oil change

[DAKA]

DO you warm your engine before changing the oil ?

 

[oldgit]

Yes otherwise the stuff is almost impossible to get out without a struggle. !
Plus and its nice and warm and snuggly down there in the winter when you do the job..

 

[Trundlebug]

Always change when hot, as oil runs freer and running re-suspends any particles. Important as the oil is sucked out from above and you can never get just that last bit - not like draining from below as on a car.
I always take it for a run to get it properly warm.

For two reasons:-
1) Diesels are working engines and take ages to warm up if they're just idling or running out of gear with no load
2) Excessive idling or no load running glazes the bores

 

[Spi D]

Can do any of the suggested ways. This time did it cold.

The engines are factory fitted with a drain pipe from the bottom of the sump, routed to the top at an easy accessible place. Just fit a pump and pull the handle.
Pipe diameter is 10 mm so cold oil is no problem to flow.

 

[DAKA]

Same as my set up, pipe from the sump plug.

I have always previously taken my boat for a spin in order to shake the oil up but recently I was thinking its a waste of time because every time i go out the oil gets shaken up and is filtered many hundred times an hour so there shouldnt be any harmful particles to drain anyway...they should be all trapped in the filter.

We pay well over the odds for oil that is supposed to contain anti slugging agents so at this time of year why do we still see so many boats in the marina having their guts revved out of them in a cloud of smoke for an oil change , I cant help but think its doing more harm than good.

 

[rafiki_]

Yes otherwise the stuff is almost impossible to get out without a struggle. !
Plus and its nice and warm and snuggly down there in the winter when you do the job..

+1

 

[Spi D]

Same as my set up, pipe from the sump plug.

I have always previously taken my boat for a spin in order to shake the oil up but recently I was thinking its a waste of time because every time i go out the oil gets shaken up and is filtered many hundred times an hour so there shouldnt be any harmful particles to drain anyway...they should be all trapped in the filter.

We pay well over the odds for oil that is supposed to contain anti slugging agents so at this time of year why do we still see so many boats in the marina having their guts revved out of them in a cloud of smoke for an oil change , I cant help but think its doing more harm than good.

If starting the engine oil gets around and will be filtered. If you drain at once both the oil and any particles will come out. Since filters are changed every time, things trapped there are removed also.
My oil filters are accessible from above - bottoms up. Although they have valves inside, after standing several months the filters are almost emptied and really easy to change.

BTW this year the timing belts were replaced on both engines. Very easy task endeed. Removal of a bench, opening the floor, removing the timing cover and the tensioner, replacing the belt and putting it all together with oil & filter + coolant changed took 2½ hours - in total for both engines.

They did some thinking when designing that Nanni/Toyota engine - you don't even have to remove the crancshaft pulley or genny belts to change the timing belt

 

[longjohnsilver]

DO you warm your engine before changing the oil ?

What, are you saying oil doesn't last the life of the engine?! Next you'll be telling us to check it at least once every other year.

 

[burgundyben]

What, are you saying oil doesn't last the life of the engine?! Next you'll be telling us to check it at least once every other year.

Can't remember when I last did my oil, was thinking I might do it this spring, but the port engine has a total loss system.....

 

[David of Essex]

Mine take about 20-30min to get up to temperature when tied up in marina. Run for 5min tick over them put into gear and run at 1000rpm and run until 80c is reached.
David
ps Volvo D4 fitted

 

[Jim@sea]

I am always an "Over the Top" Person when it comes to Engine Maintenance (especially oil changes) having started my working life doing oil changes on Standard 8's and Side Valve Ford Populars. And in those days a common practice was using FLUSHING OIL.
Using FLUSHING OIL is a forgotten art. Its even more difficult to buy.
Although my last boat was stored at my Farm I would attach a Hose Pipe to the engine, warm it up, change the oil, fill with flushing oil, run for 20 minutes, drain and change the oil filter, then fill with normal oil.
In my opinion cleaning an engine out thoroughly is essential. On a few occasions when I had my garage I came across engines where failure had occured due to blocked oilways.
Certainly todays Mecanics dont want to stand around for 20 minutes while an engine is ticking over with flushing oil in it.
But if you want to prolong the life of your engine/s this is a practice you should adopt.

