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Fluid transfer options

bgaidan

bgaidan

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What do you use?

I seem to have managed to amass a fleet of vehicles that I now have to maintain. I've started buying gear lube and oil by the 5 gal bucket when I can, but I've always struggled with transfer options. Even when I filled from quart bottles. I've tried the various little pumps that screw on to bottles and they all pretty much suck. Now that I have a lift, using the little pumps over head would be even worse.

I've seen people recommend the power fill style tanks, but it would seem like you'd need one for every type of fluid as cleaning them out between uses looks like it would really suck. Having to buy several at $100 apiece would get too expensive too quick.



I've debated coming up with some kind of pressurized system that replaced the caps on smaller bottles or on buckets - something that would allow you to pressurize the container to a few psi and then have a siphon/pickup with a valve that would force the fluid out.
 
Weasel said:
M18 transfer pump?
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I don't have red batteries, but I see ryobi makes one too.


How bad are they to clean? Can you really get them clean enough? Just tear the pump down and hose out the impeller I guess? I know some ATFs don't do well with even a little contamination and you'd never get 90w out of a pump by just shooting a little solvent through it.
 
The front cover does come off but I don't recall if it's a quick and easy process. The red one is legit, not sure on other brands. I don't have anything red either but will just for that pump. I'd think it's all cleanable, looks like 4 screws on the front to zip off. hose out with cleaner seem like would do it. I guess I'm also not aware of how much oil is considered a contaminate with ATF, seems like trace amounts wuld be no biggy.
 
Best thing for gear oil is to warm it up. Most any pump will struggle with even 50* 80/90. I've never seen one, but I'm sure you can find something to strap around the bucket to warm it up.

I've noticed those small drill powered fluid pumps at HF before. They're cheap enough, if they work, you could have multiple for different fluids.
 
I have an air ratchet powered pump that works wonders. I bought it off the snap off truck many years ago but you can probably get the same one off Amazon for cheap.
 
Subaru power steering pump. Ditch the pulley and weld a bolt in the end of the shaft to make it easy to power with a socket on a drill, tap the outlet for a barb fitting with a hose and a chunk of steel transmission line for the hook that actually goes in the diff/case/transmission. Moves any fluid I've put through it. I don't clean it, just flush whatever fluid I'm using through it before putting it in the car.
 
TrikeKid said:
Subaru power steering pump. Ditch the pulley and weld a bolt in the end of the shaft to make it easy to power with a socket on a drill, tap the outlet for a barb fitting with a hose and a chunk of steel transmission line for the hook that actually goes in the diff/case/transmission. Moves any fluid I've put through it. I don't clean it, just flush whatever fluid I'm using through it before putting it in the car.
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What year?

The earlier ones have a bolt on pulley so you could just ditch the pulley and tack weld the nut.
 
IDK, I just bought one like this after my last gear oil fiasco ( I haven't used it yet ): https://www.amazon.com/Motive-Produc...%2C840&sr=1-77

I've had the brake bleed pot for years and love it. How many types of fluid really ? Oil, ATF, and PS you just need a funnel, so it seems like several types of diff, MT, or transfer case lube ? IMO, it doesn't have to be wiped perfectly clean for similar fluid usage. Just pour out the diff lube, refill with MT fluid, a little residual won't hurt anything. I don't wipe out my brake fluid bleed pot, just empty it, and make sure it's sealed and stays clean until next usage.
 
arse_sidewards said:
What year?

The earlier ones have a bolt on pulley so you could just ditch the pulley and tack weld the nut.
Click to expand...

Mid-late 90's Legacy/outback I believe. I did it so long ago I don't remember. I've done one with a Chrysler too, as long as it's set up for an external reservoir just about any pump would work.
 
TrikeKid said:
Subaru power steering pump. Ditch the pulley and weld a bolt in the end of the shaft to make it easy to power with a socket on a drill, tap the outlet for a barb fitting with a hose and a chunk of steel transmission line for the hook that actually goes in the diff/case/transmission. Moves any fluid I've put through it. I don't clean it, just flush whatever fluid I'm using through it before putting it in the car.
Click to expand...

That's pretty genius.
 
TrikeKid said:
Subaru power steering pump. Ditch the pulley and weld a bolt in the end of the shaft to make it easy to power with a socket on a drill, tap the outlet for a barb fitting with a hose and a chunk of steel transmission line for the hook that actually goes in the diff/case/transmission. Moves any fluid I've put through it. I don't clean it, just flush whatever fluid I'm using through it before putting it in the car.
Click to expand...

Ooooh. I have a spare nissan pump that should work. A couple quick connect hoses for different fluid types and you'd only have to clean out what's in the pump itself.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
This?

https://shop.snapon.com/product/supp...p-Kit/PVB71196

$100 on amazon:

?https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07NSB3...8Z13K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&tag=91812054244-20
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Interesting. Wonder if they're any better than the drill operated ones.


Stephen Wilson said:
IDK, I just bought one like this after my last gear oil fiasco ( I haven't used it yet ): https://www.amazon.com/Motive-Produc...%2C840&sr=1-77

I've had the brake bleed pot for years and love it. How many types of fluid really ? Oil, ATF, and PS you just need a funnel, so it seems like several types of diff, MT, or transfer case lube ? IMO, it doesn't have to be wiped perfectly clean for similar fluid usage. Just pour out the diff lube, refill with MT fluid, a little residual won't hurt anything. I don't wipe out my brake fluid bleed pot, just empty it, and make sure it's sealed and stays clean until next usage.
Click to expand...


