RE: Missed Oil Change Step?

[Nortoon_imp]

I used an open plastic (kitty litter) pan for my oil changes. But it and the funnel had to be cleaned with paper towels after each use. Oily paper towels are both messy and dangerous in a hot garage in the summer. The windows on my garage door fast the hot afternoon sun.

Taking them to the curb to degrease and wash them annoyed my tree hugging neighbour. Not too good for the neighbourhood settlement pond either which is used by frogs, ducks and geese.

So I bought this drain pan at Walmart.


The grate keeps the drain plug and washer from dropping into the hot oil. When finished the top can be capped, and the dirty oil poured out of the spout into the empty 4 liter Honda jug. Cap the spout and set drain pan aside for the next time. No need to clean it, no oily paper towels to deal with. The oil in the Honda jug goes to Canadian Tire for recycling.

 

[2017EX_imp]

For years, I have been using a plain round plastic pan to drain oil into. It does the job, but holding the pan with a gallon of sloshing oil in it while trying to pour it into a disposable container was not always easy, or mess free. Then there was the clean up of the pan after that oil transfer. Consequently I had been looking for a specialized self contained oil change container/pan with a pour spout to drain the oil from my bike.

I found just such a container on EBay, auction number 162121090925, on close out by Pep Boys for $10.69 shipped! The original MSRP was $30. I found the same container on Amazon for $11.90 shipped, Amazon.com . The dimensions of the container are 11.6 long x 11.8 wide x 5.1 inches in height, and it holds 7 quarts.

The large opening that the draining oil flows into has a plastic grid to catch the drain bolt and crush washer, and has a screw on plastic cap for when not in use. There is also a second screw on cap for the pour spout for transferring used oil into a disposable container.

The predominant complaints from reviews on Amazon were for stripped cap threads from over tightening, and leakage from the caps during transport to a re cycling center, or caps leaking from storage of the old oil before going to the re cycling center. As soon as an oil change is done, I always transfer old oil from my drain pan, with a plastic funnel, into an empty plastic gallon milk jug or similar. Some folks use the empty quart bottles from the new oil. The end result is just a clean up of a plastic funnel, as there is no need or way to clean the inside of the drain pan/container. None of the container/pans of this type were recommended in the reviews for transport to recycle, and all the reviews for this type of container/pan indicated oil seepage from the caps if oil was stored in it for any length of time. Provided the container/pan is kept horizontal ( some descriptions suggested the containers could be stood on end vertically with oil inside ), the caps are not over tightened, and old oil is transferred into a disposable container before calling it a day, then no problems should be expected.

On the upside, this is a bargain priced container/pan that is of a size that will easily work with our bikes, with the plus of catching the drain bolt and crush washer with the plastic grid. Read the reviews on Amazon and decided if it is the right tool for you.

 

[tuareg]

Agreed, that's the least messy way to change oil. I use this:



Capacity is about 14 liters, which is perhaps a bit too much. I wouldn't have 14 liters of old oil lying about in the garage.
I believe it's available on Amazon and ebay.

 

[2017EX_imp]

I forgot to mention, whether it is this model/brand or any other of similar design, most reviewers recommend filling with water to check for leaks before actually using for oil changes.

 

[Rocky_imp]

For years, I have been using a plain round plastic pan to drain oil into. It does the job, but holding the pan with a gallon of sloshing oil in it while trying to pour it into a disposable container was not always easy, or mess free. Then there was the clean up of the pan after that oil transfer. Consequently I had been looking for a specialized self contained oil change container/pan with a pour spout to drain the oil from my bike.

I found just such a container on EBay, auction number 162121090925, on close out by Pep Boys for $10.69 shipped! The original MSRP was $30. I found the same container on Amazon for $11.90 shipped, Amazon.com . The dimensions of the container are 11.6 long x 11.8 wide x 5.1 inches in height, and it holds 7 quarts.

