anon7 Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 I`ve just changed the oil on my K series fitted with an Apollo tank and read Alcester racings site on how to do it etc etc..... 1st point is the drain plug on the bottom of the Apollo won`t budge and there are no flats on this tank to use the 32mm bike spanner as recommended. I eventually left it for fear of damaging the tank, but feel I`ve "short changed" the car by not draining the tank. Any comments or suggestions? 2nd point, is using 2 identical bottles of Mobil 1 of the same grade, one was a significantly darker colour than the other, any suggestions as to why, and should I have any concerns. This car has always been serviced by Caterham in the past, I wonder if the oil has ever been drained out of the Apollo tank In space no one can hear you scream.....In a seven no one can smell your bottom ! It`s not yours,it`s............. R7 NOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mav Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Shagbat, I think you wil be ok this time, but there is over 1/2 litre of old oil left in the apollo if you cnat remove the plug. I tend to use a 2' long breaker bar, and give it a quick jerk whilst holding onto the tank with one hand. I've not yet had any problems using this method on my car (which does not have the flats Myles describes) or on the other 3 or 4 cars I regularly service for friends... WRT to the mobil oil questions - I do not have a clue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Paul Richards Posted January 16, 2005 Area Representative Share Posted January 16, 2005 Brian You will have left old oil in the system by not draining the Apollo, but won't do any harm. We change oil on 7's far too frequently. In a 'normal' tintop you would change at 20,000 miles!!! Suggest you make sure you change it next time. It's always a bit of a problem to remove the drain plug from the tank as tank is not fixed very well and is also of very light construction. I always find this better as a 2 man job with someone undoing the plug from below and someone holding the tank from above. Be careful with the tank though as it is easy to crack the welds around the out/in pipes - I know. As far as oil is concerned, I can't provide a definitive answer, but I think oil may have a colourant and it could be that you simply have samples from 2 differrent batches. Paul Richards Joint AO - L.A.D.S. (Lancashire and District Sevens) Growing old is compulsory - Growing up is optional Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 Ah! I wasn't aware that they'd changed the tank... Maybe the versions without flats are older??? I wouldn't worry too much about the extra-oil either - there is also a surprising amount left in the wet-sump that doesn't drain. You tend to only find out about *this* if you do the full dropped-sump oil change. Regd, Myles Project Scope-Creep is underway... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 I can't see what all this fuss is about draining the small amount of oil that remains in the Apollo. When the oil filter is removed everything drains from the Apollo to the bottom of the bottom union, which is only an inch or so off the bottom of the tank. What's this volume? Even if it is 1/2 litre, & I doubt it, it's now going to be diluted with 7.25 litres of new oil (assuming a total fill of 7.5). You don't remove all the oil anyway when the sump plug's removed as there's some in the sump plus some in the top of the engine. Don't worry about it. Taking the drain plug off only causes more worries such as creasing the tank & complaining about the leaks from the difficult to seal drain plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 When the oil filter is removed everything drains from the Apollo to the bottom of the bottom union, Urm, not very effectively at all. Have you ever drained *your* Apollo? When the flow ceases from the sump-plug, I turn my attention to the Apollo. There is 'a lot' of oil in there that just doesn't seem excited about the prospect of shuffling into the sump... You don't remove all the oil anyway when the sump plug's removed as there's some in the sump plus some in the top of the engine. True - and as I said, it's surprising how much sits in the sump even after the flow through the plug has ceased... eaks from the difficult to seal drain plug. Nah - bit of Hylomar around the 'flange' on the Apollo-bolt is all that is necessary. I've never had a problem sealing the tank. If we've got the time and inclination when I install my new engine (early/mid Feb, most likely), we'll try and measure the volume of oil left in the sump and the apollo. My guesstimate based on the last 18-months of changes (4+) is that there is the best part of a litre stuck in there between the two of them - let's call it 3/4 for the sake of it. That's 10% of your capacity taken up with dead-oil. Next time you do the change, 1% of your capacity will be taken up by oil that is two-changes out of date. I'd suggest that the Apollo is definately worth draining if you can do it without wrecking it - taking the sump off is far harder to justify but should probably be done once every two-three changes depending on mileage. It's your engine though. Project Scope-Creep is underway... Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻™ Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted January 16, 2005 Share Posted January 16, 2005 But how many engines die because there is a little "old oil" diluted by 10%? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anon7 Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Mick, you`ve just started me worrying now.... Myles just for your info the car is a 1998 vintage, and the Apollo was fitted by Caterham (who built the car). The drain plug did appear bloody tight, but I was on my own, so didn`t have the benefit of someone holding the top for me...............maybe next time . It`s not likely to get any hard track use before the next oil change, so hoping (everything crossed) I`ll be all right In space no one can hear you scream.....In a seven no one can smell your bottom ! It`s not yours,it`s............. R7 NOW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordy Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 mobil1 probably just showing batch to batch variations. The darkness mainly comes from the type of friction modifier used in the formulation. Also depends on how far away from each other the batches are as Mobil 1 (like most oil formulations) are a contantly evolving formulation. No worries either way though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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