Josh Lee, the Original Josh, demonstrates how to change the oil in the Kranzle 1122TST, 1622TS and 1322 electric pressure washers. He also details the importance of monitoring and changing the oil in your machine. If you have questions, please just ask or leave comments on the YouTube video or Facebook video.
Transcript from the Kranzle oil change video:
(00:00):
Kranzle USA. Pressure washer perfection.
(00:04):
Good morning everybody. This is the Original Josh with Kranzle USA. And today we are going to examine the steps of changing the oil in an 1122, as well as the hand-carry models, uh, 16 and 1322. And we want to focus on how important it is for your pressure washer. So, uh, it is uber important that you check it routinely. And, uh, the pump oil is the lifeblood of the, of the pump. Uh, it will give you indications as to the condition of the pump and whether or not it needs to be changed, or if maybe the machine is being operated incorrectly. So for our commercial users, we want you to at least glance at the oil. If you have the hand carry models, it's real convenient. There's an oil sight glass on the side where you can visually inspect the oil. Uh, we don't want it to look dark black or milky, uh, caramelly in color.
(00:59):
Uh, we want it to see ... be that amber clear oil that you're, you're used to seeing, um, virtually just like cooking oil. Um, so as we pointed out, it's very important to check it. Uh, with the 1122, you have a handy dandy dipstick built into the fill cap. So when you remove it, you're going to see the oil in there. And that will give you an indication as to, you know, is it milky? Is it dark? Is it starting to get metallic, uh, debris in it? Uh, so the 1122, this is handy. However, with your hand-carry models, they do not have the dipstick built into the fill cap. So very simple little device to check it. You just take a small white zip tie, remove the fill cap, make sure it's clean, dip it down in. We want to make sure that our oil level is, is filled.
(01:51):
And we'll show you in the transmission housing in a second, uh, the approximate level that it should be filled to. We'll dip it down in, get a good reading on the, on the, on the stick and see, you know, rub it in your fingers. See if it feels like it's, uh, grittier, metallic. And then also, most important, making sure that it's not getting milky in color. Milky in color means that water is, is bypassing the water seals and starting to get mixed in and emulsified in the oil housing. And that's a bad thing. And it's also an indication that one, you could be cavitating the pump when you're using it. And it could mean that the seals are, have failed and need to be replaced. I'd like to show you the, uh, area on the pump where the oil housing is actually located. So this is the transmission housing of the pump.
(02:41):
It's seated between the motor and the water housing or valve housing of the pump. And this is where the rotational motion of the motor is transmitted to the in-and-out motion of the plungers. So, as we've discussed, this is strictly for the purpose of lubrication, the oil in this housing. So on our 1622s, we do have the window where we can inspect the condition of the oil. Um, but when we want to check the level, uh, as we discussed before, the hand-carry models do not have a dipstick. It's just the fill plug, but we can see that when we thread the dipstick into the transmission housing all the way, the bottom of the dipstick just barely starts to enter this part of the transmission housing. So, in spite of the fact that there is a sight glass on the side of the pump, we want to actually fill the oil up so it's just starting to enter the top of this housing, where this dipstick is down inside the pump. So once again, if you use a zip tie to check your measurement, you can hold it like so. You want to see about, you're gonna need about two to three inches of the length, the, the zip tie to get down to where the oil's level should be. So we want to make sure that this whole housing is filled and just up into this expansion housing in the top. So, as your manual states, that's about 250 to 300 milliliters, and that will fill up this cavity. It varies a little bit from between the two pumps. Um, but we use that measurement to get a, you know, a close to amount. And then we're going to dip it just to double check to make sure the, the level is up where we want it to be. So right now we're going to take and go out to the shop and take a look at the oil change itself. And here we go.
(04:55):
Hello everybody. So now we're ready to change the oil in our 1122. This particular unit is a rental. So we've, we've gotten quite a bit of usage out of it. Uh, done a really good break-in period. So now we're ready for our oil change. Um, there's going to be a couple steps prior to just pulling the plug and draining the oil. So we'll go over that in just a moment. First, we want to look at the tools that will be needed. So we have our makeshift drain pan. Um, we use a repurposed quart container and cut out the side of it. If you have a small Tupperware container, uh, something that will slide underneath the machine without too much trouble, that'll be an ideal container to use for capturing the oil that's draining from the pump housing. In addition to that, uh, we're also going to need our oil.
