Oil Changing Tips - Argo Magnum

[fornarog]

I need to change the oil in my 1989 Argo Magnum 8x8 (retrofit with a Kawasaki 22.0 engine).

It looks like a real knuckle buster of a task.

I would welcome any tips or thoughts from you veterans.

Thanks again for all of your help to date.

Greg

[Mike]

There are a few threads on the forums where members have used vacuum pumps to suck the oil out from the fill tube. Search the site for those, a few have pump model numbers and photos.

[fornarog]

Thanks Mike! I will do. I was wondering about the vacuum pumps and whether they did a complete enough job. I had a fouled plug and now have gas back in the crankcase so I want to do a good enough "purge".

Greg

[eightwheeler]

Unsure about the Kawasaki but Magnum had the drain plug below the clutch remove firewall and belt reach in through firewall area that was the easiest way

[Coast2Coast]

I quit pulling drain plugs and switched to vacuum oil suckers on everything but motorcycles years ago. Just run it for a few minutes to get warm and kick up any tiny suspensions that the filter didn't catch. So much detergent and additives in modern oil it's clean enough to eat off of inside that engine.

[Sparx]

I bought the vacuum pump and though it seems to work ok for the engine oil if it is very hot I'm not having much success with the Admiral trans with it. What am I doing wrong? I have a hard time even getting the hose to the bottom of the trans even with the small line adapter. It seems very hard to get the Admiral trans warm enough to ease pumping the oil up as well?
I have been just driving my Argo up a set of steep ramps like into the box of a pickup and leaving it at angle and pulling the plug, trying to catch the mess coming out and staying on top of the rags in the floor pan area. Any other tips? I even try to flush it out with fresh oil or WD-40 or brake clean style solvents without much luck either.

[Coast2Coast]

Not sure I can offer more tips than you've already tried. I just shove the tube into the drain plug hole and under whatever gear set is in the way and it seemed to pull out the right amount. Also I've always happened to do it after a full afternoon of riding so the oil was nice and toasty. I do it on level ground and actually taped an open ziplock bag to the transmission under the drain plug to get the first bit out relatively clean.

[Sparx]

Thanks, I may just drive around in low range for a bit to try and heat it up some more. I think my low geared trans in high range doesn't generate much heat. Might have to do with the synthetic Amsoil tranny oil I'm using as well?
Also thinking of using one of them easydrain oil valve setups and just fill up some small 1L bottles or hook up the vacuum pump to the drain fitting before opening.