Better way to change oil in 3gm30f?

[Mg451]

I understand you need to pump the oil out of the dip tube with a pump after warming it up. I use a brass hand pump and put a little plastic tube down the dipstick hole and remove the oil..not even half I'd say after many many many oil changes it gets no easier and you can't get all the old oil out. Seems absolutely ridiculous!!!!!. I've read the dipstick tube itself can be used to get all the oil out however it don't know how you'd get a seal at the top where the dipstick handle sits. There has gotta be a better way ? Getting the plastic tube that bends and turns to get into the bottom of the sump to remove the oil is a royal pain and takes a few hours of in out spin put it in take it out deeper etc... is there a bette way? .

[smith8273]

I have the same motor, and suffer as you do. Also, what's even worse is that the motor tilted back.

As I remember, the manual mentions that all the oil is not removed in a typical change, I figure that the recommended oil change intervals takes in all factors, one of them being the estimated residual oil left in an oil change.

[JimsCAL]

I have been changing the oil in my 3GM30F for over a dozen years. I use one of those manual oil changers that use a hand pump to create a vacuum in the cylindrical container. Works great. Stick the tube in the dipstick, pump about 20 stokes to create a vacuum and that's it other than a couple of pumps every couple of minutes to retain the vaccum. If oil is good and warm, the oil is out in about 5 to 10 minutes. I find there is very little oil left in the crankcase as oil stays clear after adding the new oil and running the engine.

[Mg451]

Jim do you know what pump you use? And is it the typical supplied parts with it? Also it's 100hr intervals right?

[skipperpete]

There are quite a few instances of 3GM owners drilling and tapping one of those 4 circular casting bosses on the underside of the oil pan to permit gravity draining. Annoying that Yanmar neglected to give us an alternate option for oil changing especially since the 2GM’s have a casting boss on the side of the oil pan for just this purpose.... I have a 2GM that’s got a ball valve and drain hose but still don’t get clean oil changes because the fitting and valve is mid engine and additionally, the threaded bushing effectively puts a small ledge where it threads into the sump. [ATTACH]

[JimsCAL]

Mine is a Moeller, but you can find similar ones by other mfrs on all the marine sites and Amazon. West Marine has there own versions that look just like the Moeller ones. Comes the unit plus a couple of different sized tubes. I need to use the smallest one which does slow the extraction a bit.

[ggray]

I started out using a small brass hand pump...it was supplied with the boat when new. A catamaran, so have to do this twice.And the round floor where I was doing this made it a bit more unpleasant. Also while trying to keep the pump discharge hose in an empty jug.

It was a bit messy, so I eventually bought one of those vacuum "pigs"as they called it. Seemed to work well; I'd use it on the first engine, and after, while it was sucking oil out of the second engine, I'd be changing the filter on the first.

But then you have to pour the old oil into a jug. Some more work. And as time went on the "pig" started leaking and making a mess.

So I went full circle back to the brass pump, but bought a larger one which pumped a greater volume. And I shortened the discharge hose to about 3" so I could hold the pump and the gallon jug with one hand with the short hose sticking into the jug (I use rectangular antifreeze jugs as the gallon oil jugs now have a sloping handle that doesn't work well here). Hope this makes sense to you.

I've been doing it this way for years now. The dipstick tube doesn't have to seal, and I think it gets almost all the oil out, but I have sail drives so the engines don't slope any. You might give it a try this way.

A few weeks ago I was cleaning up under the engines and saw what looks like a drain plug!!! It has a bigger hex head than any appropriately sized bolt for this engine would have so I think it must be a drain plug. With the saildrive installation, I think there is enough room for a drain pan. I'll find out next oil change.

