7 Tips For Easier Oil Changes
- Always warm the engine before changing the oil.
- Use a closed oil-changing system whenever possible. It's simple to use, reduces the chance of spills, and makes it easier to transport used oil to a recycling facility.
- When changing your engine's oil filter, wrap the filter with a thick cloth during removal to avoid burning your hands. Write the date and engine hours on the new filter to serve as a visual reminder of when the next oil change is due.
- Use oil-absorbent pads and containers to prevent and contain accidental spills.
- Temporarily disable automatic bilge pumps to prevent oil from accidentally being pumped overboard in the event of a spill.
- Recycle used oil and filters.
- Dispose of used absorbent pads and rags properly.
Always contain and dispose of waste fluids properly. Store waste fluids separately. Mixing fluids can make recycling impossible and create a veritable Hell's Broth that's even more toxic (and difficult) to dispose of. Your marina likely has a disposal or recycling program available for waste oil but may not have such a program for transmission fluid. There are other options; for instance, many automotive-parts stores maintain separate stations for recycling transmission fluid