ThreeSheds Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Yesterday (when it stopped raining) I re-fitted the hoses, filled the radiator, changed the engine oil and filter, the gearbox, transfer box and power steering fluids and the diff oils (I love the smell of hypoid in the morning. It smells like... Land Rover! ) and I have to say that - after years of playing around with cr@p drain tanks like this: which invariably split or wear out due to sliding on concrete, and aren't big enough and can't cope with windy days when your stream blows around, and leak and end up with oil all over the outside which needs wiping up... I finally bought one of these: and it is brilliant! It's tough, big, easy to handle, creates no mess and hangs up on the garage wall after use. If you don't have one already - get one! The other thing that made life a LOT easier yesterday, was a Hozelok 5 litre pressure sprayer. I bought this about 5 years ago when I decided to impress my then GF by killing all the weeds, since she left my policy towards weeds is more of a live and let live one and the sprayer has stood behind the bins, slowly turning green and being claimed by it's intended victims.. Anyway - faced with trying to get 2.7litres of ATF uphill into a 20mm dia hole I remembered hearing about someone using one of these and so I dug it out, along with the 'hanging basket attachment' which has been languishing at the back of the shed in case I ever got a hanging basket.. (yeah, right..) Well - I don't know if the ATF will attack the pump or body of the sprayer but the experience of just lying there gently filling the box and releasing the valve when it was full was almost relaxing! (and there is the side benefit that due to cross contamination, I am unlikely to ever get weeds in my gearbox now ) I think that the sprayer things are around £20 - which is a lot to throw away if the fluid does attack it, and I wouldn't have done it if the thing hadn't been going to waste, but you know - I think it may even be worth buying one just for the job it was that good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 If it did eat it, then perhaps you could build your own using something like an old coke bottle, and an airline... You could even use a foot pump or similar to pressurise the coke bottle, with a hose coming out the bottom and into the diff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Train Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I bought a 5l plant sprayer specifically for pumping gear oil uphill to my gear and transfer boxes back in '89. Lasted years of use. It is probably still knocking about in my 'shed' somewhere. Gear oil was hard to pump. I used to pump up the pressure and then leave it filling while I went to have a cuppa. Sometimes had time for cake as well before it needed shutting off. I put an old plumbing valve on it to shut off the flow quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 No reason why a coke bottle with two tubes in it, one to connect to your tyre valve, the other to poke into your axle/t-box/gearbox/we wouldn't work OK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J@mes Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I also have that style of drain pan - £12 from ebay, made by draper (it's blue though) and also have a plant sprayer for doing box oils! no need for expensive "difflock" service equipment here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinhollings Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 still use an old bowl but stand a 3/8" extension bar up to the drain plug for the oil to run down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 It works a bit faster if you heat the EP90 up first. You can pour it straight into the kettle if SWMBO isn't about, and you don't mind the next 50 cuppas tasting a bit odd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 It works a bit faster if you heat the EP90 up first.You can pour it straight into the kettle if SWMBO isn't about, and you don't mind the next 50 cuppas tasting a bit odd. GAWD! cleaning parts in the dishwasher, heating them in the oven and chilling them in the freezer is good, but EP90 in the kettle is moving things on to a whole new level! Impressive some very good ideas above - I particularly like the coke bottle idea and the extension for the oil to run down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 I use a large fire extinguisher for EP90, by god i got a shock the first time when i overfilled the transferbox in less than 45seconds, now i tend to pay attention to what the tyre gauge says as i pump it up rather than the ickle gage on the extinguisher Will. (another convert after years of 500ml squeezy bottles with hose and oily armpits) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 Asda did have some of those plant sprayers on offer a wek or two ago for about £3 IIRC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_d Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 ..........and the extension for the oil to run down... On that subject, a trick taught me as a lad was trying to pour brake fluid into difficult to access master cylinders without pouring over the customers nice paintwork. Stick a (clean) long shank screwdriver into the master cylinder then dribble the fluid down the shaft from above. It's very controlled as you can hold the neck of the bottle steady against the shaft. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejparrott Posted July 23, 2009 Share Posted July 23, 2009 I built myself an air pump to do all mine, conect up to compressor and im away! just wish i'd used a bigger tube so i can get more oil in, doesnt quite hold enough to do an axle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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