks ALL.