This is the way I change the oil with items I had at home. Nothing is spilled or dripped. I am sure someone has a better way, but this is mine.
Alkin 31 Vertical Oil Change
- Thread starter archerhmr
- Start date
Nice pics! Thansk for sharing! did you run the machine for a few mins to warm up the oil before removing the drain plug?
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Starbucks iced coffee bottle repurposed, self supporting easy peasy! Tilt the compressor back, remove fill plug and drain plug, wedge bottle in there, tilt forward …didn’t spill a drop!
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Thanks! I have to change my oil as well, was wondering what to put under the drain hole to avoid making a mess. I'll have to give that a try.
Pete
Pete
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I like that funnel because it has that lip that can go under crankcase a bit.
A couple months back an AGN member posted this moldable funnel. It’s probably three or more times more than what your funnel cost but can be pretty handy for other tasks as well.
www.acmetools.com
A couple months back an AGN member posted this moldable funnel. It’s probably three or more times more than what your funnel cost but can be pretty handy for other tasks as well.
Form-A-Funnel General Purpose Funnel Green Reusable
Form-A-Funnel General Purpose Funnel Green Reusable - GP-102 from Form-A-Funnel
www.acmetools.com Upvote 0
A 19mm wrench fits both bolts. The Alkin manual is incorrect about a 17mm. The factory recommended oil change is at 100 running hours or annually, whichever comes first. I doubt there is anyone on this forum running an Alkin 100 hours a year unless they are running it in a business.
Mine only has 6 hours runtime in the past 2 years. That represents 36 refills on a 9 liter tank.
The Alkin manual is thorough and includes more information than most users will ever need to know. However it does have a few errors such as the wrench size. It also is not clearly written and confusing regarding the proper sequence of opening and closing valves when starting up the compressor. That topic has been clarified many times on this forum by owners who answered this question for new buyers.
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@Humdinger is correct and the manual is wrong, it’s a 19mm bolt. The way this thing is built there is very little room between the bolt and the crankcase to get a tool to fit over the top of the bolt flush and it’s on kinda tight. The socket was the better option. The drain plug bolt is much easier to manipulate as seen in the post above.
Not the best way to go about it, but it worked. Some oil dropped down onto the paper shop towels and the plastic beneath the compressor.
Old oil is dark.
Hope this isn’t too much oil. It looks to be below the max fill level.
Not the best way to go about it, but it worked. Some oil dropped down onto the paper shop towels and the plastic beneath the compressor.
Old oil is dark.
Hope this isn’t too much oil. It looks to be below the max fill level.
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That is the oil level my compressor came with, and I refilled to the same after my oil change, all is well.
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It's funny that this thread popped up today. My 1st year is up and my oil arrived today. Very cool how Alkin sends the email to remind you that it's time for maintenance.
I do want to clarify something. Are you guys running your compressor for a few minutes to warm the oil up before changing it?
I do want to clarify something. Are you guys running your compressor for a few minutes to warm the oil up before changing it?
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I ran mine with the valves open for 5 minutes before shutting it down and changing the oil.
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I have an air line running right in front of the drain plug, it’s part of the cooling system of coiled lines.
If that wasn’t there I wanted to install a plug with a shut off valve on it like a Femco, where you attach a drain line that opens up the valve within the drain plug. Have used those on all my trucks. Makes oil changes a breeze
If that wasn’t there I wanted to install a plug with a shut off valve on it like a Femco, where you attach a drain line that opens up the valve within the drain plug. Have used those on all my trucks. Makes oil changes a breeze
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@Bigragu Yea, Steve’s been very helpful to me since before I got this compressor. I think y’all two are the main folks that guided me towards purchasing it and I don’t regret it. I don’t think y’all realize that I’m one of the least mechanically inclined members on the forums. And that is something I really appreciate about this place, there are some people here who are a wealth of knowledge. This is a helpful thread as well.
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