!#@@#! Oil Filter on Suzi 200

[Pat Anderson]

We just crossed 20 hours on the new Suzi 200, and so it was time for the first oil change. I went down to Clearwater Marine in B'ham and purchase a couple of oil filters, the filter removal tool, and two gallons of Suzuki Ecstar oil. Then I fired up YouTube for a video on Suzuki oil changes. I enlisted my brother in law, Berry Ruden, owner of Crabby Lou, to assist.

The first video was for a Suzuki 350 and I assumed the 200 would be the same, easy-peasy. Wrong-o! Draining the oil is the same on both engines, but on the 350 the oil filter is sitting upside down right there and accessible as soon as the cowling is removed. On the 200, the oil filter is buried behind the skirting below the cowling. Another YouTube confirmed that the skirting had to be removed. There are six bolts that hold it in place, and some of the heads are in deeply recessed channels. We finally got all the bolts removed with a nut driver set that I gave Patty many Christmases ago.

But with all the bolts removed, that sucker did NOT want to come off! We pushed, we pulled, we whacked it (carefully), but no she go. So we first called Sportcraft Marina and then Tyboo. Both John at Sportcraft and Mike assured us that it would come off after removing those six bolts, and we should not be timid or gentle with it! We followed their advice, fearful of breaking something, but FINALLY it broke loose. It seems there is a seal under it that it tends to stick to the first time it is removed. That seal has now been liberally coated with petroleum jelly. It SHOULD be easier next time!

The photo below is what we saw when the skirt was removed. The filter was then easy to remove and replace. We put the skirt back on, and poured the oil in the top. Two gallons took it right up to the top mark on the dip stick.

 

[localboy]

Pat, put a thin coating of clean oil on the seal prior to assembly. It will seal the filter AND make removal easier. I put it on until it stops spinning, then tighten 3/4 of a complete rotation from there. Add oil. Start engine. Check for leaks. Re-assemble.

Sometimes they will put up a fight, though.

 

[dotnmarty]

You gave Patty a nut driver set? Guess what Dotty is gonna get for Christmas. Thanks for the suggestion Pat. Just what is a nut driver set?

 

[ssobol]

Pat, put a thin coating of clean oil on the seal prior to assembly. It will seal the filter AND make removal easier. I put it on until it stops spinning, then tighten 3/4 of a complete rotation from there. Add oil. Start engine. Check for leaks. Re-assemble.

Sometimes they will put up a fight, though.

If it's like my Honda BF90D, oil on the seal doesn't really help. I pretty much figure on a new oil filter tool each time I take my oil filter off.

 

[Pat Anderson]

You gave Patty a nut driver set? Guess what Dotty is gonna get for Christmas. Thanks for the suggestion Pat. Just what is a nut driver set?

Here you go. It is a set with a ratcheting tee-handle, screwdriver tips, and SAE and metric nut drivers. It is the most-used single tool we have. I bought it many Christmases ago at Home Depot on their Christmas display table. Unfortunately, they discontinued it soon after. They must have realized that it was too useful!

 

[Pat Anderson]

Pat, put a thin coating of clean oil on the seal prior to assembly. It will seal the filter AND make removal easier. I put it on until it stops spinning, then tighten 3/4 of a complete rotation from there. Add oil. Start engine. Check for leaks. Re-assemble.

Sometimes they will put up a fight, though.

Yes, I did dip my finger in the oil and run it around the seal on the oil filter, that was a recommendation in the Suzuki 350 oil change video. Pretty sure the next time will be easier, and we will also do the lower unit - I did not do the lower unit this time, just the engine oil.

 

[Pat Anderson]

Pat, put a thin coating of clean oil on the seal prior to assembly. It will seal the filter AND make removal easier. I put it on until it stops spinning, then tighten 3/4 of a complete rotation from there. Add oil. Start engine. Check for leaks. Re-assemble.

Sometimes they will put up a fight, though.

If it's like my Honda BF90D, oil on the seal doesn't really help. I pretty much figure on a new oil filter tool each time I take my oil filter off.

I did four oil changes on our Honda BF150 on our 2017 Loop. On the first one, Benton Blalock, who lives in Swanboro, N.C., right on the ICW, responded to the request for help that I had posted on C-brats when I couldn't get service in a reasonable time in Charlotte. He pulled Daydream out on his trailer, took me to an auto parts store, and showed me the oil filter removal tool I needed. It was one that fit exactly over the end of the filter and was turned with a ratchet handle. Then he walked me through using my oil extractor, and showed me how to change the gear oil in the lower unit. They put us up and entertained us for several days. Ann Blalock took Patty shopping and arranged a grooming for Baxter! C-Brats are so gracious in helping one another!