(05:47):
Here we're using the, uh, factory-provided Kranzle pump oil. Uh, we're going to have a measurement, uh, a measuring cup so that we can add the precise amount of oil to the pump. We're gonna want a small funnel. You need a socket with a 13 millimeter, uh, 13 millimeter socket with a ratchet in order to remove the drain plug. And then in order to get this fill a cap off, you're going to want a flathead screwdriver with a nice thick blade, wide blade so that we can get, get on there and get that darn screw. So when the pump is running, the heat that is generated by the transmission housing will cause the oil to break down over time. Uh, in addition to that, that will also cause the oil and the fluid that's inside to expand. So, before we change the oil we want to expect positive pressure inside the pump housing. So if we go and just break loose, the, the drain plug on the bottom, you're going to get a big message. It's going to come squirting out at you. So before we start draining from the bottom of the pump, we want to break loose this fill cap. And, uh, if you come a little closer, Mike, we'll get a little, see if you can hear it hissing.
(07:09):
Yeah, wasn't as loud as I expected, but we can add some dramatic effect later, but as you are loosening this up, be careful with it as well. If you've recently used the machine, or if the machine is hot, you can get some splatter coming out of here as well. So right here, as a rental machine, we've got a little bit of milky oil. No doubt operators have possibly cavitated the pump. Um, it's not necessarily, uh, an indication that the seals are kaput. Um, but this is going to be an indication that we want to, um, change the oil and pay attention to the ... its condition. Because if the milky color of the oil, uh, persists, then we know it's time to change the oil or know it's time to change the seals in the pump. So we've, we've allowed the transmission housing to burp or equalize the pressure. Get this cap back in here without stripping it.
(08:23):
It's real easy to cross thread these plastic threads on the drain plug. So don't force it when you go to screw it back in. You can easily mangle up those threads and then it'll be a pain in the neck to get it in and out. All right. So there's not a lot of space to slide our drain pan underneath the machine when it's already laying down. But, um, what we're going to do here is we're going to position it so that I can get the drain plug almost all the way out, then lower it over top of the plant ... pan, remove the plug and then allow it to drain. Um, your drain plug for the oil housing is what is going to be the bottom of the, the machine whenever it's in its laying down position. Uh, it's right in between this little cutout, you can see the, the heat sink fins on the bottom of the oil housing. It's all part of the motor. So, um, you know, if you have run the machine recently, be cautious, this area can be hot. So we're going to get her in position. Break, loose the drain plug.
(09:41):
So now that I've got it only hand tight, it's loose. It's still in there. So I'm not going to leak any oil out, but it's ready to just throw it out the rest of the way. So get my hands in a handy position here. So now I'm over top of the drain pan. Now I've removed the drain plug. And we're going to take closer look at this in just a minute, the little milky nature of the oil. So now that we've got the drain plug released, it's just like any other oil change. Once we've got our pan in place to help it drain faster, we're going to go ahead and re ... remove the fill plug. We're going to clean that off real well, get that.
(10:37):
All right. So wipe off your drain plug or your fill fill plug dip stick really well. Now the drain plug on the 1122, 1622 and 1322, and I believe the other models as well. Uh, they've um, installed a magnet into this plug to help draw any, um, metal particles that is in the oil housing down to the bottom. So we want to make sure we give this a good clean as well. If you have some, some, uh, carbon show cleaner, brake cleaner, parts cleaner, you can use that to get it all nice and clean. And see right here, you can see right here, the, the metal shavings that have, uh, worn from the pump in its break-in period all settled down to the bottom. And there's actually an accumulation of it down here in the bottom.
