Oil filter change with engine full of oil!

[stephen_h]

I replaced the oil filter on my Yanmar 3GM30, filled with oil and then run and checked for leaks . No problem until I went to do the same on the other engine and realised that the oil filters were a smaller diameter than it should be :ambivalence:

Question is, can I change the oil filter without draining all my new expensive oil??

 

[rotrax]

Yes-you should only lose what is held in the filter. The bulk of your new oil will be in the sump, below the level of the oil filter.

 

[dom]

Agree with rotrax, suggest you also pre-wipe your engine bay with degreaser to leave a film on it and then cover with heaps of those cheap portable toilet paper towels. A plastic bag of for the old filter then off you go!

 

[RichardS]

I replaced the oil filter on my Yanmar 3GM30, filled with oil and then run and checked for leaks . No problem until I went to do the same on the other engine and realised that the oil filters were a smaller diameter than it should be :ambivalence:

Question is, can I change the oil filter without draining all my new expensive oil??

Just a small point .... but aftermarket oil filters, and possibly even OEM ones, are not always the same external physical size as the originals, although the o-ring seal diameter and the centre thread must be identical, of course.

As others have said, there will be no problem in changing the oil filter but not the oil .... I've done it many times on many engines.

Richard

 

[PaulRainbow]

Just a small point .... but aftermarket oil filters, and possibly even OEM ones, are not always the same external physical size as the originals, although the o-ring seal diameter and the centre thread must be identical, of course.

Good point Richard :encouragement:

 

[PaulRainbow]

Agree with rotrax, suggest you also pre-wipe your engine bay with degreaser to leave a film on it and then cover with heaps of those cheap portable toilet paper towels. A plastic bag of for the old filter then off you go!

Rather than paper towels, i use some of these ; https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=oil+absorbant+pads&_sacat=0

 

[pvb]

I replaced the oil filter on my Yanmar 3GM30, filled with oil and then run and checked for leaks . No problem until I went to do the same on the other engine and realised that the oil filters were a smaller diameter than it should be :ambivalence:

Question is, can I change the oil filter without draining all my new expensive oil??

Yes, you can change the filter with minimal loss of oil. However, I don't understand what you've written. You say you've changed the oil and filter on one engine, then you've run it to check for leaks, then started the second engine. Presumably this means there were no leaks from the first engine. So what's the problem?

 

[Laysula]

As Richard said, size isn't everything. As long as the thread and seal is the same then filter should be ok. Disposable nappies are good for soaking up spilt oil and you can wrap the whole lot up in a nappy sack or two.

 

[Quandary]

As a cheapskate I tend to use a broadsheet newspaper crumpled to form a dished receiving surface under the oil filter, a couple of sheets turned up and laid tight against the side of the block as a deflector, with a bucket or big plastic bag close to hand to dump everything in to.
For the plastic bag that encloses the old filter when screwing it off, I use the bags that supermarket bread comes in, right size and no perforations.

 

[black mercury]

I keep those tin Chinese carryout containers for putting below the oil filter, they are usually thin enough to get under the oil filter and you can bend them to shape if you need to. There should only be a cupful of oil.

 

[stephen_h]

Yes, you can change the filter with minimal loss of oil. However, I don't understand what you've written. You say you've changed the oil and filter on one engine, then you've run it to check for leaks, then started the second engine. Presumably this means there were no leaks from the first engine. So what's the problem?

The first filter did not leak but the wrong fitted one is a smaller diameter. I checked the Yanmar reference and it is the wrong filter for that engine. Therefore I want to fit the correct filter in its place.
Thanks for all the replys.

 

[ctva]

I’m another one that used small sized nappies, for oil filter changes on a 3GM, best shape and absorption.

 

[saab96]

Babies' nappies are wonderful at soaking up oil and bilge gunk

 

[vyv_cox]

Yanmar did change the filter size for the GM series a few years ago. Both the larger and smaller diameter ones are correct. (Assuming you have bought the right one for the engine)

 

[macd]

Babies' nappies are wonderful at soaking up oil and bilge gunk

I trust that in this age of H&S, the packaging advises removing the baby first.

 

[ghostlymoron]

The first time I did an oil/filter change on my GM20F i ordered a parts kit and was surprised when the filter size was much less than the original. It fitted ok and caused no problems.

 

[neil_s]

If you've changed the oil, I'd leave the filter till next year. My old Lister diesel had no external filter to change!

 

[Halo]

Hi Richard
Sorry if I sound pedantic but I cannot see why, on your own boat, you would change an oil filter and not the oil. The filters have such a high (course) micron rating that they are little more than strainers.
I can see the benefit of changing the oil and leaving an expensive OEM filter but not the other way round.
I am genuinely interested in your reasoning

 

[RichardS]

Hi Richard
Sorry if I sound pedantic but I cannot see why, on your own boat, you would change an oil filter and not the oil. The filters have such a high (course) micron rating that they are little more than strainers.
I can see the benefit of changing the oil and leaving an expensive OEM filter but not the other way round.
I am genuinely interested in your reasoning

It goes back to the 1970's when Mobil 1, the first synthetic oil, was introduced. At that time I switched to using Mobil 1 in all my cars and bikes and, although it was horrendously expensive, the recommendation from Mobil was to extend one's oil changes to at least twice the engine manufacturers recommendation. Since cars and bikes those days were typically a 3000 - 5000 oil change period, it seemed a reasonable financial proposition to extend the oil change to at least 10,000 miles, which is the normal minimum interval these days, of course.

The slight downside was that Mobil recommended that the filter be changed as per the manufacturers recommendation .... so that's what I used to do.

Richard

 

[Halo]

It goes back to the 1970's when Mobil 1, the first synthetic oil, was introduced. At that time I switched to using Mobil 1 in all my cars and bikes and, although it was horrendously expensive, the recommendation from Mobil was to extend one's oil changes to at least twice the engine manufacturers recommendation. Since cars and bikes those days were typically a 3000 - 5000 oil change period, it seemed a reasonable financial proposition to extend the oil change to at least 10,000 miles, which is the normal minimum interval these days, of course.

The slight downside was that Mobil recommended that the filter be changed as per the manufacturers recommendation .... so that's what I used to do.

Richard

Thanks for that Richard
I used Mobil 1 to enable me to hand start the Volvo MD1 engine I had at the time. It worked well and as the engine only needed 1 litre it was not too expensive.
Like others on this forum I now use "cheap" mineral multigrade to avoid bore glazing and change it twice a year to prevent any build up of contaminants that cause wear.
Martin