Is There An Oil Catch Pan That Doesn't Suck?

Josh wrote: Instead of that giant hole that your drain plug will promptly drop right into, why not grab a 1/2" spade bit and drill 6 or 8 holes encircling the original drain hole instead?

I'm going to try this method this weekend and will report back. The funny thing is I own just about all of the train pans pictured. I also have the rectangular ones with two holes. Even by tilting the pan, the oil seems to constantly bubble up and splatter everywhere. A few extra holes may solve this issue, I'll let everyone know.

I don't use the pan for anything other than collecting the oil, I immediately drain it into the 5qt containers because I buy oil exclusively in those containers. With the increased capacity of many modern vehicles, those large containers come in handy.

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But sometimes still this, because it is a messy, unrewarding job that can be done cheaply by somebody else:

I cant even find a picture of one like I have had for 10+ years.

It’s a rectangular pan, the “catch” area is about as big as the whole top, and there are 2 drains in the bottom to let oil into the pan (it stores oil obviously). On one end in the middle there is a drain cap, flush with the end of the pan, but it sits higher than the holes in the bottom of the pan so it never gets so full that the drain leaks (and it would, that cap never can tighten all the way with out slipping threads. I guess oil will do that)

Generally unless something absurd happens or I am changing the oil on the ridiculously designed MPV, I never spill a drop.

Thinking back on my oil change history I remembered having a Fram Sure Drain, drain plug on my Jeep. I haven't been in let-alone under my Jeep in over 3 years, shameful I know.

Sure Drain replaced the factory plug with a quick-ish style connector, still had to unscrew the thread protector and then screw the drain apparatus on. This basically eliminated loosing the drain plug, and provided a short piece of hose to direct the stream of draining oil. It was another thing to keep up with, but the drain hose stayed in the door pocket of the Jeep.

The Jeep is tall enough to not need raised any for oil changes, and directing the oil stream was easy enough with that Sure Drain, the mess came from the oil filter being mounted near horizontal on the side of the block.

• Lee

codrus wrote:

dj06482 wrote: I'm helping a friend learn some basic auto maintenance. I taught him how to do an oil change and then said "now that you know how to do this, the best and cheapest way to do this is to take it somewhere and have them do it for $25."

Complete with complimentary cross-threaded plug that wasn't actually tightened far enough so it dribbles out three quarts in 1000 miles?

Or, the oil filter that wasn't tightened enough, thereby rustproofing the entire bottom of the car? Or, (and classic SAAB 900 owners can chime in here) draining the transmission lube and putting four quarts of oil on top of the four quarts still in the crankcase? Then claiming the owner sabotaged his own car to get a new transmission? Or (my personal favorite) cleaning off the old filter and not changing it?

In reply to bigdaddylee82:

These are very similar to the Fram Sure Drain and should make oil changes easier and cleaner. https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/group.asp?GroupID=QDOILPLUGS Just get a hose long enough to fit inside a catch container and it should eliminate splashes and drips. Remove the hose and screw on the protective cap and you are done.

Of course this doesn't address changing of the oil filter. On cars where the oil filter housing is above or near a frame rail I would think you could fabricate a sheet metal chute to redirect the drips and oil coming out of the filter into a catch pan.

Jerry From LA wrote:

codrus wrote:

dj06482 wrote: I'm helping a friend learn some basic auto maintenance. I taught him how to do an oil change and then said "now that you know how to do this, the best and cheapest way to do this is to take it somewhere and have them do it for $25."

Complete with complimentary cross-threaded plug that wasn't actually tightened far enough so it dribbles out three quarts in 1000 miles?

Or, the oil filter that wasn't tightened enough, thereby rustproofing the entire bottom of the car? Or, (and classic SAAB 900 owners can chime in here) draining the transmission lube and putting four quarts of oil on top of the four quarts still in the crankcase? Then claiming the owner sabotaged his own car to get a new transmission? Or (my personal favorite) cleaning off the old filter and not changing it?

I didn't really want to get into that part of it in this thread, but I was employed at a large dealer for a few years and I still did my own LOFs. There were a handful of career lube techs but there was A LOT of turnover.

We averaged 750 LOFs a month, and at least once a month there was a loose drain plug, stripped drain plug, double stacked oil filter gasket, coated engine with oil, MAF tube pulled loose from air cleaner box, etc. Or worse there was the occasional free car wash with sunroof left open, backed customer's car into another car, etc.

