Small engine oil change

Lamont in NC · Jun 21, 2019

I'm curious how small engine shops and others who do a lot of small engine repairs handle oil changes. The drain plugs on pressure washers, push mowers, generators, tillers etc are never in a place for easy draining w/o making a mess. Even excluding the oil running all over the equipment they are rarely made in a way I can get a catch basin under them. There has to be a better way.

Yesterday I grabbed an old 2' tall 18" x 36" plastic shelving unit to use as a work table for a pressure washer. When I changed the oil I let it run out across the frame of the washer (couldn't do much elseJ) then through the shelf and I put a oil catch pan on the shelf under it--worked quite well. Today I had the bright idea of putting that shelving unit on wheels and putting it to use like this more often. I was a bit concerned about how much weight it'd handle so I sat on it and found it holds less than 160lbs the hard way. In fairness it was a section of shelving that had been left outside for a couple years and was brittle from sun exposure most likely.

Before I create another project for myself making a table I can drain oil, gas etc directly on and have it run to a container I'd like to hear or see some setups that might work better or just as well and not involve me getting started on another project.

jeffcat · Jun 21, 2019

Many years ago I met the guy who had a patten on just what you are asking about. Simple as can be. Little flexable hose you stick down the oil filler hole. Then he had a little self priming gear pump and it would suck most of the oil out of the crankcaase. For a qwick and dirty oil change it was enough.

Kansas4010 · Jun 21, 2019

A lot of small engines don't even have drain plugs anymore. If someone even bothers changing oil in them they use that suction tube thing. My opinion is if that's what you plan on using don't bother. It'll never suck out the sediments that filter to the bottom. I have a push mower that way and the best I can do is dump it upside down to drain the oil.

ss55 · Jun 21, 2019

Is that easier than turning a push mower upside down to drain the crankcase oil out the oil fill hole?

On horizontal shaft engines, at the first oil change I usually add a short pipe, a pipe coupler and a pipe plug to extend the oil drain beyond the frame to a spot where it is easier to catch the old oil. A hose could do the same job.

guido · Jun 21, 2019

Hello Lamont in NC,

Here is another way. vacuum it right out. Mobil gas stations would change the oil while getting gas. I grabbed 2, 250 or so went to the dump brand new,

Guido.

BarnyardEngineering · Jun 21, 2019

Husqvarna has given up on people changing the oil in their small mowers, and now advertise them as "No oil changes ever, just check and add."

JMS/.MN · Jun 21, 2019

Big old kitchen sink, mounted over a barrel. Stainless is nice too- local AT guy has a long commercial one where he rebuilds the tranny.

Mutt and Jeff · Jun 21, 2019

Suckee
duckee

I had the 5qt Suckee (still do actually)
and now suppliment it with Duckee It holds lots more

I do my car oil changes too suck it out
change the filter
and flip the lever it pumps the dirty oil right into the 5qt jug
never even go down on her

There is a large advantage they are graduated and if it hold 3/4 qt it says so and you know how much to put in.

If you let someone else overfill some steering or something a little suckee duckee does it.

fusion · Jun 21, 2019

I have a push mower that I purchased in 1982 it has a BS engine
I keep it at our summer home for trimming I have never changed the oil on it
every fall I drain the fuel out and then in the spring I put fresh gas in it
I top the oil off and it always starts on 2nd or 3rd pull
its amazing does not smoke I have had to repair all 4 wheel do to rust but it runs like a top
Not sure what brand it is .

RESLLS · Jun 21, 2019

I use something similar to Guido. Top sider oil pump. Got it at a yard sale for $10. Still in the box never used. Had 23'Searay at the time. Use it on mowers and such. Also used it on my wife's Fiat 500, it was a pain to change the oil. 3" off the ground and 14 bolts held the skid plate on. Local oil shops wanted $75. I took the plate off once, then used the pump. Norther tool has these cans.

Sprint 6 · Jun 21, 2019

If it's not on a riding mower that gets lots of hours or high stress, why change the oil at all? I have never changed the oil in a push mower, no point. They run a constant RPM, have very little hours, and are not stressed. My grandpa had a 50 year old Briggs 3 horse that out lasted two steel decks before he found an old aluminum Sears mower with a Crapcumseh that wouldn't run(shock) to put it on. That engine has never had the oil changed.

