How to do a Pump Oil Change

There are several methods for removing oil during a pump oil change, and these are explained in more detail below, but the basic procedure is the same regardless of how the oil is extracted;

1. Run the machine for a few minutes, or do the pump oil change at the end of a workday. Warm oil traps the dirt in the oil itself, and flows quicker than cold oil.

2. Extract the oil from the pump using one of three methods:

• Drain it from the bottom of the oil pan using the oil drain plug.
• Suction it out, using a suction gun.
• Pump it out, using a hand-operated or electrical suction pump.

3. Put the used oil in a container so that it can be brought to the recycling facility.

4. Secure your drain plug, and then fill the pump using the oil fill opening. Secure your oil fill cap, and you’re done.

Draining the oil through the drain plug at the bottom of the unit is a quick way to remove oil, not counting the clean-up. Using a makeshift funnel or large diameter plastic tubing can help you “aim” the oil into the correct container, though. Be sure to replace the drain plug before re-filling, so you don’t embarrass yourself.

A suction gun is an airtight cylinder similar to a grease gun. Instead of pushing on the plunger to get something out, though, you pull a plunger up to vacuum something in. Obtain a length of 1/4-inch clear plastic tubing, drop one end of it through the oil fill opening and attach the other end to the suction gun. Draw the oil up out of the crankcase, and use the tool in reverse to empty the used oil into a recycling container.

A suction pump also draws the oil up a tube through the oil fill opening. The suction mechanism is different, and it drains the oil directly into an attached container. This suction pump creates a vacuum either with an electric motor or by the user depressing a handle, as you would with a bicycle pump. A shutoff valve in the tubing allows you to pump up the vacuum, and when you release the shutoff valve, the vacuum draws the oil up through a tube into the container.

A pump oil change doesn’t have to be complicated, nor does it require expensive equipment. The easier it is to complete a pump oil change, though, the more likely it is that you will do pressure washer maintenance properly and in a timely manner.

The publisher of these pages is in no way responsible for any damage caused to you, your pressure washer, anyone else, your property, or anyone else's property by trying to implement or by successfully implementing the above-mentioned performance and services.