Rant

Ok, this is not in any way animal related – well, I mean, we can reeeealllly stretch and say oil originally started off as critters…too far? Yeah, thought so.

So, I love the small generator. There is no oil filter, you just remove the logical and well thought out hex headed drain plug, drain the old crud out, screw the plug back in, put new oil in and poof! done.

Biggie? Changing Biggie’s oil should have taken me 20 – 30 minutes.

Four. Hours.

It took me four [expletive] hours. Allow me to detail:

I decide to change oil in the generators and I start with the smaller generator.

15 minutes later, the small generator oil has been drained. Air filter washed and drying.

I then begin reading manual on how to change Biggie Generator’s oil. It unhelpfully refers me to find the engine manual (never did find it) for additional details. *sigh*

Attempt to remove oil filter. No movey. Attempt to stab with screw driver, deflected. Is this dang thing made of super reinforced adamantium or something?! Alrighty then, I’ll start over with the oil draining part.

Square head? I don’t have a rachet fitting for that. I attempt to use channel locks which indents the plug…what, is it made of silly putty? lead? Why is it *so* soft?! Attempt to use a pipe wrench….not enough room. Fine!

I’m going back to the oil filter. Go obtain drill, drill hole in [expletive] oil filter, stab hole with screw driver, remove oil filter. Small Victory! *does cabbage patch dance*

Internet’s advice on stuck oil plug: lube it, beat it, heat it, destroy it.

Used penetrating oil – it didn’t help. Couldn’t find a hammer so I beat the soft square plug using the back of a hatchet, it didn’t help. Now, do not do what I did next, I moved onto the “heat it” step by using a propane torch, sadly it didn’t help but YAY! I didn’t die. Didn’t want to destroy it…..so….

[Expletive] you Biggie Generator, I’mma flip you over. Using the pure strength given to me by rage, I flipped that generator and managed to drain about half a quart out of the generator where the oil filter used to be, but still not enough. There is still too much oil. That’s when husband (via phone) suggests using the siphon pump and a glorious sunbeam lit up the siphon pump….or I had inhaled too many vapors at this point, whatever….it’s fine! I grabbed that siphon and started pumping and it was a beautiful sight as that old oil started filling the pan and I smiled, knowing I was close to the end. And that’s when the drain hose released from the hand pump and then there was old oil EVERYWHERE. Like a CSI murder scene, just with cruddy engine oil instead of blood dripping from every surface. I said, [expletive] it! Kept pumping and I drained that damn oil tank! VICTORY WAS MINE! I mean, I looked like an extra from Beverly Hillbillies after they struck oil (oddly moisturizing, not recommending it….but fyi), but I had drained enough of that [expletive] oil to finish up.

I installed the new oil filter and filled Biggie up with new oil and then began the clean up. It was a LOT of clean up.

I really do enjoy mechanical work, but WOW I really might not be a natural talent at it.

Update: I have now purchased the CORRECT ratchet doo-dad to remove that nut/plug as well as a replacement square nut/plug so I can send the old one to hell WHERE IT BELONGS!