oil change!!!!

[notaclue]

:?: ok tugnutters, i gotta change the oil tomorrow and am wondering if there is a best way to bring the oil up to operating temps, without toasting impellers, i asume i have one, at least i have on every outboard i've owned,, given that i know that just idleling diesels doesn't bring up the temp,, at least not on my duramax.. so ,, being on the hard, what is a good procedure for getting the oil warm enough to suck out of the pan with my new bitchin 1 2 volt oil extractor--- pump [ the kind your put the tube down the dipstick hole] any advice would be greatly appreciated,, as ,, and most of you already know i have....notaclue

 

[CaptMac]

How about launching at Folsom and cruising for a while first?

Since it takes quite a while to come up to operating temp, (you'll really have a difficult time extracting the oil if it isn't warm) and it is hard to warm up the engine without a load - even with high rpm, and I don't know how to provide cooling water - I think it must be time for a boat ride!

Mac

 

[j&lgray]

Well, for those of us who keep our boats on the trailer, this is an issue. I run my engine on a regular basis out of the water and never, never higher than idle because the water hose stuck into the strainer (with the thru-hull valve closed) will not put out the volume of water demanded by the engine to cool it.

I have changed the oil in the driveway. Idle the engine for 10 to 15 minutes will warm up the oil for extraction. Forget about looking at the water temperature to judge oil temperature because the coolant will not come up to operating temperature. The oil warms up far quicker.

By the way, I have used and discarded two of those power extractors. I now use a vacuum one, sold by West marine for more than it is worth, but is really does the job. Slip in the hose, pump it a few times and leave for a long coffee break. Come back and the oil is all in the container ready for a trip to the recycling center.

 

[captd]

Now I'm not suggesting we do this, I am just asking. The engine is fresh water cooled. The water intake is just for the heat exchanger to take the heat away. If you are not in the water and you run the engine with no water or just a little water. What would it hurt? Would it not warm up very quickly? Shut it off , drain the oil. A little water would keep the impeller and exhaust from getting hot.

Andrew where are you?
captd

 

[henrym]

Captd,
I think for starters you can kiss your raw water impeller good bye if you run it without water. The raw water acts as a lubricant for the flexible impeller. Without an adequate flow of raw water the entire exhaust system would be subjected to excessively high temperatures. How about placing a heater or heat lamp so that is warms the oil pan, but not the fiberglass?
Henry

 

[K7MXE]

I will throw in a comment on the 30 hp motor in the 21 tug. I let it fast idle maybe twenty minutes
and change the oil with a extractor vacuum job made by Harbor Freight or should I say sold by
Harbor Freight. This unit does not cost much and works poorly out of the box. I got some hose
that is used in air brakes on trucks and replaced the hose they used. It does not collapse like the
first hose. After a few oil changes you will get the hose set up the way you want. I do the transmission
change after I have used the boat and because you cant get it all out I put in the same amount as I take
out.
After working over the hose on the Harbor Freight special I would recommend it but out of the box
forget it and keep looking. Ok those are my thoughts on oil changing.
Bob Heselberg Eatonville Wa

 

[Tom Ray]

If you are not in the water and you run the engine with no water or just a little water. What would it hurt? A little water would keep the impeller and exhaust from getting hot.

I think it takes more than a little water to keep the impeller and exhaust happy. I'm with Henry. Don't try it.

 

[Stella Maris]

The way to bring your motor to temp on the hard is quite simple. Go to your local West Marine. They sell a "gizmo" that looks like a plunger. You attach it to your hose. Wedge it up to the hull to cover the thru hull for what ever system you want to flush, turn on the hose, you now have water running through the motor, head, raw water washdown, air conditioner, etc. I tried to locate the part number on their web sight but could not locate it. The cost was less than $20.00.

I use it to flush all of the systems on Soitude monthly since we use her on Lake Mead quite often. We do not have sea salt in the water however there is a large quantity of what they call natural salt (not quite sure what the difference is other than one comes out of the soil, the other out of the water) as well as other minerals.

David

 

[Tom Ray]

The Wal Mart version of the same solution. It's no fun being the guy under the boat holding this against the hull, but it does work.

 

[j&lgray]

Please do not run your engine without water coming into the raw water system. The cute, little rubber impeller that draws and circulates water through the engine, into the exhaust system and to the prop shaft cooling will quickly seize and break apart in the friction and the Vetus water exhaust system may be compromised.

Maybe I am cheap (so says my wife) but instead of buying the scupper flusher as described, I have quite often and successfully just opened the top of the sea strainer, took out the filter (and cleaned it), stuck a garden hose in the system and ran it. 10-20 minutes of idle speed is all you need any way.

 

[notaclue]

:mrgreen: thanks tugnutters!! what a great response to a topic as dry as a mundane oil change.. this morning with a clear head and looking closely at the situation ,, i did exactly what the laurie ann proposed, be sure to turn the inlet valve to the sea strainer to the closed position and remember to open it again when you are finished,, although,, Tom Ray,, i loved the plunger attached to the hose splitter :lol: i just didn't have any one around to jam it up against the hull. after asking my first mate to do it she informed me there were 2 chances of that happening FAT and SLIM,,, and slim just left town. we should probably close this chapter and move on to some diffcult items,,, thanks again for everyone's response,,, looking forward to meeting a lot of you at the nw rondivue skipper steve, still without a clue

 

[Tom Ray]

...after asking my first mate to do it...