You're probably right....I'm probably overthinking it. ATF is what worries me the most. Seems like the more modern stuff all has crazy warnings about contamination and using the wrong fluid.

Maybe one for ATF and another one for diff/t-case/mt lube would do the trick.
 
I hadn't seen a pressure pot one before. I really like that idea. I'm gonna pick one up, filling gear oil is always a pain in the balls.

The one I linked is a drill powered one. You fit a drill inside and strap it, then use the drill to power the pump.
 
as much particles that come from a power steering pump, not sure on that idea. I guess it's far less rpm's then would see in an engine.

As for oil contamination, I think it would be more like stuff other then oil in small amounts, like dirt, metal filings, water, etc. Larger amount of the wrong oil probably should be avoided as well.
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
I hadn't seen a pressure pot one before. I really like that idea. I'm gonna pick one up, filling gear oil is always a pain in the balls.

The one I linked is a drill powered one. You fit a drill inside and strap it, then use the drill to power the pump.
Click to expand...


Looking at those, doesn't seem like there's a whole lot different from a regular old sprayer. I think I have a new HF 2 gallon one sitting around somewhere. Might look at swapping the the output hose with a better one with a valve like the one linked above. Should be under $20 including the sprayer. If it works, no problem having a few of them for various fluids.
 
bgaidan said:
Looking at those, doesn't seem like there's a whole lot different from a regular old sprayer. I think I have a new HF 2 gallon one sitting around somewhere. Might look at swapping the the output hose with a better one with a valve like the one linked above. Should be under $20 including the sprayer. If it works, no problem having a few of them for various fluids.
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The tube on my 2gal sprayer for the garden is super small, and can't hold much pressure before it starts bleeding off. Might work though!
 
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-5Gal-12L...leaning-Pesticide-Sprayer-Garden/373390394583

I got a few of these (or something similar) a while back and have used one for ATF. Some transmissions have a fill port in the bottom of the transmission pan that you screw a barb fitting to and fill it up, so you basically need something like that to fill those.

As for gear oil I have a 5 gallon lever bucket pump like this: https://www.amazon.com/Performance-...pump&qid=1611806382&sr=8-2&tag=91812054244-20

For grease in 5 gallon buckets I use one of these, and the associated quick fill couplers on the grease guns (M18 of course!)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-50-lb-5...517458&hash=item1cfbc6e6f7:g:8CQAAOSwDaBf1BaO

For hydraulic fluid, antifreeze, and engine oils I buy it in 55 gallon drums and use a hand crank oil dispenser pump like this: I like them because they dispense one quart per full pump so you can measure out what you need as you're filling your jug.

https://www.justgastanks.com/fill-r...2j-J_hJ5lNrvL9Fxm8oI633fUf9Q63IBoC0VcQAvD_BwE
 
8 dollar garden sprayers
get like 4 of them one for gear oil, one for atf, one for whatever specialty autotrak type garbage you gotta put in seldomly

cut off the spray nozzle and they flow better than what I was using before (a quart bottle cap with 3/8" steel line to the bottom of the bottle, squeeze and it squirts)
bgaidan said:
Seems like the more modern stuff all has crazy warnings about contamination and using the wrong fluid.
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eh, I don't worry about it much, we use a single fits-all ATF where I worked
Only thing that took anything different was the ZF 8spds, the 10s hadn't gotten to us yet by then

billybob_81067 said:
For hydraulic fluid, antifreeze, and engine oils I buy it in 55 gallon drums and use a hand crank oil dispenser pump like this: I like them because they dispense one quart per full pump so you can measure out what you need as you're filling your jug.

https://www.justgastanks.com/fill-ri...BoC0VcQAvD_BwE
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Hate those kind, you crank the pump up, it hits a stop then you crank it the oter way and it hits a stop... the dribble-catcher is nice, but the pumping action is just... awkward
http://www.eziactiondrumpump.com/ezi...llon_drum_pump
Got one of these from at work, they threw it away because it was plastic and cheap looking
it is hands down the best drum pump I've used, the pump action looks awkward until you use it and it actually works really good for me, it's more shoulder than wrist or elbow motion
I tend to pump 10-15 gallons at a time with one of these, doesn't leak and doesn't wear me out.
 
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[486 said:
Hate those kind, you crank the pump up, it hits a stop then you crank it the oter way and it hits a stop... the dribble-catcher is nice, but the pumping action is just... awkward
http://www.eziactiondrumpump.com/ezi...llon_drum_pump
Got one of these from at work, they threw it away because it was plastic and cheap looking
it is hands down the best drum pump I've used, the pump action looks awkward until you use it and it actually works really good for me, it's more shoulder than wrist or elbow motion
I tend to pump 10-15 gallons at a time with one of these, doesn't leak and doesn't wear me out.
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Different strokes for different folks I guess. I love those tuthill/fill-rite crank barrel pumps. Yeah you have to crank one direction to draw the fluid up, and then crank the other to dispense, but like I said before each one of those is exactly a quart (You can adjust it with a bolt at the top until it is precisely a quart if you want) If I have an engine that needs 6 quarts of oil I crank out exactly 6 quarts and dump it right in. They're cast iron, and built like a brick shit-house.
 
...

IMG_1986.jpg
 
Fuel tanks are a good one. Not all fuel tanks have drains from the factory. Stationary equipment, hard to reach areas, etc.

Being able to pull fluid up and out of somewhere isn't a necessity, but it sure is nice to have a way when you need it.
 
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