Big Engine Oil Change Pump?

We have a... Let me check... Reverso (couldnt remember the name... ) 4 valves manifold, to a pair of 3412s and a pair of northern lights 20s. It's a DC pump, permanently instwlled which is usually standard on most larger boats.

The 3412s take 4 pails each. I have a long hose and remote switch so I can leave the pails on the finger dock instead of having to lug them inside the boat

To avoid any spill I also use a concrete mixing tub, just in case and put the pails in there

Pumping the warmed up oil out is fairly quick, maybe 6 to 7 minutes a pail but pumping cold oil back in takes 2 to 3 times longer. The colder it is outside, the longer it takes!!!

Usually takes me day to do both 3412Es, and both gensets, including all 16 filters... 2 oil, 2 secondaries, 1 racor for each main, 1 oil, 1 secondary, 1 racor per Genset.

The biggest pita is to get rid of the oil as many marinas don't have oil collection. Cat dealer takes it back but they charge $120 a pail for fresh oil. I usually get rotella 15/40 at advanced auto part or Napa at about $70 a pail.

Pascal, does the new oil go through the same hoses that the used oil just came out of? Maybe it doesn't matter?

Yes same hose. Obviously there is a little bit of used oil left in the hose which goes back to the engine but maybe a quart out of 20 gallons... I would avoid cross contamination and refill a different engine after draining one.

Got it. So maybe drain port, drain stbd, fill stbd, fill port so only one engine gets a bit of used oil back, then switch the next time so you alternate which engine gets some used oil back?

Makes sense. I wonder if anybody is working on 1,000 hour oil...

Yes. High Seas fuel dock does oil changes ...and John at Sea Lube comes via boat and does it at your slip.

I have my mains and generators plumbed to the pan drain so I can either pump into a waste oil tank or a centrifuge. Most commercial fuel docks can pump out a waste oil tank. I use an Oberdorfer gear pump/ac motor to move the oil.

I had a 12 V reverso pump for years with the manifold. It worked ok, but took forever to pump cool oil from the buckets. The nitrile impellars also didn't withstand the hot waste oil all that well, imo. Several year ago I changed to a new pump with a ferrous impellar. It is fast! and I pump from the cockpit thru a long reinforced hose. I'll get the manufacturer next time I am at the boat. Also, you are never going to get all of the waste oil out of the engine, so using the same hose for extraction/filling has virtually no effect on the quality of the new oil, just make sure its empty as best you can.

After pumping the oil out of a warm engine, I pump a quart or two back into each (clutch & gen-set also). Then tend to the filters or go to lunch.
My idea is later, when I pump out that last oil and any last internal drips, the lines may be cleaner than just reversing the pump.
This may be a lil waist-full, but it helps me feel better that all possible was done to insure that clean oil was pumped back in. No complaints, no issues and I feel good about my job.

Most of my boats have a built in system Wimpy to real good. I also have a couple of gear drive portable pumps (Oberdorfer).
On one boat, the pump motor is bad, I removed the impeller and using my pump, move the oils tapped on his original discharge hose.

I do prefer the gear pumps.
One of my portable pumps can suck a football thru a 1/2 inch hose (old blond joke).

We inventory and deliver oil in 5 gallon pails. I keep most of the emptys and keep a few 1 & 2 gallon bottles. I can gut up empty kat litter bottles (plenty here) for custom fuel & oil filters catch tools.
Probably 15+ empty 5 gallon pails in my shed now. They don't collect any dust.

The quality of an oil change is what you make of it. Never a mess or drop left behind.

The Oberdorfer gear pump is hard to beat. Mated to a reversible motor, it takes a lot of work out of oil changes. If you use a long hose put a fitting on the end that you can cap off to minimize drips.

So if you don't use a built-in system like a reverso, do you put in plumbing from the oil pan or trans drain? I used to use a Pela vacuum pump through the dipstick tube for my TDI and for my gas Crusaders but it was slow. And if I didn't get the engines warm enough it was painfully slow.

Most auto parts stores take the oil free of charge. I follow this same routine. 6 five gallon pales and lids from home depot. Takes me about 4 hours to do the whole job.

IMO, if you are going to go thru the work to plumb to the oil pan, why not install a pump and manifold system also? Otherwise yes you pump thru the dipstick, at least on my engines anyway. My trannies are set up with an extension hose from the oil drain leading to an accessible area. I use a portable pump hooked to that extension to change tranny oil.

That micro inch tube down the dip tubes will take forever. Even with my football sucker.
The later Crusader and Merc dip tube it self is usable but still <1/4 inch of flow.
Off the bottom of the pans offers at least 1/2 inch hose to flow thru.
AND, it's on the bottom of the sump where it should be drained from.