Dale2 · Jun 21, 2019

I have had a shop for the last 15 years and have always sucked it out with a vacuum pump of some kind. I presently have a 20 gal tank hooked to a refrigeration vacuum pump that I used to remove the oil. While the oil is being removed there is just enough time to change the plugs and filter. There is very little mess and a very few engines it will not work on.

pete 23 · Jun 21, 2019

I do change oil on my mowers at least once a season. Those little engines run hot as heck and most have poor lubricating systems to start with. If the drain is in a place where it will mess up things I just use a piece of cardboard and divert the oil into a container. Have to tip the walk behind to drain.

Yesterday I drained the gas tank on one of my H farmalls using a large piece of cardboard to divert the gasoline into a bucket. Hardly spilled a drop. Often use that method to drain coolant from engine blocks.

MARK ROBKE · Jun 21, 2019

That is how I have done it forever, usually using the crease of a corner of a piece of a cardboard box. Mark.

fixt · Jun 21, 2019

I got tired of that mess too and put a Fumoto drain valve on my Cub mower. Shove a little piece of hose on it and route to can.
Done.
Dang little things are fairly expensive but worth it to me for the no fuss no muss approach.

Northvale PA · Jun 22, 2019

Great advice to sell more engines. Which of us would use the same bath water forever and think we
would be getting clean?

Hobo,NC · Jun 22, 2019

The oil plug is stripped on my Honda Accord I got a bigger one in it and sealed so now use one like in your pix that's ran off air pressure it does not get it all maybe leaves 1/2 qt in the engine so short change the oil...

Also google

small engine oil drain plug extension

VicS · Jun 22, 2019

I think you guys overrate how clean you get your engine letting it drain out the drain hole. Generally they have a lip, good vacuum pump may do a better job!

Texasmark1 · Jun 23, 2019

I have a Husq. 26" 2 blade rider and love it because it will cut wet grass without clogging and is all I use in the spring when all the manufactured deck ZTs
(have 3 of them) clog in a New York Minute......so this isn't a thumb-your-nose reply.

Problem with never changing oil is that full flow filters only collect down to 20 microns. The "film" that occurs below that molecular size remains in the
engine. I change my oil when it gets dirty, not some time table.

Oh and on air cooled engine temps, I run full syn in mine because of so called high temps. One day I worked one of mine hard and brought it in and got
out the non-contact infrared thermometer and the highest temp I could find was 187F. Since dino oil starts going down hill around 240 or thereabouts as I
read, looks like dino would do just fine in air cooled engines......sounds good but in fact, moving to full syn allowed me to change once per season or on a
bi-seasonal basis, rather than 2 or 3 times per season that was required with dino oils of the same viscosity.

Texasmark1 · Jun 23, 2019

Obviously exhaust components were hotter, around 500F, but in checking the crankcase area where the oil resides.

timcasbolt · Jun 23, 2019

(quoted from post at 16:28:56 06/21/19) I'm curious how small engine shops and others who do a lot of small engine repairs handle oil changes. The drain plugs on pressure washers, push mowers, generators, tillers etc are never in a place for easy draining w/o making a mess. Even excluding the oil running all over the equipment they are rarely made in a way I can get a catch basin under them. There has to be a better way.

Yesterday I grabbed an old 2' tall 18" x 36" plastic shelving unit to use as a work table for a pressure washer. When I changed the oil I let it run out across the frame of the washer (couldn't do much elseJ) then through the shelf and I put a oil catch pan on the shelf under it--worked quite well. Today I had the bright idea of putting that shelving unit on wheels and putting it to use like this more often. I was a bit concerned about how much weight it'd handle so I sat on it and found it holds less than 160lbs the hard way. In fairness it was a section of shelving that had been left outside for a couple years and was brittle from sun exposure most likely.

Before I create another project for myself making a table I can drain oil, gas etc directly on and have it run to a container I'd like to hear or see some setups that might work better or just as well and not involve me getting started on another project.

On a lot of boats with inboard engines, there is no way to get a pan under the oil drain because the engine sits just above the bilge. In these situations there is no choice but to pump the oil out from the dipstick tube. Every marina in the country sells a pump for this purpose.

taem · Jun 23, 2019

Shop vac with a 5 gal bucket as the receiver. leave the top on, cement in a plastic pipe connector to sleeve to shop vac hose and a smaller one for the suction hose to the mower, wand from a piece of plastic tubing to fit the fill hole. takes about 1 minute to suck it out.

FullPullLarry · Jun 23, 2019

Boat lower end suction tool all the way. If you use that on the crankcase and pull the drain plug you won't get anything more than if you originally pulled the drain.

Small engine oil change

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