The large opening that the draining oil flows into has a plastic grid to catch the drain bolt and crush washer, and has a screw on plastic cap for when not in use. There is also a second screw on cap for the pour spout for transferring used oil into a disposable container.

The predominant complaints from reviews on Amazon were for stripped cap threads from over tightening, and leakage from the caps during transport to a re cycling center, or caps leaking from storage of the old oil before going to the re cycling center. As soon as an oil change is done, I always transfer old oil from my drain pan, with a plastic funnel, into an empty plastic gallon milk jug or similar. Some folks use the empty quart bottles from the new oil. The end result is just a clean up of a plastic funnel, as there is no need or way to clean the inside of the drain pan/container. None of the container/pans of this type were recommended in the reviews for transport to recycle, and all the reviews for this type of container/pan indicated oil seepage from the caps if oil was stored in it for any length of time. Provided the container/pan is kept horizontal ( some descriptions suggested the containers could be stood on end vertically with oil inside ), the caps are not over tightened, and old oil is transferred into a disposable container before calling it a day, then no problems should be expected.

On the upside, this is a bargain priced container/pan that is of a size that will easily work with our bikes, with the plus of catching the drain bolt and crush washer with the plastic grid. Read the reviews on Amazon and decided if it is the right tool for you.

I too am a little fed up with the open pan I've been using for years. You and Nortoon have given me a great idea for the future.
Thanks to both of your for your posts

 

[Roper_imp]

I use this FloTool container for changing oil in all my vehicles. $15 at Autozone. And they take back all the used oil.

16 qt oil drain pan

 

[the Ferret]

How do you guys get those under your bikes? I bought one like Nortoon posted last year at Auto zone and it wouldn't fit under my ST OR my CB. I gave it to my son to use on his car.

 

[Cormanus]

When you get an answer to that Ferret, I might look at getting one that fits. Seems like a great idea to me.

 

[2017EX_imp]

Ferret, In answer to the question, there are two sizes of this brand/model, a 7 quart, which is a 11.6 x 11.8 x 5.1 inches tall, and a 12 quart which is 21 x 15 x 8 inches tall. The 12 quart model is too large width and length to get the drain bolt centered over the plastic grid opening in the pan, aside from also being a bit too tall. The smaller 7 quart version is just about perfect for motorcycles, lawn mowers and ATVs. Something else I like, is that the drain cap for the container/pan is above the center line of the ( height ) of the pan. This means that with 4.1 quarts of oil in the drain pan, it is at a little over half capacity, and the level of the oil in the pan is just at, or just slightly above the drain cap. Other brands have the drain cap at half the height of the pan.

I used an open plastic (kitty litter) pan for my oil changes. But it and the funnel had to be cleaned with paper towels after each use. Oily paper towels are both messy and dangerous in a hot garage in the summer. The windows on my garage door fast the hot afternoon sun.

Taking them to the curb to degrease and wash them annoyed my tree hugging neighbour. Not too good for the neighbourhood settlement pond either which is used by frogs, ducks and geese.

So I bought this drain pan at Walmart.


The grate keeps the drain plug and washer from dropping into the hot oil. When finished the top can be capped, and the dirty oil poured out of the spout into the empty 4 liter Honda jug. Cap the spout and set drain pan aside for the next time. No need to clean it, no oily paper towels to deal with. The oil in the Honda jug goes to Canadian Tire for recycling.

Hey Nortoon, we both posted about the same product, the same day within 30 minutes of each other, what are the odds of that? I had not seen your post when I posted, so you desrve KUDOS for being the first to pass on the info on this time and effort saving tool!

 

[Roper_imp]

How do you guys get those under your bikes? I bought one like Nortoon posted last year at Auto zone and it wouldn't fit under my ST OR my CB. I gave it to my son to use on his car.

