Oil Drain Valve

[DressedInBlack]

Does anyone have experience, either good or bad, with any type of oil drain valves?I was thinking of getting one but I'm not sure if they are a gimmick or even worth it. Here is one example. And another!! Are they dependable? Do they break off easily? Am I a fool for thinking of such things? Does this dress make me look fat?Any input would be appreciated.

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by DressedInBlack »Does this dress make me look fat?No, but it does make your (removed) look huge .It seems like a good idea in theory, but I think I'll stick with the drain plug. I don't have any issues with oil flying all over the place when I take the drain plug out, so to me it's not worth the worry of it possibly failing some day.

[djkeev]

I'm sure it works, I'm sure it minimizes the mess to a degree but really, changing oil yourself, the mess does NOT come from the drain plug but from the removal of the oil filter!!To me, it would be a complete waste of money to purchase this unit. I see no sense in it. I would fear an accidental opening while driving and losing all of my oil.My advice, don't waste your money. A little oil on your fingers twice, three times a year is a minor thing to experience.My 2 cents anywayDave

[joshuaeb09]

Quote, originally posted by DressedInBlack » Am I a fool for thinking of such things? Does this dress make me look fat?Any input would be appreciated. Once you change oil enough times u won't spill hardly any. Hell I'll change oil in my work shirts ... I sit in an office all day so they are some nice shirts. It helps if you have a magnetic socket to hold the drain plug too. http://www.harrisseeds.com/sto....aspx

[TONY TAT2]

Can't even tell Im a mechanic by looken at my hands

[Cougar Vibe]

I've had the Sure Drain on my Vibe for over five years; unlike the quality of other Fram products (which is open to debate on BITOG), the SD is pretty solid. As for why I put it on: The SD allows me to me to easily thread the actuator valve on by feel and drain my oil w/out having to put my Vibe up on jack stands or ramps. When using a ratchet or box wrench, I had to get the car off the ground a bit to see what I was doing...not to mention, the SD (and Fumoto) means no stripped oil pan threads or crush washer replacements. Sure wish they still made the SD, as I'd like to get one for my new Mazda5. The one I need for that car seldom comes up for sale on Amazon or Ebay. Alas, I spent an hour (and $30) on Saturday building wooden ramps for my new car...C_V

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by TONY TAT2 » Can't even tell Im a mechanic by looken at my hands So You've got "girlie" hands ????

[TONY TAT2]

Yup ! lol!

[DressedInBlack]

hahaha yall are funny.upon a second look, i think i would have some clearance issues...Joshua is on the right track with the magnets though!thanks for the input.

[jake75]

Don't trust Jiffy Lube etc. but in the past few years I've had such luck with dealer's practically giving away oil changes that doing it myself would not be worth the effort.

[Santiago]

I've been using a Fumoto valve for almost a year now and it works just fine, I'm planning to get one of those new S-Types..

[jake75]

So far I have been able to get my oil changes done at the dealer for less than $15. No sense DIY at that price. EDIT: Should have looked back a few months - said that before!

[Kincaid]

I had a Sure Drain/Fumoto type valve on my first car. I never had a problem with it and I did appreciate the ease of function. Because the threads were horizontal, and the oil stream was choked down a bit, I think the first time I used it it overshot my container (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Wedco-W7...r=8-2)When I bought the Vibe I intended to do the oil changes myself (after years of Jiffy Lube) so I bought this oil drain system from Femco:http://www.nospillsystems.com/homeBut, I decided to stick with Jiffy Lube at $19.95 because I have more money than time these days. When I get around to it I need to re-sell it here and on craigslist.

[Bedlam]

Fumoto valves are really intended for those that either don't have a catch basin and want to hook a tub for draining to a bottle or those that want to take samples mid-change. They are no doubt a well made product and i've installed them on 2 of the 5 cars i have owned. They are heavily used in transportation and heavy industry as well. They never open by accident and it is not anywhere close to a worry about them coming loose. The biggest issue for most DIY'ers that just do standard interval oil changes is the flow restriction.Both vehicles that i track i use them so i can take samples after each event. can dump 1 pint in 30 seconds of effort into a sample jar for analysis. This is the 100% reason i use them. For people worried about stripped from over-tightened drain plugs, just use a torque wrench if you don't have the feel for it yet. This adds time to conventional oil changing intervals; 2-3 times as long to drain the same amount of oil out. They are well made, neat little devices, but think about it before purchasing if it adds any value to your purposes.

[Kincaid]

Quote, originally posted by Bedlam »The biggest issue for most DIY'ers that just do standard interval oil changes is the flow restriction.I forgot to mention that too - seems like flow restriction would maybe leave more solids at the bottom of the pan? I don't know.Quote, originally posted by Bedlam »They are well made, neat little devices, but think about it before purchasing if it adds any value to your purposes.The value for me was strictly in not getting oil all over my hand (but yes getting the filter off was 10x worse), not worrying about damaging threads or stripping the drain plug and not needing a tool to open the drain.The main reason I gave up changing my oil was the hassle of taking filters off. Why mfg's prefer to mount them on their side is beyond me.

[Bedlam]

Quote, originally posted by Kincaid »I forgot to mention that too - seems like flow restriction would maybe leave more solids at the bottom of the pan? I don't know.if there are solids that won't come out through that valve, then you have much bigger issues at hand. you'd have other issues pretty quick if that were the case. small particles will still drain with the oil the way they normally would.