OIL Changes.. ugh

[sailme88]

It's that time of year here in the northeast. Boats come out of the water and get prepped for that looooong winter nap.
Aside from the freeze protection that is performed, changing the oil so the contaminates can be rid of is the next highest priority. After years of using a pump system to remove the old oil from our C34, I decided to take closer look at the situation. It was reasoned that there might be enough room beneath the engine to gravity the oil from the sump. After measuring, it was determined that a container of just less than eight(8) inches wide might work.
Cutting to the chase... A marine type battery box fit the bill.. I did ned to cut it down to fit, AND after fitting a gallon of water proved that there was enough capacity. Now after heating up the engine oil, it was allowed to totally drain overnight. Works pretty well....

 

[Tally Ho]

What kind of engine do you have?

My Yanmar 2GM20 does not have a engine drain plug in the sump.

Greg

 

[Steve_Catalina]

Sailme88,

On my 88 the oil pan drain is forward (front) of the pan which is the high point and cannot drain.
At some point was you pan changed out? I'm assuming you have the same universal m25xp in your 88

 

[Tally Ho]

No, I have a Yanmar 2GM20, original as far I know. Don't think Yamnar's of this vintage had drain plugs. Have to suction it out through the dipstick tube. Never sure how well you get it cleaned out ;-(

Hauling my O'Day out next Saturday and will do the oil change before we get in the sling.

Greg

 

[jviss]

So happy my new boat has plenty of room underneath to change the oil using the drain plug, unlike the previous, on which I used a Tempo oil change pump - which is great, by the way! I get the impression the product was acquired by Mityvac.

Anyway, on the Westerbeke I have in the new boat, there's an elbow screwed into the sump, and a piece of hose, plugged, and snapped into a holder on the front of the engine. To drain, you just pull the plug, put the hose down, into a receptacle, and it drains out.

If space is tight, I would look into an elbow fitting for the oil pan, so you can drain more easily. Else, the Tempo pump can't be beat.

 

[JimInPB]

I've modified a few motor oil pans & transmission pans to have a drain at the bottom when it was not part of the original design.

I am a firm believer that every engineer should be required to be a technician for at least 3 years before he is permitted to submit his first design to be manufactured. Sadly, that is not the case.

 

[justsomeguy]

I am a firm believer that every engineer should need to be a technician for at least 3 years before he is permitted to submit his first design to be manufactured. Sadly, that is not the case.

This belief is not unshared throughout a number of disciplines.

 

[jviss]

Most marine diesel engines, especially those in sailboats, were designed as tractor engines. They were installed level in tractors, and the oil drained completely. Tilt them back, and not so much.

 

[RoyS]

On my 2qm15 I have to use the dreaded dipstick port and pump. However, I have had better results inserting the plastic suction hose through the oil fill port in the valve cover. By carefully probing around you can go down through the push rod area to the very bottom of the crankcase. On this engine at least this works better than the dipstick port. Give that a try with your pump.

 

[Benny17441]

Any extra effort to get the last bit of oil out is not worth it.

 

[JimInPB]

On some "mission critical" engines, that can not be taken out of service for maintenance, it is common practice to change the oil while the motor is running. This is normally accomplished by having a valved off T fitting on the return side of the pressurized oil system that empties into a waste container, while new oil is added at approximately the same rate through the fill hole. Obviously, this system has it's risks, but if you have an engine that does not allow the oil to be drained by the preferred methods, then this is another option that can be considered.

This option has never been my first choice. Unfortunately, sometimes it is the best choice in certain specific applications in certain specialized industries.

 

[RoyS]

Benny, the most usual problem is that the dip stick port is in the center of the crankcase. This affords an accurate measure when the engine is pitched towards the prop., however that also means that probably a quart of oil is not accessible for suction removal from that spot. You must get the suction hose to the rear bottom of the oil pan for that.

 

[sailme88]

No, I have a Yanmar 2GM20, original as far I know. Don't think Yamnar's of this vintage had drain plugs. Have to suction it out through the dipstick tube. Never sure how well you get it cleaned out ;-(

Hauling my O'Day out next Saturday and will do the oil change before we get in the sling.

Greg

Greg, I have a Universal 25. In the past I have used a positive displacement suction pump to evacuate the oil sump. Aside from the potential mess, it will stop sucking when it gets it's first taste of air. I would evacuate the oil thru the drain hose that is attached to the bottom of the sump. It is this hose that I removed and allowed a direct draining.

 

[RichB]

On the Perkins 4-108 there is a front bolt in the oil pan. Thinking of converting it to a copper tube port that runs to the back and allows sucking the oil out. That is whatever oil that hasn't already leaked out the rear seal.
Slight curvature downward should make it lay tight to the pan.

 

[RichB]

woo hoo!... filling while running... watch out for blow by in older engines. without functioning PCV You can get a face full.

 

[JimInPB]

I've piped remote oil drainage on a few motors. It's a huge luxury. It's a wonderful thing. Just be sure to use reliable tubing that will not be affected by heat nor vibration.

 

[TimFromLI]

Don't know if it's standard but my previous boat had a universal M-25XP with a threaded drain in the pan. Instead of a a plug a fitting with a short length of hose was attached that allowed easy oil changes. At end of the hose was a bolt with a hose clamp. Not sure if someone drilled and tapped it for NPT or if it's standard.