oil drain valve

[fjbauer@dsavm.e-mail.com]

Frank J. Bauer                                                                  
dassault systemes of America     email:fjbauer@dsavm.e-mail.com                 
Subject: oil drain valve                                                        
> I'm all for convenience, Butttttttttt, no way Jose on my car, no no no.       
> I could just imagine a stick, a rock, a small animal, pushes on that          
> flip valve, and poof, I've traded 15-5 = 10 minutes of my admittedly          
> valuable time for........A NEW ENGINE...........                              
glenn:                                                                          
i have had several hundred thousand miles of experience using this valve        
on vw/a's.  there is a positive spring-loaded lock that would make your         
scenario far less likely than the stripping-your-oil-pan-threads scenario.      
the valve is a ball valve design.  the friction with the nylon(?) seat is       
enough that even if something could catch the small lever and lift it 3/8 inch  
against spring pressure, it wouldn't easily turn and certainly would never      
vibrate open.  my bro once got run off the road up onto a curb in the GLI.      
the engine was trashed by the impact.  the valve has spent 170K + on the        
replacement engine.  the valve still has the bevel on it from scraping          
the curb.  it didn't leak then and it still doesn't.                            
frank