It's about 24" from the center stand to the back of the front tire. So the pan I use fits fine that way. The pan is about 6" tall, which leaves only an inch to the drain plug, so I have to loosen with the socket, move the wrench, put the pan under, and then take the drain plug out with my fingers. As long as the oil isn't too hot, I'm okay

 

[tuareg]

How do you guys get those under your bikes? I bought one like Nortoon posted last year at Auto zone and it wouldn't fit under my ST OR my CB. I gave it to my son to use on his car.

The one in my example is about 5" deep and 12" wide so there's ample room to fit under the CB.

 

[flynrider]

Good thread. I bought one similar to Roper and Tuareg's examples, but found (the hard way) that the indentation in the side wasn't deep enough. Also, the 2 small holes where the oil drains inside the container were too small. When the hot oil poured out, it quickly overflowed onto the garage floor.

Of course, the first time I thought I hadn't centered the pan under the drain opening. The second time I learned my lesson. I bought this one because my airplane oil drains via a hose and this lets me stand it upright and run the hose into the container. Works great for that.

I think I'll pick up one like Nortoon originally posted for the motorcycles. I had one years ago and they work pretty well.

 

[Townie_imp]

I just use an old Rubbermaid dishpan. It certainly has all the clean-up work that Nortoon mentioned, but it's long enough to catch oil from both the drain plug and the oil filter. Once the oil from the drain plug starts a slow drip, off comes the filter. Oil from both areas drip into the same pan, at the same time.

Most of the containers shown in the thread don't look very long. How do you guys catch the oil from the filter? A second container? Two steps?

 

[2017EX_imp]

My post is #2, and I use the same pan with round plastic grid that Nortoon pictured and uses in post #1. After all the old oil is drained from the crankcase, I clean the drain bolt, crankcase surface, and screw the drain bolt back in ( with a new crush washer ) finger tight ( the last steps are screwing on a new filter to proper snug, and tightening the drain bolt ). Next I slide the pan over to below the oil filter, and remove the filter. Something else that is handy about this pan, is that once the old filter is removed, it can stand upright with the open end of the filter against the plastic grid in order to drain all the old oil out of the filter. While researching what to buy, some of the reviews I read on the recessed flat pan area type of pan/container designs indicated that it resulted in some oil splash. On the other hand I have not found the large round open mouth grid design to have any splash. Although the pan I use shown in post #1 does result in an additional step ( sliding the pan over for filter removal ), I am very satisfied with the round opening/plastic grid design.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

I use the same method as 2017 EX. The oil filter ends up in a Ziploc bag after being drained. It is taken to Canadian Tire with the Honda jug of dirty oil for recycling. Many of the companies that do oil changed will recycle these things.

 

[2017EX_imp]

Since there seems to be some interest in this tool, and how it sits under our bikes, I thought I would post a little more information and a couple of pictures. The brand is Scepter, 7 quart model, and made in Canada ( not China or Taiwan for a change!). Dimensions previously given for length and width are pretty accurate. It can be found on Amazon, Pep Boys, and Walmart among others. Mine came from Pep Boys for $11 shipped.

The large round opening on the top with plastic grid and large green storage cap, is 6.5 inches in diameter. The plastic grid can be lifted out for cleaning, or use without the grid. However as I noted earlier, the grid is very handy for catching the drain bolt/crush washer, and can also be used to drain the oil filter stood open end down on the grid. Total height to the top of the large mouth opening is 5.5 inches.

The picture of the container, green drain cap facing forward under my bike, has the drain bolt centered over the grid with the back side of the container container resting against the center stand. From the drain bolt seat, to the face of the grid, is about 3 inches. I usually break the drain bolt loose with a socket, then use an open end wrench to finish drain bolt removal. I found it a lot easier to clean any oil off an open end wrench, than a socket and ratchet handle.

Leak check filled with water first when new, dont over tighten the screw on caps, and you will love this tool. It also states on the container "Always transport and store with large ( green ) cap facing up". As Nortoon said, and I do as well, better to transfer the old oil into a disposable container for transport to a recycle location, than in this container. The only things to clean up will then be a plastic funnel, and an open end wrench.