Pumping oil out of the sump

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lukecsmith

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Hi all. I'm working on my engine, which is Renault RC 16D marine diesel. Water has got into the oil so I'm going to change it. If you're wondering, the water got in when the boat took on water due to a leak on the engine water intake- fortunately we fixed that before she sank! My question is : I have to pump the oil out of the sump, but the original pump is missing. I have the slightly hairbrained scheme of using a bicycle pump with valve, inserted down the dipstick shaft, to slowly extract the watery oil. Is there a better way of doing this? A proper marine engine oil pump I could buy perhaps? All ideas much appreciated.
 
One of the vacuum oil extractors (Pela) is your best bet. It will always be useful for oil changes in the future and now would be a good time to buy one, the present problem justifying its purchase.

Maybe possible to utilise the connection for the original pump rather than the dipstick tube.

A bicycle pump yes hairbrained probably a good description :D and slow certainly

There is a good chance that any extraction system will not get all the oil out so a couple of flushes with the cheapest engine oil you can find, giving each flush a short run to circulate the oil and warm it up a bit might be a good idea.
 
lukecsmith said:
Hi all. I'm working on my engine, which is Renault RC 16D marine diesel. Water has got into the oil so I'm going to change it. If you're wondering, the water got in when the boat took on water due to a leak on the engine water intake- fortunately we fixed that before she sank! My question is : I have to pump the oil out of the sump, but the original pump is missing. I have the slightly hairbrained scheme of using a bicycle pump with valve, inserted down the dipstick shaft, to slowly extract the watery oil. Is there a better way of doing this? A proper marine engine oil pump I could buy perhaps? All ideas much appreciated.
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A Pela should be fine, as suggested.
This is not a job that should be left for long. There is no better way to destroy an engine than leaving water in it. Turn the engine over by hand to free any corrosion between rings and bores. Empty and flush it today!
 
Do it today!

If you have more than a few drops of seawater in the oil, I reckon you have an emergency on your hands - salt water is a killer for engines. If it got seawater in yesterday, today's the latest you want to leave it. Leaving it is like running the engine with no oil pressure - you may do it because you've got no choice, but risking the cost of a new engine. Fresh water's more forgiving, but it's still urgent. Change the oil and filter, run it under load for an hour, then do it again.

It'd be a rare chandler that doesn't have a Pela in stock. They're change from £30, so it's no contest compared with the cost of a new engine.
 
lukecsmith said:
Hi all. I'm working on my engine, which is Renault RC 16D marine diesel. Water has got into the oil so I'm going to change it. If you're wondering, the water got in when the boat took on water due to a leak on the engine water intake- fortunately we fixed that before she sank! My question is : I have to pump the oil out of the sump, but the original pump is missing. I have the slightly hairbrained scheme of using a bicycle pump with valve, inserted down the dipstick shaft, to slowly extract the watery oil. Is there a better way of doing this? A proper marine engine oil pump I could buy perhaps? All ideas much appreciated.
Click to expand...
I second the warning, get the oil and water out NOW, very serious to dally.
Stu
 
A bicycle pump will not provide any useful suction as it is designed to allow air past the piston on the suction stroke.

I use a Pela pump on the original pipe fitted to my Volvo Penta engines. The pumps come with a thin tube to fit in place of the dipstick but it is so narrow that it is very slow. If you can connect the main tube directly to the engine's tube it is much bigger and quicker.
 
For what it's worth the 1 1/4" (32mm) plastic waste pipe and fittings from Homebase/B & Q etc fit the rubber sleeved spout of a Pela. I made up an different end with a 1/2" (15mm) male iron to copper compression fitting and a piece of tube, drilled a hole in the cap of a waste fitting access eye (got to be dead central here) fitted the male iron fitting with a back nut and bingo - got a 1/2" tube to suck with. You can of course use any size 1/2" downwards. Used it to "hoover" up the last of the muck in my bilges, the small pipe for dipstick holes blocked too easily.

Pela - very useful and versatile bit of kit.
 
I found a short length of hose that fit tightly over the extractor pipe on the engine. Then I used self amalgamating tape to attach the hose to the Pela tube.... worked a treat. Not sure if I used a jubilee clip to tighten the hose on the extraction tube.
 
Thanks everyone who's offered advice. I can say that it was only noticed that the oil seemed watery today, but the incident when the boat took on water happenned months ago. The boat has since been out of the water and in transport, before it arrived into my possession in Bristol. Now the boat was a gift, so I'm not feeling out of pocket .. but the chances are this engine is knackered- am I right?
 
You have aproblem as the oil will be cold . You cant run the engine a there is water in the oil . It will take ages to suck oil out using the Pela vacuum device . I tried it once and the ball of the Pela collapsed .

Presume you cant access the drain plug directly perhaps if you can connect the Pela to the normal piston oil pump hose connected direct to the sump bottom you may get most of it out
 
Catmandoo - thanks for that. Will try connecting pela to the oil pump hose. Since the water got in, I've attempted starting once, but the engine turned over more and more slowly, then stopped, which is when I checked the oil. As the engine has not actually run since water got in, and I've just turned it over a few times, might there perhaps be a chance it's not permanently knackered? Though tbh I've already started pricing new engines up..
 
lukecsmith said:
Catmandoo - thanks for that. Will try connecting pela to the oil pump hose. Since the water got in, I've attempted starting once, but the engine turned over more and more slowly, then stopped, which is when I checked the oil. As the engine has not actually run since water got in, and I've just turned it over a few times, might there perhaps be a chance it's not permanently knackered? Though tbh I've already started pricing new engines up..
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Pricing up a new engine - don't you know there's a war on, sorry, recession? My God, the sheer extravagance of it!

Engine unlikely to be knackered - yet! Chances are if it's slow to turn over the battery is flat. Get some oil into the cylinders toute suite by removing plugs/injectors and squirting down holes, and crank it over a few times by hand or with the starter. Heating the sump will allow you to suck out the oil/water more easily and then refill with some flushing oil or a Tesco's cheapie oil for flushing. Actually, being a cheapskate I only ever use Tesco or Lidle oil all year round anyway.

Main thing is get the upper cylinder bits coated with oil asap, then if you can get the engine started run it until it's hot, preferably in the water going for a long trip under load to heat and evaporate all the water and condensation left behind. Then you can change the flushing oil for a fresh oil and Bob's yer relative!
 
Hey CliveShep- thanks for that. You've given me some hope! I'll give it a couple of flushes with some cheap oil and give the battery a charge. You never know, it might be fine. I can turn it over fine by hand, so that's something. The boat is a 10m Sunship sloop, a beautiful thing. The owner became too old to look after it and it fell into disrepair. It was stuck in a port on southern Spain and I was offered it free but with ongoing costs of Mediterranean mooring. I've transported it back to Bristol and I've started giving it the TLC required. The hull is in good shape. Rigging a right mess though. Should keep me busy for a while. Thanks again for the advice everyone. Am also going to try the drill pump as my local chandlery has run out of pela's.

Thanks, Luke
 
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