Fumoto Drain Valve

Yeah but what if...........

Not for me. I only need a few seconds to loosen and unscrew the OEM drain plug.

Not sure how much time you are actually saving, but time is money. So, I guess a few seconds can amount to a few cents then extended to many years......possibly a Lincoln 5r in your pocket.

 

If you hit hard enough to break that off I guarantee you're gonna have bigger problems with your undercarriage to worry about.

 

Yea, all strikes against the Fumoto aren't baseless or unfounded...I think it just comes down to what the owners situation and needs are. I honestly don't think there's a single person who finds loosening a drain bolt to be too laboring...if they do, WTF are they doing hanging out on TW? It definitely increases risk, but so do lots of things most of us have done to our truck. Like everything else, plenty of people have never had an issue, some will never try it, and then there's a very limited few who've had bad experiences. I stand by my "if you think it's for you, go for it, you wont regret it."

 

I was really just trying to come off sarcastically, but I didn't do as well with that as I meant to.

 

I bought a Fumoto valve several years ago but the damn thing wasn't put together right. It's really 2 pieces. Leaked right in the middle.
I tried another same problem. No more.

 

So it will take a life to make the valve pay for itself.

 

For me the removal of the drain plug was not the reason I got the valve. The reason I use one is it's a much cleaner job now. I now never have that errant splatter messing up my driveway. And best of all I don't need to remove my skid plate.

 

Oh, hey, another Fumoto thread. I guess I'll finally share my opinion now that I've had mine for a little while.
It's a great product, but the concerns against them are valid.

I think it only makes sense to get one if:
a) you do your own frequent oil changes.
*and*
b) you have an aftermarket skid plate.

It makes a lot of sense for me since I change my own oil 2-3 times a year, which sometimes falls on a cold morning in January and I like a job that is done quickly and cleanly. It's not just about the labor of undoing a simple bolt, it's about finding that 12mm socket (or was that a 14? another trip to the toolbox), getting those dang rubber gloves, feeling the warm oil dribble down your elbow anyway, oh shit the blue gasket has once again atomically fused to the pan, aw man I spilled on the driveway, let me get those towels, now where's that torque wrench...

Rolls eyes.

 

Had mine since 2007. Just changed the oil again this week and it's just so easy, it's literally 3 minutes of active time. Drains right into an old 5 quart oil jug, by the time I've checked some other fluids, it's drained and you just pop off the filter and refill (saving the jug again for next time).

 

How do you get nearly 6 quarts into a 5 quart container?

 

Whats the point of these?

 

In addition to the 3 pages of this thread, there are a bunch of other threads on this topic. It'll be much easier if you just search for them.

 

This

 

The point of these is to lose your oil unexpectantly, destroy your engine, and costing you thousands of dollars.

 

My guess is some gets burned off through the PCV (or caught in an oil catch can if they have one installed) and some gets contained within the oil filter. I typically put about 6 qts in my 4.0 after a warmup dipstick check and when I change ~5k later, I'm draining about 5 qts so I see the validity in the comment.

-J

 

I get what its for, what a dont get is why people are wasting money on them

 

...and in those very pages, some share why they bought it and why they like it.

 

Thanks. It was a serious and non judgemental question. I'm considering getting them for both our Tacomas.

 

Not everyone's situation is the same. In my case, I probably have some of the worst conditions to do general maintenance on a vehicle, ie. gravel/rock driveway, no garage and subject to weather conditions, I'm older and have mobility issues due to a number of knee surgeries and a lifetime of abusing my body with physical work. At this juncture, I try to make any task a bit easier for myself. Work smarter not harder. If a gadget or tool makes my life easier and it's reasonably priced, I'm going to get it.

If this still doesn't make any sense, keep on living. It will.....

 

That's the inherent risk with everything though, isn't it? Install a new aftermarket bumper, airbags may not deploy, you may die in a head-on collision. Install larger tires and lift, wheel hubs wear out sooner/axle boots wear out faster. Given the design of the plug and where it's located, I'm not worried about loosing oil un-expectantly, especially when its shielded behind steel skid plates. I don't have the valve with the nipple so it doesn't hang nearly as low as others but it doesn't even come close to striking the skid. My driving style doesn't put me mobbing down rocky roads slamming against rocks so to each their own I guess. If taking risks with your vehicle and out driving you or your vehicles capabilities then you risk a lot of things.

People mod because they want to. I like it because I don't have to futz around my super organized tool box for tools to change my oil. Kick the drain pan under there, pop the hood, crack the 710 cap and drain the oil while I find my grease gun buried under some junk on my bench while I hit my zerks the oil drains. By the time I'm done zerking off, and cleaned up, oil has drained enough to close the valve. Unscrew the oil filter, replace oil filter, replace oil, warmup run and top up remaining oil. Done. I am the first owner of my '12 and I installed the 103 at my first oil change back when I had 5k on the odometer. 8 years later, 90k miles later, same valve, same routine with no variation. I haven't had to buy replacement oil gaskets, they're what, ~2 bucks? So over the course of my 18 oil changes, I saved about 36$ on oil plug gaskets alone and I think I spent about 25$ on the valve, I cant remember exactly how much I bought the valve for but It wasn't much. So do I consider it a waste of money? Not really. I haven't seen it drip or leak, Hell, my catch can leaks more than the fumoto. Is it for everybody? No, I don't think so. It just depends on what you want to do with your vehicle. I planned on keeping mine until I drive the brakes off of it so that's my return on investment.

-J