Yanmar 6LP Oil Change

[moguls2go]

Hi-

I changed the oil yesterday for the first time and have to wonder if there's a more efficient way to do this than what I did outside of plumbing an oil change system into the boat.

I used a DC pump that must've taken 2 hrs to pull ~3g of oil out of the dipstick tube. I ran the second engine up to 140 degrees in order to thin the oil out a bit more (I only ran the first for ~10m), but it still took well over an hour to pull the oil out.

Am I missing something, or is this just how it goes?

Also I inadvertently replaced Rotella 15w-40 T4 with Rotella 15w-40 T5. I don't think this is a huge deal, especially since the T5 is a synthetic blend, but if anyone knows differently please speak up.

[Charlie J]

did you use the plastic tube that you stick down the dip stick tube
or was there a hose connection that you screwed to the top of the tube
i always used the 110 v jabsco pump that screwed onto the tube
also open up your oil cap
make shure there are no leaks and all conn are tight , no air getting in

[moguls2go]

Charlie, I used the plastic tube down the dipstick tube.

[Amberjack]

Max-I’ve been doing the dipstick routine for 20 years and have the process down to one hour per engine including filter change.

I use a hand pump system mounted on a 3 gallon container, just enough capacity per engine. Warm up the engines so the oil flows more easily. Also I think warm up may help to remove impurities that could cling to the side of the oil pan If cold. Make sure the tube is all the way to the bottom of the dipstick access so you don’t leave old oil in the pan. You can measure the tube against the outside of the dipstick tube to get an idea of how much you need to insert. Good tip to open the filler cap, I’ll try that next year. Don’t know if my hand pump is more or less efficient than a 12 v pump but I really pump up the vacuum and it goes quickly if you keep after it. Some of the guys have plumbed in systems which sound handy but might be difficult to plumb into our Yanmars. And I’m with Carl-simpler is less inclined to break.

[Charlie J]

Charlie, I used the plastic tube down the dipstick tube.

yes that takes a bit longer
try and look into the screw on connections
should be the same as the water hose female connections
it would take me a hr to do both engines including filters
oil and fuel
and yes get the oil warm

[Priceless]

I take the boat out of the slip and run her out the inlet and back so the engines are at full temp and well mixed. Then I remove the oil filler cap. I keep the oil filter on tight until all oil out. I do not use the plastic dip stick tube. Rather I use the hose from the 12 volt self priming pump and attach it tightly to the top of the dipstick tube with a hose clamp. Usually gets the oil out in less than five minutes. One 2 1/2 gallon (10 quart) and 1 one quart of Rotella makes it easy to get the correct amount of oil back. Right on the upper hash mark of the upper dipstick.

[Bruce]

Nonsense in changing the oil hot.

All the engines I sold I added a drain hose in place of the pan plug of a 3/8 diameter. I used a gear pump and a cold 6lp would have the old oil out in 2 minutes. It took more time to change the filter.

With the filter upside down on the lp, punch a hole with a screwdriver in the top and let it drain back while draining the oil. It will make less mess.

[THESALTYSATO]

Thanks Bruce for the comments. I especially like the idea of putting a hole in the filter and letting it drain. Sure will save a lot of clean up. A question i would like to ask-- i have two dipsticks on each engine(Yanmar 6lp 315 hp). one on the side of the engine and the other on top. With the engine mounted a slight angle- they do not read the same. Is their one you should only use as one dipstick will read full and the other will be less than full. It seems there is about a quart of oil difference. I try to split the difference which slightly overfills one dipstick and the other is between the two marks. The mechanic i use even called Mack Boring and never got a precise answer from whoever he talked to.

[SteveM]

I have the drain pan hose system that Bruce describes.
Also have a Jabsco pump in a bucket. I attach it to the drain hose, sucks it out in no time.

[Dug]

I have the pump system and it was very smart money spent. Bruce is right, maybe a min per engine to drain! I LOVE the idea of stabbing the filter to drain!!! Brilliant!!!

[ed c.]

I was told to use the dipstick on the top of the engine. My engines were set up for oil changes exactly as Bruce said. It makes life easy.

[Bruce]

Don't use the dip stick on the lower part of the engine.
They don't go to the same level in the pan.

[Yannis]

What does this drain hose look like?
How do you attach it to the pan?
Thanks.

[Craig Mac]

With gas motors----which are wider than the inline diesels ----don't think it's possible to access the oil pan for that drain----just did my oil change with the transfer pump----it is a PIA.

[Bruce]

https://www.oildrainvalve.net/yanmar-marine/

I made my own, but this is a fitting that replaces the drain plug and you put a hose on it.

[Yannis]

Thank you Bruce.
If it’s sturdy and proven, everyone should have it!
Should it need any teflon or blue glue or just some serious tightening? I’m wondering if the vibrations might unscrew it...

[Captain Decent]

I recently pumped my oil out for the first time using a dipstick tube style pump plumbed into a tank from west marine. Slick unit but after about an hour of pumping I realized why it takes so long. The probe you stick down doesn’t make a deal with the tube so it sucks a ton of air from the open end of the dipstick tube. If you make a seal it is 10x faster.

[Rawleigh]

The tube down the dipstick hole should be long enough to reach the bottom of the oil pan in most applications. I used to use an old milk can with a gear pump on top of it from the 50's or 60's with a long tube on it until I plumbed in an oil change system.

[Bruce]

Its gonna use a gasket like any other pan plug.

[Yannis]

Thanks Bruce.