Chaning Oil on a 40Hp Merc Bigfoot 4 Stroke

[fishlips]

Was fortunate enough to buy a new pontoon this spring that has a 40hp Merc Bigfoot 4 stroke. Smooth running engine...

The manual recommends changing the oil & filter after the initial 10 - 15 hour breakin period. The manual shows a good size oil plug on the side of the motor - but it sure seems like a big opening and could get messy. First time with a 4 stroke motor - is this a fairly easy task? Pulling the pontoon out of the lake just to change the oil isn't practical for me, so I am hoping to do this while its on the lift. Tips appreciated.

[marine_man]

I'd say you're going to want to pull it out unless you either really good at catching oil that flys everywhere or you want to play exon valdez around your lift.

If you're set on leaving it on the lift I'd by a medium depth rubermaid tote and use that as your drain pan - make sure it's something you can get close to the side of the motor to catch the most oil.

You'll also want to find a good way to catch the oil that will run out of the filter into the lower cowl when you remove the filter.

It's not a difficult task... just a bit messy, and leaves a lot of potential for spilled oil on the water's surface.

marine_man

[snoozebutton]

Let me get this straight, you want to avoid a little inconvenience by not pulling the boat out and risk dumping a bunch of oil in the lake? Hope you're not doing this on a lake near me.