Oil change w/floorboards

[geol]

Is there any trick to changing the oil on a RS HST1800 conversion with floorboards? The front of the floorboards make the fasteners on the sides of the lower engine cover inaccessible. I have been removing the floorboards to change the oil and it is a pain; there just doesn't seem to be enough room to use a screwdriver on those side lower front cover fasteners. You can't really leave those fasteners off because they provide much of the support for the lower cover that needs removed to get to the drain screw and filter.

 

[pwhoever]

You shouldn't even have to remove the lower cowl. The oil filter and drain bolt should be accessible without doing that. I know on mine there is just enough room to do it. I also have a 2 piece belly pan. I just remove the front half and get to it.

You may have to run it up on ramps to make it easier. I have those plastic Rhino ramps that work great.

 

[geol]

To remove the bottom front half of the belly pan, you have to remove the screws from the top of the bottom half of the belly pan. Two screws that retain it to the black upper part, two more screws easily accessible from the front and then... the two screws hidden behind the floor boards must be removed to get the bottom front half of the belly pan off.

 

[pwhoever]

Not sure what belly pan you have but the one I have has 2 screws on underside towards the front. Pretty much all the 2 piece belly pans I have seen are like this. Remove those 2 screws and the front part of belly pan will drop free. Once front part of the belly pan is removed, you have access to the oil filter and drain plug. That is why they were designed this way. No need to remove the entire belly pan to change or drain the oil.



If you are worried about a little oil dripping down into that back part of belly pan, you can stick a rag or 2 in there to catch it but most will go right into drain pan.

Maybe I'm missing something here and your belly pan is different. Which one do you have and can you post a picture of it?

 

[geol]

I don't have a belly pan as shown in pwhoever's post. I am talking about the thing behind the front fender facing forward that covers the oil filter and 17mm drain plug. I will attach a picture that has a red circle around the bit I refer to and a yellow line indicating where the screws that retain the bit are located (behind the floorboard).

 

[geol]

BTW: The belly pan shown is a good idea. I had to replace the plastic coolant tank due the lack of a belly pan of that sort when pulling over the front lip of a ramp going into a toy hauler I owned.

 

[pwhoever]

I am talking about the thing behind the front fender facing forward that covers the oil filter and 17mm drain plug

That's what I mentioned above. There is enough of a gap behind that to access and remove both the oil filter and remove the drain plug. And that is why the belly pans have that removable front section for the same reason. Here is a YouTube video showing exactly what I mean. And I also use the same oil filter wrench this guy is using. And I can also access the coolant drain the same way without removing that front lower cowl.

 

[geol]

Thanks! Will try that next time as removing the floorboards isn't for the faint of heart.

 

[pwhoever]

I have to agree with you on that. I've taken off the floorboards in my CSC a few times and it is definitely a chore.

 

[Wingrider55]

I have a Roadsmith kit on my 1800 and have never had to remove the floorboards to change the oil and filter.