Saving $ on oil/spark plug change

jmcdboater said:
And here’s to you, Mrs Robinson….. I haven’t figured out, yet, how to do a PM. Why did you only use yours once? I’m on west coast, shipping will probably be an issue.
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This is the kind of pump you want -- the electric that attached to the battery. The others are less expensive, but more work. The drill pump, you have to sit there on hold the drill. If you have twins, it can get tiring. I use a nice electric pump and used a home depot bucket for the oil. I can dispose of he oil right at the marina it their used oil tanks.
 
If you decide to pull the manifolds for spark plug access, you'll need gaskets for the manifold-to-head interface, and riser-to-manifold gaskets if you decide to also pull those. Also, once in there, expect to replace the rubber exhaust hose. Yeah, it's always a slippery slope... You can change the plugs without pulling the manifolds, it's just a lot of braille involved. You may find something like this helpful. Trust me; you'll want one at some point when working on your boat.
 
jmcdboater said:
And here’s to you, Mrs Robinson….. I haven’t figured out, yet, how to do a PM. Why did you only use yours once? I’m on west coast, shipping will probably be an issue.
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Koo-koo-ka-choo
I sold the boat about a month after using it, have a diesel boat now with its own oil pump system.
 
Nater Potater said:
It's pronounced "thingy" :p, and is a cheapo borescope. Did the link not work for you?
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No, appreciate your suggestion, but I tried the link twice, no luck. It’s at Walmart, right?
 
There are dozens of solutions for pumping out oil. From electric to manual to air powered pumps. All depends on what you have for an engine and how it's set up. I had a hose of the bottom of my pan on last 7.4 I had (haven't installed one on present yet) connected to an installed pump. Worked great.

My new to me boat, I have compressed air in my garage, so I bought an air powered self contained pump / reservoir. Slower than the oil pan hose, but I will tell ya, I was impreseded, as it pumped out all the warmed up old oil in under 4 minutes. The manual pumps are a PITA....

Also, when you have your risers off the manifolds, look down inside the exhaust "Y" pipe and make sure your flappers are in there and in good condition. Use the bore scope to look all the way down there and see if any old flappers in there. Not that uncommon.
 
Pull manifolds to change plugs?! Not a chance in hell!
I have a pro winterize mine and every other year I tell him change the plugs while doing it. Extra $100. Well worth the ass ache. Break off a plug or cross thread, you’ll wish you never heard of boats.
You will spend more in manifold gaskets and plugs than most mechanics will charge to change.
 
Pirate Lady said:
Pull manifolds to change plugs?! Not a chance in hell!
I have a pro winterize mine and every other year I tell him change the plugs while doing it. Extra $100. Well worth the ass ache. Break off a plug or cross thread, you’ll wish you never heard of boats.
You will spend more in manifold gaskets and plugs than most mechanics will charge to change.
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$100 bucks will barely get you an hour around me. Plug changes going to be several hundred per engine.
 
jmcdboater said:
That’s what we’re thinking, too. This fall when weather is changing is soon enough to do the oil and plugs.
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When was the last oil change? How does the oil look? I usually do the change at the end of the season before she goes into storage. If it's unknown, or been a while, the oil change is super simple. Maybe a 2 beer job.
 
Mrs Rob8nson, I really appreciate your info and links, there, thanks a bunch!

Engine survey at purchase last month stated oil was slightly brownish, so a change sometime this season seems reasonable. Survey said plugs were old, but started fine cold and warm, so thinking plugs are OK for now, will change this season at some point, when I’m really bored, I guess.
 
jmcdboater said:
...so a change sometime this season seems reasonable. Survey said plugs were old, but started fine cold and warm, so thinking plugs are OK for now, will change this season at some point, when I’m really bored, I guess.
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The fall winterizing time is a great time to perform these operations, and, with you being near the Bay area with its associated humidity, you could fog a bit of Sta-Bil or similar preserving oil into the spark plug holes while you're in there.
 
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