Stupid oil pan drain plug BE GONE! - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

chetwesley · #31 04-09-2008, 11:25 AM

I don't get it, even with the plug in back of the pan, it is not hard to get at if you don't have a skidplate (do a lot of people have skid plates?). I have enough room to lie down, reach back there with an open ended wrench, and loosen it without the car jacked up.

One trick my dad taught me is to apply some pressure to the plug as you are unscrewing it (pushing it in towards the pan with one finger while unscrewing. That way the plug doesn't fall out and oil doesn't seep around the plug and down your arm. Then when you know it is all the way out of the threads, you just pull it away as fast a possible, and hope you have your drain pan positioned correctly

dieseldiehard · #32 04-09-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chetwesley

I don't get it, even with the plug in back of the pan, it is not hard to get at if you don't have a skidplate (do a lot of people have skid plates?). I have enough room to lie down, reach back there with an open ended wrench, and loosen it without the car jacked up.

One trick my dad taught me is to apply some pressure to the plug as you are unscrewing it (pushing it in towards the pan with one finger while unscrewing. That way the plug doesn't fall out and oil doesn't seep around the plug and down your arm. Then when you know it is all the way out of the threads, you just pull it away as fast a possible, and hope you have your drain pan positioned correctly

And then ther's the time (more than once) that the plug slipped out of my hand then into the drain pan and down the opening where oil goes in, making a messy retrival job necessary
I use a topsider nowdays

bustedbenz · #33 04-09-2008, 12:19 PM

If I were having to tote the oil to a recycling center, I might think the usefulness of having one of those fancy containers was worth it.

As it is... we just drain into a metal pan, funnel the dirty oil back into the jugs, store the oil in the basement, store the pan out on the woodpile, save the oil all year and use it dribble by dribble to get the woodstove lit in the heating season.

EDIT: Forgot to add this, hate to double-post. I'd also consider a suction device pain-saving if I had underbody pans still. Didn't come with the car, not about to replace them. Just something else to get in the way, fall off at bad times, etc.

SD Blue · #34 04-09-2008, 12:27 PM

I had one of those on a truck years ago. It worked great. BTW, the angle is a little exaggerated in the photo and I would venture to say that it may change your ground clearance by less than 1/4". After installing one, I can't possibly see how it would ever accidently drain, let's say next to virtually impossible odds against it. I ran that truck down trails, through mesquite brush and never had it accidently drain.

johnathan1 · #35 04-09-2008, 08:27 PM

Did you guys ever stop to consider that maybe your engine under-covers are there for a reason? They help with cooling, as well as aerodynamics at speed...

That said, my car still still has it installed.

bustedbenz · #36 04-09-2008, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnathan1

Did you guys ever stop to consider that maybe your engine under-covers are there for a reason? They help with cooling, as well as aerodynamics at speed...

That said, my car still still has it installed.

Mine didn't come with it, (it did from the factory, but it's been through several previous owners, one of whom didn't put it back) and since mine doesn't run hot or refuse to go over 55, I figure I'm okay for the time being. I'm in college, I have a limited car budget, and buying plastic panels just seems like a low priority.

derburger · #37 04-09-2008, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldiehard

And then ther's the time (more than once) that the plug slipped out of my hand then into the drain pan and down the opening where oil goes in, making a messy retrival job necessary
I use a topsider nowdays

Dropping the drain plug into the pan has happened every time I change the oil .

I keep a pair of scissors handy to push the plug out of the way as the drain pan quickly fills in the top because of the drain plug plugged drain hole in the pan. I did find a $20 Mityvac used topsider at a MB dieseler's estate sale for cheap but I didn't need another greasy thing in my garage.

lietuviai · #38 04-09-2008, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad300tdt

I can't find it now, but I saw a similar valve that was used in place of the coolant drain plug on the block.

I used a couple of icemaker line valves on the block of a Cadillac I used to own. I attached some icemaker lines to them and used them to drain the block into a pan. Without the lines you'd have coolant raining uncontrollably from underneath.
Too bad plumbing fixtures don't come with metric threads.

Chad300tdt · #39 04-09-2008, 10:21 PM

I just found this brass coolant drain petcock for tractor engines. I wonder how much it would cost to have something made or adapted to match the threads of the coolant plug.

lietuviai · #40 04-09-2008, 10:28 PM

The biggest problem with that is the location of the drain. It difficult enough to get a wrench in there.

pawoSD · #41 04-10-2008, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by derburger

Dropping the drain plug into the pan has happened every time I change the oil .

I keep a pair of scissors handy to push the plug out of the way as the drain pan quickly fills in the top because of the drain plug plugged drain hole in the pan. I did find a $20 Mityvac used topsider at a MB dieseler's estate sale for cheap but I didn't need another greasy thing in my garage.

A telescoping magnet works too.