I’m putting my “new” boat to bed for the winter, so the learning curve is once again ramping up.
I did the end-of-season oil change on my little W13 engine, and was surprised at how black and viscous the oil was - and ; yes; I know that diesel engines blacken up oil in a hurry, but this stuff was really black. I warmed the engine and drained the oil using the hose that is fitted to the bottom of the oil pan. What I got out was nowhere near the 2.5 liters the manual says the engine holds. I know that you never get it all out, but can anyone tell me how much oil I can expect to pour back in without overfilling the sump?
Is there a trick to actually getting the oil back in? The filler cap is on top of the engine and very close to the underside of the cockpit sole. Does anyone have a trick for getting an oil bottle in there without pouring half of it down the side of the block and into the bilge?
Yeah, it will get really black and I wouldn’t be concerned. I’m not sure what your engine holds but check your manual and add a quart at a time until the mark on the dip stick is reached. After replacing the filter, run the engine & check the level again. As far as getting oil into the engine, I cut a hole and installed an inspection plate in the cockpit sole for ease of access and use a long funnel.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221
Sea Harbour YC
Oriental, NC USA
Hi Ralph;
I suggest checking the oil level monthly just to be sure that it is not burning or leaking, and again just before draining it.
You will sleep better at night.
I bought a measuring funnel from Canadian Tire. It had a lid on top and a shutoff on the spout. It helped. A funnel with a long flexible spout may also do the trick. Eventually I simply used the one litre bottles with the spout on one side, no funnel. If I was careful there was no spilling.
I used a Pela 6000 extractor pump attached to the drain hose on the engine to drain the oil. I did not use the small sized hoses that would fit down the engine hose. They simply took too long. Instead I would put the large hose in the end of the engine hose and tape them together so I did not spill oil. I was never able to get all of the old oil out even using that method.My recollection is that even after the filter change there was about 1/2 a litre of old old lurking in the engine.
Mark Powers
La Reina 26C
Burrard Civic Marina
Vancouver, B.C.
My W21 holds 3 liters and I get 2.5 out on a change. I just shorten the drain times to allow for the incomplete drain. Engine oil in a diesel turns black almost immediately. I use a vacuum pump off the drain hose. Regular oil needs to be quite hot to get a good drain. Synthetic less so.
I have run oil analysis several times and regular Rotella 15/40 oil never lasts longer than 50 hours and synthetic T6 about 80 hours
Don’t be afraid to transfer the new oil into something easier to pour into the oil filler cap, such as a clean soda bottle. I used a vacuum pump and it took 20 minutes to suck all of the old oil out when it was hot. If I left it for 5-10 minutes and tried again, I’d get another 100-200mL. Went like that until there was literally nothing left. Another 100mL was trapped in the filter.
Although my boat has a Universal M35 oil changing was messy and awkward until I installed a permanent bronze pump ($$) which has made the task a breeze. Oil changes now take only a few minutes and never results in a drop of nasty black oil drops anywhere.
This modification and the repositioning of my Racor fuel filter and electric fuel pump
to the starboard lazaret make routine engine service simple.
I poured 1.6L of oil back into the engine and the dipstick reads as full. I will probably need to add a bit more after I run the engine in the spring and the new filter fills.
I came across a real handy gadget at my local Part Source automotive store. For the ridiculously low non-Marine price of $1.99 I found a handy little plastic spout that screws right on to the opening of an oil bottle. It telescopes and bends and lets you get oil (or whatever else) into tight spaces without spilling. Everyone should get one!