There are VERY few people I trust to touch my vehicles, and even then I'm a busy-body bugging the heck out of the tech, and watching them like a hawk.

• Lee

Go to the junkyard and get a 10-12 gallon gas tank from a Civic, Metro, or any small car. I like plastic tanks, easier to cut than metal ones. Get the electric fuel pump with wires too. The idea is to cut the top of the tank off so you have a large opening. The fuel pump is used to pump the old oil into a transport container. The pump filter screen usually needs to be removed so the can suck the oil. Connect the pump to the car battery or jump box. It takes a while to transfer 4 or 5 qts.

For drain plugs falling in hot oil, a magnet is your friend.

The cut tank also can be used to catch coolant or any other liquid under the car.

bigdaddylee82 wrote: I didn't really want to get into that part of it in this thread, but I was employed at a large dealer for a few years and I still did my own LOFs. There were a handful of career lube techs but there was A LOT of turnover. We averaged 750 LOFs a month, and at least once a month there was a loose drain plug, stripped drain plug, double stacked oil filter gasket, coated engine with oil, MAF tube pulled loose from air cleaner box, etc. Or worse there was the occasional free car wash with sunroof left open, backed customer's car into another car, etc. There are VERY few people I trust to touch my vehicles, and even then I'm a busy-body bugging the heck out of the tech, and watching them like a hawk. - Lee

Changing your own oil is not always about controlling costs. It's about controlling the quality of the work.

In reply to bigdaddylee82:

As someone who works on peoples cars everyday (windshields/auto glass) and somone that does his own vehicle maintenance for that same reason I completely loathe and understand that mindset lol.

Luckily I know a trustworthy local independent mechanic for those things on occasion I can't do myself or don't have time for.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

foxtrapper wrote:

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I'm getting lazy in my old age MityVac 7300 pneumatic fluid extractor. $90 shipped with Amazon prime. They make one with a hand pump for a little less.

Are you actually using this, or just considering it? If you are using it, could you tell us about your experiences with it? As I get older, the ground gets harder and further away, especially during winter.

I'm committed but inexperienced :) I will give you the lowdown after this weekend when it changes the 11 qts of oil in my truck and the 7 in my wife's 325XiT. It's cold. My garage is full of projects. In theory I can use this in the driveway without removing a single nut or bolt or even bending over (except to snag the oil filter off the truck). I am excite. Amazon says "Estimated delivery 10/30 by end of day".

OK, so... just finished the truck and as a fan of science and because the truck is high enough that I can get under w/o a jack... I pulled the drain plug after I slurped it.

There was about half a quart left in there - I assume because the dipstick tube does not go all the way to the bottom of the deepest part of the pan. Still... 10 minutes and almost no mess except the drippers from the oil filter (and drain plug this time).

On the wifes 325XiT (a job for after lunch) the filter is up top and front so I fully expect to bask in the glow of a mess free job that requires I remove zero irritating plastic undertrays at the cost of perhaps mixing a little bit of 5000 mile old mobile 1 with the new stuff. Once every couple oil changes I'll pull the plug after sucking the majority out with the vac ( or every 2nd annual inspection I might pay someone else to do it while it's on the lift).

I consider this a suck-cess!

EDIT: I bet id I went and got some 1/8 plastic fuel line I could make an adapter that snakes down into the pan a little further - this one uses the dipstick tube itself as a straw and only has a rubber grommet you push over the top.

GPS & some further searching convinced me to get a Mityvac. I bought the Mityvac 7201 from Amazon for ~$90, Prime shipping.

It has been 10K miles since the last mess I made, and the Jetta was due another oil change. I got the engine up to temp, backed the car into the driveway so the front of the car where the dip stick is, was pointed down hill, and went to work.

I bought the manual Mityvac, thinking this way I could potentially use it wherever, instead of needing to be near an air/power source. There's a competitor with a similar product that has both pneumatic and manual options, but it didn't have great reviews.

Shut the engine off, pull the dip stick, crack open the oil filler cap for a vent, thread the hose down the dip stick tube and start pumping. Mine came with 3 different size hoses, so you can fit them down varying sized tubes/openings. The hoses are PEX, or something very similar, so semi-rigid but still flexible enough to snake into an oil pan via the dip stick tube.

The directions claimed to need about 10 pumps to prime the pump and start getting fluid out. After about 25 pumps with no results I was concerned. After a brief inspection I discovered the expandable rubber plug in the top wasn't sealed and creating a leak. I flipped the leaver to seal the plug, and had flow in about 5 pumps.

