Anybody within 300 Miles North of Charleston Able to Help?

P

Pat Anderson

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Nov 2, 2003
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C Dory Year
2005
C Dory Model
25 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Daydream
We are on the Great Loop, as many of you know! We are in Charleston, SC, right now. A couple of days ago I tried to line up a mobile marine mechanic to do an oil change here. The guy was booked solid for a week, and we can't hang here for a week!

We would be eternally grateful if anyone within about 300 miles north of Charleston who has a trailer that can accommodate a C-Dory 25 could meet us at some boat ramp to haul us out to allow us to do an oil change. If you can help, please PM me, and thanks!
 
Would top sider pump or equivalent work? or an electric pump
and pulss oil out of dip stick tube?

I have this one
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... 306_390306

Not sure where the oil filter is located on a Honda but Yamaha F225, I loosen filter slightly, tilt the OB up and unscrew filter into one gallon baggie with paper towels.

Make sure the oil is hot before pumping, and raise and lower the OB a few times to remove as much as trapped oil as possible

Just need a few tools
oil filter socket type tool
ratchet drive and extensions and may be other sockets
paper towels
hand soap
dispo gloves
5 gal bucket with lid or leave in top sider and transport to recycle facilty
new oil and filter (lube it before installing)

m2cw
 
That is one disadvantage of going at hull speed. You run the engine hours up getting anywhere. Granted you probably save more money on gas than the extra oil changes cost you (on a per mile basis). But if you are travelling long distances you have to figure out how to fit the oil changes in.

It may be possible to change the engine oil when afloat. Changing the lower unit oil would be trickier.

I would just find a marina with a sling lift. Haul the boat out and leave it on the sling while you change the oil. Would only take about an hour for the engine and the lower unit. Plus they could adjust the boat to a convenient working height. Might want to do the impeller while you're at it.

You would have to pay for the lift time, but I think most marinas have a rate for this for people who haul their boats out to power wash the hull, change the zincs, etc.
 
Pat get one of these they work great you can use to remove or add oil thru the dip stick tube.
Mitivac.sized.jpg
 
amazon.com
 
Pat, I just saw this post on the great loop Facebook page. They might be able to help you out.

Big thank you to the latest bunch of Loopers passing through!
Cape Fear Marina at Bennett Brothers Yachts is the "Best!"
Wilmington NC is a wonderful stop.
Let me extend a "Free Week" to all Loopers passing through on their way north.
-Knowledge
-Repair
-Safe Haven
-Brokerage Support
-Fun
All found at BBY!
See you soon
Contact: Peter Kurki 910-380-3738
Peterkurki@bbyachts.com
 

Thanks all for your comments!

Dr. Bob thought a pump would not be able to completely evacuate the oil. I do like the idea of renting sling time - they had a sling that would have worked at Isle of Hope marina.

I am torn between just paying a marine mechanic to do the service to be sure it is done correctly, or getting what I need to do it myself. Larry Grunden showed me how to change the oild correctly but I do not have a mechanical mind! There are always YouTube videos! Then I would need transportation to a West Marine or a Honda dealer for the stuff for the lower unit lube. I recall the oil change was messy even in our driveway.

Like Sheriff Andy told Aunt Bea when her freezer went out, "Call the man. Just call the man!"
 
OK, let me stick my 2 cents worth in here. The solutions already proposed seem a little expensive and/or inconvenient to me. Sling service must be. Why not call back the booked-up service guy and make him this offer: if you can get one of your booked customers to give me their appointment I will be happy to pay for their service. Or half their service. Or $100 bucks etc. Worth a call just to show you are open to negotiation?
 
My two cents and at the high risk of getting flamed- I have been using oil vacuum pumps for years with no problems. How much new oil it takes to get to get back to the full level will confirm how much you got out. [Edit- I like BrentB's OB tilting idea and will try that next time]

My Honda 150 owner's manual recommends an oil filter change at 200 hours versus engine oil at 100. My engines have 2500 hours and still going strong. I personally would extend my gear case oil changes given the daily use while on the loop, but would check for moisture presence at least every 100 hours.

I have changed oil filters while on the water by covering the filter with a plastic bag after the initial 1/4 turn release. I also put rags/paper towels underneath the filter just in case, and have yet to spill a drop. I also found it much easier to back the boat into shallow water and stand outside the boat when working on the engine.

My favorite vacuum pump is the TRAC fluid extractor because of its compact size and easy to carry and dump design. Amazon- Trac Outdoor T10064 Fluid/Oil Extractor by TRAC-Outdoor Products - $39.99 Prime free shipping
 
I've also used a vacuum pump out for years. First on a boat that had been repowered and it was the only way. Also on a sports car that didn't have clearance for me to climb under easily. To test it's efficiency, I used the pump and then pulled the plug. Not a drop came out. I was sold.

