[C320-list] Oil Change on the Hard

[Jeff Hare]

Kaare,

In case I wasn't clear (frequent occurrence) :
 
we don't remove the ethylene glycol antifreeze from the engine coolant side
in the winter.  We just make sure it's in good shape to protect the engine
block from freezing (like your car).

 we do flush the raw water side with non-toxic RV antifreeze and remove all
the excess we can by pumping it all through the system and out the other
side.

-Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf
Of Kaare Wold
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2015 6:59 PM
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Subject: Re: [C320-list] Oil Change on the Hard

Jeff, as always your technical input is greatly appreciated and respected.
Your copper tube idea for oil extraction is brilliant.  Oh-Oh,  you did
mention winterizing the engine with RV pink anti-freeze.  My understanding
is that Yanmar specifically recommends automotive antifreeze for numerous
reasons.  Additives for water pump lubricants for example.  Am I missing
something here?  Here in Wisconsin, we experience cold winters and (either
luck or good fortune) have never had any problems with any freeze damage.
Sheet Music is stored outdoors 'cause we are too cheap to pay thousands for
mast stepping and indoor heated. For our fellow skippers information, we are
environmentally responsible on capturing the ethylene clycol antifreeze for
this procedure.  Thanks for your comments.
Kaare & Mary Wold
#945, Sheet Music





Sent from my iPad

> On Nov 20, 2015, at 3:04 PM, Jeff Hare <Catalina at thehares.com> wrote:
> 
> Tim,
> 
> Quite honestly, unless it's like 15 degrees outside, I wouldn't bother
trying to warm up the oil at all.  It'll be just be slightly slower coming
out, but not really that much.  See my tip below for making slightly thicker
oil not an issue here.  Since it's been sitting for a while, there's more
oil and debris drained into in the pan right now anyway.
> 
> Tips:
> I assume you're going to use a vacuum pump (manual or otherwise) to suck
out the oil through the dipstick tube.  Feeding plastic tube in there
doesn't work nearly as well as using a 1' piece of copper tubing
straightened out.  The largest stuff that fits in the dipstick hole.  I
attach the pump's plastic tube to this piece of copper.  I used the stuff
that comes from a refrigerator Ice Maker plumbing kit.  Copper tube here
will go straight to the deepest part of the oil sump and stay there.
Flexible tubing wanders and may not pick up as much oil, plus it'll be
slower because the Inner diameter of the plastic tube is smaller.   I use
one of those blue "Oil Boy" pump cans.  Works great with the copper pickup
tube trick.
> 
> I also assume you either ran a couple gallons of non-toxic RV antifreeze
through the raw water system when you hauled out and winterized the engine.
If you did that already, then you can simply open the engine thru-hull,
start the engine, run it for 5-10 seconds or so, then shut it off.  No water
needed (but open the thru-hull).  Your impeller *will be fine* if you
already used the RV antifreeze because of how slippery this stuff is.
Running it for a few seconds will bathe the engine in clean oil for the
winter.  Doesn't take but a few seconds to accomplish this.  As a side note,
when we're hauling out, we motor over to the haulout dock.  They walk the
boat onto the trailer and then haul it out.  While we're at the haulout
dock, we hook up our engine winterizing bucket and run a gallon of RV
Antifreeze through the raw water system/muffler, then run until nothing is
coming out the side of the boat.  Done.  Doesn't take 3 or 4 gallons if you
run the system dry and verify the muffler is drained.  
> 
> If you didn't yet winterize your raw water system with RV antifreeze, you
can now just put a gallon of RV antifreeze in the bucket, close the
thru-hull (hook it up to your raw water intake fitting) and run the engine
until the bucket is empty *AND for 5 -10 seconds more* so that no more water
is blowing out the side of the boat.  I like to rev the engine for the last
5 seconds or so to empty the raw water system.  The RV Antifreeze is really
slippery, so there'll be no impeller damage.  Also, there's zero chance of
overheating the engine since the whole thing takes under a minute.  Don't
forget to re-open the thru-hull and empty the strainer.
> 
> My final step is to open the muffler drain fitting and use my shop vac to
suck out any remaining antifreeze from the muffler.  Normally after the
above procedure, I get nothing draining out anyway.  *I believe* if you
don't drain out the muffler, really cold weather freeze/thaw cycles could
lead to cracking or stressing the muffler, especially if you have some
really small cracks around the base inside.  RV Antifreeze does actually
freeze sometimes, just not as hard as water.
> 
> Also, pouring a gallon of RV antifreeze in the head over the winter and
pumping most of that through seems to really lube up the pump seals and it
works much easier in the spring.  I've taken to using the little shop vac to
suck out any standing water in the water tanks, shower sump lines, and the
fridge drain as well.
> 
> Funny, my boat's been commissioned and decommissioned more times than it's
been sailed the past 2 years.
> 
> As always, my rambling $.02 and no time to edit.  :)
> 
> -Jeff Hare
> #809 Woodbine II
> Newburyport, MA
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On 
> Behalf Of Timothy Osburn
> Sent: Friday, November 20, 2015 12:36 PM
> To: C320-List at catalina320.com
> Subject: [C320-list] Oil Change on the Hard
> 
> I pulled the boat a couple of weeks ago but I would like to change the oil
which means I need to start the engine to warm it up.  Fortunately, a
previous owner installed a hose valve attachment to the raw water intake so
I'm assuming I can attach a hose and use a bucket of water.  Has anyone done
this?  Is there anything else I need to be aware of?
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Tim
> Alibi
> 1997 #401
> Isle of Kent, MD
>