Oil changing adventures!

[rwthomas1]

Hello All,
Yesterday I rowed out to the E38 with my little crappy fiberglass tub as the Achilles is in for repair. Loaded to the gunwhales with oil, tools and a borrowed electric oil changing bucket sucker thingy. Warmed up the engine, removed all the access panels and inserted the suction tube into the dipstick hole. Attached to the house batteries and hit the switch. The pump comes on, oil starts to flow up the tube, away we go. I went and fiddled with the mooring pendants, etc. to keep myself busy. A couple of minutes later I check and no oil is being pumped. Hmmmm, everything looks okay. Fiddle with the damned thing for almost an hour to finally diagnose that the electric vane pump is shot. Not pumping. Only got out maybe two quarts. Sigh, load up the tub and row back to shore.

On way home stop at Boaters World to purchase a Topsider vacuum oil pump as I have heard they work great.

Today, load up crappy dinghy and row out to the E38 again. Warm up engine again. Assemble Topsider, insert dipstick suction tube, and the thing starts sucking out the oil. I went and fiddled with something else for a while. When I returned, no oil in the Topsider. Hmmmm, I can hear a faint hissing when the pump is pumped up. Close inspection shows the little fitting where the hose enters the Topsider has been crimped on off-center and it leaks air. Since air moves through even small holes pretty quickly the Topsider will not hold a vacuum for more than 15seconds or so and then it needs to be pumped up again. Great. Well at least its sucking oil out so now I just resign myself to working that damned hand pump continuously so the oil keeps sucking out. About 5 minutes into this ordeal the handle for the pump pops off in my hand! Great! Fantastic! Fetch vicegrips and lock on to stub sticking out of pump and keep on pumping.

About 45minutes later the suction tube starts making that "bottom of the milkshake" noise so I can collapse and stop the upper body workout of keeping that pump moving. Change oil filter, get oil EVERYWHERE, refill crankcase and test run. All is good. Load up tub and row back to shore. Dump Topsider contents in used oil barrel.

Return to Boaters World. I paid cash for the silly Topsider and after that ordeal I don't want it. Boaters World wouldn't give me cash back as they said they can't return the Topsider to the manufacturer as there is some residual oil in it. Hazardous Material that used oil is, donachaknow.... Had to take a store credit. Complete BS IMHO.

Will be making an oil change pumpout pump with a manual barrel pump and some reducer fittings so I can hook directly to the sump hose and pump it that way.

Must it always be so difficult? Kinda funny looking back at it. RT

 

[Loren Beach]

I have been using the Tempo brand for about 5 years now, and have had no problems with it. Lucky me, it holds almost exactly 4 quarts, and that's just what my M25XP sump holds! These can sometimes be found for around $50. on sale, or at least they used to...
(I should mention that some years ago a mechanic buddy of mine tried the metal can type that you tried and it had enough vacumn to collapse part of it's top! He changed to a 12 volt pump system, since he does this for $ in addition to fixing boats and engines.)
Best,
Loren

 

[CaptnNero]

I had a similar experience with the Topsider after I used it twice. Next time I think I'll try Loren's suggestion.

 

[Martin King]

I have a Tempo as well and it worked great right out of the box.
Still havn't figured a way to spin off the oil filter on a Yanmar without
sloshing oil everywhere though.

Martin

 

[Randy Rutledge]

Punch a drain hole in the canister of the filter as low as possible, assuming it is a disposable canister, after it drains a little pinch a vent hole high in the canister have a catch container under the filter, (cut down milk jug, or what ever will fit in your confined area). After it drains spin it off with a wad of paper towels under and around the filter.

 

[rwthomas1]

Thanks for the input! I'm gonna stay away from the vacuum/electric systems. I think a manual gear pump that is designed to move oil would be a better choice.... I will have to do some shopping.

Regarding the filter and its awful location I am thinking relocation with nice braided stainless lines. The last thing I want is more hoses but its an easy modification to do and makes servicing much simpler.

RT

 

[footrope]

Too funny, too sad, too true

Among the good things we "inherited" from our PO was an oil removal system that uses a crankcase plug with a fitting. The line attached to that fitting runs to an electric pump and the 'out' hose lays at the front of the engine on the cross-beam.

I unmodified the remote oil filter (under the galley sink) and went back to the engine location due to leaky hoses, but mainly so that I could keep the mess I was making in the engine bilge. The oil is HOT when we have to handle it so I have to get some heavy rubber gloves. I could probably reduce the mess handling the oil filter that way.

I have a fitting that fits the 5432 oil filter pad for remote filter installation ... if anyone is interested in paying the freight.

It's a good thing we love to sail or these boats would hardly be worth the trouble!

 

[rwthomas1]

It's a good thing we love to sail or these boats would hardly be worth the trouble!

