Engine oil change system

[timjet]

Can anyone recommend a permanently installed engine and genset oil change system. X-changer has one with the necessary ports for a little over $500. Would like to get one a little less expensive if anyone could recommend one.
Thanks,
Tim

 

[Delfin]

Timjet, that might be close to what it cost me to build mine.* You might save $100 or so, but having built one, I would rather have bought one.

 

[Daddyo]

I've got a little reversible Jabsco 17830 pump plumbed into the drain on my Lehman. The input connection to the pump is an easily detached flare fitting. I have several sizes of hose that hang beside the pump with fittings to attach to genset, tranny, bilge etc. The output side is a 6' length of hose that I put into the empty oil jugs for disposal. The switch for the pump I have on a 8' cable so I can be anywhere in the engine room and operate the pump. Works flawlessly and cost next to nothing.

 

[sunchaser]

The tried, true and best bang for the buck are hand pumps or a pump on a bucket. Both can be found at West Marine. After that, do along lines of Delfin and your discussion. For 3 engnines be prepared to spend a few more $$ than 500 by the time you get the pipes, fuses, switches, valves*etc. Be sure to plumb to bottom of pan. My engines have an oil hand pump installed so if electric pump gives out I'm good to go. Gen set*would be*easy with a hand pump with only about 5 qts.*


-- Edited by sunchaser on Sunday 9th of May 2010 09:24:11 PM

 

[FF]

WE use one of the vacum tanks with a hand pump.

Holds over a gallon , so works great for small car or truck marinizations.

For the DD (6 gallons of oil) a mounted rotary aircraft fuel pump , fitted with Hyd quick disconnects makes filling 5 gal pails easy, IF the oil is nice and warm as it should be.

Our method is to ONLY change the oil after at least a 5 (prefer 8+) hours of powered operation.

Sure the oil is warm from just ideling , but the high price of real diesel oil includes a detergent that re dissolves gunk given heat and time.

If the technique is easy enough to do with an operating temp engine , the chance of removing the max amount of crap is worth whatever planning is required.

After the change we restart to look for a filter leak , and get fresh oil in all the places it drained from. 5 min does it.

 

[Baker]

One of my biggest challenges in my current boat is changing the oil at operating temp. I guess the cooling loop for the oil is so efficient that by the time I get back to my slip(10 minutes idle speed), the oil is only warm.... My only solution I guess would be to run on plane and then come off and change the oil out on the water....kinda suck if I screwed something up.

 

[timjet]

Daddyo,I'm going to investigate your set up.
My Cummins diesels have a drain plug on the bottom of the drain and I presume I would remove the plug and replace it with a fitting like you show. The only problem is getting to the handle. Perhaps I can get a threaded fitting with a hose fitting on the other side and run a hose to a convenient location with another fitting with a S/O valve. I'm a little nervous having the engine oil in that hose all the time with the potential that if it leaked I could do serious damage to the engine. Maybe a*braided SS hydraulic hose would be the best solution.


John, if you bring your engines up to operating temps, ie>170 the oil should stay warm enough to allow for easy changing for an hour or so, right?




-- Edited by timjet on Monday 10th of May 2010 10:17:40 AM

 

[FF]

"the oil is only warm."

But if it was HOT long enough the fine grunge will still be in suspension.

 

[dwhatty]

When we got our boat, there was an oil change hose already connected to the under the engine drain fitting. You can buy these fittings at all the marine supply places. The other end of the hose had a threaded male fitting with a threaded cap on it. I bought a Handy Boy pump (http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/pump-handy-boy-self-prime-120365/4,10447.html) and a brass hose barb to pipe adapter (http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/adapter-hose-to-pipe-feml-3-8h-to-1-4p-124305-/4,6998.html) of the correct size female thread to connect to the drain hose (once the cap is removed) and correct size barb to fit the largest suction hose that came with the pump. Once the oil is warm enough, it only takes 2-3 minutes to pump the oil out into a 5 gal pail. Our Westerbeke Gen set has a drain hose attached as well but, since the gen is mounnted about a foot up from the bilge, I can gravity drain from it into a pail. No pump needed for the Gen.