 

[Latestarter1]

Perla oil extractor struggles to pull the oil out unless warm,

 

[dragoon]

Using FLUSHING OIL is a forgotten art. Its even more difficult to buy.

That's very true. I was told it's a product that you should really only use from new. If you introduce it later in an engines life, you'll likely dislodge otherwise harmless crud that's already built up in corners of the engine, potentially doing more harm than good.

I just run the engines at high idle (1,000 rpm) for 10 mins until the engine oil is warm. Even a little temperature greatly improves viscosity and allows me to pump to out easily. I use an electric pump in any case, do it only takes a few minutes.

Agreed on the warm engines making the job more pleasant.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[Latestarter1]

I am always an "Over the Top" Person when it comes to Engine Maintenance (especially oil changes) having started my working life doing oil changes on Standard 8's and Side Valve Ford Populars. And in those days a common practice was using FLUSHING OIL.
Using FLUSHING OIL is a forgotten art. Its even more difficult to buy.
Although my last boat was stored at my Farm I would attach a Hose Pipe to the engine, warm it up, change the oil, fill with flushing oil, run for 20 minutes, drain and change the oil filter, then fill with normal oil.
In my opinion cleaning an engine out thoroughly is essential. On a few occasions when I had my garage I came across engines where failure had occured due to blocked oilways.
Certainly todays Mecanics dont want to stand around for 20 minutes while an engine is ticking over with flushing oil in it.
But if you want to prolong the life of your engine/s this is a practice you should adopt.

The reason that flushing oils WERE popular and had their place was the simple fact that many older gasoline engines had no lube filter.

I cannot think of a high speeed diesel engine which does not have or has never had a lube filter. High dispersant lubes were in common use in 1960's diesel engines.

Flushing oils have NEVER had any place in high speed diesel maintenance and certainly no place in modern gasoline engines. Catostropic damage WILL result result if engine has haydraulic tappets and chain tensioners. Traces of flushing oil will also result in damage to the additive pack in the fresh lube replacing it causing the lube to shear.

Lets consign all this out-dated gasoline engine thinking to the history books before some poor well meaning smuck gets burned in the pocket.

 

[Scubadoo]

The volvo guy always runs my engine just until it is warm enough, I have seen him try changing the oil cold but his electric pump struggles, hence warm up.

 

[DougH]

In Mallorca we just wait for a nice hot winter day and leave the engine hatch open for 39 mins.

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

In Mallorca we just wait for a nice hot winter day and leave the engine hatch open for 39 mins.

some people just ASK for a boot in the soft dangaly bits !!!!!!........................................what is a hot day in the winter??.....do they really exist ???

 

[Scubadoo]

In Mallorca we just wait for a nice hot winter day and leave the engine hatch open for 39 mins.

and I take it 40mins is too much

 

[spannerman]

I always take the boat for a quick run, its amazing how many times other faults come to light while testing. Theres not much point doing a service and washing the engine room as we do to then find out it needs some major repairs on the after service test run, I have often found that transom bearings or U/J's are shot, engines on shafts need aligning, or the turbo isn't working correctly or there is a cooling problem while doing the oil warm up, you can then give a quote for the job beforehand and some faults get rectified while we have the drive off anyway for the service.

 

[rosssavage]

Get the oil as hot as I can. On my boat I go for a drive, on customers boats it's a run at idle unless the owner is present to go for a spin (my insurance doesn't cover me driving customers boats).

I do it mainly cos it's easier to suck out hot, see other's arguments ref suspension of 'bits'.

Hint for Spi D's type upside down oil filters - pop a small hole in the top before removal (hammer / screwdriver or some such..) to allow the oil to drain out before removing. Makes less mess...