Worst oil change ever

[arml]

So, an easy oil change turned out to be a 2.5 hour nightmare....This is my little BX 2200 w/FEL and 60" MMM. Now, I've changed fluids in many a tractor ,cars, trucks etc....but this was a nightmare. To start with, can't get to the oil filter surrounded by wire harness and such, steel hydraulic line block entry too...well ok, I had to remove the side panels grill cover...no problem right? nope, can't get that off until the FEL is up in the air and, have to unbolt the brush guard. OK, that's done, had to drive to the auto parts store to find a wrench that would get to that filter....OK, got lucky for $17.00, oh well. Next step I think I'm home free, nope, drain plug is blocked by a steel hydraulic line, i could get a open end wrench on it to break it loose but could not get the plug past the line.....aaarrggg....so here I am on my back getting poked by the shaft from the mower deck wheel in a position that was like hell. So after prying and pulling on that line, hoping it won't start leaking, I got got the plug out. Yes, the gushing oil did miss the pan....nice, very nice. Next joy was trying to line up the drain plug nut to the pan while prying on that steel line and hoping I don't cross thread it.
OK, done there, back to the filter, new tool was great, filter location was....
anyhow I made a chute to direct the oil to the pan....yea sure, more cleanup. OK, let' get the oil in, let's see manual states 2.6 quarts or 2.5 l
no problem, I have a marked oil dispenser......pour the oil in, nothing showing on the stick, where is the oil? waited 5 min thinking needs to settle. Nope nothing, not on the floor...Let me start it to fill the filter, fires up, oil light goes out, looks good I thought. Check oil, just a little smudge
at the tip of the stick, kept adding till it reached the full mark, about 3.2 quarts. Put the grill side panels back in place, did not put the brush guard back yet, well, I see that fuel filter I'll have to change soon, soo cover will have to come off again. Really looking forward to my next 200 hour maint. Maybe I'll just call the dealer.

 

[mcfarmall]

Yep, sometimes it just goes that way.

 

[OrangeKrush]

and now you know what to expect but yeah that hydraulic line under under drain plug makes no sense. Unless it had been added or re-routed. Glad my 80 series was easy to get to.

 

[DustyRusty]

I had a BX22 and was always able to put the wire to the side and get the filter off. I never had to take the sides off for an oil change. I always took the mower deck off to drain the oil, and I don't ever remember a metal line going under the drain plug. About 10 years ago I purchased a marine 12-volt oil pump bucket, and I use it on just about everything that has a battery to hook up to. I drain oil when it is very hot, and then install my new oil, and when the engine is cool, I remove the oil filter and replace it. Maybe I spent about 1/2 hour doing everything except for the oil filter.

 

[FreezinGator]

I really like the Valvomax oil drain valves. I have them on almost all my vehicles. Oil changes are a breeze and you will never accidentally strip out the threads on the drain pan once installed. I have a BX1500 with an FEL and MMM. I always remove the FEL (an easy process with a little practice) for service but don't need to remove the MMM anymore as I can just route the drain line from the valve around it. I loosen up the bolts on the brush guard enough to tilt it forward to make it easy to remove the engine shroud and that way I am not fighting it to get to the filter. It does drain a little slower but grab a cup of coffee and make sure the oil is warm and you will be fine. Valvomax is also veteran owned and American made. Amazon usually has the best price - about $50.

 

[lugbolt]

NOW you understand why I don't like BX's, or more specifically why I don't like working on em.

 

[jimh406]

That's pretty bad for a oil change, but not that bad compared to fuel filter changes on the Powerstroke diesels.

 

[Henro]

I see that fuel filter I'll have to change soon, soo cover will have to come off again. Really looking forward to my next 200 hour maint. Maybe I'll just call the dealer.

Maybe you didn't...there are two fuel filters you have to change. One mounted on the side of the engine, and one up underneath that is more fun, in the line between the fuel tank and the electric fuel pump... Also be sure to check the plastic HST cooling fan once in a while...

 

[Biker1mike]

I'll never bitch about again about working around the plow frame to get to the b's drain plug.
It is all by feel but, a walk in the park compared to your change.

 

[retired farmer]

Oh boy, the little Farmall A looks better every day.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

Heavy Equipment guy next door was doing oil change on a bulldozer...... a 'distractable smoker'..... wondered why the 'fillup' was taking waaay more oil than it should...
1st clue should have been the glush,glush,glush noise... ??
2nd clue should have been the oil pan plug NEXT to the 4 empty buckets of oil ??

