Subject: Re: Fumoto oil drain valve

[Christopher Ritchie]

>I dropped about $50 and got one of the vaccuum pump suction
oil
>changers. You just slip the tube down the dipstick, pump the
handle
>a half dozen times, open the valve, and go watch TV for 15
minutes.
>When you come back, *all* the oil in your car is drained into
a
>sealed container, ready to recycle. No muss, no fuss, no oil
pans
>under the car, no dripping, no stripped threads, no nothing.
>
>This thing is DEFINITELY the way to go! I got mine from West
Marine.
>They have a website with online ordering. BTW, I got the
blue/green
>plastic one, not the black metal one. I think it's nicer
looking,
>and easier to store and deal with.

I checked the http://www.westmarine.com web site and found the
units
you describe.  There was no user review for the one you bought,
but
there were some for the black metal one.  One thing I am
concerned
about is whether this type of oil removal system really removes
*ALL* of the old oil including any sludge, etc.  I think this
may be
determined by how far down the dipstick tube the plastic tubing
reaches.
If it could go to the very bottom of the lowest point of the oil
pan
then it should work quite well.


West Marine sells these things for boats where you can't get under the
engine to get at a drain plug.  Nobody would buy them if they could get at
the drain plug.  The people buying these things envy us car guys who can
drain the oil out through a plug.

The Fumoto drain valve is OK, I guess.  But c'mon, how difficult is it to
unscrew the plug?  I wish this was the only problem I had with my car.


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