How to remove oil from 120 Ford Lehman

"It's time to change oil f

"It's time to change oil for the first time since I bought our boat. I bought oil change kits from American Diesel and plan to install them the first time I drain the oil. My question is, what is the best way to drain the oil? My preference would be to pump as much as possible out through the dipstick tube, but given its small diameter, I'm not sure it's practical even after warming the oil. Has anyone done it this way? Is it practical? I'm thinking a 1/4" copper tube is the largest that will slide into the dipstick tube, but I haven't measured yet so comments RE this are also welcome.

Thank you."

"Dan, Just changed the oil abo

"Dan, Just changed the oil about a month ago using the pump out method. Warmed the engines and out it came. It took me 10-15min to get the prime but it was the first time I changed the oil as well. I'm sure It'll get easier with experience. I bought one of those oil pumps that sit on top of a five gallon bucket and it came with a plastic extention that fit right through the dipstick. I pulled between 9-10qts from both engines. The engines call for 12qts so most of the oil can be pulled out using this method. The sparring qts are contained in the the filters. Just one thing about the pump, My father had removed the metal stabilizers on top of the bucket causing the bucket to be unstable. When he lifted the bucket he neglected to close the top of the lid. 3 Gallons of oil on the back deck! What a clean up!!"

"Thank you, Robert, for your r

"Thank you, Robert, for your reply. I appreciate the information, especially knowing how long it takes you to change oil. I'm not looking forward to the first oil change, but it will be a lot easier once I install the drain kits.

Thanks again.

Dan"

What is this drain kit you&#39

What is this drain kit you're talking about?

"The drain kit is an assembly

"The drain kit is an assembly that consists of a fitting that replaces the drain plug and a length of rubber hose with fittings on each end. One end of the hose connects to the drain plug fitting, the other end is equipped with a 3/8" pipe thread fitting with a plug in it. To drain the oil, you remove the plug and allow the oil to flow into a container. I modified it by putting a 3/8" ball valve on the discharge end and I put the plug into the ball valve just in case the valve gets turned on accidentally. The reason I wanted the ball valve is that I plan to connect a pump to the hose when I change oil because it’s too hard to get a container below the oil pan. With the valve, I can remove the plug, connect my pump then turn on the valve. Having the drain kit allows removal of virtually all the oil.

I got the kits from American Diesel Corp. If you’re not familiar with them, you might want to keep their phone number. The founder is Bob Smith. He is still active but his son, Brian, runs the business day-to-day. They are both very helpful with technical information and they have replacement Lehman parts. Bob does “Diesel 101” classes a few times per year. I went to one in San Diego a few months ago. I've probably called them wiht various questions a dozen times in the year that I've had our boat and they are very patient and helpful.

Their phone is 804-435-3107. To give you more information, here’s what their website says, “American Diesel Corp was founded in 1981 by Bob Smith, who is the former head of Lehman Ford. Our American Diesel Marinization is similar in design to the proven Lehman-Ford 120. We attribute our company's success to the quick, courteous service offered by our knowledgeable staff of boatmen, who are aware of your problems, with a ready, willing and able attitude to serve you.”

Dan"

"Sounds like I would use that

"Sounds like I would use that method if I could. In my situation, I'm almost positive I can't get to the drain plug that way. Thanks for explaining what the kit consits of and the information about Bob Smith. As of now I've been dealing with Bomac Marine for spare parts and knowlege. I'm trying to talk one of the mechanics to come up and give me a survey of my engines. The previous owner used the boat as a live aboard and neglected to keep a log on the hours. I was told 2-300 hours! I can only take there word for it, and hope this is true. The restoration of the boat has started and It would be nice to have some concrete answers. Freddy Frog said good luck with that. I hope it won't be to hard!"

"Good luck with your restorati

"Good luck with your restoration. Although our boat was useable the way I bought it, I've done a ton of upgrades and the list doesn't seem to get any shorter. It's a good thing I'm retired and can most of the work myself. I do use a mechanic for some things, but most of it I do.

One again, good luck and have fun, too.

d"

"groverbuilt boats equipped wi

"groverbuilt boats equipped with lehmans have a hand pump connected via hose to the sump. you get the engine warm, you get 3 empty gallon bottles and you pump away. change your filter and fill. its simple. you dont need a fancy electrical pump or dipstick oil extractor to do it. the tranny is a difft story. i drain with a jabsco pail pump and dipstick tube. its hard to drain as its in an bad spot."

"Thank you, Manny C, for your

"Thank you, Manny C, for your input. I appreciate it. I like the simplicity of your system. Once I do my first oil change and install my American Diesel oil change kits, mine will be a lot simpler than it is now.

Regards,

Dan"

I have a 120 Ford Lehman in a 33' 1980 Albin Trawler and am trying to install a oil change system. I would like to know if anyone could tell me the thread and pitch size of the pan drain also has anyone solved the engine access difficulty on the port side?
Thanks

I hook up a water puppy pump (with nitril impeller) to the installed oil change kit and pump it out quite easily. Just attach vinyl hose from the motor sump drain fitting to the "in" side of the pump, attach hose to the "out" side for discharge. Pump the old oil into 5 gal buckets and you're done. I attached the pump to a 2X4 which I lay accross the top of the bucket and use aligator clips for the power wires to the battery. Works great.