 

[Jchonline]

So, an easy oil change turned out to be a 2.5 hour nightmare....This is my little BX 2200 w/FEL and 60" MMM. Now, I've changed fluids in many a tractor ,cars, trucks etc....but this was a nightmare. To start with, can't get to the oil filter surrounded by wire harness and such, steel hydraulic line block entry too...well ok, I had to remove the side panels grill cover...no problem right? nope, can't get that off until the FEL is up in the air and, have to unbolt the brush guard. OK, that's done, had to drive to the auto parts store to find a wrench that would get to that filter....OK, got lucky for $17.00, oh well. Next step I think I'm home free, nope, drain plug is blocked by a steel hydraulic line, i could get a open end wrench on it to break it loose but could not get the plug past the line.....aaarrggg....so here I am on my back getting poked by the shaft from the mower deck wheel in a position that was like hell. So after prying and pulling on that line, hoping it won't start leaking, I got got the plug out. Yes, the gushing oil did miss the pan....nice, very nice. Next joy was trying to line up the drain plug nut to the pan while prying on that steel line and hoping I don't cross thread it.
OK, done there, back to the filter, new tool was great, filter location was....
anyhow I made a chute to direct the oil to the pan....yea sure, more cleanup. OK, let' get the oil in, let's see manual states 2.6 quarts or 2.5 l
no problem, I have a marked oil dispenser......pour the oil in, nothing showing on the stick, where is the oil? waited 5 min thinking needs to settle. Nope nothing, not on the floor...Let me start it to fill the filter, fires up, oil light goes out, looks good I thought. Check oil, just a little smudge
at the tip of the stick, kept adding till it reached the full mark, about 3.2 quarts. Put the grill side panels back in place, did not put the brush guard back yet, well, I see that fuel filter I'll have to change soon, soo cover will have to come off again. Really looking forward to my next 200 hour maint. Maybe I'll just call the dealer.

Sometimes the smaller stuff really is a pain to change. My RTV is way more difficult than the L60. I have to take plates off the bottom....

 

[GeoHorn]

There are a number of vehicles which have puzzled me over the years as to “what in Hell were the engineers THINKING” ....when it comes to certain necessary service requirements.

2005 Buick Century oil filter is next to the starter electrical terminal such that a filter wrench will SHORT the electrical system…and if no wrench is used…the hot oil spills onto a complex wire-loom which is eventually destroyed by the process.

Toyotas that now use… (instead of a simple replaceable spin-on filter) …. use a “cartridge” which requires a special device to “pre-drain” the filter…then unscrew a filter-body which spills oil everywhere ANYWAY (despite the filter being “pre-drained”… and WORSE YET, is contained within a PLASTIC/phenolic filter-container… which will CRACK UN-Noticeably…and DUMP all the oil overboard when the engine is started! (There is an aftermarket spin-on filter adaptor but it costs $250+ and adds unnecessary complexity and further risk of failure.) Why the Hell didn’t they just use a common spin-on filter assy? Doh!

The GM designs that had upside-down spin on filters…that used “anti-drain-back” valves….so that when the filter is removed it WILL dump a quart of oil everywhere!

The Dodge engines that have an oil filter drain-tray…which is situated so far away from the suspension that it MUST drain ONTO the frame and spread ALL OVER THE PLACE instead of where a drain-tray could reasonably direct it into a container.

The Jeep engines that require one to scorch your forearm reaching beneath the exhaust manifold from ABOVE in order to reach the filter.

The little Toyota “hemi” engines that required the throttle linkage to be completely disassembled before the spin on filter could be extracted from the vehicle!

There are many more idiotic failures-of-design but those are a few that stick in my memory. Grrrr.

(Oh…and then there’s the Ram truck that requires a portion of the front fender to be completely removed…just to CHANGE a LIGHTBULB!) GRRRR

 

[Brinet]

I have a BX2200 with loader and have no problems changing the oil. There should be no lines near the oil plug. Also, I am able to remove the oil filter by hand with the loader attached and side panels on. I do not have small hands.

Make sure to oil the gasket on the new filter before installing and don’t over tighten.

Check for correct installation of hard hydraulic lines and move them to their proper position if necessary.

 

[Mark_BX25D]

NOW you understand why I don't like BX's, or more specifically why I don't like working on em.

Dunno about the brush guard, but except for that unknown item, I have none of those problems changing the oil on my BX25. It was easy-peasy.

