new way to change engine oil?

simple

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
104
My co-worker gave me a different way of changing my engine oil. I told him I was going to suck it out with a pump, but he said he does it this way: <br /> <br />He jacks up the trailer real high and makes sure the drain plug is off. He then pulls the oil plug and lets the oil drain in the bilge and out the drain plug. What do ya think?
 

tommays

Admiral
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Jul 4, 2004
Messages
6,768
Re: new way to change engine oil?

another way to make a 15 min job into and hour of cleaning to keep the oil from getiing pumped out with bilge water later<br /><br /><br />tommays
 
Joined
Jun 8, 2005
Messages
19
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I pump mine out of the D/S tube only takes 20 min. And it's not messy. why would you want all of that mess when the old way is so easy.
 

sea wolf

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
1,219
Re: new way to change engine oil?

If u run the engine for a couple minutes to warm the oil it will pump a lot easier. Took me no more than 5 min. to do mine last week. I don't think your co-worker is very bright. Either that or he's just a lazy azz. By the way, what does he do with the oil after he drains it out the bilge.
 

KaGee

Admiral
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Aug 14, 2004
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7,069
Re: new way to change engine oil?

Simple,<br /><br />Your co-worker is what gives us backyard hackers a bad image. Continue to suck it out or else buy the drain kit that allows you to drain the oil via a hose fished through the bilge drain hole.<br /><br />From what I've heard, it takes 2 to 3 times the amount of time to drain that way.
 

husaburg560

Cadet
Joined
May 20, 2005
Messages
29
Re: new way to change engine oil?

If you pull the oil plug after you use your'e little pump thing, I think you still would still have around a half of a quart of dirty oil still left in the oil pan. I never have liked the idea of pumping 5 quarts of oil through the dip stick tube. I guess I would do it if my boat stayed in the water all the time. What I did was pull the drain plug and drain all the oil in the bilge. I then took my drain plug to the hard ware store and bought some pipe the same thread, I also bought a ball valve and a barb fitting that screws into the ball valve. When I change my oil, I run my boat on the muffs on the trailer until the engine gets up to operating temp, shut engine off, connect a piece of hose to my barb fitting, feed the hose through the plug hole, cut the safety wire on the ball valve, open valve and let the oil drain into my oil drainer. Before I did it this way I would always jack the trailer up like the post above and drain it in the bilge. Not that much of a mess, just wipe up what you can with rags and a couple cups of tide laundry detergent, and a water hose does trhe trick for me. I don't know, I just know I want all the dirty oil out of my engine when I change it. I would rather clean up a little mess in the bilge than have dirty oil mix with my new oil.
 

ziggy

Admiral
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Jun 30, 2004
Messages
7,473
Re: new way to change engine oil?

what a mess. man those oil suckin siphon pumps are the greatest. i use mine all the time. so i leave a little oil in the pan. i hope that i change my oil often enough so that that is not a big deal. besides. i have to change the oil in my waver runner. there aint no drian plug. ya couldn't reach it if there was. oil pump is the only option. another point about that is that the waver runner is a dry sump 4-stroke. it holds a little over 4 qts. i can only pump the oil resivour dry. about 2 qts., the rest of the oil is in the oil gallys and hoses inside the engine. ya can never get it all. so i will stick with my oil siphone sucker. it's too clean and easy and the cat at the oil recycler likes the container too. it's got a pour spout that don't dip. best $50 i ever spent.....<br />oh, i do have a drain hose in place of my pan bolt on my boat. i've never used it and have to tighten it up periodicly as it works loose and leaks oil in my bilge......
 

Don S

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Aug 31, 2004
Messages
62,321
Re: new way to change engine oil?

Most engines out there from about 1990 on (Many even earlier) had the dipstick tube attached to the bottom of the pan in the hole, or they were designed with the dipstick tube inside the engine going to the lowest part of the pan.<br />Very, Very few ever left a half a quart of oil in the pan (Unless you didn't have the engine level, but then it wouldn't drain out then either)<br />Using laundry detergent does nothing but make the oil sink in water and not put off a rainbow. But when it hits the ground, it turns black just like oil, and if you are near a storm drain your problems are invisible..... (TO YOU)
 

Ralph 123

Captain
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Jun 24, 2003
Messages
3,983
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I tested my pump (I use the Jabsco electric type) by pumping out my vehicles and then pulling the plug when it was finished to see what was left. In short - it sucks it all out even through the dip stick tube. Many boat tubes have a threaded fitting that you can screw the pump hose to and suck the whole pan dry in just a minute or two - even if the oil is cold!<br /><br />If you drain into the bilge, you're not going to get all the oil out of there. The first time your boat takes on a little water and your bilge pump kick on you'll be creating a nice polluting oil slick for the whole world to see.
 