That tool worked for me for all the rest of the oil changes on the Loop! I bought a similar tool for the oil filters on the Suzuki, and it worked great.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

I have no idea why engine manufacturers go to such lengths to make changing an oil filter difficult and then place the filter sideways to make sure that it drains out while trying to wiggle it from the goofy position.

I had a Volvo that required crawling under the car to remove a side mounted filter. Bang your head, skin your knuckles and drool oil down your arm. I put in a simple remote system that allowed me to move the filter so that I could simply open the hood and screw off the filter without spilling a drop. A $40 modification.

Put the OB filter outside the cowling. It might interfere with the sleek look of the engine, but I would't care. Oh, and remember when they used to provide you with a little maintenance kit with a crappy screwdriver and a spark plug socket? Why was there never an oil filter removal cap for the little filter?

Things will change when I'm king.

 

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

and drool oil down your arm..

A zip lock freezer bag semi closed over the filter will save the day. After cracking the filter loose you can turn it off by hand with the bag catching the oil.

Any fluids expelled from an internal combustion engine are a carcinogen and care should be taken to avoid contact.

An engineer is an engineer
A mechanic is a mechanic
And ner the two shall meet

Rob

 

[ssobol]

... He pulled Daydream out on his trailer, took me to an auto parts store, and showed me the oil filter removal tool I needed. It was one that fit exactly over the end of the filter and was turned with a ratchet handle. ...

Yes, that is what I use. By the time the filter is loose, the removal tool is jammed so tight to the filter that removing it is not worth the trouble. I tried one of those wrenches with the adjustable band once. It broke without loosening the filter.

 

[Peter & Judy]

You gave Patty a nut driver set? Guess what Dotty is gonna get for Christmas.

First year we were married, I gave Judy a router. Ten years later I used it to build her a nice house with it.

 

[localboy]

I have no idea why engine manufacturers go to such lengths to make changing an oil filter difficult and then place the filter sideways to make sure that it drains out while trying to wiggle it from the goofy position.

This is just a guess. I don't think they do it because they want to anger boaters. But since most of these engines are designed for vehicles, not outboards, if/when they are mounted (in cars/truck) the oil filters may be horizontal. I know our Suzuki would be as the crank end that would connect to the transmission would be toward the lower unit of the outboard.

…oil on the seal doesn't really help. I pretty much figure on a new oil filter tool each time I take my oil filter off.

I put a tiny bit of silver or gold anti-seize on the threads too. Even on my spin on fuel filter.

 

[localboy]

and drool oil down your arm..

A zip lock freezer bag semi closed over the filter will save the day. After cracking the filter loose you can turn it off by hand with the bag catching the oil.

Any fluids expelled from an internal combustion engine are a carcinogen and care should be taken to avoid contact.

An engineer is an engineer
A mechanic is a mechanic
And ner the two shall meet

Rob

Zip lock bags and nitrile gloves. I have boxes of them in the garage and on the boat.

 

[ssobol]

... But since most of these engines are designed for vehicles, not outboards, if/when they are mounted (in cars/truck) the oil filters may be horizontal. ...

I know plenty of vehicle engines where access to the oil filter is just as difficult as an outboard. I think with vehicles, the oil filters get changed more often so they are less likely to seize on. The different environment may help too.

 

[SnowTexan]

Love the subaru oil change: open tank on bottom to drain pan, loosen filter ON TOP OF MOTOR, allow pan to drain. Fully unscrew the now empty filter, tighten bottom, refill oil, screw on new filter. Only thing with oilY mess is the Oil pan bolt and the wrench.

Boat motor oil change step one: lay out absorbent pads and prepare rags for oil bathing your motor. Step two: open drain plug and watch oil cascade down the side of motor. You know the rest

 

[ssobol]

Love the subaru oil change: open tank on bottom to drain pan, loosen filter ON TOP OF MOTOR, allow pan to drain. Fully unscrew the now empty filter, tighten bottom, refill oil, screw on new filter. Only thing with oilY mess is the Oil pan bolt and the wrench.

Boat motor oil change step one: lay out absorbent pads and prepare rags for oil bathing your motor. Step two: open drain plug and watch oil cascade down the side of motor. You know the rest

You could try turning the motor so the drain plug it more to the front and then tilting up a bit. Probably don't have to tilt up much to get the oil stream to separate from the motor case. This might keep some of the oil off the motor.

 

[BBlalock]

When I helped Pat use his extractor to get the oil out I was sold. Easy and no mess. And you can do it when the wind is blowing. That is how I do it now. About $65.

 

[localboy]

I use a small home-made tube of plastic to drain the oil so it doesn’t run down the engine and make a mess. Maybe 6” long made out of a plastic soda bottle. You could use cardboard too and just throw it away.