(11:43):
Get most of that out. And that's okay. Cause it's like I said, this is our first old change. So that break-in is expected. And that's the reason why we need to do this oil change after the break-in period. So the break-in period for the pump, for the, for most pressure washer pumps is going to be between 50 and 100 hours. Uh, obviously for a homeowner that's, you know, can seem like a long time, but, um, if it's for home use, I would possibly do it both at 50 and 100 hours. Because that might be a year and two years down the road. Now for, for home use Kranzle indicates that after the break-in period, you should never have to change the oil again. Uh, for professional use I'm going to say that that's not the case and that you're going to want to change the oil, uh, according to your usage, probably between every 100 to 500 hours, depending on how hard the machine gets operated.
(12:50):
So, um, for commercial use, you want to make sure that this is not a one-and-done oil change. You're going to have to do it periodically. And the good news is, is that the liter jug of Kranzle oil will actually give you, um, three to four oil changes. The transmission housing holds between, um, 250 milliliters and 300 milliliters of oil. That's approximately 8-1/4 ounces to about 10-1/4 quarter ounces. But, um, our handy dandy beaker here is measured in, um, metric increments. So we'll be able to go off the, the uh 300 milliliter mark. So while this is draining, you may have to walk away for a couple of minutes. If you, if you let it sit for 15, 20 minutes to let all the oil residue drain out, it's perfectly fine. Just make sure it's not going to be exposed to any elements that could be, uh, of any consequence to the machine, but we can just let it sit here on a bench until we're ready.
(13:58):
Alright, so we've allowed the machine to sit for about 10, 15 minutes just to drain any residual oil out. Because our oil was milky, uh, we will likely put some fresh oil in it, let it run for a little bit and then do a second oil change. Just try to flush that out. So, uh, and like I said, if, if the milky condition of the oil continues to persist, then obviously that's a, um, indication that the seals have suffered from the presence of cavitation. And we'll have to replace those water seals, but that'll be another video. Um, but right now we're going to focus on putting oil back in. Now, it might surprise you to know this, but you have to put the drain plug back in the bottom before you fill it. Very important note. Um, when I first started working on pressure washers, I made that mistake several times, but not anymore. So when we go to lift it back up and we'll put a rag underneath just to catch any oil drops that are gonna want to drip out. And then also we'll take, take our rag, wipe out the drain port. And you're not going to be able to get everything out of there, but this is enough. Make sure there isn't any crud gonna interfere, interfere with the drain plug threading back into the threads.
(15:37):
All right. So I recommend threading it in my hand as far as possible before putting a wrench on it, just in case you've crossed threaded it so that it doesn't damage those threads and permanently cross thread them.
(15:53):
We're going to snug this back up hand-tight is good. Uh, if, if you need to a torque measurement, uh, we'll provide that at later in the video, but, um, hand-tight perfectly suitable. So as you can see here, we've got nice café latte, colored oil. So like I said before, this is an indication of water mixing into the oil. Uh, that will happen if the water seals fail, but it will also be, um, the condition will be forced if the pump is experiencing cavitation, because that actually causes the plungers to, uh, become askew in the cylinder and that water sneaks past those, uh, water seals and packings to mingle into the oil housing. So we'll set that aside. If this was a repair, we're going to show this to our customers because it's important to see. We don't want to see those conditions.
(16:59):
All right. So now we're back in the horizontal position. We're ready to fill the pump with oil. So real handy to have a miniature funnel. In your manual, it says, I believe on the Kranzle 1122 manual, it says that it should take 300 milliliters or 0.3 liters. So we're going to measure that out. Our measuring beaker that we have here measures in ... has markings up to 140 milliliters. So we're going to have to do more than one addition. Now, keep in mind this, the oil in the transmission housing is strictly for lubrication. We don't have to worry about it being a precise measurement.
(17:50):
Now the Kranzle oil is technically a type of gear oil. Uh, very viscous. So if your funnel doesn't have these nifty little spacers on the side of it, uh, be cautious that you don't overfill your funnel or else you'll find oil residue weeping out of every part of the machine for the rest of time. So, there's 140. Gonna add another 140. We put 280 milliliters of oil in the housing so far. Remember the oil is just for lubrication. So it doesn't have to be filled to a precise, uh, uh, level. However, we don't want to overfill it either. So we're going to double check to make sure where that oil level is right now. And with a flashlight, we can look down in, we can see the caramel color of the oil and right beneath that there's an aluminum separation between the top of the old housing and the transmission below.
