Stupid sump plug design

AFAIK most sump plugs are at around 45 degrees, obviously pointing in the downwards direction. I may be wrong though.

About the coolant though - I had this when I did a coolant change on my Fiesta (2000 model TDi) - nothing more than a slight annoyance, but there goes - ok so a few things get wet - fortunately my mouth wasn't anywhere near it though!!

A bit of advice though - if you're planning on doing a coolant change and oil change on the same day - drain and flush the coolant first (with the engine cold), then put fresh stuff in, being careful not to leave any airlocks in the system. Then take the car for a 10 minute run, getting the oil nice and hot, get back, check the coolant level - hopefully it should have dropped a bit (circulating around radiator/heater matrix). Top up the max mark, leaving the engine running, wait a few more minutes with the engine running, in case it drops again - if not, bingo.

Then do the oil change, as you want the oil to be nice and hot, and doing things this way means that coolant is cold when drained out (as it should be) and the oil is hot.

Peter

The major adventage of having the sump plug on the vertical face is that if you were to hit the bottom of the sump on something (ie kerb), then the likely damage will be a sligthly reshaped sump. Whereas if the sump plug is on the bottom, it is more likely that plug will catch and rip the sump.

If you were to put a 90degree elbow on the sump plug, then it is likely that elbow will stick down below the sump, and be an ideal item to get caught and broken off.

As for the radiator drain plug, this is more to do with where it's easiest to mount it when the radiator was designed, and also where it can be acessed.

Not too clever if you gound them and they just shear off, bend or crack the attached rad or sump.

Now a straight ball valve and screw on cap or plug would be up out harms way, remove cap being ready to catch the dribble if it let some by, screw elbow and drain tube on to valve and open valve.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

Good idea! Think'll I'll have to rig that up next time I change the oil.

Cheers,

Robert

Keep saying it.. HENRY FORD>>>>HE MADE WALKING A PLEASURE.

Most awkward I've come across is the Rover 214. The plug on these is on the front end of the sump rather than the rear. When you raise the front to get the drain bowl underneath, you tip all the oil away from the drain hole. I get round this by doing it with the car parked on a downhill slope, with the rear wheels chokked :-)

Stuart Sharp

Aren't the engines the wrong way round in some of them? Same as the Hondas they were related to IIRC.

Yeah, it's basically a Honda Concerto, but the engine is a Rover K series. Can't see how it'd be the wrong way round, that would mean the transmission being at the wrong end! I doubt that it'll be a concern for much longer, as the owner (girlfriend's dad) has just bought himself a 405TD estate, M reg, 72k, FSH for £900 :-)

Stuart Sharp

I seem to remember that they're mounted the opposite way round to normal, with the gearbox on the other side in certain models, at least the Hondas.

Don't think I've ever had a car where the sump plug is on the bottom - they'd be too easily damaged if you grounded it. They're usually on the side.

The gearbox is on the nearside and the crank pulley & ancillaries are on the offside. I believe this is the usual arrangement on transversely mounted engines - at least I can't recall ever seeing one different. Just seems odd that the sump plug is on the opposite end to normal, but that's cars for ya :-)

Stuart Sharp

As I recall, the Honda engines have opposite rotation to the Rovers, so the

214 has gearbox to the nearside, the 216 gearbox to offside. I seem to remember left-hand threads on various bolts on the Honda, in the clutch assembly and so on, but whether that's got anything to do with the engine rotation is another question. Worst thing on the Rover was the disappearing drain tap on the radiator - early models had one, later models leave you wrestling with the bottom hose, easier to reach from below but a lot wetter. Never had a problem with the oil change though, you can reach the drain plug from below without jacking the car up, and there's enough room to get a drain pan in underneath.

But not a 50p washing up bowl like I use :-)

Stuart Sharp

I've noticed a lot of people changing their coolant. What's this about changing coolant? I've never changed it at any time (unles it's got lost for some reason) and never had a ny problems.

Rob Graham

Is it nice and clear? Should be see though like new. The red stuff is long life and lasts about 5 years before a change is due. Others are 2 years. If it's not changed the chemicals that prevent corrossion between the differing metals in the engine cooling system become exhausted. Within weeks of losing this protection the coolant turns cloudy, left longer it drops sediment and blocks the rad. Get a really hot summer day, M-way at 70+, air con on = overheat. For first prize you get to join the 10 other people on the East bound hard shoulder of the M4 that saved money by not having the coolant changed on time. (4 BMW's, 2 French lemons, 2 Renault, a Ford and a Fiat) If you see the temp going up you may get lucky and find you can get home at 50mph with the windows down and the heater on full heat. Enjoy your summer.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

Well I only changed mine because I needed to put a new thermostat in which involved draining the coolant. It had been in 18 months so I spent a tenner and threw away the old stuff. Which had gone almost black!

Haynes says if you use Ford coolant it never needs changing, but I reckon that's bollocks.

Aside from providing frost protection and improving cooling properties, the coolant contains corrosion inhibitors and usually is critical in lubricating the water pump. It also prevents head gaskets from disintegrating. Any fluid, no matter how good it's quality will degrade over time, especially when much of that time is at elevated temperatures. Well worth a tenner!

Robert

Shouldn't be. ISTR my manual says the same thing. Ford systems say they're "sealed for life"

Pete.