[NorthCoastJoe]

I have a Yanmar 3GM30F in my Pearson 30. I use a 12 volt electric pump from West Marine. I never had a problem and all the oil is sucked out in less than two minutes. I then move the tube around a bit usually getting a bit more. I use it for the transmission too. I have been very happy with it.

https://www.westmarine.com/west-mari...-14557417.html

[jamhass]

I had an oil change pump (Reverso) plumbed into the drain plug on a different engine (Volvo). It worked GREAT. No mess, no fuss. Plus, since the pump was reversible, I used it to pump the new oil into the engine. No problems with spillage, etc.

[capt jgw]

A simple rubber grommet can seal the pump tube to the dip tube. If the dip tube goes all the way to the bottom it will work well. A lot of them don't go down far enough. My last sailboat engine was a Kubota D850 that I marinized myself, equivalent to a Universal M25. It still had the short dipstick in a hole towards the bottom rear of the block that it would have in a tractor. A little harder to check the oil level but a lot easier to suck it out. It also had a drain plug but there wasn't enough room under the engine for a container. That's the case with a lot of boat engine installations. I think that's why the Yanmars don't have drains, they figure you won't be able to use one anyway so why spend the money to put one in.

[old pirate]

I use one of those vaccume extractors through the dip stick. It does leave about 10% of the oil but recon the manafacturers planned this. The pick up pipe is laying on the bottom of the sump so getting the worst out. These vaccume extractors are available at most car accessories outlets. Cheaper than the identical item at the marine store

[MikadoII]

Have a look at https://www.ezoil.com.au/

My S&S 30 has a 3YM30 which according to the parts list has a 16mm sump drain plug. Mine doesn't have this as apparently they cut it out in the later engines. It does have a 16mm banjo fitting for the dipstick tube. I drilled out the head and tapped it for a 10mm EZ valve. With an EZ tube extension connected to a tube into the bilge I can very easily drain the sump. I use a recycled bar fridge compressor to put a vacuum into an old lpg cylinder and hook that up to the tube in the bilge. Absolutely no mess.

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by MikadoII

Have a look at https://www.ezoil.com.au/

My S&S 30 has a 3YM30 which according to the parts list has a 16mm sump drain plug. Mine doesn't have this as apparently they cut it out in the later engines. It does have a 16mm banjo fitting for the dipstick tube. I drilled out the head and tapped it for a 10mm EZ valve. With an EZ tube extension connected to a tube into the bilge I can very easily drain the sump. I use a recycled bar fridge compressor to put a vacuum into an old lpg cylinder and hook that up to the tube in the bilge. Absolutely no mess.

I’m ordering one of these for my 4WD, thanks for the link.

[Mickeyrouse]

Though I don’t have a Yanmar, for years oil changes were the dirtyest messiest job on the boat. I was not capable of doing it without making a colossal mess. Plastic springy tubes, and old poly milk jugs were designed to turn over, which happened just about every time. And after the job was done that vaccuum pump and tubes seemed to hold residual oil forevermore, dripping and extending the mess. Did I say it wasn’t fun?
I went through a series of devices until I located an 12 volt oil change gear pump on ebay. I have it permanenty mounted in the engine compartment. Groco makes a really nice but pricey pump. Mine is all-metal no-name. I’ve had it in service about 5 years.
My Westerbeke has an oil drain hose tapped into the bottom of the oil pan. When change time comes I just remove the hose cap, screw in the change hose, switch on the pump, run the the discharge tube to an empty container and rock and roll. It’s so convenient it’s almost fun.
I realize the Yanmar in question has no drain hose. However, it will work well going into the dipstick tube with a small OD tube. I would encourage using copper to minimize the mess-prone springiness of poly tubing. If space is limited (isn’t it always?) I originally mounted the pump on a 12 x 18 piece of plywood making it portable, and got power by way of a 12 v. accessory plug. I attached a small boat cleat to the board to wrap the power cord around.

[gonesail]

i have a westerbeke as well and the oil pan drain hose is very nice. also the glow plugs are a huge improvement in cooler weather. not sure why yanmar overlooked this