:shock: You did WHAT? :shock:

I think even asking that of my wife would be extremely hazardous to my health. "Honey, could you take this plunger and hose and crawl under that boat and..." BANG! Lights out. 😉

 

[captd]

:lol: :lol: :lol:
Brings to mind. One pre C-dory day when we had an old 45 foot Chris. With that terrible illness called blisters. 1000's and 1000's of blisters. I drilled them all out with a countersink tool, sanded the bottom and started the west system epoxy program. We started that job early in the morning because 10 coats needed to go on one after the other. We had two extra large paper coveralls with hoods. (baggey on both of us) In the process of appling it, it is necessary to crawl through the dippings in the grass under the boat. Now Miss Dee is only about 5 ft. 5 in. and the coveralls were about 10 sizes to large. Too make a long story short. We did it all day with no breaks, it was getting dark. I sat on a lawn chair and held a light while my 1st mate was getting the last bit of the bottom when some folks walked by on their way to dinner. They suggested spousal abuse when they seen Mis Dee with all the grass glued to her butt crawling around under the boat while I held the light. I had taken my coveralls off. I was sure the police would come for me at any moment.

I have to admit she is a keeper and she is not even all that crazy about boating.
captd

 

[rupunzal]

I hope that you have a better experience than I with a 12 volt pump to extract the oil. I purchased one from West Marine that performed so badly that I asked for a refund. It lacked the power to pull the oil. The engine (gas-I/O) was at operating temperature (170 +), the oil was hot. It performed very poorly. I now use a hand suction pump--slow-but it works.
I will watch this topic--I am sure I will learn the best way to change oil on my 110hp yanmar.

tuggin aweigh

 

[notaclue]

the extractor that i bought from my local parts store , 25 bucks, made in china worked quite well ..took about 7 to 10 minutes ... i had to hold the end of the tube against the side if a 3 gallon bucket to keep it from splattering. it also helps to rotate the suction hose 360 as the oil level reaches the bottom of the pan. if i get 3 more changes with this unit i"ll have gotten my moneys worth.. my engine temp was just under 150 after idling at 1800 rpm. for almost 20 minutes . at that temp the oil came out easily.. .. steve, notaclue...in the meantime i"ll just keep tuggin aweigh!! :lol: get it?? sort of a play on words because you signed off tugg.......... never mind :roll:

 

[henrym]

I have been told that engines, especially diesel engines, should not be idled at high speeds. Engines were designed to have a load imparted to the crankshaft. At high idle speeds the engine's internal parts are just thrashing around. After starting and a minute's worth of idling, a low (low RPM) load should be applied to the engine till the water and oil temperature have a chance to warm up. I would think twice about starting an engine that was designed to idle at 700 RPM and running it up to 1800 RPM right away for 20 minutes just to warm the oil up. Diesel engine manufactures love owners who starts their engines weekly and let them sit there idling away for half an hour or so. The quicker you can get an engine up to its operating temperatures, the longer it is going to last. While tied securely up to a dock, try putting the engine in forward and run the RPM up to 1100 / 1200 RPM to warm the oil up.
Henry

 

[Stella Maris]

I would not suggest that anyone put their boat in gear and idle it at 1100 rpm to warm up the oil. This is a disaster waiting to happen. A line could part, cleat pull out (of either the boat or dock), knot slip, etc. Since we trailer, my wife starts Solitude and lets it idle for the few minutes that it takes for me to park the trailer and truck. We then idle out of the marina. This give the motor time to warm up without putting any undue strain on any part of the boat.

 

[bluebayou]

Well, I've enjoyed this particular thread, but you guys are all WAY too technical. Do you ALL change the oil in your pickups and cars, too?? Whew. I feel technically challenged here----for I just hire the nearest Cummins dealer to change the oil in the diesel and transmission. I probably shouldn't admit this online.....how decadent can you get??
As for the cute picture of the toilet plunger on steroids, I have one of those, and use it to flush out salt water from the cooling system when putting Blue Bayou back on a trailer for a while. The dealer who sold it to me (Outboard Motor Shop in Oakland, CA, who also sold me the boat) called it a "fake-a-lake," for obvious reasons, but it is a wonderful device.
Alas, I do not have a wife to crawl under the boat to attach the upside-down plunger, but I can understand those ladies' reluctance, as I have swore and pushed and shoved to get the alignment just right. And, it is definitely a "low tech"
invention.......which suits me just fine. I can handle that.

 

[notaclue]

:? i can't believe this thread i started [ whenever?] has had this shelf life.. as a matter of fact,, i did change the oil in my 03 duramax today [ first time in 5 or so years] and i'll have you know!!! i think i saved maybe 5 bucks!! over lube -in-tune,, so there.. took me an hour,,, you do the math..... great responce,,, looking forward to hearing more from you.... i really don't have a clue

 

[j&lgray]

OK Tuggers, here is question about oil and oil pressure. Since we have owned the Laurie Ann, now with 400 hours on her 110 Yanmar, our oil pressure is about 58 PSI when she starts up and stays there. But when the engine is moved back to idle, the oil pressure drops to 28-30. Levels are fine and there is not mention in the owner's manual about this.

What is your experience on oil pressure?