Hi Blair,

Someone with an M35 will no doubt chime in, but on the M25 (in the older boats) the oil pan drain plug is accessible under the engine and you can just drain the oil into a trash bag. You can never get all the nasty dirty stuff at the bottom of the engine with a pump.

If you do use a pump make sure the engine is good and warm to thin the oil. 

Many of the mechanics I see use hand pumps for small engines, maybe no need to buy a powered one.

[Also wanted to explain that posts are still delayed, legacy of the Summer of Spam. Sorry for the inconvenience, we should have that restriction lifted soon.]

Thanks

Nick

Re Duncan's comment about the pump/bucket being unstable, he's right. What I do is keep the bucket in a box I saved from 6 gals of anti-freeze when I winterized whenever I use and store the pump. This keeps it stable and I have enough room to keep a sheet, for under everything when I work, a small 1 gal fuel container (may be a 2 gal) to fill with fuel to refill the filters and a plastic nozzle I screw onto the oil bottles to prevent spillage all in one place. Works fine and I prefer that to the flat model with the pickup tube in clips around the tank. The clips never hold the tube correctly ( have both).

When changing the filters don't forget the water separator filter oo.

These guys have pretty well covered it, but here's a tip.

While you're messing with the oil change, use your pump to suck out the ATF from your transmission fill-and-check opening on top of the tranny. I think the dipstick bolt head uses a 17mm wrench.   

On my 1986 model C36, the Universal M25 is mated to the Hurth HPW50

with a capacity of 0.3 ltrs. of ATF transmission fluid.

Be aware that you check the fluid level WITHOUT screwing in the dipstick.

I'll include a pic of the pump I use: Jabsco Flat Tank Oil Changer System, Model# 17860-1012

Good luck!

I have found little webber tin pans that hold abut 20 0z and fit under the transmission so I can drain everything out of it

Yep I work at West Marine Channel Islands. It is part time but I am there about 4 days a week. I also fix/repair sailboats as a business.
 

I was getting ready to buy an expensive oil extraction pump.  Then I found out that our local Discount Marine shop rented a very nice heavy duty one for $4 a day.

And then they keep the messy thing the other 363 days that I'm not using it ;-)

Worth checking around.

Paul

I've set aside March as my month for preparation for the Inside Passage trip, April to relocate the boat to Puget Sound, and mid-May to push back on my trip to Alaska. *IF* I remember to do it...I will try to video my annual engine maintenance (oil, filters, belt, impeller, HE zinc, etc) and put it on YouTube. I'll put a link here on C36IA, of course.

I still have a couple articles to write as promised: 1) Rebedding a chainplate, and 2) replacing the furler drum. I have all the photography for these but too many things on the To-Do list at the moment. Sorry.
 

Apologies to Blair and others expecting me to meet my commitment to video the annual preventive maintenance on my boat. I just spent three days trying to do this, without a camera person, and all the attempt did was slow me down. It's taken almost three days to do what I would ordinarily do in less than a day AND I got crappy video. Using a min-tripod sometimes the camera would fall over mid-activity; hand holding it's so shaky that it's useless to edit.

Next year, I will have to get a volunteer to be the camera person.

In the meantime my next post may serve as a checklist for this periodic/annual maintenance check.

When I do the annual preventive maintenance on High Flight I take it by system, not beginning the next system until I'm through with the present one. Here's the sequence I used over the last three days. Note this is on a 2002 Catalina 36 Mk II, s/n 2109.

1. Open the engine compartment fore and aft, get all-round access, have tools and replacement parts (fuel and oil filters, zinc, Racor, new belt, new impeller, oil, ATF fluid) at hand.

