Kanzaki Transmission Oil Change

Don S/V ILLusion · Apr 5, 2016

service manuals are widely available and should be 'must-have' on every boat.

There might be some variants with drain plugs but I've never seen one.

Ken13559 · Apr 5, 2016

On the KM2P there seems to have a drain bolt at lower port side. However the clearance between drain hole and engine pan is pretty small.

Capt jgw · Apr 5, 2016

They're may be a drain but on a lot of boats you can't get to it or fit a container under it. I can on mine but that's rare.
If you have room try a mirror and flashlight to find it. Should be easy to see, a bolt that doesn't appear to be holding anything on and may have a copper washer under it. Good luck.

Don S/V ILLusion · Apr 5, 2016

J

Jeff Jellick said:
Don, I have ALL the manuals for the boat and agree with you that they are an absolute MUST. However the Yanmar Manual for the main engine dose not contain any information on the transmission. Have spent hours on line but cannot locate what I need.
Jeff

Jeff
The Yanmar Service Manual I have for the 4JH series engines has a complete service and maintenance section in Chapter 7, 85 pages worth. There are 4 different transmission combinations contained therein incl. the KM4 which, according to the manual, has a drain plug shown in the blow-up pictorial but nothing in the written material describing it.

kloudie1 · Apr 5, 2016

The Kanzakis normally do have a drain plug (as others have said); on some it is in the back cover below and port of output shaft. On some it is in the main case on aft port side. Toad Marine shows a part http://shop.toadmarinesupply.com/ships_store/index.php?p=details&mfc=Yanmar&sku=177035-02920 as the magnetic drain plug, so it is back there somewhere! yes ! most of em have no space for a pan and have very limited access ..so many folks have to pump the oil out of the dipstick hole. It is surprising how little oil is in there. Most of them have less than a quart of oil in 'em, but I am not familiar with how much that one holds.

Terry Cox · Apr 5, 2016

Hi Jeff, our 4JH2-TE and Kanzaki transmission is likely similar to yours. The PO had put engine oil in the Kanzaki by mistake. Ours takes ATF as the ID plate states (mounted on bell housing). The plug/dip stick has a mark at the tip which indicates full, and should be measured by placing the plug on top of the case rather than screwing it in. Ours takes just shy of a quart.

Rather than fuss with drain plugs I use a vacuum pump tank to extract oil from the engine as well as the transmission through the dip stick tube. Much easier than trying to place some sort of basin under the engine to capture what comes out.

Guido · Feb 28, 2018

Obviously an old thread. But, as a new owner of a 4JH2-TE, I'm looking everywhere for advice. Pretty sure my data plate says engine oil in the tranny but I'll double check. Heard from Yanmar today and they said synthetic is OK in their engine but same change intervals...(CYA) so that's good to know. Still think sucking the fluids out can't get it all and wondered if anyone knows what's left? An elbow on the drain plugs could get the bottom of the sumps?

Terry Cox · Feb 28, 2018

Guido said:
Still think sucking the fluids out can't get it all and wondered if anyone knows what's left?

Very little.

Guido · Feb 28, 2018

And you know that exactly how......?

Mikem · Feb 28, 2018

Subtract the amount of removed oil from the recommended amount and that should give you an idea of what is left. I have the H466 75 hp version and I remove the oil with a vacuum pump.

RoyS · Mar 1, 2018

I have a Yanmar 2QM15 and have had good luck with the vacuum pump, but not through the dip stick port. On that engine you can wiggle the suction tube down through the oil fill cap, by the valve push rods and down to the very rear of the engine oil pan. Once there you will get almost all of the oil out. Should work on other engines also I would think.

Terry Cox · Mar 1, 2018

Guido said:
And you know that exactly how......?

Two ways:
1. Suction tube is on the bottom of the tranny case. When it begins to draw just air, that tells me most all the old oil is out.
2. If the amount of ATF oil removed equals the amount of ATF oil installed, that tells me most all of it was removed.

Even if the drain plug was used to remove the old oil, which would be very difficult in our case, not exactly all is removed. There will always be some small amount of residue.

MitchM · Mar 1, 2018

be careful with the little cap assembly on the transmission fill tube. if yours is plastic don't screw it in too tightly or it will fracture( which is bad because it can take a long time to get such a complex part from japan..)

Gunni · Mar 1, 2018

What little bit of oil may remain in your transmission (or engine) is inconsequential. What is important is to get it out yearly, and before layup so that you have, proper pH, fresh additives, and a transmission with oil uncontaminated by disk/cone wear byproducts.

Guido · Mar 1, 2018

MitchM said:
be careful with the little cap assembly on the transmission fill tube. if yours is plastic don't screw it in too tightly or it will fracture( which is bad because it can take a long time to get such a complex part from japan..)

Oddly enough I'm very familiar with this cap. My cap is loose from the stick and the stick slides up and down on it. The center of the cap is a hole. Found the plug for that hole in the nav desk. Some say it should have a hole in it for a breather but this cap is a non vented plug. Don't know what to do with it.

chuckwayne · Mar 1, 2018

Guido,
I use a suction pump in the dipstick tube, move the pickup around until it only sucks air and measure the removed oil - it gets pretty much all of it. I also use it on our cars and get the full 6 1/2 quarts out, and 6 1/2 qts in hits the same point on the dipstick

hapeau · Jun 23, 2022

On my Yanmar 2GM motor is a Kanzaki tranny with the magnitized drain plug. is there a gasket that I need to replace when I drain the oil

Kanzaki Transmission Oil Change

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.