Haven't they redesigned that damned drain plug yet?
I never bought the explanation that some offered... that having the drain plug mounted sideways prevented it from being ripped off by rocks, etc. Like any impact hard enough to damage the plug wouldn't wreck everything else down there.
I dunno. I never understood the "problems" that folks have with their drain plugs.
I just loosen the plug, and hold pressure towards the pan as I unscrew it. then I finally just pop it out of the way, and Voila.
Ain't no way I'm paying $10-15.00 for a steenkin drain plug !!
Come on over sometime, and I'll introduce you to all the oil spots on my garage floor. If the oil drained straight down, there wouldn't be any.
Yes, but since I know that I
*shrug* whatever if it works for you then GREAT! I'm just too F#$% cheap to buy one !
Are we talking about the same Explorer? I have a '98. Unless I use a large funnel or cut-off soda bottle, the oil would shoot out sideways. A big drain pan goes no good when oil is splattering all over the suspension, and into your eyes and hair. Or when the drain plug slides down into the neck of your funnel and plugs it. Or when the oil is so hot that you burn your hand holding the funnel while it drains.
I'm sure there are some other disasters I'm leaving out, but you get the idea by now I'm sure. All because the drain plug isn't vertical.
The drain plug on my 96 XLT is on the direct bottom. I do the same thing, hold pressure until the treads are unscrewed and quickly pull it aside and the oil goes into the pan.
The plug gizmo is a good idea though. The only problem I have is the teency bit of splatter drops jumping out of the drain pan... No matter which kind I use with a plastic grid or hole in the center of the catch assembly, etc...
I had a '99 XLT.
When I changed the oil the first time, it *did* shoot all over the right-side suspension parts.
I avoided that problem very easily. I unscrewed the drain plug very carefully, and angled it upward while still in the hole. The oil then came out of the bottom of the hole without splattering anything, and, after about five seconds, I could remove it entirely, even with warm oil.
I also cut the top off of a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi and used that as a container to remove the oil filter. Just loosen the filter enought to remove it without force, put the Pepsi container under it and right up above the top of the filter, and it catches everything, including the filter after it is loosened.
I now have a 2002 EB. While the engine is the same, many parts are now different (including the entire front suspension). The oil pan now aims the oil in a more downward direction, so it can come out without any diversion and without splattering anything. The oil filter is also now an FL-820S, not an FL-1, so it's shorter (but the same diameter).
Well, free :)
My Father in law brings them to me ! so I don't know how much they run, nor where you would even get them.
They are pretty cool though. it comes in a big roll like giant paper towels, but about 20x thicker. and they are around 18" wide.
He swipes them from work, I guess ?? although they might just be the roll-ends and stuff since the rolls he gives me are always different sizes
*shrug*.
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