What's everyone's take on the 'easy' oil drain plug solutions?

Yeah, that shouldn't be a thing unless you're the Hulk, or you're not using the correct size wrench.

I'm sure there's a torque setting, but it's hardly necessary to set a torque wrench on it. It only needs to be just tight enough not to leak. It's not rocket science.

I'm generally not a fan of replacing something with zero moving parts with something with moving parts.

 

In all honesty it’s pretty hard to fuck yourself when the torque specs are generally around 30 lb ft.

 

and both are unnecessary for changing the oil, lol

 

I put Fumoto valves on every vehicle I get the first time I change the oil. Never had one leak or get knocked off or anything of the sort. It's nice putting a hose on the nipple and draining straight into a bottle.

 

Unless you're rebuilding engines this torque wrench is more than adequate for most every home mechanic task. (and it's less money than that silly valve.) After a while of using it you'll develop muscle memory of just how tight things need to be. That statement will piss off the torque Nazis though. I've spent enough time down their rat hole to know that in the real world the torque given from even the most expensive wrench is just an approximation. If you need precise torque then you have to use something like this:



Torque is measured using clean, dry, undamaged threads. There is no reasonable way to get that without removing the oil pan. I'm trying to save you from the Nazis, sometimes tight enough is good enough. The trick is knowing when OCD is required and when it isn't.

 

According to this chart and torque reduction, if you're torquing to 30 ft lbs while wet it's really closer to 50 ft lbs. At least that's how I understand it. That's a pretty significant difference. I just bring it up because I've seen people make matters worse by using a torque wrench vs going by feel when it comes to certain things like oil drain plug or spark plugs.

 

The old way is pretty easy already.

 

Maybe Toyota assumed wet specs or dry specs in the manual. I feel like they have to keep it easy enough for the most basic tech to understand (if they even use torque wrenches like they should).

who knows lol. I’ve been doing it for years and have yet to have an issue. Knock on wood. Just a habit I’ve gotten into I guess.

 

Oil dain plug is about the only thing I never torque on my vehicles.

 

The only reason a tech should use a torque wrench is if they are a complete idiot. Wait . . . given what I've seen on those rare occasions I do go to the quicky lube places, techs should use a torque wrench. I'll confess my last lube job was done at one of those places. The MoFo that put the drain plug and oil filter on most definitely did not use a torque wrench. They were on there TIGHT, way too tight.

While I'm confessing I've been known to reuse the copper gasket if I don't have a replacement handy. It's an oil change, not rocket science.

 

HF is cool, and I buy a lot there, but I have a hard time trusting anything with more than 1 moving part or has electricity running through it, lol. I know some of their products are supposed to be getting better, but I still don't trust them to really be making "quality" products.

 

Their ICON torque wrenches have been absolutely wonderful for me. That said, they're generally not in the price range most people are talking about when they say "HF tools".

 

From Google reviews these valves thread into the oil pan sticking above the bottom of the pan inside so when used they don't allow ALL the oil to drain.
That last 1/2" or 1/4" is not drained and thats where the oil crap falls that you want out of there.

 

True, I was just looking at them and they're mostly in the $150 range.

I know that HF has been "trying" to increase the quality of some of their stuff lately, or at least market themselves as such. A lot of people like their new welders.

I honestly think they're going in the wrong direction if they intend to redefine their business model as a source for mid-level tools and equipment. There is a lot more competition there. I go to HF for a tool that I'll likely only need once or twice, if it last longer than that, that's icing on the cake. But if I need a good tool I'll use a lot, there are other places I'd go.

 

A guy on YT does a video and checks for this. He measured how much oil was drained out and concluded it was pretty much the same as he put in. This was my concern as well. Especially since the Corolla drain plug sits at angle and not at the bottom.

edit- this for the Fumoto valve

 

I think the best reason for the drain valves is when using an aftermarket skid plate (can't believe this hasn't been mentioned yet). It's way easier and worth the slightly slower drain time to not have to drop the skid to change the oil. I ran the stock plug for 120k miles and then put an ez drain on when installing my skids. Low hanging valve isn't really a concern with a real skid protecting it.

All this preventing wear and tear on the threads stuff is really over thinking it. If you don't gorilla it on and use some common sense the plug and threads will easily last the life of the engine just fine.

 

Yup, but will still hold back the most dirty part of the oil

 

Dirty oil is good for your engine. Its helps build its immune system.

 

I put a fumoto on all my cars, too. It's easy to use, clean, no leaks, and no dropping the plug in the drain pan.

 

I could see myself installing one for that reason. Otherwise, it's just so easy as it is I don't see a need.