Colchester 13x 36 Round Head Oil Change

Big Bob

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Has anyone found an easy, not too messy way to change oil with the drain hole and plug located at the bottom of the head stock and only a few inches clearance for a catch pan?
 
I have a Colchester Master round head, and used an old cookie sheet with a bend in the wall of the sheet for the oil to exit into a container.

Brian
 
It would be great if you were to post a photo of it held as in use. Bob
 
We have a 13 inch Colchester at work. We disconnected the line from the pump to the headstock. Turned on machine and pumped it out.

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Using pump sounds like sump? I am looking for less messy way to remove oil from headstock, where there are only a few inches clearance between the bottom of the headstock and the drip pan. The drain plug is in the bottom of the headstock.
Thoughts?
Bob
 
Check some of the local auto parts stores for an enclosed oil drain pan. I recently had to replace the one I bought to change oil in my 45 KW standby generator. After finding out the hard way that the old one had split a seam and was leaking.:eek:
 
Get a disposable foil roasting pan and form one of the corners to get in under the plug. You can even put a piece of duck tape on the head under the plug to make a small bib.
 
I'm a little late but here is what I posted on another forum.

There doesn't seem to be much information on changing the oil for a Clausing-Colchester Triumph Mark 1 lathe, so I thought I would post this. I finally got around to changing the oil in the gear box. The manual calls for Shell Tellus 27 oil which is a obsolete hydraulic oil slightly lower than ISO 32. Most cross references show Shell Tellus 32 which is ISO 32. I wanted to use Mobil oil (easier to get) so either DTE 24 Hydraulic oil or DTE Oil Light circulating oil. After researching this forever it seemed, I decided to go with the Light oil. I found a couple good postings on these that I believed in, plus confirmed it with Mobile’s descriptions. Though both descriptions appear to read the same a key sentence is “ rapid and complete separation from water and a high resistance to emulsification. “ Also it doesn’t suspend particles but lets them settle out.
The best I understand is if you have a pump & filter use Mobil’s number series (DTE24). If you have splash lubrication, use their name series.
Anyways, when I purchased the lathe I was told the oil was last changed in the 80’s. So I opened it up and had a couple of surprises.
eek.gif


Picture 2 just shows the gear box. The drain plug is hidden behind lead screw drive gear. I had to remove it and move the banjo to get to it. When you pull the plug have your bucket in place and be ready to put the 3/8” pipe on or you will have a big mess in your chip pan (picture 3).

Picture 4 is the garden sprayer used to wash the sump. Note the long spray nozzle. There was a lot of debris in the bottom. It took about 3 gallons of diesel fuel and a brush to flush it out. I also used a wet/dry vac for some of it.



 
Thanks. I knew of plug on the side. Will look behind gears also. My mess concern was from plug at bottom of the headstock.
Bob
 
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