# Fumoto Oil Drain Valve



## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

Perfectly reliable and used by many. also expensive and unnecessary in many cases.


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## House Designer (Oct 4, 2019)

I always found the oil filter change to be the messy part, not the "remove plug and drain oil into drain pan" part.
I end up with a handful of oil and sometimes slip and drop the filter into the drain pan.


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

I have done literally thousands of oil changes in my time,

Call me old school if you must, but I don't see what is so difficult about removing a drain plug, and then re-installing it, it's only one bolt?

Nothing wrong with your product, I just can't see the point of it,

My other concern would be, how do you torque that product to the proper specs when you install it?

You wouldn't be able to use a torque wrench on it


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

peter1122 said:


> I have done literally thousands of oil changes in my time,
> 
> Call me old school if you must, but I don't see what is so difficult about removing a drain plug, and then re-installing it, it's only one bolt?
> 
> ...


torque it the same as an oil drain bolt. no one uses a torque wrench on those either. except maybe you.


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

House Designer said:


> I always found the oil filter change to be the messy part, not the "remove plug and drain oil into drain pan" part.
> I end up with a handful of oil and sometimes slip and drop the filter into the drain pan.


If you have the time, drain your oil, then wait about an hour or two to remove the filter,

there will be a lot less mess / dripping from the filter


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

diyfunhere said:


> torque it the same as an oil drain bolt. no one uses a torque wrench on those either. except maybe you.


I have had hundreds of cars towed into my shop from people who didn't use a torque wrench on their drain plug

I made a living off people who didn't do things properly,

You want it done correctly, you use a torque wrench,

The mistakes of backyard mechanics bought me my house


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

peter1122 said:


> I have had hundreds of cars towed into my shop from people who didn't use a torque wrench on their drain plug
> 
> I made a living off people who didn't do things properly,
> 
> ...


Well, I guess there are always those retards out there doing retarded things.

I've never used a torque wrench on an oil drain bolt and never had an issue. 

It ain't hard. 

you do you


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

peter1122 said:


> I have done literally thousands of oil changes in my time,
> 
> Call me old school if you must, but I don't see what is so difficult about removing a drain plug, and then re-installing it, it's only one bolt?
> 
> ...


Do you torque the drain plug ?


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

SeniorSitizen said:


> Do you torque the drain plug ?


yes, every time, that is why I have a torque wrench,

I do things properly, so I know they are done correctly, then there is no need to worry


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## sestivers (Aug 10, 2007)

peter1122 said:


> If you have the time, drain your oil, then wait about an hour or two to remove the filter,
> 
> there will be a lot less mess / dripping from the filter


Not when the oil filter sits completely upside down like it does on many Toyota 4 cyl.


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

sestivers said:


> Not when the oil filter sits completely upside down like it does on many Toyota 4 cyl.


Nobody can help a poor design,

That is Toyota for ya


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## digitalplumber (Jul 8, 2011)

I have 2 of these, one was on a F150 and the other on an Edge: both 2013 models. I took them off because of the slowness to drain. JMO.


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## F250 (Feb 13, 2018)

I installed the Fumoto (with the spring clip) on my F250 diesel shortly after I got it some 16 years ago (and over 230K miles driven since then). Absolutely NO issues whatsoever. Not ever a single leak. I have since replaced the older style spring clip (prevents accidental valve opening, even though that accidental opening is virtually impossible due to the spring-loaded design in the valve). What I now use instead of the spring clip is Fumoto's little plastic insert which snaps into place and serves the exact same function of making it impossible to open the valve until the insert is removed. The old style spring clip can be a real PITA, but the new style of plastic insert is as simple and easy as possible, and I still have the "belts & suspenders" support I so diligently provide for myself at every turn.

I'll admit that the internal opening of the valve is smaller than if it weren't there, so, the oil drain time is slightly slower. That's not an issue with most vehicles, and even though my truck holds 4.5 gallons (yes, gallons, and NOT quarts) of oil, I'm looking at nearly 4x the drain time as most of you. However, I only drain once yearly (low daily mileage), and am changing my bypass filter element and fuel filter and air filter while the engine sump drains. Consequently, it doesn't end up slowing me down either.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

digitalplumber said:


> I have 2 of these, one was on a F150 and the other on an Edge: both 2013 models. I took them off because of the slowness to drain. JMO.


I appreciate that information .


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## bfrabel (Oct 22, 2017)

peter1122 said:


> I have had hundreds of cars towed into my shop from people who didn't use a torque wrench on their drain plug
> 
> I made a living off people who didn't do things properly,
> 
> ...


What? I've never heard of such a thing. What failure was caused by 100's of people who needed a tow truck because they didn't use a torque wrench on the drain bolt?

Are they all coming from the 5 minute oil change place down the street where they're using impact guns on them?

Seriously, I have a hard time believing many people could wreck their drain bolt threads with a normal 6" long wrench or ratchet handle. I could see cross-threading maybe being an issue, but a torque wrench isn't going to prevent that from happening.

Really, what issues are you seeing out there that are caused by not using a torque wrench on the oil drain bolt?


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

bfrabel said:


> Really, what issues are you seeing out there that are caused by not using a torque wrench on the oil drain bolt?


Mainly stripped threads, or an oil plug that was not tight enough and fell out while driving,


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

peter1122 said:


> Mainly stripped threads, or an oil plug that was not tight enough and fell out while driving,


whatever dude. 

what are you a torque wrench salesman

I'm willing to bet there is a torque spec for every single nut on a car. don't mean you need a torque wrench for all of them.