The Mityvac holds vacuum well, so you're not constantly pumping. Pump 5 to 10 times every 30 seconds or so.

What I don't like is that there are no graduations on the reservoir, so it's hard to tell how much you've actually pumped. I'd let it suck until I heard air and the fluid in the reservoir started bubbling, then I'd wiggle the hose around pull it up and push it back in a little further in an attempt to get as much oil out as possible. I think at one point I pushed the tube in so far it kinked a little, and was causing an issue with flow, there's a little dent from a kink near the end of the tube that supports my theory. Eventually I was getting nothing but air, and eyeballing the oil level in the 8.8L reservoir appeared to have about 4L in it.

I made the biggest mess changing the cartridge filter, but it was minor compared to the last time I changed the oil.

I added 4L of new Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30, and checked the oil level on the dipstick. The oil level was within the proper level range on the stick, so I guess I got enough out.

This will be a huge time saver, especially now that I've got a little experience using it. No jack, jack stands, or ramps needed. I don't have to remove the eleventy billion screws that hold the splash shield on. I don't have to crawl around under the car and splash nasty diesel oil all over the driveway and myself. I like the VW's top mounted cartridge style oil filter even more now. With the Mityvac there is absolutely no reason to get under the car for a simple oil change. Now that I have it figured out I'll be able to change the oil in 1/4 the time or less than it used to take.

I think that I will get a sharpie and mark some graduations on the side of the reservoir but other than that, after one use I'm pleased with my purchase.

Thus concludes the infomercial for the Mityvac 7201.

• Lee

In reply to bigdaddylee82:

You nailed the best part - no jacking up just to remove a pile of plastic shields. It literally takes 10 minutes to do the BMW. Mine is the pneumatic one so I don't even have to do anything... attach tube, open oil cap... go get coffee.

I will be stealing your "add graduations" tip.

My truck's Allison trans is due for a flush - for my next trick I will attempt to siphon out a gallon of ATF thru the worlds longest dipstick tube using only the tube itself for ventilation before I fill and flush. If it works - that is another smelly mess I get to avoid.

I love when a tool actually works.

I use an open topped pan and pour the oil into a wide mouthed Blitz jug for storage.

Keith Tanner wrote: I use one of these. The funnel is in the storage location here - you pop it out and screw it in place of the yellow cap. Nice big drain hole, I've never managed to outrun it. When you're done, you put the cap back on and it's ready to go to the recycler. I'd love to know what the vintage Mercedes guys use. I swear the 230 has a hole in the oil pan that's about 40mm in diameter. Instant sump drain.

This is what I use as well. The best I have ever found holds 12 quarts too. If I could still find them I would buy one for each of my brothers. I just dont know where to get em. Had mine for about 10 years. Highly recommend.

Keith Tanner wrote: I use one of these. The funnel is in the storage location here - you pop it out and screw it in place of the yellow cap. Nice big drain hole, I've never managed to outrun it. When you're done, you put the cap back on and it's ready to go to the recycler.

Where do you get this thing?!

Here's one: http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/wedco-12-5-qt-recycle-drain-pan/0000000036264

I just bought 2 more of those wedco pans. Internets rule!

I went with the "drilling 5-6 holes with a spade bit around the drain holes" method and it worked really well. The oil pan doesn't "spit" back when it's being filled too quickly.

Toyman01 wrote: This is what I use. Gets the job done and doubles as a wash pan when needed.

That plus this is what you need.

Fumoto valve and done with it, it replaces the drain plug permanently. All of my cars have them, they make oil changes sooooo easy and you can put a hose on it if you want.

No tools needed for an oil change? Yes please.

airwerks wrote: Fumoto valve and done with it, it replaces the drain plug permanently. All of my cars have them, they make oil changes sooooo easy and you can put a hose on it if you want. No tools needed for an oil change? Yes please.

I have seen these but have worried about it being the lowest thing hanging under my car for some speed bump to catch and tear off.

The cars I have them on either have skid plates or the plug comes out the back of the pan (not the bottom) so I haven't had to worry about it.

I'm with him, Fumoto valves on everything.

noddaz wrote:

airwerks wrote: Fumoto valve and done with it, it replaces the drain plug permanently. All of my cars have them, they make oil changes sooooo easy and you can put a hose on it if you want. No tools needed for an oil change? Yes please.

I have seen these but have worried about it being the lowest thing hanging under my car for some speed bump to catch and tear off.

same thing could happen to a OEM drain plug …..