West Marine Oil Pump

[63chaos]

Just purchased one of the manual vacuum style oil pumps from West Marine, and the tubes they provide to push down the dip stick doesn't seam to be long enough to reach the bottom of the oil pan. The tube is the same length as the dip stick? Has anyone else had this issue and know were to get a longer length of that stiff tubing?

 

[Pyrojodge]

I got it at my local HW store it was the line for hooking up an ice maker...

 

[63chaos]

Ahhh thanks, I probably should have thought of that! I killed the afternoon in the WTF am I doing wrong mode.

Thanks for the tip

 

[Pyrojodge]

Ahhh thanks, I probably should have thought of that! I killed the afternoon in the WTF am I doing wrong mode.

Thanks for the tip

LoL we've all done it, but only a true boater will admit it... glad I could help... good luck

 

[Old Vet]

That plastic line that I've seen is almost always coiled in a roll when you buy it......so when you buy 3 or 4 feet of it....it still coils itself back up. When you shove it down the dipstick tube....once the end gets down into the oil pan the end of it will often curl itself and it still won't REALLY be down at the bottom of the pan.

The pump I have came with a wire inside the length of the tube so you can straighten out the plastic tube and it will stay straight all the way down to the bottom of the oil pan because of that stiff wire. When I insert it down through the tube....I can feel it bottom out at the bottom of the pan so I'm as confident as I can be that I'm sucking out as much of the oil as possible.

 

[Pyrojodge]

Good point Old Vet... I did straighten mine with a heat gun... good lookin out though with the wire...:thumbsup:

 

[63chaos]

I've been looking around for piece of wire to stiffen the tube, maybe a thin piece of welding wire. What's baffling is that mercruiser 5.7 l engine is one of the most common engines out there. You would think the pump manufacturer would get the tube length right????

 

[Lazy Daze]

Chaos: The dipstick tube goes very close to the bottom of the oil pan. The extra little bit you'll get out by using the tube is very miniscule. Make it easy on yourself and just suck it directly through the dipstick tube. Either by screwing your oil pump onto the male screw fitting on the top of the dipstick tube, or by pushing a piece of 3/8" tube over the tip of the dipstick tube.

 

[blaster]

I used to worry about the little bit of oil that would be left over. I would use a cool whip container and a rag to drain the rest out of the oil pan from the drain plug. It was maybe a half cup. I don't worry about it anymore.

 

[63chaos]

Thanks all for the great advice, this is the first year with this boat, I'm trying to work through the little bugs. So far so good, friends tell me I over thinks things? I don't know what they mean.

 

[skolbe]

The first time you pump hot oil out the tube it will straighten out. Nice picture of your boat.

 

[Old Vet]

Dennis.....

I didn't realize the dipstick tube goes down as far as you suggest. If that's the case then there's no real concern about that little plastic tubing curling again once it exits the bottom of the tube in the pan. Good to know.

 

[63chaos]

I'm not sure the dip stick tube go's down to the bottom of the pan. The only reason I say that is, the tube that comes with the pump is the same length as the dip stick. When I pushed the tube in and began pumping, it pumped about a half quart of oil and then began sucking air. And that's how this thread started.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I'm not sure the dip stick tube go's down to the bottom of the pan.

I am.

The dipstick tube doesn't stop where you see it. Your hose isn't long enough. Get a longer hose or use the tube as suggested. Usually those hoses are long enough right out of the box... I wonder if you got "shorted"...:smt001

 

[Old Vet]

"I'm not sure the dip stick tube go's down to the bottom of the pan. "

In thinking about it a little more...I guess it would have to in order to be able to use those oil pumps that screw on to the top of the dipstick tube to suck the oil up through it.

 

[SCORPIO]

I've never used the screw on fitting on the dip stick tube but I think I will try next year. I just bought a WM suction pump to replace another brand that failed on me this year. The old one had a nice piece of tubing on it but it got accidentally thrown away with the old pump. My old pump container didn't have any stiffening rings on it so,after several years of use, it began to get supple and would suck in a bit. This wasn't a big problem with my last boat with only one engine. It became a problem with my current boat with twin engines. After changing the first engine with hot oil, the plastic tank body gets softer and sucks in more easily on the second engine. This caused oil to rise above the "Don't fill above this line" line and produced a messy over flow in my bilge. Needless to say that pump is'nt getting used again.

 

[HUMPH]

I tried a few different models on the 320 and settled with the tall pump with the handle on top that you pump to create pressure in the tank. This one worked very well for the engines and fantastic for the transmissions. I still have it to use for the transmissions on the 410. Don't need it for the engines since I have a reverso system!

 

[Lazy Daze]

Vet - while the tube does go very close to the bottom, I can't say with certainty that the hose you stick down there wouldn't squeeze past and curl back up. But, you can usually feel when it hits bottom - so I think as long as you're paying attention and don't push too hard you'd be fine. 'Course, the other plus in using the dipstick tube is that you're sucking through a larger diameter tube, which means the process is faster.

Don't need it for the engines since I have a reverso system!

Sure... rub it in, why don't 'ya!:smt001 Some of those models can handle more than two things - do you have your genny plumbed to the Reverso, as well? I have the Mityvac 7201, is that the one you're referring to? Great pump.

 

[Old Vet]

"I can't say with certainty that the hose you stick down there wouldn't squeeze past and curl back up. But, you can usually feel when it hits bottom"

Hence the reason I like the tube with the wire in it that I slide down the dipstick tube......I can feel it hit bottom...and it can't curl back up.

 

[Lazy Daze]

"I can't say with certainty that the hose you stick down there wouldn't squeeze past and curl back up. But, you can usually feel when it hits bottom"

Hence the reason I like the tube with the wire in it that I slide down the dipstick tube......I can feel it hit bottom...and it can't curl back up.

I've only used the little tube thing a few times over the years, but I was able to tell when it hit bottom so I stopped pushing. I've never tried pushing harder to see if it would make it past. I guess it was just always in the back of head... worried about it curling up, that is. Come to think of it, I don't know why I never tested the theory - it would take all of about 5 seconds to verify how hard you would have to push to get that plastic tube to escape - if it could. But, the wire is a good idea - better safe than sorry.