My first time with fluids change

[Chrisrog]

I am going to take a shot at changing the fluids in my 2002 Super Air Nautique. The manual describes running up to temp, then doing the various changes with the boat level on the trailer. How do I hook a hose up to the boat to allow cooling water to flow while doing this? I’d much prefer to do this service without having to drag the boat in and out of the water.

[brit_hunsicker]

There is a tool called “fake a lake”. It looks like a plunger that wedges between the ground and the water intake and it has a hose connection on it. That is the most common way, but you can also pull the intake hose off the bottom of the boat and shove a garden hose in it, or install a tee in the line with a hose connection. Keep in mind, just running the engine will not warm up your transmission or vdrive. Even if you put the boat in gear and run up the throttle a little, it doesn’t warm up the vdrive or transmission very fast since there is no load on it.


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[charlesml3]

Agreed. A Fake-A-Lake works just fine. Don't worry about it not forming a perfect seal with the bottom of the boat and some water squirting out between the hull and the "plunger" part. It's no big deal.

-Charles

[Chrisrog]

Thanks guys. It sounds like I should launch it and run a round a bit to get the transmission and V drive warmed up, then pull it out and hook up the fake-a-lake to be able to do the service that requires the engine to be cut off and fluids level checked immediately afterwards.

[Chrisrog]

It also sounds like I might consider adding drain lines to the V-drive and transmission sumps like the one on the engine while I'm doing this to make life easier next year? How do most people catch the waste lubricants from the V-drive and transmission?

[brit_hunsicker]

Most everybody on here will tell you to use a hand pump. Search MightyVac Oil Evacuator and you’ll find them. They work great. I find the engine will stay warmer for much longer than your transmission or v drive will. Most boats I work on are on lifts at a dock so it’s easy for me to drop them in and run them around and then lift them up and change oils. If you have far to drive from the lake to your house you may as well just run it on a hose in the driveway.


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[Chrisrog]

Update on how yesterday went 1st time changing fluids on the Excaliber 330 (GM5.7L)

After putting the boat on the trailer, I launched right into a fluids change.

Oil change - My boast has the line with a cap on it that can go out through the drain plug. I can’t see where the line goes, and when I took the cap of, no oil comes out. With no visible valve, I finally abandoned this method. I used an extraction pump to suck the oil out and into a used container. Very easy. Not certain how much oil was left in the boat. When I filled back up, I put maybe 1/2Q in the filter (didn’t look) then put 4 quarts in the crankcase. After running the boat, the level seems slightly high. This makes me think I didn’t get all the oil out via the dipstick pump method. I’ll check level next time I go to the lake and add / extract as needed.

Transmission change - I used the extraction pump through the dipstick hole. Again, no idea how much came out. I see the value now in the type that fills into a graduated cylinder. Mine has 2 hoses and discharges into an oil change pan. I put 1 quart of fluid in, checked the level, and it also appears over full. I think I failed to operate the transmission when idling the boat after the change.

V drive - No fluid was visible on the dipstick prior to the change. I put the extraction hose down the dipstick and nothing comes out. I couldn’t figure out how to get access to the drain plug. Not sure where to go from here.

I need some advice from you guys:

How is the tube drain on the crankcase supposed to work?

I may have splashed some water into the transmission through the dipstick opening while screwing around with the cooling hose. It was probably a couple of tablespoons at most, if any. Should I re-change the transmission fluid? Is there a drain plug somewhere on the transmission that would do a better job getting all the old fluid out?
Any suggestions for draining the V drive? Special wrench setup? What sort of container would fit under it?

Any thoughts, suggestions, etc. are appreciated. In the future, I may just do this maintenance tied up to the marina dock. I don’t have a driveway or garage and the boat will be in dry storage, so having access to a water hose may not be feasible until I pull the trigger on a covered dock with boat lift.

[brit_hunsicker]

That hose drains slow off the oil pan. Sometimes they won’t even reach or fit through the drain plug hole. The best method is to stick your pump hose as far as you can into the hose off the oil pan, or get a few fittings to attach your pump hose to the oil pan drain hose. I would not recommend the dipstick method as I’ve done that and got a hose stuck before.

As for the transmission and vdrive...the dipstick is the method I use to extract. If you have a plug in the bottom it would be a pain to get to and drain into the bilge. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the hose down to the bottom of the unit. Many times I have to keep wiggling the hose around to get it in the right spot.


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[bturner]

I like using the hose off the pan but I also use an electric pump extractor (https://www.westmarine.com/buy/shurf...75?recordNum=5). I also found a fitting that matches the cap of the engine drain hose that has a tubing barb. This allows me to connect the suction hose directly to the engine drain hose easily. I turn my system on and walk away. I check it about every 10 - 15 minutes or so while doing other winterizing activities on the boat while it does it's job. Very low stress procedure. When it's done I put the cap back on and start refilling the engine. On the overfill.... if it's barely over the fill line I wouldn't sweat it and I certifiably wouldn't do anything until after the boat was sitting in the water and had been started. Check it again and see where you're at. If you're significantly over use your extraction pump and pull some oil out. No big deal.

On the trans.... I seen/heard people get nuts on this. You're welcome to get as crazy as you want but what I do is start with a clean extractor and suck as much out as I can by moving the suction tube around the vDrive oil reservoir. Once I have as much out as I can reasonably get I pour out the fluid I've extracted into a measuring paint cup. I do this to first get an idea of the condition of the fluid, check for any metal shavings and have a base line as to how much fluid to put back in. I then dispose of the old fluid, thoroughly clean out the cup then refill the vDrive with the amount of fluid I pulled out. When I get the boat back on the water I check the level per the manual and add more fluid in small increments until the fluid is filled to spec. The fluid is cheap and once you get the process down changing it every year is quick and easy. Even if you don't get everything out the first year you'll have changed at least 90%+ of the fluid and every year after just dilutes any remaining fluid even more to the point it's not worth worrying about. As to the water that got splashed in... Well you learned a good lesson there that you won't do again (put the cap back on the vDrive when you're not focused on it). If you're worried about it change the fluid again. The fluid isn't expensive and it won't take long. While a teaspoon or two probably won't hurt anything it would bother me to no end and changing it would make me sleep better.

All this is just how I do it and have done it for the last 15 years and has worked well for me with zero issues. I'm sure someone will come along and have a different opinion and they're certainly welcome to it.

[Chrisrog]

Follow up:

The fake a lake worked well, and was pretty simple.

Engine oil level stabilized at a hair above full mark. I’ll check it again before I go out, but plan to leave it be.

Transmission level is....I have no idea. I pull the stick out and it looks over full, then I try it again and it looks empty. I wonder if I ‘m getting fluid clinging to the walls of the dipstick tube transferring to the stick as I remove it...in which case I bet my fluid level is way low. I may slowly add another quart just to see if I am mid-reading the stick.

V Drive - the PO had no fluid in the V drive. I added about half a quart and finally get the level 2/3 of the way up the stick.

The handheld extractor pump I used was messy. Dealing with an input hose from the motor and an output hose running to the waste tank was very difficult. I’ll be buying the self contained extractor next time.

[Beach-TJ]

One thing, check your fluid levels when the boat is free floating, with only you in it and no ballast or lead. The levels on the trailer will be wrong.
That aggravated me, so years ago i took a 4ft level out with me and figured out how she floats, then figured out how to get her level on the trailer. For my setup i need about 4 inch of boards under the jack with the jack all the way up, assuming it's parked in my shop with a level floor.
My point is, it's useless to check levels on the trailer. If i don't set the trailer up correctly, everything is off when i check them on the trailer.