Diesel engine/Electric maintenance

[LadyG]

36 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

So what have you been trying to change with the claw wrench 

That would be the fuel filter!

A neighbour who has the same engine had a chat with me this a.m. and explained my mistake (changing the oil before removing the oil filter) !

I've never done it before, and I won't be doing it again, but at least I now know how it should be done. 😀

I generally ask for a worksheet so I have a record. The last one, in fact, the only one is dated 2022.

I keep a record in my log book, but am relying on them to actually do the work, they describe.  I usually provide the materials, and that's what I'll do in the future.

I've pretty much grasped what needs to be done.

Edited March 31 by LadyG

[bizzard]

11 minutes ago, LadyG said:

That would be the fuel filter!

A neighbour who has the same engine had a chat with me this a.m. and explained the mistake (changing the oil before removing the oil filter) !

I've never done it before, and I won't be doing it again, but at least I know how it should be done. 😀

I generally ask for a worksheet so I have a record. The last one, in fact the only one is dated 2022.

I keep a record in my log book, but am relying on them to actually do the work, they describe.  I usually provide the materials, and that's what I'll do in the future.

I've pretty much grasped what needs to be done.

Most call out fitters don't want you to supply parts,ie Oil and filters or whatever as they normally buy them at trade prices and charge you the retail price as well as the labour charge.

[IanD]

Just now, bizzard said:

Most call out fitters don't want you to supply parts,ie Oil and filters or whatever as they normally buy them at trade prices and charge you the retail price as well as the labour charge.

 

Presumably to make enough money to make a living -- if you want to supply oil and parts yourself, they'd have to charge much labour higher rates per hour, which would undoubtedly lead to complaints from boaters about being ripped-off... 😉 

 

It's the same as people complaining about how high beer prices in pubs or food prices in restaurants are -- if you don't want to pay for wages/NI/rents/mortgages/leases/chefs/servers, stay at home and do it all yourself with stuff from the supermarket. If you want to complain about the costs of professionals like electricians/mechanics/carpenters/fitters, do it yourself without any pay or overheads... 😉 

[LadyG]

58 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Most call out fitters don't want you to supply parts,ie Oil and filters or whatever as they normally buy them at trade prices and charge you the retail price as well as the labour charge.

Or don't bother to change them!

The isuzu filter is £17.99 approx, and the Morris oil is ~ £35.  These casual guys don't have any purchasing power, they're just doing 9dd jobs, the last one,  who made a fuss about professional standards, his standard was putting the old oil in the Biffa bin! 

I am  happy to call out Shire Cruisers because they are familiar with the engine and do a good job, they do charge standard rates, but they have overheads, and employ labour, charge VAT, etc.

I have never complained about the charges, it is what it is, and has to be done. If someone has to spend an hour ordering oil and filter, he s not going to get that back. 

PS I know I can buy similar oil for £30 in the local shop, but its just not worth cutting corners.

Edited March 31 by LadyG

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

So what have you been trying to change with the claw wrench 

Gearbox 

[Tony Brooks]

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

A neighbour who has the same engine had a chat with me this a.m. and explained my mistake (changing the oil before removing the oil filter) !

 

Why is that a mistake? Sounds like bull shine to me unless you ran the engine with the old filter still on it, but even then, the amount of dirty oil in the filter that would be mixed with the new oil, I doubt it would make any difference.

 

It is more time efficient if you let the warm engine stand to let all the oil drain into the sump while you change the filter, but that is personal preference and nothing to do with correct as long as whatever procedure you follow you give the old oil a chance to drain into the sump before pumping it out.

 

 

[bizzard]

5 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Or don't bother to change them!

The isuzu filter is £17.99 approx, and the Morris oil is ~ £35, these guys don't have any purchasing power, they're just doing casual work, the last guy who made a fuss about professional standards, his standard was putting the old oil in the Biffa bin!

I am be happy to call out Shire Cruisers because they are familiar with the engine and do a good job, but in this instance it seemed about time I did it myself, 

What Ian D said is perfectly true as far as proper bona fide proffesionals go, as for the cowboys ? When I had my garage I sometimes had a chap and his wife-girl friend come in for a job on their car demanding it done NOW, ''showing off in front of her'' when I said I'll book you in for tomorrow morning as I'm fully booked today. Still showing off ''If I had the tools I'd do it myself''. I kept a special box of old tools handy for these very blokes, and I'd say You'll find the tools you need to do that job in there and if you shift your car over there your welcome to do the job with those tools yourself at no charge.  The bloke starts getting jittery, but I can't do that I have to be at the dentist soon ''lie'' Wife=girlfriend smiling to themselves, they new what a big shots they'd tried to be. In the end they usually booked when I told them.

[Tony Brooks]

2 hours ago, LadyG said:

Aha, just discovered the oil filter is mounted out of sight, so it's too late to change it, what worries me is that I'm not sure the last guy changed it, because there should never have been  6l of oil in the engine if he'd removed the filter.

Next time I pay someone to change the oil, I'll be wanting to see the old oil and the old filter. It's like going back to the 1970's when finding a little garage to reliably service your secondhand. car was difficult enough. How can they build a business when they just take the money and run. 

 

 

This sounds as if he just poured the amount of oil the manual states into the engine when he really should have filled to the max mark, ran the engine and check for leaks, stop the engine and wait a few moments, and then top up to the maximum mark, however much oil that took. It could be more or less than the manual says, but usually less because drain pumps often leave some in the sump.

 

I find the strap wrenches like the metal one linked to in the topic tend to be the most versatile and easiest to use, as long as you put it around the part of the filter canister that is shaped, either grooved or formed into a hexagon. Usually at the bottom of the filter.