Tricks for changing the oil in the splitter?

TW-P1 and it was time for an oil change (not the hydro just the regular stuff in the Honda.)

I tried jacking up one leg of the splitter as high as I could with my little jack on hand, and it didn't drain much out. What did drain out just ran all over the frame/ wheels. Nice little mess.

So what trick is there to doing this? Its got one of those Honda GX engines, and the fill/ dipstick are at the base so it needs to be on its side to drain. I was going to just chain it up to the tractor and lift away, but that would just seem overly complicated for an oil change.

On some honda engines you do not screw the dipstick down to check oil what you do is just set the dipstick down to the threads touch then top off. Back to your question screw in a piece of pipe where the oil plug goes in then put plug in end of pipe.

cnice_37 said:

TW-P1 and it was time for an oil change (not the hydro just the regular stuff in the Honda.)

I tried jacking up one leg of the splitter as high as I could with my little jack on hand, and it didn't drain much out. What did drain out just ran all over the frame/ wheels. Nice little mess.

So what trick is there to doing this? Its got one of those Honda GX engines, and the fill/ dipstick are at the base so it needs to be on its side to drain. I was going to just chain it up to the tractor and lift away, but that would just seem overly complicated for an oil change.

Click to expand...

You sure there isn't a separate drain plug somewhere else, either on the side or on the bottom of that engine?All my Hondas have a dipstick hole and a separate drain hole that comes out horizontal. I extended all of mine with a piece of pipe to get it to drain out over the mounting plate.

:agree2:

There should be a drain plug at the very base of the engine. Actually, these engines usually have two oil drain plugs--one on each side to ensure that at least one is accessible to the user (depending on how the engine is mounted on the machine).

This really can be solved by a dose of RTFM. Click on your engine and download the manual for your model (or for any similar model) here:
Honda Engines - GX Commercial Series Engines

cnice_37 said:

TW-P1 and it was time for an oil change (not the hydro just the regular stuff in the Honda.)

I tried jacking up one leg of the splitter as high as I could with my little jack on hand, and it didn't drain much out. What did drain out just ran all over the frame/ wheels. Nice little mess.

So what trick is there to doing this? Its got one of those Honda GX engines, and the fill/ dipstick are at the base so it needs to be on its side to drain. I was going to just chain it up to the tractor and lift away, but that would just seem overly complicated for an oil change.

Click to expand...

Once you drain the oil install an extension with piping

avalancher said:

You sure there isn't a separate drain plug somewhere else, either on the side or on the bottom of that engine?All my Hondas have a dipstick hole and a separate drain hole that comes out horizontal. I extended all of mine with a piece of pipe to get it to drain out over the mounting plate.

Click to expand...

Yes there are 2. Good tip about the pipe.

TreePointer said:

:agree2:

There should be a drain plug at the very base of the engine. Actually, these engines usually have two oil drain plugs--one on each side to ensure that at least one is accessible to the user (depending on how the engine is mounted on the machine).

This really can be solved by a dose of RTFM. Click on your engine and download the manual for your model (or for any similar model) here:
Honda Engines - GX Commercial Series Engines

Click to expand...

RTFM - didn't help me. The drain plug is not at the very base, thus the need to tip the engine to drain to get what is below the plug(s).

I wanted to fit my TW-6 with a piece of pipe but the drain plug threads are not pipe threads, instead they are cut straight & the thread doesn't match any pipe nipple I tried.

Ive been wanting to get a piece of pipe for draining the oil on my splitter because it makes a mess.Just seems whenever I'm in a hardware store it never comes to mind.On my lawn mower the only way to drain the oil is through the dipstick tube which is a pain to do so I started using a vacuum tool I have for liquids which works easy.Only thing is you need to have the tool and a compressor to use it.

cnice_37 said:

RTFM - didn't help me. The drain plug is not at the very base, thus the need to tip the engine to drain to get what is below the plug(s).

Click to expand...