I often get the feeling that "yacht" builders assume that owners doing maintenence on their "yacht" means checking off the items they want serviced on the Marina Work Order form. I don't think they ever considered "po folks" as owners having to contort and abuse themselves to actually do the work. RT

 

[stbdtack]

Rob,
I bought one of these pumps to get the old diesel out of my tank when I replaced it.
I put a small rigid nylon tube on it and it works great to change the oil....

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_47671_47671

 

[tenders]

I have a Topsider vacuum pump and--once you get a working one!--can't imagine a less foolproof way of doing this. The tube does drip a little oil after you take it out of the tube. Replace the cardboard box every few years, it will last forever.

 

[rwthomas1]

Ben,
Excellent! I actually have a pump like this I forgot about! All I need is to plumb it up to the sump drain. Next year I have a solution. Thanks, RT

 

[chaco]

I went with the installation of a QuikDrain Oil Removal Pump.
(www.imtra.com / 508.995.7000) also available at WM for MM$
The pump is connected directly to the sump drain w/shut-off valve.
No secondary containers to mess with. Just heat er' up, turn on the pump
and discharge directly in to your empty oil container.
I put a fitting/plug on the discharge hose to prevent drain of the remaining oil.
Very happy with the unit, also used it to drain my fuel tank.
I am sure I will think of something else really awful to use this pump for !
Good Luck....used oil is really ICKY stuff !

 

[Dan Hayes]

Topsider

I bought a Topsider, used, and called them when I had a problem. They mailed me a new pump, pronto, for no charge. I think you might have had a defective unit. Their Customer Service department was very responsive - you might want to give them a call.

 

[cruis-n]

Trick for changing oil filters

We keep a package of cheap disposable diapers on board for this purpose. When we are ready to remove the filter on the Universal M25, place the diaper under the filter and un-screw it. The paper diaper absorbs most of the spilled oil and if there is too much, the plastic outer covering keeps you from dripping on the floor. We've been doing it this way for 12 years without problems.

Punching holes in the filter damages the filter and may prevent you from getting a filter wrench on it it the filter gets really stuck. How do I know you ask? Had one stuck and tried the 'drive a screwdriver through the filter and use it as a lever to get the filter off' trick. All it did was slop oil all over everything, and the thin metal on the fitler tore leaving a dripping mess that prevented getting a proper filter wrench on it. Eventually got it off. Never gonna do that again! Now we carry a small sized filter wrench and a package of diapers to make the job easy.

HTH
Paul

 

[Chris Miller]

Strap clamp...

I keep a strap clamp on board in case any filters get stuck. One size fits most. As Seen ON TV!
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/grip-wrench.html
It actually works like a charm... of course, so did my pocket fisherman.

 

[Tom Metzger]

Installing my alternator adjustment arm greatly limited my access to the oil filter on my M-25XP. I found a plier type filter wrench for $6 at Harbor Freight which does the trick nicely without having to mess with the belt or battery connections.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=36778

 

[ted_reshetiloff]

I use a strap wrench for the filter. Crack it just a little and drain into a small jar. I use the topsider pump but changed the pickup tube to rigid plastic like the Tempo setup. My engine has a hose attached to the bottom of the oil pan to suck from. It does take a while even with the oil hot as the topsider holds barely 2.5 gallons and my engine takes 7.5-8 qts. As the container gets more full it loses its vacuum quicker so you have to pump a few strokes.

 

[P Abele]

I have a Tempo pump like Loren attached the photo of which I really like. I use it also for pulling other stuff, like diesel fuel, transmission fluid, oil from my motorcycle, etc.
The thing I still don't like about the M25 oil change is that between the angle of the engine, and the fact that the dipstick doesn't go to the very bottom of the oil pan, I can't remove all of the oil. I would love to get a fitting which replaces the plug and could allow me to remove oil from there, but I can't get at the plug without removing the engine! Any thoughts on how to achieve this??

 

[polackrm]

I also had the horror of changing my engine oil, so when I repowered my e29' "Pegasus" I had my mechanic drill and tap the oil pan and install a wire reinforced tube with a shut off valve at the end. Now to change my oil I simply warm the engine up, put a gallon container in the bilge, put the hose into the container and then open the valve. It is now simple and painless, although changing the oil filter, yes I do own a Yanmar, is still a real pain in the ___ . The tip about punching the holes in the filter will come in handy next time the occasion arises. Bob "Pegasus" e29' Port Angeles, WA.

 

[footrope]

Disposable Diapers - Yes

Completed the oil change today on the "Project" and tried the diaper thing. Worked great. The filter on the 5432 is on the starboard side at the front of the engine. Access is through the wall under the sinks. I used two diapers (Safeway brand for up to 35 lb kids) and avoided getting any in the area under the sink, too. Just a drip in the engine bilge.

Thanks for the tip, Paul.

By the way, I can't get a wrench on my oil filter either. So, I stand in front of the engine, facing aft, and twist it on or off with my left hand. I'm a southpaw and my hands are big, so this may not work for everyone.