[Shop-talk] Oil plugs, WHY?

Jimmie Mayfield mayfield+shoptalk at sackheads.org
Mon Jan 4 08:50:21 MST 2021


FWIW, my 06 4Runner has a vertical drain plug that's recessed and 
protected by a skid plate.

You might consider installing a Fumoto-style drain plug valve.  I 
haven't installed one yet but lots of people seem to swear by them.  
They'll let you connect a hose to drain the oil directly into your drain 
pan.


On 1/4/21 08:14, 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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