DIY oil changer

[wileecoyote]

If you have about 30 minutes and the parts this is a very easy, and cheap way to make your own oil changer to use in the spring for that messy business of draining oil. The parts you will need are very simple and not that expensive. I have yet to hook it to the boat and pump it out, but I have pumped 5qts out of a drain bucket and back into the jug.
Please see disclaimers at bottom!!

1) fluid pump. I got one from Harbor Freight on sale for $29. There is someone on EBAy selling a very similar oil change setup for $80+. The Marine pump they have is rated at 23' lift and 240Gal per hour.

2) Washer hoses, I had some old ones laying around since I just got a new washer and dryer.
3) An old 5 gal bucket.
4) some extra wire and whatever switch you would like to use.

Here's the junk I started out with:

I cut one of the hoses so that it would sit about 3/4 of the way in the bucket, I cut it at an angle to keep it from plugging up.

Thread the hose onto the pump and insert into the open hole, I mounted my pump off center to make it easier to unscrew the hose and pour out the old oil without removing the lid.
After you thread the line and insert it in the hole now is the time to screw the pump to the lid. As you can tell I just used sheet metal screws which bite into the plastic just fine!

Screw the other hose on to attach to the dipstick. You can take the other side of the washer hose and get tubing to make an adapter to use in case you want to force the tube down the dipstick.

The two things I have not done yet because I didn't have the parts are to
1) add 10 or 12 ft of wire to make the clips reach all the way down in the heart of the bilge to reach the batteries.
2) In the wire near the top (where I would splice the additional wire) add some type of switch (rocker, toggle, whatever) to allow me to control the pump without needing to reach down to the clips.

Disclaimer: As I said earlier, I have yet to hook this up to the boat and try it, but you can see it took me about 15-20 minutes to put this all together. I'll let you know when I actually drain the oil and see how long it takes.
Note: This is not to pump Diesel, NitroMethane, Nitroglycerin, or any other explosive or highly flammable liquids. The pump is not ignition protected, so be sure to vent the area of all fuel vapors prior to use. This pump is manufactured for Harbor Freight and therefore only has a one year limited warranty, there are other product which may have longer life. The main point was to show how easy it is to mount a pump to a bucket and run the output line inside to change your oil, also to show there are people paying $80-$100 for what appears to be the exact same thing on Ebay.

 

[Uplate]

Will pump out fast. My mechanic uses a very similar set up and I am amazed how fast and easy it works.

Sure beats one of those hand pump styles.

 

[1956olds]

I had a jabsco just like that ,Thinking they run $149 at west marine .I'll be heading to harbour frieght !!!!!

 

[wileecoyote]

Look at this listing on Ebay:
Notice how oddly similar the specs are and the pump looks identical(remove the screws for the handle and the stickers)?
This is the pump # [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]9576-1VGA. When I bought mine it was $29.99 instead of $39.99. Watch out there are people on Ebay selling it for $39.99?? Harbor Frieght usually has it on sale for $36
[/FONT]

 

[Air O'Nautical]

I have used my Jabsco for years with out a problem.
Looks very much like yours.
Very, very cool set-up.
Thanks..

 

[Nehalennia]

Come on guys. ?????
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=9576
Have a look. Not for use with flammable liquids.

The reason the Jabsco units are more expensive is that they are superior products and can pump oil and diesel.
http://www.jabsco.com/products/mari...il_change_system_17850_0012/iid_215/index.htm

 

[Two Peas]

...and you can get a Jabsco unit on ebay for $99. There are plenty of places to try to save a buck - for $99 all in from Jabsco, why would you bother trying on this device?

 

[tobnpr]

One thing to look for is the impeller material- for pumping oil/ diesel you need a nitrile impeller- anything else will disintegrate.

 

[tdappleman]

While engine oil is flammable at a point - I doubt the pump is going to heat it up high enough to even come close with just pumping action. I think it's about 600* F where oil can potentially ignite. I certainly wouldn't pump gasoline with this pump but I doubt oil changes will be an issue. The pump's longevity is another issue... HF products rarely last long but I'm sure it can handle a couple of oil changes a year. Wouldn't hurt to clean it after use which may help the impeller last a little longer. Personally I'm happy with the vacuum operated item - it's about 10-15 mins per engine.

 

[wileecoyote]

I knew it was coming, it's not certified for marine use or ignition protected, but I doubt it will operate at the 460 odd degrees to ignite 40W. Maybe a spark will jump from the battery when you hook it up as well. I agree that Harbor Freight is not the best in the world, as a matter of fact, it's about the biggest heaping pile out there. But, for $30 I have a pump that will probably work for this year and maybe another. As to the fact that this won't pump diesel, OK?? I don't have diesel so I wasn't really worried about it. I will add disclaimers to original post so others will not blow themselves up.

