[Shop-talk] Oil plugs, WHY?

[Peter Murray]

I have a couple of these - the USA-made original Form-A-Funnel. They make
almost any drain plug work just fine, and are incredibly durable.

https://formafunnel.com/

I also install the Fumoto oil drain valves on my cars, which also makes a
huge difference. One can get versions with a nipple, which allows for the
attachment of a hose to direct the output wherever you'd like.

http://www.fumotousa.com/index.php

-Peter
-

On Mon, Jan 4, 2021 at 9:35 AM old dirtbeard <dirtbeard at gmail.com> wrote:

> Yes, that is what NAPA says:
>
>
> http://knowhow.napaonline.com/understanding-oil-drain-plug/#:~:text=The%20plug%20isn't%20always,a%20speed%20bump%20or%20pothole
> .
>
> *The plug isn’t always located on the bottom side of the pan. In fact,
> you’ll most often find it attached to the side, where it’s better protected
> from damage that could arise from scraping against a speed bump or
> pothole.  *
>
>
> I could conjecture also that having them on the side perhaps makes them
> more readily visible if you are sliding under the car on a creeper, easier
> to get a socket on, less likely to strip, etc.
>
> best,
>
> doug
>
> On Mon, Jan 4, 2021 at 6:23 AM Brian Kemp <bk13 at earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> I think they are horizontal for extra protection against ground impact.
>> If they stuck out the bottom and you went off road or drove over a concrete
>> stop in a parking lot, an oil drain plug could take a direct impact and
>> perhaps have greater damage than hitting a frame rail or suspension bit.
>>
>> I share your frustration with the oil filter location from my Honda
>> Odyssey.  Changing the filter caused oil to come down directly on the frame
>> rail.  My solution was to take a foot square of alluminum foil and make my
>> own deflection device to catch all the oil and direct it to the drain pan.
>>
>> Brian
>>
>> On 1/4/2021 5:14 AM, eric at megageek.com wrote:
>>
>> OK, this is half vent and half "can someone explain why the heck do they
>> do this to us?"
>>
>> I notice that just about EVERY modern's car drain plug drains
>> horizontally and not vertically (where the plug come straight down from the
>> bottom of the oil pan.)  This make's oil changes SO much harder and messier.
>>
>> Then, I've even seen (2018 Ford F150) where it has a frame rail right in
>> front of the oil hole and it splashes the nearly 2 GALLONS of oil
>> everywhere.  Then, the oil filter has a 'slide' under it to redirect the
>> oil to the front of the frame, which is nice, EXCEPT that it doesn't go all
>> the way back to under the oil filter!  This means that some oil drips under
>> the oil filter while more drips in front of the frame rail about 2 feet
>> away (meaning no single oil pan can catch both.)  I'm seeing this in more
>> and more cars that have stupid oil drains.
>>
>> Now I get that engines are sometime designed in a vacuum and the frame
>> builders don't care what is in the way, but it just seems that for optimal
>> oil changes, a plug should be at the bottom of the pan.  With all the
>> environmental concerns, I would also imagine that any way to prevent oil
>> spills and splashes would be ideal.
>>
>> Can anyone explain this?  Or is it just a case of designers really HATE
>> mechanics?
>>
>>
>> "Be as beneficent as the sun or the sea, but if your rights as a rational
>> being are trenched on, die on the first inch of your territory." Ralph
>> Waldo Emerson
>> -Who is John Galt?
>>
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