davesisk
Platinum Member
I finally got around to changing the engine oil in the PT. It was pretty dark stuff, well due for an oil change. I replaced it with synthetic 10W30 (based on what the owner's manual for the Briggs and Stratton engine said). It took a little over 3 quarts.
I used the Topsider clone that I bought to suck the oil out. (This is a 2 1/2 gallon can with a suction pump attached. You close a clip on a hose, and pump the air out of the can, then open the clip and the it sucks the oil out. You can buy the name brand a few places for about $40, or Harbor Freight has the clone for about $25.) Pretty cool and not at all messy, however, it took awhile to suck it all out. I had to clip/pump/unclip a few times. I took the oil plug out afterwards, and nothing but a few drops came out. It seems to have done a pretty thorough job.
Someone had asked about how well this topsider clone works (although I don't remember who). In a nutshell, it's slower than just taking the plug out, but it's a whole heckuva lot less messy. I wasn't in much of a hurry today, so I was fine with slow.
I also got out the smoke wrench and welded up some of the cracks that have materialized in the bucket (along the top, presumably from the abuse of lifting material a little too heavy for the "light material bucket"). I'm not sure if I got enough penetration with the welds that it will hold, but I guess I'll see in the future. If the welds don't hold, then I can always bolt on some angle stock as reinforcement...
Happy weekend!
Dave
I used the Topsider clone that I bought to suck the oil out. (This is a 2 1/2 gallon can with a suction pump attached. You close a clip on a hose, and pump the air out of the can, then open the clip and the it sucks the oil out. You can buy the name brand a few places for about $40, or Harbor Freight has the clone for about $25.) Pretty cool and not at all messy, however, it took awhile to suck it all out. I had to clip/pump/unclip a few times. I took the oil plug out afterwards, and nothing but a few drops came out. It seems to have done a pretty thorough job.
Someone had asked about how well this topsider clone works (although I don't remember who). In a nutshell, it's slower than just taking the plug out, but it's a whole heckuva lot less messy. I wasn't in much of a hurry today, so I was fine with slow.
I also got out the smoke wrench and welded up some of the cracks that have materialized in the bucket (along the top, presumably from the abuse of lifting material a little too heavy for the "light material bucket"). I'm not sure if I got enough penetration with the welds that it will hold, but I guess I'll see in the future. If the welds don't hold, then I can always bolt on some angle stock as reinforcement...
Happy weekend!
Dave