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

diyfunhere said:


> I'm willing to bet there is a torque spec for every single nut on a car.


you are correct, there is



> don't mean you need a torque wrench for all of them.


any competent mechanic does


trust me buddy, i have seen it all in my time,

random example,

a customer of mine was rebuilding thier DOHC engine, needed to remove the camshafts

re-installing the camshafts stripped two of the mounting bolts out of the head,

needed to replace the entire cylinder head

torque wrench would have prevented that from happening



I have seen a competition where they had 100 mechanics try to tighten a bolt to 40 ft/lbs going "by feel"

after each was done they would test how close they were to the actual 40 ft/lbs

only two out of 100 were within 10% of the torque, zero were correct

all the remaining ones were off by at least 25%



In this day and age most engine pans are aluminum, the drain bolts are much easier to strip in an aluminum pan,

older cars with steel pans, not so much, but with an aluminum pan, i would use a torque wrench all the time


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

With a aluminum oil pan the plug bolt torque doesn't remain constant from hot to cold .


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

yes. I am correct. just how it is. You are also correct. if you want to use a torque wrench for this, have at it.

If you need a torque wrench for an oil drain bolt you are a retard. period. this ain't the indy 500.
some levels of meticulous are simply not needed.

why the **** is that hard?

tighten to snug. done.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

diyfunhere said:


> since no
> 
> 
> yes. I am correct. just how it is.
> ...


Define snug . Let's have 100 people attempt that and get 100 different answers .


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

diyfunhere said:


> If you need a torque wrench for an oil drain bolt you are a retard. period. this ain't the indy 500.


unfortunately there are a lot of people out there who think like you do, and end up with a huge repair bill in the end

amateur mechanics are never as good as they think they are,

most are over confident, and end up paying a lot of money to a real mechanic in the end


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## peter1122 (8 mo ago)

diyfunhere said:


> tighten to snug. done.


"snug" has a different meaning from one person to the next, that is the problem,

your snug might be 20 ft/lbs

the next persons "snug" might be 40 ft/lbs

a torque wrench eliminates that variable

I have seen many drain plugs fall out from people who have "snugged" their drain plug


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

you win


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## hershey102 (Feb 20, 2019)

While this falls under ’Operator Error’ the valve by design extends from the pan lower than an OEM plug (2104 Camry). Normally, not a problem. Unless, like my DW, you drive over a free standing curb in a parking lot.


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## F250 (Feb 13, 2018)

peter1122 said:


> "snug" has a different meaning from one person to the next, that is the problem,
> 
> your snug might be 20 ft/lbs
> 
> ...



The difference between varying amounts of "snug" boils down to "experience" (or lack thereof) and "situational awareness" (or lack thereof), both being combined with a skill for physical control over the amount of force (torque) being applied in the absence of a measurable torque meter. It's something I've only ever messed up on once, and that was during one of my early oil change efforts on my first car. Stripped drain plug threads plus a helicoil insert, and all was golden. Add to that the fact that I learned my lesson, and have never once had neither a leak nor stripped plug in the subsequent 45 years of oil changes.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

F250 said:


> The difference between varying amounts of "snug" boils down to "experience" (or lack thereof) and "situational awareness" (or lack thereof), both being combined with a skill for physical control over the amount of force (torque) being applied in the absence of a measurable torque meter. It's something I've only ever messed up on once, and that was during one of my early oil change efforts on my first car. Stripped drain plug threads plus a helicoil insert, and all was golden. Add to that the fact that I learned my lesson, and have never once had neither a leak nor stripped plug in the subsequent 45 years of oil changes.


Ayuh,...... I've been turnin' wrenches for 60 years,......

I've had a _Calibrated Elbow_, for 59 of those years,.....

I agree with peter, an unnecessary expense, for no real gain,..... 
It's just one more bolt, once or twice a year,.....


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## diyfunhere (4 mo ago)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,...... I've been turnin' wrenches for 60 years,......
> 
> I've had a _Calibrated Elbow_, for 59 of those years,.....
> 
> ...



this is in fact a useful device. Just not in most cases.


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## HotRodx10 (Aug 24, 2017)

peter1122 said:


> your snug might be 20 ft/lbs
> 
> the next persons "snug" might be 40 ft/lbs


...and either is adequate to keep the drain plug from loosening and falling out. I've done hundreds of oil changes, and I haven't stripped the threads on a one, nor had one ever fall out. 20 ft-lbs is enough to keep a drain plug tight, and even on the aluminum pans, it typically takes more than 80 ft-lbs to strip the plug threads. Anyone who can't get within that range by feel, shouldn't even be changing the oil.

A good torque wrench is a necessity for many bolts and nuts on a vehicle, but the oil drain plug isn't one of them.


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## NewDIY4me (3 mo ago)

SeniorSitizen said:


> Has anyone had experience with this drain valve ? Reliability etc .
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes. Use them all the time. Great product.

They are useful from the standpoint if you want to be able to change the oil without having to really life the vehicle and you have some vinyl hose to route the oil. Oil change shop will hate you as they don't drain as fast, but it is nice to be able to change the oil at operating temps and not scald your hand as well. 

I like them, but as mentioned above...not a necessity.


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## SeniorSitizen (Sep 10, 2012)

Sometimes i just use my fingers when tightening the plug .


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I am in the tighten to snug camp. It's one thing to torque clean dry head bolts down... which is critical. But lubricity and other issues can sometimes make blindly using a torque wrench to some spec on all sorts of fasteners very risky. After doing hundreds of oil changes, I am pretty well calibrated on what a snug oil drain bolt feels like.


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