2. Fuel system:

• Fuel shutoff valve OFF at fuel tank, aluminum pan under the Racor. Diaper in engine sump well. Extra diapers at hand.
• Note whether there is any water visible in the bottom of the sediment bowl. Drain the Racor and dispose of fuel. Remove Racor with sediment bowl attached. Disassemble Racor/sediment bowl, clean bowl, lube new O-ring with a tiny amount of oil, install O-ring. Assemble sediment bowl to new Racor (an R15T is what I use), lube gasket with a tiny amount of oil, replace Racor assembly in its mount, hand tighten.
• Place aluminum catchment under engine fuel filter.
• Be prepared for fuel to drain from filter as it is loosened...a LOT will come out. 
• Lube gasket of new filter with a tiny amount of oil and install, and tighten hand tight.
• Turn fuel valve ON at the fuel tank.
• Turn engine key, fuel pump should run until pressurized.
• Attempt to start engine...mine starts after one or two cranking revs. ALWAYS when starting the engine check for cooling water. Always! Check all OK. Now you're done with the fuel system. I run my engine for 10 or 15 minutes to cheeck the fuel system and to warm the oil. OK, engine OFF.

3. Transmission

• Remove transmission dipstick, wipe, carefully set dipstick in hole WITHOUT threading. Remove to view fluid level. All OK, so reinstall dipstick and thread snug with a wrench.

4. Packing gland

• Now is the time to adjust packing gland, if needed. This was my first time adjusting after installing new teflon packing a couple years ago. It took about 2 flats.

5. Raw water cooling system

• Close the raw water seacock.
• Open the strainer and clean it out. Replace lid and secure.
• Remove heat exchanger zinc, check condition. Mine was fine, as I have been in fresh water since installed. If a new zinc to be installed HACKSAW IT to 1" zinc length, otherwise the too long zinc will either damage the heat exchanger core or crumble your new zinc. If the old zinc was almost gone, then remove the HX end cap and feel for zinc crumbs with your finger. Extract crumbs if any are in there.
• Remove the inboard (top) hose on the Sherwood impeller body. I use a large screwdriver to lever it off the bib. Loosen the top and bottom screws on the alternator mount to allow the alternator to move, letting the belt free. Remove three screws holding the impeller housing body. REMEMBER the clocking of the keyway! Clean the impeller, lightly lube with silicon grease, lube O-ring and let the silicon grease hold it in the groove. Install the new gasket on the AFT side of the backing plate, NOT on the side where the impeller goes. Place the new belt inside the impeller loop, and carefully install the impeller housing, making SURE (a) the gasket is on the AFT side of the backing plate, (b) the key is properly in the keyway and in the impeller slot, and (c) the O-ring is still in its groove. Today I tried a new method to do this critical step: Lying down and looking up into the gap, with a small screwdriver I 'poked' the key properly into its keyway and into the impeller slot, and I 'helped' the O-ring into its groove. Reinstall the three screws. Clean the belt pulleys and place the belt in them. Using a large screwdriver lever the alternator to achieve about 1" 'press' on the long side of the belt, and tighten the two alternator screws.
• Open the seacock.
• Start the engine and carefully WATCH the exhaust (from another dock, ideally) t make sure the water is spouting out on a normal regular basis. IF water isn't coming out of the exhaust, or if it's spewing only about once a minute something is WRONG. Shut down and find out where your work got derailed.

6. Closed cooling system. Check the coolant level in the overflow reservoir in the cockpit locker. Today I needed to add about a cup of 50/50 antifreeze premix.

7. Oil

• With a warm (NOT HOT) engine, use a slurper to extract oil from the engine via the remote drain hose. Then I drill a small hole in the bottom of the oil filter to let more trapped oil free to drain into a pan. Be patient, the more patient, the cleaner your work will be. Place paper towels and diapers beneath the filter, loosen it and spin it off. Dispose of it properly (it's hazmat). Lightly lube the new filter's gasket, and spin it on, hand tighten. replace remote drain hose. Add two and a half quarts of oil, and then start the engine. Let run for a couple minutes, then OFF. Let set for a few minutes, then check the dipstick level. Keep adding oil until the proper mark on the dipstick. Install dipstick, replace oil cap. 

8. General 

• Overall inspection for leaks, points where hoses can abrade, potential failure points. Using small sockets and screwdrivers check all hose clamps for tightness. Check all 8 engine mount lag screws for tightness. Wipe clean.
• Replace engine covers fore and aft. Enter itemized work description into maintenance log.