C-7 shallow vs deep oil pan

[Iceclimber]

Using mark one eyeball I determined I have the 22 quart or shallow pan. Should I care ? Is the bigger oil pan advantageous ? Thanks all.

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Iceclimber

Using mark one eyeball I determined I have the 22 quart or shallow pan. Should I care ? Is the bigger oil pan advantageous ? Thanks all.

Actually the shallow pan is 19 quarts-- yes, changed from the OE 22.


Easy to confirm with Caterpillar Corp. Call them with your engine serial number 877 777-3126.


And, the shallow pan is just fine.

[Iceclimber]

Oh, good to know. I can tell by looking but I will fill carefully. More ground clearance right ?

[Ted DuPuis]

Nothing wrong with the 19 quart oil pan. A 5 gallon bucket of oil is enough per oil change in my mind.

[Iceclimber]

Originally Posted by Ted DuPuis

Nothing wrong with the 19 quart oil pan. A 5 gallon bucket of oil is enough per oil change in my mind.

I was thinking exactly that, just had my $82.00 Rotella bucket delivered. Now to find something to catch 5 gallons of oil !

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Iceclimber

I was thinking exactly that, just had my $82.00 Rotella bucket delivered. Now to find something to catch 5 gallons of oil !

I just use a Rubbermade storage tub that I line with two HD black trash bags-- one inside the other. Have never gotten oil on the storage tube.


And, yes more ground clearance with the stamped steel shallow pan than the ribbed aluminum deep pan.


To my knowledge, Safari was the only RV manufacturer to use the deep sump.

[Ted DuPuis]

Originally Posted by Iceclimber

I was thinking exactly that, just had my $82.00 Rotella bucket delivered. Now to find something to catch 5 gallons of oil !

Keep the bucket after you fill it. Then next time, drain into your old bucket. It's the right size and then you even have a convenient means for taking it to be disposed of.

[JaminSamin]

Originally Posted by Iceclimber

I was thinking exactly that, just had my $82.00 Rotella bucket delivered. Now to find something to catch 5 gallons of oil !

I use a 35 quart Sterilite ez carry clear plastic bin from Wmart, I’ve seen them at CVS too. It's the perfect size for my Horizons oil, trans, rear end fluid changes. It’s low profile helps with ground clearance. I don’t line the bin, I use a solo cup to transfer to old gallon containers then a rubber spatula from the dollar store to squeegee the rest out. I have a second bin that I use for coolant only.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Iceclimber

Using mark one eyeball I determined I have the 22 quart or shallow pan. Should I care ? Is the bigger oil pan advantageous ? Thanks all.

Iceclimber,
Your question has been answered. But, I might add, if I'm not mistaken, the shallow pan of 19 quarts, (which I'm pretty sure that about 99.999999% of the CAT equipped coaches have) is a STEEL pan. But, the deeper version, is ALUMINUM. And, one other important thing here. Dealing with a full 5 gallons of dirty black oil, in a single container, and having to have to transfer it to whatever is needed to get it to the used oil acceptance station, is one pain in the a$$.

So, I (and quite a few others on here) have migrated to the Fumoto valve for the drain valve on our RV engines. If you've not heard of them, look them up. Having that Fumoto valve on there makes life SERIOUSLY easier when it comes to oil changes. About month or so prior to me doing an oil change on our coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the CAT C-7 330HP, I collect plastic one gallon milk jugs,one gallon Ice tea jugs or whatever and don't toss them out. I get five of them.

When it comes time to dump the oil, I get the engine a bit warm. I slide under it with those five empty containers. I have about a one foot long section of 5/8" I.D. vinyl clear hose that I attach to the Fumoto nipple. Pop the top off one of the containers, insert the end of the hose and, open that Fumoto and let her rip. That container approaches full and, I close that valve. I slide that full one out of the way, slide in another empty one, and repeat the process 'till all five are full, DONE!

Now, I slide out all five containers, and place them in the truck to haul down to Autozone for disposal. I didn't get a drop of oil on me or the floor and didn't and DON'T have to mess with a GIANT oil tub under that coach and then try and empty it into something that I can transport down to Autozone.

The only time the oil change is even slightly messy is, when it comes time for the filter change. And even that is quite easy. I just get a small receptacle under it and punch a hole in the bottom of it with a punch. I let it drain 'till there's no more drops. Spin it off and it goes immediately in a plastic bag. The small receptacle is easy to handle and transfer the oil to what's needed.
Scott

P.S. And all that crap about the Fumoto valve being too low and could get knocked off is just that, pure bull. I and about 99.9999% of the diesel coaches out there have this GIANT DIFFERENTIAL right in front of that oil pan so, what ever could even remotely think about knocking that Fumoto valve off, would have to go right through the bottom of that giant differential. Ain't happening!! Mine's been on there now for oh, a few years now and not only has it never come close to danger, but it's been of phenomenal value in my oil changes.

[ArtJoyce]

I got a large drain pan from napa. But I like to only fill about 1/2 full. Otherwise the oil lever is high and it tends to splash out when I move the pan.

I put the drain plug back into the engine oil pan after about 3 gallons. Then I drain the drain pan into my 5 gallon bucket for recycle at the auto parts store

[Skip426]

My engine manual (1999)shows the , shallow pan as metal and the deep pan as finned aluminum .
22 quarts is the engine overhaul capacity , so only 19 quarts with filter is the regular service amount. 3 quarts remain in the internal engine oil system passages.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Iceclimber,

The only time the oil change is even slightly messy is, when it comes time for the filter change. And even that is quite easy. I just get a small receptacle under it and punch a hole in the bottom of it with a punch. I let it drain 'till there's no more drops. Spin it off and it goes immediately in a plastic bag. The small receptacle is easy to handle and transfer the oil to what's needed.
Scott

But first, make sure you can get the filter off. Loosen it a fuzz first, then you can use the wise suggestion from Fire Up.

Also, use disposable gloves. Nothing stinks like used diesel crankcase oil, and its hard to "de-stink" your skin. And while I'm on a safety kick here, googles are a great idea. I hear rumors that used diesel oil and eyeballs don't mix.

[Iceclimber]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have a Fumoto waiting to be installed but it will not help me this time. In fact, I do have a Safari but my pan is obviously the shallow one. Also far as heating up, I plan on plugging in the on board heater not running the motor. All of this is fun time talk because it's like 4 degrees here so still in planning stage ha.

[Bigd9]

Many DIY owners have successfully used a vacuum cleaner taped to the oil fill tube. This creates suction in the crankcase and you can remove the drain bolt and insert the drain valve without loosing a drop.