djvan

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 3, 2003
Messages
411
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I read a tip once about putting hair from your barber in a tube sock, then into your bilge, it is supposed to absorb the oil. I put this set up in my bilge this spring and it seems to be working.<br /><br />DougV>
 

imported_scott_m

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Oct 24, 2004
Messages
139
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I can't imagine draining 14 quarts of oil into my bilge! I have a hard enough time keeping it clean. I have a plain old Jabsco hand pump for oil changes - thread on type. On my big blocks it takes about 2 minutes to pump the oil out if it is warm - it does leave a quart in there for sure as the rated capacity on these motors is 7 qts and I've only ever been able to get 6 in to the full line on the stick, but I think that's why Merc has a 50 hour interval on the oil change.
 

prockvoan

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Jul 27, 2004
Messages
512
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I had used electric and hand pumps which never got all the oil out.What I had found out that works best for me is double trash bags under the drain plug.Just drain it into them.Gets all the oil out.First I pull the oil filter which is remote so the oil lines will drain back to the oil pan,then drain the oil pan into the trash bags.
 

hoot

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 8, 2002
Messages
434
Re: new way to change engine oil?

i used to use the double bag trick until i installed a quick release valve and hose. gotta be careful pulling out the bags!!! and don't use the thin ones either.
 

wake5150

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Apr 3, 2005
Messages
37
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I can't imagine being able to do a "good" job by draining oil into the bilge or a double bag. <br /><br />I'm not "Johny Environmentalist", but it doesn't sound like you could recycle the oil very well with these methods. Not to mention the mess.<br /><br />If you're really concerned about the "sludge" that might be left behind in the oil pan, pump first then open the drain plug with a small pan underneath.<br /><br />My $0.02<br />-Chris
 

KaGee

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Aug 14, 2004
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7,069
Re: new way to change engine oil?

Originally posted by Don S:<br /> Most engines out there from about 1990 on (Many even earlier) had the dipstick tube attached to the bottom of the pan in the hole, or they were designed with the dipstick tube inside the engine going to the lowest part of the pan.<br />Very, Very few ever left a half a quart of oil in the pan (Unless you didn't have the engine level, but then it wouldn't drain out then either)<br />
As SBN often says...."NUFF SAID!"<br /><br />If it's good enough for Don, it's good enough for me! I have an '82 OMC model and it was designed by the factory to suck it out. They even designed a fitting at the top of the neck to accept a 3/4" hose.
 

prockvoan

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 27, 2004
Messages
512
Re: new way to change engine oil?

Originally posted by KaGee:<br />
Originally posted by Don S:<br /> Most engines out there from about 1990 on (Many even earlier) had the dipstick tube attached to the bottom of the pan in the hole, or they were designed with the dipstick tube inside the engine going to the lowest part of the pan.<br />Very, Very few ever left a half a quart of oil in the pan (Unless you didn't have the engine level, but then it wouldn't drain out then either)<br />
As SBN often says...."NUFF SAID!"<br /><br />If it's good enough for Don, it's good enough for me! I have an '82 OMC model and it was designed by the factory to suck it out. They even designed a fitting at the top of the neck to accept a 3/4" hose.
The engines I had before had the dip sticks at the bottom of the pans,ones I have now don't which leaves over a quart of oil in my engines after pump out.
 

lakelivin

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Aug 19, 2004
Messages
1,172
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I'd also suggest pumping it out the dipstick first. If you're concerned with any left in the bottom of the pan, you then have lots more options to use the drain plug while avoiding all the mess.<br /><br />I tried it that way in my '89 4.3L Cobra. I put some newspaper with paper towels on top in the bilge under the drain plug & filter to catch any drips. After pumping out from the dipstick, I pulled the drain plug and was able to use a small freezer bag to catch what little remained in the botttom of the pan. Wasn't very much, maybe 6-8 ozs or so, and no mess to cleanup. <br /><br />If access is tight, you could even tape the bag through an oil filter wrench, giving you a handle to hold it in place. If need be, sealing the freezer bag allows you to remove it from the bilge wherever access is easiest. Just don't let it touch anything hot that would burn a hole in it. <br /><br />If you really feel the need to drain all the oil from the drain plug, what about using a funnel & one of those flexible camping water bags that holds a couple of gallons? drain the oil, put the cap on, and you can maneuver the sealed bag out of the bilge wherever it's easiest to do so.
 

jlshields

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 31, 2002
Messages
257
Re: new way to change engine oil?

I'm with you RatFish. Who has that kind of access to the drain plug? I can't even get my hand to the plug let alone a baggie and filter wrench.<br />If you pump it out like I do and get 4 1/2 qts out of 5 qt capacity, you've gotten 90% of it.
 
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