Universal Diesel Oil change techniques?

Stephen K · Dec 25, 2008

If you have the tube coming from the bottom of the oil pan, using that option will allow you to remove more oil, especially from the bottom of the pan...which equals superior results. This is also a larger diameter tube that allows more flow and a quicker oil change. Run your engine a while to warm up the oil, take the nut off the top of the tube, attach your pump, and pump away. I easily get 4+ qts. out using the Jabsco hand pump, but there are many other types that are fancier and work well. Since I only have to do one oil change per year, I have never taken the time or effort to try another model...it works fine for me. Don't forget to change the oil filter. Best of luck.

Stu Jackson · Dec 25, 2008

Use the attached hose and

don't take it off because it has a crush washer on the engine side, a one-time use connector.

It's extremely difficult if not impossible to get the oil out using the tube without some kind of pump because it can't go down low enough to use gravity. So your choice is what type of pump. That's like asking what kind of anchor is best!

What we use is a Par Jabsco Handy Boy hand pump. I've built an attachment from the pump hose to the fitting at the end of the hose from the drain pan so that we can screw the two hoses together.

There are many commercially available 12 v pumps and oil drain collectors available, your boat your choice. Since there's so little oil to remove, we chose to pump manually - the time spent arranging the electrical connection for a 12 v pump we use to empty the oil.

Stu Jackson · Dec 25, 2008

Not only for pumping sumps

George, don't know what gives you that idea. Any pump can be used in a variety of applications. We bought the smaller Handy Boy, forget the specific name now, and not at home to check my boat inventory, but it's the smaller of the two or three models they make. It comes with a single sized outlet hose, and two sizes of intake hoses with an adapter for the smaller tube for using the oil dipstick and a larger hose for other uses. We use the larger hose, to which I attached a threaded fitting by use of a hose clamp - this fits into the female part of the engine hose fitting (once you remove the plug in that hose). Pretty simple. Does this explain it for you?

Hermit Scott · Dec 26, 2008

Gorndorff, I'm pretty handy when it comes to engines. But I have to tell you, I bought a cheap syphon pump that is designed like a syringe. It was terrible. I got oil all over the engine, all over the bilge, all over me.
I highly recommend the system that Stu talks about where you hose clamp to the dip stick. Also if you pump it into a container with a small mouth, it would help reduce any splatter. The biggest part of the problem I had was the cheap pump leaked at every joint while pumping hot oil. I will not do that again until I get a good pump.
By the way, is the engine in the picture the engine in your C30, or did you just use that pic to demonstrate your question?

Stu Jackson · Dec 26, 2008

Not quite...

Hermit Scott said:
...recommend the system that Stu talks about where you hose clamp to the dip stick...

The concept is to hose clamp a fitting onto the end of the pump's hose that fits into the fitting on the hose that is already connected to the bottom of the engine oil pan. This avoids the dip stick hole. Hermit's right about the small mouth receiver container. I agree that a quality pump is absolutely necessary. The Par Jabsco we have is a very good pump, it's a "Little Boy"as I now recall. A friend has one and uses it for transmission oil changes, too, which is a good idea for you as well. He also uses it to prime the raw water pump and "burp" the fresh water side.

If you're gonna change the oil, do the transmission fluid, too. Here's how: http://www.c34ia.org/faq-pages/faq-transmission-oil.html I usually do it from the top and we use a big plastic syringe, but don't open up the bottom drain hole for the transmission, do it from the top.

Whenever you service the fresh water side, you'll need to burp that section that goes to the hot water heater and get the air lock out. Here's how to do that: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4518.0.html

Feel free to wander around our C34 website, we have lots of information on your engine.

Jack, La Paz Mx · Dec 27, 2008

Vacuum pump

The Topsider Big Boy is a steel 2 gallon (?) container with a pump that creates a vacuum inside the container. Releasing the clamp on the hose going to the dipstick or transmission allows warm oil to flow into the container until it is sucking air. It has a big base, no oil is exposed to the air or surroundings, it cannot tip over. The container is then carried to a disposal site and a cap is unscrewed and oil poured out. No need to clean the container as the remaining oil is in the sealed container. WM has them. I used several pumps, tubes, etc. and the accidental spillage, cleanup was a mess. My Jabsco hand pump leaked, I used duct tape to hold everything in place, etc. Then I needed a shower! The topsider has made it easy and clean. One downside is it is awkward to store on the boat, so it is kept elsewhere.

Glenn17467 · Jan 8, 2009

I use the same pump as Jack. Pump it up 20 - 30 times, release the clamp and it allows you to move the hose arounf in the cranckcase since both hands are free. Also, very quiet so you can listen for air in the line. I use it in the bilge at times rather than the turkey baster. I have used this for about four years and find it is much better than the hand pumps or drill attachments.

Stephen K · Jan 8, 2009

Just to clarify, in #2 above, I am not recommending to take the fitting off of the bottom of the oil pan...I am recommending using the tube by taking the nut off the top of the tube and attaching your oil pump hose directly to that fitting. I was lucky enough to have some spare reinforced tubing that attaches tightly and allows me to pull a good suction and get no air in the line. I found that plain tubing would quickly "collapse" when a strong suction was applied and stop the flow of oil.

For what is worth, I pump about 20 stokes on the Jabsco pump extract all the oil.

Universal Diesel Oil change techniques?

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Jack, La Paz Mx

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