Harley Davidson Forums banner

Oil changing system

9K views 27 replies 18 participants last post by  Kainam 
#1 ·
Has anyone tried the Scavenger total oil change system? Results would be apprciated. it looks like it would be a very complete changeover. Does anyone also know if thers is something similar but less expensive out there. Seems like $100 is a little expensive for a metal puck and a piece of clear tubing, thanks.
 
#7 ·
Speaking only for myself, running the engine untill there is no more oil in it to get out an extra 1/2 qt and what can happen to bearings and lifters with no oil to luricate them doesn't seem right, the video shows a hose in a qt of oil and it sucks it in the engine untill it's all gone, and watching the oil and air drain out the discharge hose leads me to think the bearings and lifters are running dry. why not just change the oil and filter a 1,000 sooner, I do mine at 3,000 miles seems to be keeping clean as can be, carbon is a by product of buring gas under compression, and that is what turns oil dark / black, carbon scratches bearings, if the oil is black, change it sooner.
 
#8 ·
I have to agree with you. I personaly have greater concerns that a half quart of oil left in the system. Oil changes are easy stuff so when it gets dirty I change it. Usually between 4-5k is when it starts getting a little dark. For me that is about 3 months oraybe 4 times a year so it's not a big deal.
 
#9 ·
This system has been previously discussed in this forum . I did a search for it but couldn't find the topic .
It's your money and they want it !
IMO , it's a waste of money .
 
#10 ·
i did the search too and came up short

someone suggested cutting the end of an old filter off, taping the end to a gallon size zip lock and running the motor till you see clean oil empting into the bag...
i assume you want to add oil to the bike as its dumping into the waste bag
havent heard of anyone trying this as it was only suggested cause it was a cheap way to extract every bit of old from the system:dunno
 
#13 ·
Here's a curiosity..

I was researching guys running diesel engines on waste motor oil,

really trying to believe it really worked, and was a bit surprised to find

that Cummins has an option on long haul truck engines

where they never need an oil change, never ever.

They add oil to a large reservoir of fresh oil, and regularly dump old oil

into the fuel line to be cleanly consumed.

I don't think it is used on an all at once oil change basis,

rather keeping the crankcase oil fresher but it could be used in a purge mode

if the large quantity oil dump was into sufficient fuel to dilute it.


:ride

.
 
#15 ·
Someone has realized that there is a whole new consumer out there, and they have targeted them. It is the anal," I want every drop of oil out of my engine before new oil goes in " guys. These same guys can also sleep so much better at night knowing that they actually drained every drop of oil from their engine before adding new oil. This way , they can get on websites and forums, and brag on how their oil is cleaner in their bike than in yours. And , that this system is the only way to change your oil, otherwise you are doing it wrong. Don't listen to them .
 
#16 ·
I was curious so did a search & found this old discussion . From what I can determine you drain the old oil then put in one new quart then after hooking up the puck & drain hose crank until some of the new oil comes out .
Seems like a better way is to simply remove the two plugs to completely drain the engine & sump .
Or am I missing something here ?
 
#18 ·
I have one. I didn't buy it, it came with the bike when I bought it. Seems to work well. The engine doesn't run dry, it basically bypasses the return line. You fill the tank to the fill line, run it until it rund clean oil out, then top it off again.

I'll use it since I have it anyway. Do I think it's necessary...no.
 
#19 ·
I have an 09 Touring bike. I was intrigued by the Scavenger video, but was reluctant to fork over that much cash for something that might or might not work. So, I cut off an old oil filter and went to the dollar store looking for something that would in effect stop up the end of the oil filter. As it turns out the chrome top off of a $1.00 sugar shaker fits like a glove. I used JB weld to seal it up tight so it would not leak. Next, I went to the plumbing department at Lowes and got a 3" pipe plug fitting to screw into the oil temperature gauge hole. While I was in the plumbing section I picked up about 4 feet of heavy plastic hose to put over the end of the pipe fitting which serves as the intake for the new oil to keep things lubed up after the engine is started. Rather than rely upon the engine sucking up the new oil I choose to put a funnel into the other end of the supply line and dump a quart of oil into it at the beginning, letting gravity do its thing. I can tell you that the homemade puck did not leak a drop and it did purge out 28 ounces of black oil before the oil cleared up. That is damn near a full quart in anybodies book. By swapping out all of the oil oil from the crankcase and galleys your new oil stays clean and fresh for far longer than it does using the non purge method recommended by the book. My total investment in fitting, hose and sugar shaker was less than $12.00. The homemade version works great. The only downside, if you can call it that, is that it takes an extra 15 minutes or so to hook up the hose and fitting. Well worth the effort in my book. I have 3 riding buddies and they all borrow the gizmo when it is oil change time. Nobody can believe how much "extra" black oil comes out after they pull the drain plug. If you are handy this is a pretty easy project, if not, you can buy one ready made from the guy in the video.
 
#22 ·
Carbon doesn't turn the oil black. It's the piston rings frying the oil and burned exhaust gas that does. Pure carbon is a diamond and they aren't black. That scavenger system is for guys who are way to anal about oil. Sure there is a half quart left in the engine once you drain it. So what. If you are really that concerned change it a bit sooner. There are Harleys out there with over 100000 miles on mineral oil so I really wouldn't stress it. Just change it regularly.
One thing to consider is in the heat of the summer conventional breaks down way faster than synthetic and all it takes is 1 stoplight or bad traffic to cook the oil and it isn't protecting well anymore. Use a name brand synthetic like amsoil or red-line and chane it every 5000 miles. Done deal
 
#23 ·
Carbon doesn't turn the oil black. It's the piston rings frying the oil and burned exhaust gas that does. Pure carbon is a diamond and they aren't black.
Umm, that is not entirely accurate. Oil and fossil fuel are hydrocarbons. The byproducts of the internal combustion processes are water, carbon dioxide and soot (plus trace amount of impurities). Water is expelled as a vapor. Carbon dioxide is expelled as a gas. What remains is the soot. The most common (like 99.9%) element in soot is carbon. Thus the blackening of oil is actually a mixture of oil and soot.

Yes, a diamond is pure carbon… so is graphite. Diamonds and graphite (and other molecules) are Carbon allotropes. The crystalline structure of a diamond does not absorb light. The molecular structure of graphite absorbs most light thus giving it a dark gray color.
 
#24 ·
If you have a Softail, you don't need anything except a $2 fuel line disconnect tool and a couple of feet of clear tubing with an inner diameter to slip on the oil line.

  • Drain the oil tank and re-fill with a couple of quarts of clean oil.
  • Pull the return line off the oil tank (it's the outer one) and slip on the tubing - directing the tubing into something to catch the oil.
  • Run the motor for 10-15 seconds to purge the intake oil line.
  • Change the filter - filling it with clean oil.
  • Run the motor until you get clean oil flow from the tubing.
  • Shut it off, re-connect the oil line and top off the oil level.

This method may work on other models, but I don't know if the oil tank lines are as easily accessible.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top