My car, and some outboards, have a magnet in the plug to catch tiny metal dust. But it doesn't have to be cleaned off with every oil change.

I sold the pump with my boat, then bought a better one for my car. I've since sold the car, but still use the pump on my Polaris Ranger. Changing the filter can still be messy, but the rest is a breeze.

Mark
 
I don't think it is necessary to get every drop of old oil out anyway. 80-90% should be more than sufficient IMO. Even if you could drain the crankcase completely there is still a bit of oil left in the passages, crevices, clinging to parts, etc. If the 10-20% left behind bothers you, just change it more often.

I'm happy to simply get "most" of the oil out of the motor when I change mine.
 
Pat, What oil change interval are you shooting for? 100 hrs, 200 hrs? If your running at 2000 RPM or less, is it OK to extend the hours vs. running at 4000 RPM.

I have changed the oil with the extraction pumps a few times. Once at Campbell River, BC and once in the Broughtons. When on long cruises at low RPM's like we did in SE Alaska I went 250 hours over 2 months and 1600 miles. The oil was still as clear as if it had been changed at 100 hours.
 
I may have what you need. I live on the ICW 5 miles east of Swansboro, NC and I have the right trailer. Also a good ramp to take out. Tools and halfass mech skills. Sending personal email.
 
BBlalock":173of6ks said:
I may have what you need. I live on the ICW 5 miles east of Swansboro, NC and I have the right trailer. Also a good ramp to take out. Tools and halfass mech skills. Sending personal email.
Click to expand...

One C-Brat in need, another C-Brat comes to the rescue......Priceless!
 
Pat and I have discussed increased interval of oil changes, as well as options. My experience on that size block was with the 130 (different block and engine than the 150), and I felt that I was not able to get all of the oil out with vacuum devices. So I also went longer than the 100 hours when on long cruises. I don't know exactly how much oil I was leaving in--but felt it was over 10%. On the other hand, not changing the filter at the 100 hours, does leave some old oil in there also. One has a valid argument either way.

Honda's recommended way is to drain thru the plug in the bottom of the pan--.

Pat is running almost every day, most of the time at about 2000 RPM, only one start a day (starting is the hardest on the engine, because of lack of oil in all of the critical areas). There is no time sitting for long times for water contaminates. Pat is running the engine up to temperature. The Honda 150 is the Accord 2.4 Liter block--and that has oil change intervals from 3,000 to as much as 8,000 miles depending on driving conditions. The 2000 RPM with no high loads (like getting on plane) simulates the best conditions, and thus I estimate that this is about 200 hours on the automotive engine. On long passages where I have had tp run a diesel engine (running 24 hours a day at 1300 RpM (slow displacement speeds) I moved the oil change interval up to 200 hours--and as Brent noted, check the appearance of the oil)

With the 6000 miles of the loop this would be 1000 engine hours. Oil change at 100 hour intervals would be every 24 days! (Assuming 8 months to do the loop)

There are many industrial engines which run for years without shutting down for an oil change--they use huge filters on the oil, and a little is replaced at a time.
 
We run our Honda engines in our cars for a year on Mobil One synthetic. It works out to about 15k per year as far as the actual mileage. No ill effects noted
D.D.
 
I just cannot accept Honda’s one-size-fits-all oil change interval. Honda 150’s outboards are used all over the world, from the arctic to the tropics. They take ungodly abuse in both commercial and third world county use, yet Honda recommends 100 hour oil changes across the board.

I truly feel Honda is being way too conservative when it comes to using synthetics, or use in ideal environments such as Pat is now experiencing. I personally have no heartburn with changing my outboard oil every 200 hours while doing the loop, or when in other user-friendly conditions, but then again, I never change my automotive engine oil at 3000 miles as recommended by my ‘expert’ mechanics at the nearby Jiffy Lube.

Bottom line- I plan to change my oil while on ‘The Loop’ at my convenience, versus the one-size-fits-all interval that Honda chooses.
 
jkidd":2epr3fgd said:
Pat get one of these they work great you can use to remove or add oil thru the dip stick tube.
Mitivac.sized.jpg
Click to expand...

There is one of these in my future! I was a little leary but on page 60 of the Honda BF135 - BF150 Manual, Engine Oil Change, it says "An engine oil evacuation device may be used to remove the engine oil." I will order one from Amazon as soon as we have identified a marina for them to send it to for me.

So then my only issue becomes disposal of the used oil, but I assume somewhere near most marinas there is some oil recycling facility. Seven quarts of 10W-30 of the correct service category, and the oil is changed. The oil filter change does not look too difficult either, although it seems it might be a bit difficult to capture the oil coming out of the filter. This can all be done with the boat in the water. Still have to figure out the lower unit lube, which appears to require the boat be out of the water...
 
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