Messy oil change!

[rkj082000]

My truck has 95k on it, and I have always had my oil changed at Valvoline. Well this weekend I decided I would start doing them myself and switch to Valvoline Max Life, (costs the same as it would to have them do it using regular Valvoline oil and cheap filter). So I get the truck on ramps, loosen the drain plug, take out the plug and oil SHOOTS out hits the suspension and creates a waterfall affect that spreads about 4 quarts of oil on my garage floor! I admit this was due to my own stupidity, I should have let the oil slowly drain with the plug still in it, but this was the first time changing the oil on my truck. Why did Ford mount the plug sideways and not facing the back, like on every car I have owned previously? Other than installing a valve, (I don't want to do this), Is there a trick to catching the oil w/o getting it everywhere? Thanks in advance....

 

[jasonb]

lol..
same thing happened to me when i did it the first time. i was even watching for it because i'd seen that on here before. i tried holding a piece of plastic up to block it but it ended up shooting over that and getting on the truck anyway. it happened when i took the filter out too. i luckily had layed a sheet of plastic under the truck because i had seen this commented on before.
i have a fumoto valve now and it works great. has a little nipple to put a hose so it doesn't get messy now.

 

[rkj082000]

Have you had any trouble with the valve leaking?

 

[BradE.]

Your plug is mounted sideways? Hmmm, must be different on the SOHC. My plug on the OHV is mounted flat and straight down, right on the bottom of the oil pan.

 

[jasonb]

yeah.. ours is somewhat sideways.

i have only had the valve on for about 5k miles, and only used it once. no leaks so far. hope it lasts and doesn't start. i keep the stock plug in my truck just in case.

 

[LowdPypes]

could be worse... I remember my first oil change ... I drained my tranny pan instead (by accident of course) then put the plug in and proceeded to add five quarts of oil to my block. Needless to say it ran like crap with no tranny fluid and 10 quarts of oil I sold that car at 275,000 miles so I guess I didn't do too much damage. Learned my lesson though....

 

[rvitek]

I remember my first oil changes on all my vehicles as well - gotta love Kitty Litter!

They have that new Fram Sure Drain now, if you're going to continue doing it yourself, and if they make a Sure Drain for your vehicle (they don't make one for the 2001 V8, argh), pick one up. Should make changing your oil much easier!

Ry.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

He he he, great story, LoudPipes. Don't feel too badly, I have heard of at least one other person doing that. He wasn't so lucky, it destroyed his tranny!

I have a Fumoto oil drain valve on all three of my vehicles, and have used them for years. They haven't leaked a drop, and I have had no problems whatsoever.
They make oil changes a dream. I highly recommend them. The Fram Sure-Drain is supposed to be good also, however I haven't tried it.

Fumoto Oil Drain Valve

 

[mikeh]

Hey RKJ, same thing has been happening to me. I tried the Fram Suredrain and wasn't happy with it. The oil drains out very slowly and take like 10 minutes to drain. I wondered if the slow draining would leave some sludge in the truck so I took mine back off. I don't know if the Fumoto drain is any better. I bought a big flat aluminum pan at Autozone for like $5.00. This is my answer. Also make sure you don't remove the fill oil cap before you start the change.

I highly recommend changing the fluid yourself as you will be sure the job is done right.

mikeh

 

[MrShorty]

Chalk up another who's missed the pan with those side mounted drain plugs. 1st time I did my BII, amongst others. That was when I decided not to use ramps for an oil change if I could get under the vehicle without them. Makes my aim a little better.

 

[rvitek]

Originally posted by mikeh
Also make sure you don't remove the fill oil cap before you start the change.

Really? It's printed, from the factory, right under my hood to remove the cap and the dip-stick when changing oil. Howcome you don't remove yours?

Ry.

 

[rkj082000]

Mikeh, how do you stop the oil from hitting the suspension when you drain the oil? Do you have the pan on angle when the oil first starts to drain? I am leaning towards the fumoto valve, as I will be doing my own going forward. Also, do you guys replace the crush washer after every change? Mine is shot, I don't think the guys at Valvoline ever replaced it???

 

[james t]

5 liters are sideways too. i just use the big tin pan you get at the 'zone.

another little trick for the hard to get sideways 5.0 oil filter- stab the bottom of it with a phillips screwdriver. this will let you drain the filter, so it will be empty when you remove it.

 

[RFR2212]

Um, maybe I haven't seen the 5.0 sploders, but I thought they had a dual sump... In which there's 2 drain plugs... Both of them draining on the bottom. I'll agree on the pain in the ass that the SOHC side drain is. It got me once when I did a friends oil.
Pete

 

[mikeh]

Originally posted by rvitek
Really? It's printed, from the factory, right under my hood to remove the cap and the dip-stick when changing oil. Howcome you don't remove yours?

Ry.

Didn't know that. I don't remove mine because the oil drains out a little slower with everything up top closed up. It makes less of a mess that way.

I hold the pan up and catch the first quart and then sit the pan down for the rest.

I use a plastic ziplock baggie for the filter. I loosen the filter a turn. Then put the baggie on and take off the filter. It keeps most of the mess in the baggie and not running down my arm. Others on this forum knock a small hole in the bottom of the filter and let it drain. I just don't have the patience. I can change my oil in less than 15 minutes. Why would I take it somewhere that I'd probably have to wait 30 minutes and pay more? You get real good at it after a while.

mikeh

 

[MONMIX]

I did that my first oil change too. I know my lower control arm will never rust

I also have a funny oil change story, I wear latex gloves when I change my oil. Once wile changing on my 84 Nissan, and my glove got a good bit oily. So when I was twisting on the filter ( tight spot behind the motor , very tough to get to ) my oily gloves, sliped and I thought it made contact with the seal and I thought I gave it that extra 3/4 turn.
Well 4 quarts of synth. on the floor and I found out I was pretty wrong !!!!!

 

[Audio_1]

heh, th first time i changed my oil i dident realize that the gasket on the old oil filter stuck to the plate and proceded to to contunue with the change, i put the new filter on and new oil in and i stater her up and it went well for about 5 seconds then the iol pressure went to nothing. the iol had sprayed all over the garage floor and all over the bottem of the x

 

[LowdPypes]

After all these stories, it's hard to believe that we should be allowed to drive, much less lift our vehicles and supe up our engines. LOL! Isn't it amazing how much of a knucklehead one can be... Glad we learn from most of our mistakes....

 

[A Wise Guy]

Seems as if somewhere in the owner's manual it should state that if you like the feel of oil, go ahead and change it because you, your X, and your floor are going to wear it.

 

[Robert]

I've had my Fumoto valve on my '97 SOHC for about 3 years now going through about 70K worth of oil changes. Doesn't leak a drop. Once you install the valve, you won't have to worry about the gasket since the valve stays in place. All you do is flip the lever over to let the oil drain. The time it takes for my oil isn't really a concern. Once I get the oil flow started, I go up top and remove the fill cap, dig my bottles out of my box, open up the new filter box and smear a little oil on the gasket. I might run in to the house to beat the dog. By then the oil is done draining and I can get back to work.