Oil Change

[Surffx]

Hey everyone,<br /><br />I have a Merc 3.0 liter with an alpha 1. I went to change the engine oil at the end of the season this year and found that it was equipped with a nice hose that comes out of the bilge plug hole. The hose is connected to the oil pan (as I'm sure you are all aware of) for easy oil draining.<br /><br />Anyway, I unscrewed the end of the hose and the oil dripped out at an incredibly slow pace. I thought maybe this was just because the engine was cold. So I put the plug back in, threw on the muffs and ran the engine until the temp gauge was right in the middle (can't remember what actual degree that is). Turned off the motor and tried draining the oil again with the same result. SLOOOOWWWW draining. I think it took over an hour to completely drain. Did I miss something? Is there a vent I was supposed to open? I did loosen the oil filer, that didn't help either.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Oil Change

Try taking off the oil fill cap.Was the angle of the boat effecting the drainage??It takes a while idling to warm up and thin the oil.The gage may have read warm but the oil may still be not warm enough.I usually change my oil right after using the boat.Amazing how easily the oil comes out when properly warmed up.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Oil Change

Start looking for a blockage in the hose or fitting somewhere. It doesn't get cold enough ware you live for oil to take that long to drain. Maybe in DonS's neighborhood but not in NV. At operating temp it should flow like water and take about 20 seconds to empty the pan.<br />Something is not right.

 

[Don S]

Re: Oil Change

Just because the temp gauge says it's around 140° to 180° doesn't mean the oil is that warm. The engine water temp will get there very quickly, but the oil will still be cold. Run it some more, and feel the oil pan, when it's good and warm the oil is warm, then give it a try.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Oil Change

Ayuh,....... <br />From personal Experince I can tell you,.....<br /><br />The Hose Option IS Painfully Slow.............I don't care How Hot the oil is........<br /><br />You could take the oil fill cap off,+ Blow into it,..... It Don't Matter......<br />And,.. No,.. You don't need any Extra Venting,.... The Crankcase is Well Vented to begin with........<br /><br />I used to pull the hose,+ uncap it into a bucket,+ Go do Something Else for a few hours........<br /><br />Then I smartened up,+ Adapted my oil pump to the end of the hose,..........<br /><br />Now I have the option of draining the oil either on the trailer,..... Or,.. At the Dock.........<br />The hose easily reachs up to where I can get at it....... <br /><br />Oh ya,...... Adding the pump,....... It cut the drain time to a Few Minutes.................

 

[wvit100]

Re: Oil Change

A friend of mine has his Searay set up to drain like that. Last fall we pumped out and changed my engine oil, pulled my outdrive and changed the oil and impellar, and put it the outdrive back on. When we finished his boat's engine oil had just about finished draining.

 

[sumcat1]

Re: Oil Change

I'm with Bondo.Find something else to work on for awhile.I have a new 4.3 with the same setup and changed the oil for the first time this fall.It is painfully slow even when warm! It's a small diameter hose and the oil has to make a right turn coming out of the pan and engine oil will never flow like water.

 

[QC]

Re: Oil Change

Yup, find something to do. Plugs, vacuum the floor, chase the wife around, lots of options.<br /><br />I will say that no matter how you slice it, this is easier than pumping out the dipstick hole . . . If you do the slow drain hose deal right, there is nothing to clean up; if you do the dipstick thing wrong, there is plenty to clean up Personally I hate having a drain pan full of dirty oil IN the boat, I could spill the whole thing if I tried just a little . . .<br /><br />Oh, and just to be clear, I am pretty sure when Bondo does it at the dock, the hose is NOT going out the bilge drain . . .

 

[SwampNut]

Re: Oil Change

If you want it to come out faster, you could use one of the "engine cleaner" additives before the change. You run it a few minutes at idle with that stuff in there, it cleans up sludge in the motor and thins the oil. Comes out fast.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Oil Change

I would not use any additive to thin the oil....Warm it up, use the drain, be patient... ....JK

 

[Surffx]

Re: Oil Change

Thanks for all the info guys. The boat is a 2005 with about 60 hrs on it, so I would hope there is not alot of sluge in there. I kinda agree that its just probablly the hose. the fitting that connects it to the pan is a right angle and does not look very big (agree with sumcat). Now that I know its that slow I will plan accordingly. It was just kind of funny thinking that it was going to be like driaing the oil in my car (4-5 min job) boy was I wrong. Thanks again for the info guys.