 

[Daddyo]

Tim,
We do not have the shut off valve in our system, really no need. The oil since it's coming out of the sump is not under pressure. We have a standard fuel line running to the pump. We have a screw in plug for the fitting at the pump end but we never use it as there isn't anyway for the oil to go anywhere. The braided stainless line sure would be sharp looking however!

 

[timjet]

Handn't thought about it not being under pressure. Yea, the SS line would look better, but the beer budget might be affected.

 

[AllanY]

Simple way to set up an oil change system at little expense is;

Fit elbow to sump with a length of pipe out to where you can fit a valve
Then you can either fit a cap or fitting or flexible hose to a pump preferably manual type
You can tee in any other motors below the pump
Use ball valves not gate valves on the sump
I have always found a manual oil drum pump does the job rather than electric

I have used this system on many commercial boats over the years with mighty big engines and never had a problem

The oil only needs to be warm not hot as all the gunk is still in suspension

Do not use plastic valves on the sump or valve use galvanised or black steel fittings and a brass ball valve will do

Allan

 

[Baker]

timjet wrote:

*


John, if you bring your engines up to operating temps, ie>170 the oil should stay warm enough to allow for easy changing for an hour or so, right?




-- Edited by timjet on Monday 10th of May 2010 10:17:40 AM
*

You would think!!! *But your assumption is based on there NOT being a cooling system for the oil. *In this case, there is....and obviously a very good one. *By the time I get back to the dock, I can take the dipstick out and touch it to the inside of my forearm....and keep it there....and not get burned!!!!!....110 degrees maybe(don't have an oil temp guage)???...meanwhile my coolant temps are in the 150-170 range.

 

[JD]

John,

I would still think that most of the*contaminants would be in suspension and thus come out of the engine with the warm if not hot oil.*

 

[Phil Fill]

I use one of those cheap water pump that you connect to a drill to suck the oil out of the dip stick, then take out the plug to drain the rest.**5 *bucks, assuming you a have a drill.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

I use one of those pumps that draws a vacuum when you pump it. It came w/ 3 sizes of hose to fit down the dipstick tube. The container holds about 12 gallons of oil, so it works well for me.

 

[FF]

The biggest hassle is usually getting the oil out of the engine space.

We prefer to simply refill the empty 5 gal pails the oil is purchased in.

Makes transport out of the boat to the local oil recycle spot loads less messy.

Also on a longer trip where 100-125 ( change time) hours go fast changed oil can fit where the fresh was stowed till it can be offloaded.

Cruising it is remarkable how few marinas have recycle collection facilities.

 

[RickB]

FF wrote:

Cruising it is remarkable how few marinas have recycle collection facilities.

It should be a requirement for marinas to provide an oil collection facility and the state environmental or boating agency should use license or registration fees to pay for them. The same goes for pumpouts.

*

 

[FF]

"It should be a requirement"

More Force mandated UTOPIA?

 

[RickB]

FF wrote:

"It should be a requirement"

More Force mandated UTOPIA?

Yes, along the same lines as having urban toilets hooked up to a sewer system.

*

 

[FF]

Or Publik Skools ,

where the average captive client ($25,000 each) in DC or Newark NJ cant read in high skool?

 

[Nomad Willy]

John,Is that the speed you run * *..looks like about 10-12 knots in your avitar. I'm sure your boat can go a lot faster so maybe you do run faster to get the oil up to 170-180. If you rigged a bypass hose around the oil cooler you could switch it out of the circuit and perhaps retain the oil heat. I have changed oil out on the water and feel comfortable doing it that way but my oil extractor is super simple * *..fitting on the bottom of the oil pan and a hose and hand pump. I change oil frequently and the filter only every third time. I reason that the screw/spin on filter can hold much much more stuff than a marine engine can ingest so it needen't be changed often. So I suppose one should have 2 new filters handy when changing filters but otherwise what could go wrong? Not much chance.*I agree w FF on this oil temp for change. You need to cool down valves and other engine parts (I think) somewhat before shutting down and I wonder how much oil heat you'll loose in that time. I'm sure for liability reasons Yanmar will prolly say come back to the dock. I would be pre-flight careful about your changing drill and change "at sea". Have the oil in sight and perhaps extra filters before extraction ect. A downside to this is that your boat could, according to it's windage balance lie in the troughs of waves making working over a hot engine w poor footing hazardous. You have a lot more sun down there and w sun usually one gets a bit of wind. What think?


Eric