Opinion on Oil Drain Valve

Newsa, soot has been happening from the first time Dr Diesel got one of these running. diesel engines have soot in them.. the oil turns black.. change the oil and the filters and move on.

 

I will. But I am one of those compulsive oil changes that changes oil and oil filters every 4-5 months even though I only drive 9k - 15k per year. I'm convinced city driving causes a bit of fuel dilution of crankcase oil as I see the dipstick level rise.

 

Newsa, it might... I think TDR is the home of compulsive oil changers and people who overanalyze just about everything on these trucks.
probably why I like the magazine and the forum, simply because its geared towards people who are polar opposites fro m me. LOL

I'd expect you to have more problems from the DPF than from the oil...
OTOH, I have about the best diesel duty cycle for not causing problems
I don't daily drive the truck but generally when I do use it I put on a couple hundred miles at a time if not more.
last time I drove it was last Wednesday, Naples to Orlando and back again in 1 day.
hasn't moved since

 

I have the Femco drain plug & tube from Genos. Had one on my 2003 before this. Makes draining the oil a no-mess operation, and no hot oil on your hands. I installed it after the first oil change, after oil splattered all over the place like a cow ******* on a rock. But some people will just use a taller bucket instead. To each his own.

 

Newsa,
As a chemistry teacher, perhaps you could devise a way to measure quantitatively how much of the old oil remains after draining the engine. Is there something you could to the oil add that could easily be measured? It would have to be something that can be detected by some means other than visual since the oil will be completely opaque, maybe an alpha emitter or something. Put it in the engine a few miles before you change the oil to mix it in well; sample the oil as you drain it, add a measured amount of new oil, drive around for a few miles to mix everything together, take a sample of the new oil and compare the ratios of whatever you added in the old and new oils. I think a lot of people would be interested in your results, and it might even convince someone that the tiny amount blocked by the Fumoto valve won't matter. Real numbers are better than speculation any day.

 

So you are realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly doing a partial oil change!!!!!!

 

I choose not to use any valve. You are entitled to continue to use the valve because I'm sure their marketing strategy will convince many.

As for after market items added on to vehicles, I have an AFE differential (larger) cover, an amsoil bypass filter, a black market wye on my upper radiator hose, sulastic shackles on my rear leaf speings, centramatic wheel balancers, cooling fins on my g56 (larger volume), and a unagoose gooseneck hitch.

When I took the truck to the dealer to get the water pump replaced, they gave the truck a once over and said that they will not work on anything that has an after market part on it. Because if the part fails in some way or causes an unintended consequence, they will avoid any responsibility for that system.

My experience with valves is that they can get clogged with soot. I choose to just keep my drain plug and not replace it with a valve.
I speculate that partial oil changes will not likely harm anything. You can't really get all of the oil out anyway.

 

I wouldn't call it "market strategy" that will "convince many". That makes it sound like smoke and mirrors and a scam that people are buying into because they are too ignorant to realize they are being played. It isn't like all those "seen on TV" products that are truly worthless. I, personally, see it as a solution to a valid problem. I don't like hot oil on me. I really don't like sooty black hot oil splattering everywhere (or getting redirected away from my pan by the breeze). A drain valve with a tube that goes down to my pan solved it for me.

 

Since I don't have a Fumoto or femco, I can not do a proper analysis. I don't have the vehicle with the valve installed or the scope to do what this mechanic did.

http://www.powerstroke.org/forum/6-...s-ez-drain-fumoto.html#/topics/1063954?page=1

But I will do everything in my power to keep those oil jets that spray cylinder walls, oil gallery, and oil passages from getting clogged with soot. Including installing a bypass oil filter. I would doubt that the residue on the bottom of the oil pan will get sucked up by the oil pick-up tube. But don't want to take that chance. Read the above link for my rationale.

All in all, I doubt any residue left in the oil pan will get sucked up. But even if it did, it would be filtered first.

Edit: probably a good reason to pay $5 more for the stratopore or equivalent????? Or the fleetguard full flow with the built in bypass filter that filters 2 streams at once and costs about twice what a stratopore costs?

 

If soot would actually clog a drain valve, you've got bigger things to worry about.....like those oil galleys you mentioned...

 

"I'm convinced city driving causes a bit of fuel dilution of crankcase oil as I see the dipstick level rise."

Only good way to see what's going on inside your engine is to do an analysis. My 11 HO and current 15 reports always come back less than .05% furl dilution.

 

"So you are realllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllly doing a partial oil change!!!!!!"

Gots dat right!

What's with this WHITE truck in your pic???

 

"Since I don't have a Fumoto or femco, I can not do a proper analysis."

NOT true. Pull plug let about 1/2 of the oil drain then stick the bottle under the flow and fill.

BEST way I used to do on my 12V was on top of the filter housing there is a plug. I would remove and replace with a brass fitting with a tit for a small hose to attach. I would slip on about 3' of tubing stick the end in the oil fill hole start truck let run for a couple minutes pull hose out and fill sample bottle.

 

Is it me or is this whole oil change issue over-analyzed? You will NEVER get all of the oil out of any engine during a "normal" oil change. With or without a drain valve what could be left in the pan? A cup or two? We're putting in 11-12 qts of fresh oil and a clean filter. Nothing will get hurt by this.

Does anyone think a dealer oil change gets out close to what the DIY-ers here do? They likely leave even more old oil behind by not letting it drip for more time than it takes to remove the filter and spin on a new one.

While I understand everyone's concern over making these engines last forever, at the end of the day a little dirty oil left behind ain't gonna matter at all.

 

my thoughts exactly. then again this strange compulsion gives all of us something to talk about. LOL

 

I only let my oil drain 20 mins or so. And I don't always do it with a hot engine.

 

then your concern about leaving anything behind is a moot point .. not that it will hurt anything because most oil changes are not all day affairs.

 

I drain into a catch pan, and then put the used oil into the just used bottles to free up the catch pan. Makes sense, right, I don't ever get three gallons back out, usually just 2 1/2 gal. One quart is in the by-pass filter, and the other is still in the engine, of which will take a solid week to finish draining out if I it. So I just move on. to finish the job.

 

I didn't want to install a valve that will cause it to drain slower and turn it into an all day affair.

 

Dealer or other oil changes will result in being up to one qt over full.