 

[LmannyR]

I tried this same exact setup about a month ago and posted my results here somewhere. the first pump could barely run, after replacing it (the same day) the second pump ran fine but pulled the oil up ever so slightly. I'm talking like a drop every 10 seconds or so. Yea, I was fired up. Fished all the parts (hose, hose fittings, 10 mile drive x 3 if you include the final return) and it didn't work. Cost was about 50 bucks total.

After returning the pump to Harbor Freight, the next stop was WM for the JABSCO setup. WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!

PS YES the engine was warmed up, and the oil was changed last year.

 

[wileecoyote]

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27640&page=4
Post # 37

Wish I would have read it first. Pumped the oil out of the bucket well enough, Guess I'll give results when I actually try it. Can't be worse than that POS Seadog pumper I had.

I tried this same exact setup about a month ago and posted my results here somewhere. the first pump could barely run, after replacing it (the same day) the second pump ran fine but pulled the oil up ever so slightly. I'm talking like a drop every 10 seconds or so. Yea, I was fired up. Fished all the parts (hose, hose fittings, 10 mile drive x 3 if you include the final return) and it didn't work. Cost was about 50 bucks total.

After returning the pump to Harbor Freight, the next stop was WM for the JABSCO setup. WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!

PS YES the engine was warmed up, and the oil was changed last year.

 

[quality time]

Kind of off topic here but it's preferred to change the oil before winter layup. Perhaps you did it then also, just saying...

 

[tobnpr]

For thirty bucks you can't go wrong.
I know you don't have diesel- oil, diesel- both petroleum products. Natural rubber will not hold up to oils. Suggest you remove and clean after use to prolong it's life.

 

[Ka1oxd]

I just put one of those cheap 10 pumps on the end of my drill from Home Depot. I loose them more than wear them out.

 

[370Dancer]

I have a similar setup with 2 very important differences:
1. remove the handle from the bucket. The first time you pick it up half full, and the pump mounted on one side causes a tilt...... well you get the idea. If you really want a handle, try fashioning something like a basketball net so you are pulling from all sides all the time.
2. Not having diesels makes the ignition protected issue even more important. It's not the oil that will ignite, it's the gas fumes near the sparking motor. What I did was attached a 20' pickup hose. Now, don't expect it to lift 20', but this way I can leave the bucket on the dock, and do all the hose connecting in the engine room. I assume your engines have the dipstick with the hose thread at the end?
Note: I use clear hose (reinforce water hose) so I can SEE when it's done.
Note: leave the pump on, even when removing the hose from the dipstick tube. reduces dripping

 

[Westie]

I don't get the need for any type of electric pump. I have one of the hand pumps and it takes less than 5 minutes to pump out the oil.

 

[Summer Fun II]

I do it the easy way :grin:. I pay the marina to do it. :thumbsup:
What do you really save by DIY ??. I paid $65 for each engine.
Plus I didn't get dirty or lose any boating time.
They did it when I wasn't there. :smt001

 

[wileecoyote]

I have a similar setup with 2 very important differences:
1. remove the handle from the bucket. The first time you pick it up half full, and the pump mounted on one side causes a tilt...... well you get the idea. If you really want a handle, try fashioning something like a basketball net so you are pulling from all sides all the time.
2. Not having diesels makes the ignition protected issue even more important. It's not the oil that will ignite, it's the gas fumes near the sparking motor. What I did was attached a 20' pickup hose. Now, don't expect it to lift 20', but this way I can leave the bucket on the dock, and do all the hose connecting in the engine room. I assume your engines have the dipstick with the hose thread at the end?
Note: I use clear hose (reinforce water hose) so I can SEE when it's done.
Note: leave the pump on, even when removing the hose from the dipstick tube. reduces dripping

All goog points! I did notice when empty if you pick it up with the handle that it tips to one side. The handle on the pump and the one on the bucket line up so that I can actually fit my hand through both at the same time. I like the clear hose idea, even if just to see if the oil is actually coming out.

TOBNPR, if it actually works, I want to find a decent pump that has a nice impeller. I have emailed Harbor Freight to see if they can even tell me what the one in there is now. I'm assuming just rubber? I also noticed another poster who said he ran soap and water through. I may try pumping some through after I'm done to clean it out. Honestly, I'm not sure the motor will last much longer than the impeller!:grin:

 

[Woody]

True, the Jabsco pump has an impeller compatable with some fuels and oils. So a better unit it must be. But Jabscos recommendation as a diesel and oil transfer pump doesn't mean it's acceptable to use with flammable liquids. While diesel fuel and engine oil are certainly both combustible, they're not classified as flammable liquids. I think both of those pumps are equally dangerous in the fact they each have short leads to be clipped on to the battery terminals for a power source. Not a good thing in a gas boats engine room. G-d forbid we should plug a trouble light into a receptacle in that gas engine room....but it's ok to hook up the trusty Jabsco pump.