Problem Pumping Oil Out of Sail Drive

[Howler]

I am trying to change the sail drive oil. It's a Yanmar SD60. I put an oil extractor tube down the appropriate hole but when I pumped, the oil only made it part way through the hose and never made it to the extractor recipient. The extractor works fine as I just used it for the engine oil.

There was a YouTube video in which the presenter wrapped electrician tape thickly around the extraction tube where it enters the hole, and he clamped the extraction tube at the mouth of the hole that goes down to the bottom of the reservoir and clamps it in. It seems he's trying to create a seal.

Does this make a difference? Any other reason why the extractor pump wouldn't be able to pull the oil all the way through? Other recommendations for how to get the oil out of the sail drive? The boat's on the hard.

Thanks.

[Thumbs Up]

The boat is on the hard? Unscrew the drain plug.

[Capt Clark]

�� Thumbs up to Thumbs Up.

[Sam Woodbridge]

Originally Posted by Howler

I am trying to change the sail drive oil. It's a Yanmar SD60. I put an oil extractor tube down the appropriate hole but when I pumped, the oil only made it part way through the hose and never made it to the extractor recipient. The extractor works fine as I just used it for the engine oil.

There was a YouTube video in which the presenter wrapped electrician tape thickly around the extraction tube where it enters the hole, and he clamped the extraction tube at the mouth of the hole that goes down to the bottom of the reservoir and clamps it in. It seems he's trying to create a seal.

Does this make a difference? Any other reason why the extractor pump wouldn't be able to pull the oil all the way through? Other recommendations for how to get the oil out of the sail drive? The boat's on the hard.

Thanks.

The boat is on the hard? Unscrew the drain plug. As Thumbs Up said.




Sam

[sailingabe41ds]

What I did for both regular oil and the SD60 is use a small rubber hose to connect the upper end of the tube with the extractor hose and if need be put a clamp on both ends to create a seal. I guess something similar to what the youtube but using rubber hose and clamps. If I recall the SD60 uses motor oil and it is not as viscous as gear oil.

Good Luck
Abe

[skipperpete]

Try this. the tube on the pump needs to be sealed where it enters the hole

[Howler]

These are great responses... thanks. Of course the drain plug option is available on the hard, but I was trying to do it with the pump because it's my first time and I wanted to "train" for future needs to do it on the water.

I'm not sure why you need to seal the the extractor tube where it enters the oil suction pipe (that wasn't the case with the engine oil) but it seems to be the consensus so that's what I'll try next. I've seen it done by wrapping tape around the extractor tube to slightly exceed the ID of the oil suction pipe, and further clamping the extractor tube once inserted.

[jimbunyard]

Do you have the oil fill cap out?

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by Capt Clark

�� Thumbs up to Thumbs Up.

[chrisr]

problem might be the comparatively longer distance from the bottom of the saildrive unit (than fm the engine sump)

thinking on my boat, distance from bottom of SD to suction point is going to be over 1m, whereas the distance fm the sump to suction point for engine oil is less than half that

goes without saying that when sucking, the head over which you are sucking the liquid is pretty critical...

depending on the viscosity of the oil, the colder environment of the SD (in water) is also going to make the suction more difficult

guessing these factors mean creating some sort of seal is necessary ?

cheers,

[goboatingnow]

Cold oil is almost impossible to lift out of anything, I e never see a SD successfully oil changed via suction system.

[PaulZeeders]

The rubber pipe is not collapsing with the higher vacuum? Maybe you need to use a re enforced hose to prevent this.

[David B]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Try this. Attachment 246144the tube on the pump needs to be sealed where it enters the hole

If the tube is sealed around the dip-stick hole, then as the pump is operated, a vacuum will be created, and the oil will never be extracted.

Oil pumped out has to be displaced by air being drawn in.

On top of that, I cannot see how extracting oil from above is going to get more than half (if that) of the oil out. There is no way the suction tube is going all the way down to the bottom of the saildrive leg.

Oil change needs to be done as per the manual. Remove the drain plug, then open the dip-stick cap, and let it all drain out.

[Howler]

Originally Posted by David B

If the tube is sealed around the dip-stick hole, then as the pump is operated, a vacuum will be created, and the oil will never be extracted.

Oil pumped out has to be displaced by air being drawn in.

On top of that, I cannot see how extracting oil from above is going to get more than half (if that) of the oil out. There is no way the suction tube is going all the way down to the bottom of the saildrive leg.

Oil change needs to be done as per the manual. Remove the drain plug, then open the dip-stick cap, and let it all drain out.

The manual offers both options (plug from below or pump from above).

[Howler]

Thanks for all the input. Here's the epilogue. I was able to pump out 2.8 liters of sail drive oil by using the extractor through the oil suction pipe. That's supposedly 100% which was surprising. I did seal the tube where it entered the oil suction pipe but, sharing David B's concern, I opened the dipstick to allow air to enter. I'm not sure sealing was useful in the end.

Conclusion... it's feasible, but it took about an hour and lots of pumping to get all the oil out! Draining from below is certainly more efficient.

On that note, does anybody have the reference number for the SD60 drain plug O-ring. It needs to be replaced each time.