Since I am doing it today, I thought I’d revisit this subject.
Changing oil in a 4 stroke is easy using the dipstick method. With the new oils, it’s my opin you can change via dipstick every other time and pull the drain plug less often to get the sludge out. You really don’t have sludge anymore if you change on a regular basis. Having the cowls off is a great time to check things over and give it good spray down of your favorite corrosion product.
The first thing I do is start the motor and let it run for 5 min or so to get things warm. Then I wait 30 min for the oil to drain down. I then punch a hole in the top of the oil filter to vent it and let it drain a bit.
The plastic bag in the pic is the key to not making a mess of the engine. My filter is mounted “opening down” and will drip all over if just pulled off. The key is a gallon ziplock. Loosen the filter until it is on it’s last thread. Snake the bag up and over the filter. Tilt the engine and it’ll fall into the bag along with the surrounding oil. Clean out the base and screw on the new filter. Oil the gasket and tighten ½ turn past hand tight.
Next, hook up the dipstick pump. There are many kinds, I like the flat tank type by Jabsco as it is complete mess free. It sits flat and pours out by a cap in the top like a jerry can. The bucket type is too top heavy and hard to empty. This just plugs into your cigar lighter or has alligator clips for you batt.
Next snake the tube to the bottom of the crank and turn it on. I hold the tube in place with a cushioned clamp:
Mine takes about 20 min to empty completely. I use about 7 liters and put in 4 and start putting in 1 liter at a time until I’m at the lower part of my hash marks. I idle the motors and check for filter leaks and then a quick 10 min run to see if I need a bit more.
I then empty the pump into a 5 gallon gas can and empty it at any car or parts dealership.
That’s it…everyone can do this and save a lot of money….
4 stroke oil change project
Linear Mode