(19:14):
Uh, and right now we're just up above it, take a closer look. And so there we see it's right above so we can check it with our dipstick. On the dipstick, there is a marking at the bottom. This whole tab right here, it says, "Okay." So your fill level, you just want it to catch right on the dipstick. So since, since there's about a half an inch of threads, and that's about how long the tab is, I'm going to stick it down in. And I just need to see oil, just touch the tip of that dipstick.
(19:53):
So, oil ... oil level's there. So 280 was, was enough for right now. Uh, it could just be from residual oil in the housing. Um, as I said, we're probably going to flush this out once or twice, uh, in order to get all the milky residue out. So right now our oil level is where it needs to be. I'm going to go ahead and thread this back in. I recommend doing that strictly by hand until it gets down to that O-ring. And then we're going to take our flat screwdriver and just turn it until that O-ring seals all the way. And that's tight enough. You don't want to crank down on that too hard. You'll find the first time you remove this, it's very difficult to remove. Uh, so don't overtighten it. You ... after the first time you break it loose, it comes out fairly easily.
(20:41):
And as long as you don't booger up those threads, should be able to thread it in and out relatively, uh, with relative ease. Uh, you'll notice a little notch in the top. Uh, interesting trivia. That is the same thickness as a Euro coin. So if you have some, uh, currency leftover from your European vacation, that is, uh, also an acceptable tool to remove this oil cap. So there we have it. That is the oil change for the 1122. That'd be very similar to the 16 and 1322 models. We'll take a look at the, that, uh, pump here in a minute, just to show you where the, the, the drain and the fill is on that. Looks a little different, but it's virtually the same process. So here we go.
(21:27):
Hi, everybody. We just finished the oil change on the Kranzle 1122. And I wanted to point out the similarities, uh, for the hand-carry models, like the 16 and 1322. Uh, same pump and motor assembly. Uh, this does have a couple of differences. However, for the oil change, uh, you still have your drain plug on the bottom, although it is much more accessible. Uh, this transmission housing has a sight glass. So this'll be a good place for you to be able to inspect the oil for the clarity and condition, uh, between use. So pay attention to that whenever you're operating the machine. This is like, you know, the oil is like ... paying attention to the oil is like taking the pulse of the machine. It's our, our main indicator of how well the pump is doing. So it's important to, to pay attention to those conditions.
(22:16):
Uh, one thing to point ... another thing to point out is that the oil fill on the top of the hand-carry units is not the same dipstick style that you will find on the 1122. This has a hex head, so you can use a 22 millimeter socket to remove it, which is kind of handy. Um, it does not, however, have a dipstick. So when you fill the, fill the transmission housing with oil, this is where it is handy to measure the oil amount out before you put it in so that you can get close, uh, to the fill level without having to actually dip it. Um, then with the flashlight, as we showed with the 1122, you can look straight down into that housing. As long as we see the oil above the separator between the transmission and the top of the oil housing, we have enough oil.
(23:08):
Cuz as we've discussed before, oil is strictly for lubrication in the back. It's not actually a hydraulic transmission like on an automobile. So how precise the levels to which it's filled is not as critical. Um, so once again, you're going to change your oil after the first 50 to 100 hours. That's your break-in period. And then, uh, for commercially used machines we're going to use it, do it again every 100 to 500 hours, depending on how, uh, hard the machine gets run. But anytime it gets milky, we want to change it immediately. Um, and then if you start to see it get dark in this window, or if you dip the oil and you notice that it's metallic or black, then not only do we want to change it, but we want to investigate what's causing those conditions. So there you have it. That is the oil change for the Kranzle, uh, 1122 and 1622 models. Uh, don't forget to like and subscribe. And this is Kranzle USA. Pressure washer perfection.
(24:17):
Kranzle USA. Pressure washer perfection.