 

[arml]

Check for correct installation of hard hydraulic lines and move them to their proper position if necessary.

Thanks for the pictures, I'll try to adjust that line away from the plug and filter.

 

[RalphVa]

I'm pissed that I did not use the oil extractor on the B2601 to identify which side of the oil pan gets extracted and then only remove the other drain plug next time. The right side one still drips after 2 more tightenings.

The oil filter (and why the hell do you Japanese put the oil filters underneath) on the Miata is a lot more difficult to get at than the easy one on the Mazda3 (why do I have 3 Japanes vehicles with oil filters underneath?).

Still not as bad as what you experienced.

 

[Tughill Tom]

So, an easy oil change turned out to be a 2.5 hour nightmare....This is my little BX 2200 w/FEL and 60" MMM. Now, I've changed fluids in many a tractor ,cars, trucks etc....but this was a nightmare. To start with, can't get to the oil filter surrounded by wire harness and such, steel hydraulic line block entry too...well ok, I had to remove the side panels grill cover...no problem right? nope, can't get that off until the FEL is up in the air and, have to unbolt the brush guard. OK, that's done, had to drive to the auto parts store to find a wrench that would get to that filter....OK, got lucky for $17.00, oh well. Next step I think I'm home free, nope, drain plug is blocked by a steel hydraulic line, i could get a open end wrench on it to break it loose but could not get the plug past the line.....aaarrggg....so here I am on my back getting poked by the shaft from the mower deck wheel in a position that was like hell. So after prying and pulling on that line, hoping it won't start leaking, I got got the plug out. Yes, the gushing oil did miss the pan....nice, very nice. Next joy was trying to line up the drain plug nut to the pan while prying on that steel line and hoping I don't cross thread it.
OK, done there, back to the filter, new tool was great, filter location was....
anyhow I made a chute to direct the oil to the pan....yea sure, more cleanup. OK, let' get the oil in, let's see manual states 2.6 quarts or 2.5 l
no problem, I have a marked oil dispenser......pour the oil in, nothing showing on the stick, where is the oil? waited 5 min thinking needs to settle. Nope nothing, not on the floor...Let me start it to fill the filter, fires up, oil light goes out, looks good I thought. Check oil, just a little smudge
at the tip of the stick, kept adding till it reached the full mark, about 3.2 quarts. Put the grill side panels back in place, did not put the brush guard back yet, well, I see that fuel filter I'll have to change soon, soo cover will have to come off again. Really looking forward to my next 200 hour maint. Maybe I'll just call the dealer.

Aren't tractors fun! Welcome to our nightmare.... Just kidding.

 

[lugbolt]

some of the polaris stuff is just as bad. Ranger 1000XP oil filters, and Northstar oil dipsticks. Makes you want to shoot the designer. Ranger 700 and 800, filter BURIED under the bottom of the engine, a lot of folks don't even know it's there. Oftentimes I get one in the shop with repair order that says "oil change" and I'll pull the filter to find out that it's the original from 2007 or whatever year. Sportsman 850 and Sportsman 1000, filters are BURIED even worse under the bottom of the engine, gotta pull a skid plate off and then dig a bunch of mud/dirt out of the way to find the filter. Worst one I have done? Kawasaki. Teryx 750. I thought the Yamaha V-star 1100 was bad (have to remove the exhaust to get the filter out) but then Kawasaki proved that to be incorrect when they designed the 08-11 Teryx. Take half the unit apart to get TO the filter, even then have to reach around down there where you can barely see, and just "find" it by hand. They eventually put a little removable plate on them in later years but you then have to crawl up underneath them. Easy if you have a lift but on your back like 99% of owners? LOL! Good luck.

The two hydraulic filters on some of the Grand L 60 series are no fun either.

Fuel filter on RTVX1100, worse yet RTV900. I hated workin on those too but got used to them.

If you ever get the opportunity to work on anything on Porsche, Audi, Benz, etc....RUN! VW ain't any better either.

I used to cuss the 6.0L Ford's and then the 6.4's for sure, but the 6.7 is no picnic either. You just start taking a bunch of stuff off until you get where you need to be. By that time you have a big pile of parts laying one the floor and you're into it 3-8 hours. Yay. Of course my 7.3 isn't any picnic either actually I hate working on it.

 

[DustyRusty]

The reason that the oil filters are so difficult to access is that they are an afterthought on the manufactures list of how to make things difficult to service. To me, that is like Ford putting the water pump inside the engine, when with today's technology, they could have placed a small electric pump external to the engine.