Bad batch of Mercury DFI oil

[outsidesmoke]

I really don't want to stir the pot on oil, but I will NEVER buy Mercury DFI oil again.

Was on the lake the other day and got the low oil alarm. I checked the engine reservoir and sure enough the reservoir it was low. I had the same issue last year which resulted in the whole oil system getting replaced so I was a bit familiar with the troubleshooting process.

While on the water I tried to bleed the air out of the reservoir but no oil was getting into the system. Next, I checked the oil pick up in the bilge tank and it was completely clogged with congealed oil...found the problem!

I did some more research and there are a handful of posts about bad batches of Mercury DFI but the first thing to blame is moisture. Ended up flushing out the bilge tank and pick up tube with brake cleaner and bought myself a funnel with a screen just in case because I had a feeling it wasn't a moisture issue.

I had 4 jugs of oil left over from last year that were all sealed and stored indoors. I started pouring new oil through the screened funnel and it instantly clogged up. 3 out 4 sealed jugs had big chunks of gelled oil.

- Engine is an 06 225 pro xs
- Never used anything but mercury DFI oil
- The oil problem last year was caused by an air leak in the bilge tank and is completely unrelated

I know oil has a "shelf life" but I've never heard of it going bad in just a year. The oil was all bought from amazon which I bet has very good inventory turnover.

Moral of the story, if you are going to use mercury DFI make sure you pass it through a screen before it gets into your boat. This seems to be an issue with Mercury DFI specifically, I can't find any other mention of gelled oil on this forum with any other brand.

[ThomasD]

[apdriver]

I’m always a little suspect at buying stuff off Amazon. Stories of knockoff products. The Chinese are really good at that. I always buy at either dealer or Academy. Haven’t had any issues.

[outsidesmoke]

I’m always a little suspect at buying stuff off Amazon. Stories of knockoff products. The Chinese are really good at that. I always buy at either dealer or Academy. Haven’t had any issues.

This was not Chinese knock-off oil. Check out the vendor amazon. I have been ordering the 3 pack deals from them for years and never had a problem until now.

[EuropeanAM]

This was not Chinese knock-off oil. Check out the vendor amazon. I have been ordering the 3 pack deals from them for years and never had a problem until now.

Please take a moment to review the Announcements at the top of the Forum. We do not support the 'zon, the 'bay, or any items purchased from those sources here in the forums.

That being said- I would recommend you contact them directly to let them know what happened, as well as contacting Mercury Marine as well. Be sure to have access to the bottles and your receipt.