Advice on V-drive oil change

need some help fellas...
I've changed the oil on direct drive towboats about a zillion times, just run the rubber tube from the bottom of the block out through the drain plug in the hull into a bucket. Replace filter, add oil, done.
However, I've not yet had to do it on a V-drive, but I'm gonna give it a try on Sat. I understand that the old oil must be manually pumped out of the block, and I've seen the pumps sold. It seems pretty straight-forward, but can anybody tell me if there are any tricks or any potential ways to get into trouble that I should know about? How hard is it to get the pump's uptake tube all the way down into the sump of the block?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The boat is a 2004 Malibu VLX.
Thanks!

My 2002 vlx has a hose connected to the block to drain the oil. I've pulled that through the hull drain and emptied the oil, but now I connect an oil pump to the hose and get it all done faster with less mess.

Yeah it is easy easy. Just buy the $25 pump from west marine. Then hook it up to the drain hose and it will pump out the oil in a couple is minutes if the engine is hot. I love my $25 dollar pump. It works great an tranny fluid also. I pump the oil into a 5 gallon gas can.

This is the pump that I use. Was recommended by others and it has worked great for me.

oops, i actually bought it from iboats.com.
Here is the link:
http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=5502&current_category=oil%20pump &cart_id=894435010

Thanks fellas... exactly what I was looking for. Where abouts is the drain hose located? Are there any issues with reaching it? How about reaching the oil filter?
Anybody else?

This is all about my 02 vlx, hope it helps you.

Pull up the back bench seat, just above the transmission. Look down there for the drain hose, probably on the starboard side. If you have a pump, bring the pump into the boat. I haven't spilled a drop, and I don't have to climb under the trailer at all.

For the oil filter, I do usually spill a bit. So put down an absorbing sheet or alumin bake tin, and have a plastic bag ready. Once you loosen the filter enough, use the bag or alum tin under the filter. My filter is on the starboard side. I take everything out of that storage area, including the panel between the engine and storage area. It is a bit of a pain to stand in there with the hard tanks, but it doesn't take long.

I just bought one of the oil boys pictured above and it was VERY easy. It comes with an attachment that screws on to the dipstick of the mercruiser engine. I found, however, that if I used the nipple inclded for the screw on piece and pushed it over the end of the drain tube and pushed the hose directly from the pump into the nipple it fit down into the threads and i pumped the engine dry in just a few pumps. Definitely a good buy.

I have an 03 VLX. The oil drain hose is on the right side if you are in the boat and looking out the back. One has to remove the panels between the ski lockers and engine compartments to get access to the drain hose and the oil filter. There is a good discription and pictures about changing the oil in a V-drive at Malibuboatowners.com. I am pretty sure it is in the tech section. Cannot remember if you have to join that site to get to it or anyone can access it. It is a free site, so no big deal to join. It tells you where everything is while giving step by step directions. I found it to be very helpful the first time I changed the oil in mine.

In the 03, the oil filter is on the left side if one is in the boat looking out the back. When you unscrew the oil filter, oil will come running down the sides. I take a tin-foil pie pans and hold it under the filter as I unscrew the filter to catch what drains down the side. It has worked well for me. I buy the pans in the grocery store and am able to use them a couple of times before discarding them. If you decide to use them, I have found the circular ones with the sides at right angles to the bottom (i.e., straight sides) work best. The ones with the sides coming off at an oblique angle to the bottom (true pie pan) have a lip that makes it hard to get between the engine and filter. The transmission cable is somewhat in the way when trying to remove the filter once the filter has been unscrewed. If it were not for that, changing the filter would be a piece of cake.

Some threads I have read would indicate some people turn their engine over a few times after they have drained the oil, but before they have unsrewed the filter. It is supposed to empty the oil pump and reduce the pressure on the oil in the oil filter. Relieving the pressure is supposed to keep oil from comming from around the filter when the filter is unscrewed from the engine. Others advise against it because of the potential to fry the impellar when one turns the engine over without water going through the impellar housing to lubricate the impellar. I have not used that method personally, but I do have experience with shreaded impellars from having the engine run without water going through it. Others also pointed out that it is not good to turn an engine over without lubrication in it.

If the transmission cable was not in the way, it would be easy to put a catch pan in the bildge under the oil filter while removing the filter. To me, getting the oil filter off without spilling oil in the ski locker and bildge is the biggest challenge. I typically take a large garbage bag (40 gallon) and cut it along one of the side seams and acroos the bottom seam. It makes a large rectangular piece of plastic. I lay it in the floor of the ski locker, let it hang over into the bildge and put down a couple of sheets of newspaper on top of it. Then I stand on that while removing the filter. Most of the time it is not necessary, but one time it did save me from getting some oil on the carpet in the ski locker. Having a roll of paper towels or a box of "rags in a box" close at hand helps a lot too.

It is not that hard to change the oil and the filter in an 03. One other tip, make sure you check the old filter when you remove it to make sure the rubber o-ring on the top of the filter is still attached. Sometimes the rubber ring that forms the seal between the oil filter and the engine block will come off the old filter and stay attached to the engine block. If you screw on the new filter while the old filter's seal is still in place, oil leaks from between the two seals and makes a nice mess in the bildge. Been there, done that. Trust me, it sucks. If the old ring is not on the filter, feel where the oil filter attaches to the engineand pull it loose with your fingers. It pops right off. I have changed the oil in my VLX about 5 times. I have yet to remove the oil filter without the o-ring staying attached to the engine.

Lube the o-ring on top of the new filter before installing it. I like to fill the new filter 1/2 to 3/4 way full of oil. Some say that is not necessary. Others say it is. Like many things, it is probably personnal preference. There have been other threads on this subject on this site and others. You might find other helpful tips in those if you run a search. Again this is what I do, others have other way that are just as good and work just as well for them. Good luck, it is really not that hard to do.

Neil,
You are the man!!!!
Thanks very much, brotha!
I feel pretty good about it now.

Doctor Octagon:

Thanks, but that is just what I learned from reading this board and doing it myself a few times. You really should not have much trouble. Draining the oil is easy. The oil filter part is not hard, it is just more difficult to do without getting oil all over everything.

Others may have additional good tips. I am pretty new at this v-drive stuff. After you change the oil and put it back on the water, make sure to check for leaks and check the oil level. The oil level will drop some after you run the engine because the oil filter gets completely filled with oil. I back mine in the lake, start it, make sure the oil pressure is okay and then turn it off. I check for leaks, then start it again and release it from the trailer. Once sitting on the water, I turn the engine off and I check the oil level to make sure it is at the correct level.

Some people use what is called a "fake-a-lake" to circulate water through the engine so they can run the engine without frying the impellar. A fake-a-lake is essentially a toilet plunger that fits over the raw water intake under the boat. It has a place to attach a garden hose to it. With the hose turned on, one can start the engine and run it at idle speed without too much concern for over heating or damaging the impellar. I do not have a fake-a-lake, but that is what I have read about them. The fake-a-lake lets you run the engine, check for leaks and fill the oil level to the correct level while the boat is on land. I would still check the oil level after every change with the boat on the water and without any ballast even if I had a fake-a-lake. My driveway has a pronounced slope and I worry that checking the oil level on my driveway will not give an accurate reading because the boat is not level.

Last of my tips. Hopefully others will have more.