Yanmar 4jh3-te oil filter change

[omoo]

Is it possible to change the oil filter on the 4jh3-te diesel without removing the lube oil?

[Don Reaves]

After the engine is turned off, most of the lube oil will drain into the crank case at the bottom of the engine. After a suitable delay, removing the filter will not be any more difficult or messy than if you had removed the oil first. You will want to add a small amount of oil to replace what was in the filter.

In my 3GM30F, the oil filter is mounted horizontally on the engine, which means that removing it involves spilling some of the oil that remains in the filter. It can be a bit messy, but I've found ways to minimize the mess. One trick is to replace the oil filter when the engine is cold. The cold oil is less viscous, so it doesn't drip as much.

My procedure to change the oil and filter is to warm up the engine to make the oil flow easily and then pump the oil out. Once I'm convinced I've gotten all I'm going to get, I add the new oil. The next day, I replace the oil filter when the engine is cold. I don't run the engine between because doing so would distribute the dirty oil that's in the old filter. Once the new filter is on, I run the engine to test for leaks and then add a small amount of additional oil if necessary.