V-Drive Gear Oil Change Question - 2005 SAN 210 TE w/ Walter Gear Drive

[umatilla_matt]

I just bought my boat with 183 hours and I'm going through and doing some maintenance before I start using it regularly. I changed the engine oil and the transmission fluid, and now I'm looking at the v-drive.

It seems like a complete messy PITA to reach underneath and behind the v-drive to unscrew the drain plug. I was reading somewhere in these forums where someone attached an elbow with a hose to the drain plug hole so they can change the gear oil easily the next time around. Nautique should have done this in the first place if you ask me.

Anyways, I was looking at the v-drive and I'm wondering if I could remove the hose that attaches to the elbow with the screener and get some brass fittings to hook that hose to my pump. Then I could suck out the oil, take the fittings back off, and hook the hose up like it was. The screener is near the lowest point of the v-drive, almost as low as the drain plug. Is there any reason this wouldn't work? I'm probably missing something but it seems like a simple solution to the gear oil change.

I would appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks!

[crobi2]

First time I did the v-drive I undid the strainer from the front with a couple of plastic bags underneath to catch the oil.

All subsequent times I have used a vacuum extractor with the largest tube that will fit down the dipstick hole. It gets nearly all of the oil out with no mess. I will probably only clean the strainer once every few years now.

[umatilla_matt]

I have used a vacuum extractor with the largest tube that will fit down the dipstick hole. It gets nearly all of the oil out with no mess.

I tried that yesterday but it sounded like a straw trying to get soda out of an empty cup. No enough oil at the bottom of the dipstick hole I guess. Maybe I could lower the front of the trailer so the oil would collect towards the front?

[umatilla_matt]

I will probably only clean the strainer once every few years now.

By the way, was your strainer dirty at all? I've seen where people have said they went through the trouble of removing it and there was nothing to clean.

[obd666]

I tried that yesterday but it sounded like a straw trying to get soda out of an empty cup. No enough oil at the bottom of the dipstick hole I guess. Maybe I could lower the front of the trailer so the oil would collect towards the front?

lower the trailer down and suck out all you can. after that there's very little left in it, can just take a small bowl and drain out the rest from the plug

[crobi2]

By the way, was your strainer dirty at all? I've seen where people have said they went through the trouble of removing it and there was nothing to clean.

There was a bunch of crud down in the sump - looked like old gasket material - have invoice from where PO had sump gasket replaced because of slow leak. Probably got left in there then. Doesn't leak now and the oil stays so clean it's hard to read on the stick.

By the way, my stick is on the aft part of the Walters so it is easy to vacuum up with pump. I have seen newer setups where the stick is on front and I forgot about that when I made my suggestion.

[crobi2]

If I had the dipstick on the front, I might get a 90 degree brass fitting and replace the drain plug with that then use a compression fitting at the 90 and run a copper tube up to where you can get at it with the vacuum pump. You could simply cap it with a copper cap.

I think the plug is 1/4" NPT but it could be 3/8" NPT.

[umatilla_matt]

I tried lowering the trailer down but there still wasn't enough oil at the front where the dipstick is for me to get any suction. I might do the 90 degree brass fitting thing eventually, but for now I'm not gonna worry about it. Too much hassle. Any reason you recommend using a copper tube instead of a rubber hose like with the engine oil?

[crobi2]

Just seems like that flexible copper you could kind of mold around the vdrive to get the end in a perfect spot to hook your vacuum pump to. A rubber hose that is oil proof should be fine.

I always wondered, but never found out, which hose on the pump itself you could disconnect and hook your vacuum extractor to. Probably the one that comes from the strainer. Perhaps you could unscrew it from its upper fitting and remove the oil through it.

[Beach-TJ]

When I changed my V-Drive oil I cut the bottom off of a 5 qt plastic oil bottle (about 2" tall) as a make shift container and slipped that up under the drain plug of the V-Drive. The oil bottle is plyable enough that i could get it under the V-Drive pretty easy. Then I removed the drain plug and placed the end of my vacuum extractor in my make shift container, as it could not hold all the oil that came out of the V-Drive. This turned out to be easy, and I didn't make a mess at all. I just used the vacume extractor to get all the oil out of my make shift container, then used a blue shop rag to clean it up before removing it from below the V-Drive.
My strainer is also in the front, and like you it just sounded like a straw trying to get soda out of an empty cup.

[C.A.]

Hey Matt.... do I know you???

I tried sucking it out of the dipstick when I did my V-drive last year after I bought my boat. I only got a small amount out. Then I tried the "makeshift" container and, unfortunantly, it resulted in an extensive bilge cleaning!!

[umatilla_matt]

Hey Matt.... do I know you???

I don't know, do you? I had a white and maroon Malibu Sunsetter before I got my Nautique. If you've been around Lake Dalhousie you've probably seen me.

[Beach-TJ]

I tried sucking it out of the dipstick when I did my V-drive last year after I bought my boat. I only got a small amount out. Then I tried the "makeshift" container and, unfortunantly, it resulted in an extensive bilge cleaning!!

You do have to be ready with your vacuum extractor, or this will happen. I believe the V-Drive held almost 2 qts.

[umatilla_matt]

I ended up taking the rear bench and everything out in order to reach the vdrive. I pulled the plug and everything went fine. Got about a quart out, which is the capacity according to the manual. I pulled the strainer and cleaned it too.

But when I came to the part where I'm supposed to clean the two magnetic plugs, I could only find one. The manual says there are two located diagonally from each other. Apparently mine only has one located on the backside of the vdrive. The dipstick in located where the one on the front should be. At first I pulled one of the water drain plugs thinking that was the magnetic plug because they were the only two plugs that there were two of and they are located diagonally from each other. I hate when companies try to make one owner's manual for 10 different variations of a product so that only one person has the correct info and everyone else has to guess. Its ridiculous.

[Beach-TJ]

You do have to be ready with your vacuum extractor, or this will happen. I believe the V-Drive held almost 2 qts.

To correct myself, it was just over 1 qt. that came out, not 2.