Wow, I don't mean to pester, but I'm very surprised it doesn't have an oil drain plug and you have to drain it via the fill hole. You shouldn't have to tilt the splitter/engine much more than an inch to get all the oil out when hot.

Don't expect to get a lot of oil out--it holds a little less than 2/3 quart.

Excerpt from Honda GX 163cc engine manual:




I realize that there can be more than one 163cc engine configuration. All the engines I've had that require oil changes through the fill opening specifically say so in the owners manual. If Timberwolf put one of those on your splitter, it was a mistake, IMO. I'd ask them to fit your splitter with the proper engine at their cost.

Iron man said:

Ive been wanting to get a piece of pipe for draining the oil on my splitter because it makes a mess.Just seems whenever I'm in a hardware store it never comes to mind.On my lawn mower the only way to drain the oil is through the dipstick tube which is a pain to do so I started using a vacuum tool I have for liquids which works easy.Only thing is you need to have the tool and a compressor to use it.

Click to expand...

They usually have a plug on the underside of the mower , near the blade shaft.

What about using one of those evacuaters they use for outboard motors. It's like a hand sprayer pump that sucks oil through a tube or even a dipstick.

Buy one of these!



Pneumatic Oil Extractor

One of the best tools I have ever bought, it eliminates a lot of problems. It has worked faithfully for at least 5 years of commercial abuse, and it really saves a lot of time and oil spillage.

1. Suck the oil out of small engines without any spillage; right out the fill tube.
2. Do engine oil changes without spilling oil; particularly good for engines that have a belly-pan that keep you from getting to the oil pan. My VW diesel has a cannister oil filter, and it cleans it out too, which would be impossible without the "sucker".

3. Do your idiot employees ever overfill an automatic transmission or engine oil? Insert the skinny suction tube down the filler tube to the exact length of the dipstick fill level, then turn on the suction. 15 minutes later, all the excess is sucked out, and your oil level is correct again. No guesswork, no errors, no mess.

4. It can suck oil out of places that you can't get to, and that is a pretty big improvement over a grease rag for cleaning up messes.

5. You can change the oil in a vehicle when it is blistering hot without burning yourself when the oil runs down your arm dropping the drain plug.

Try one of these items .Misc. Small Engine Accessories | Small Engine Accessories | Engines | Northern Tool + Equipment
liqivac from Northern Tool + Equipment
The first Item I use on My splitter , the second on The Mowers .

Yep. That will do the job...for small engines, and low volumes of oil.

The bigger one I posted above is a serious air tool that only works if you have an air compressor. The little extractor you posted makes you pump up the vacuum by hand, and is a toy by comparison. Probably just the right thing if you don't have an air compressor.

Thanks for the link on the drain tubes. I've never seen those at Northern.

Still haven't discovered the lower drain plug. Went with brute force.

can you post a close up of the motor? where the dips are?

we have a gas powered air compressor with a 5.5hp honda on it and it does not have a drain plug on it but all you have to do is tip it up on the front wheel to drain through on of the dip holes

I've got the TW-P1 and have changed the oil a number of times. There is a drain plug/bolt as the illustration from TreePointer's post shows. No need to go through all that tilting trouble, unless you like finding new uses for all those cool toys.

Craig21901 said:

I've got the TW-P1 and have changed the oil a number of times. There is a drain plug/bolt as the illustration from TreePointer's post shows. No need to go through all that tilting trouble, unless you like finding new uses for all those cool toys.

Click to expand...

Is it on the same side but below the plug? I saw 2 in the back (pump side) but they didn't scream drain plug.

Is your valve leaking yet? Looks like a common problem from reading here, and it started last year, slow drip at the spool I think.

Another vote for TreePointer's illustration. I sold these engines as well as parts for them for a number of years and have never seen a GX series that was not arranged as that illustration described.

The drain plugs are in the mounting pad of the engine on the same side as the dipsticks, and look just like a bolt (10mm head I believe) on the smaller engines. Some of the larger engines use a pipe plug.

Flexible drain extensions are available for both designs from just about anywhere that sells small engines.

I pull the engine and set it on the workbench.