My 3D printed oil funnel design

[GH85Carrera]

Yea, I know there are some 3D printer threads on the site already.

I have owned my 85 Carrera for 30 years. I have cussed at many off the shelf funnels over the years. My business partner has a 3D printer, and I bugged him into designing this funnel.












The red funnel was the prototype. We changed to black to look better. The protype did not have a screw cap on the bottom. The black one is the final design, and the cap screws into the inside of the funnel and looks and works great.

No more oil dribbling out of the funnel, or dirt getting in the funnel once you are done with it. Stuff a paper towel in the top, and you will have a nice clean funnel for next time. The funnel on the bottom, has the cap screwed in place. The top one I removed it to show the threads.

The saddle fits over the stock air intake, and it stays in place, even with a full bottle of oil. The tip of the funnel is about as big as will fit in the oil tank, with the dip stick removed.

I love mine. I have had two people contact me about the one I posted in the What are you doing to your 911 thread. We figured up the cost, and time to print the funnel, an I think $25 is a very reasonable cost.

Plus shipping! I will send them out in a box, via USPS at the cheapest shipping cost I can. I will have to box one up and weigh it and figure out what the post office will charge to post the actual shipping cost.

I am not doing this as a money making endeavor, just supply a tiny market for this.

If you have some other year 911, no it will not fit you car as the air filer is different. This is for a Carrera with the factory air filter housing and with a standard one quart oil bottle.

As it is a 3D printed plastic, I would be leery of using it on a HOT engine. I mostly wanted it for oil changes. Put in a quart, and let go of the bottle, and wait for all the oil to drain out. With the large tip, oil should flow out quickly.

Just PM me if you want one. I suspect the shipping will be a couple of bucks. Just PayPal as a gift, and send me the address to ship it to. I have two to ship out now, so I will know the shipping cost ASAP.

[Tobra]

not bad, beats hell out of my transmission funnel

[GH85Carrera]

The box costs me right at a dollar, and the cheapest postage is pretty much 9 dollars. Even without using a calculator, I can figure it is 10 bucks to ship it. I am not charging for "handling" as I have no employee to pay. If you have a PayPal account, I can send you the payment request. I have not done that in decades. I think I need your email address that your PayPal account is tied to.

So a grand total of $35 will get you one delivered to your door.

[GH85Carrera]

Yep, I need you email address to send a request via PayPal.

I expect to sell just a handful of these. It will not make me much more than cover my expenses.

[dw1]

Looks good - nice design.

BUT.... I suggest you also consider a different version - one that is more compatible with 5 qt oil containers.

Here's why:
Despite having done more than a few oil changes on my '87 3.2, for the first time last week I used a 5 qt. container (Valvoline VR1 20w-50 racing oil because of its high ZDDP) and I ran into a problem because one cannot pour slowly enough to prevent overflowing any of my conventional funnels. Quite a mess, luckily most of it ended up in the paper towels and newspaper I put under the oil fill opening.

I even tried dispensing the 5 qt container into 1 qt containers with the predictable very messy results.

I ended up using a funnel with a flexible "gooseneck" and while that worked, carefully pouring from a large oil container while simultaneously holding the funnel and avoiding making a mess got me thinking there had to be an easier way.....

[GH85Carrera]

That is a consideration. The problem is the 5 quart containers will never fit in the engine compartment. It would require some elaborate twisting to go from the oil tank, around the hinge and fender and then upright. I doubt it would steong enough to hold the container.

And even with the one quart funnel, I expect at first with 20-50 I will need to pour carefully, and then once the main amount of volume is in, then push the oil container into the funnel.

It does have a larger neck than the other funnels I have, but until my 911 burns another 1/2 quart, I can't test it in real word conditions.

The neck is just under an inch wide on my funnel.

On the 3D design thread there are some funnels that might work for you. I designed this one to fit my needs.

I have shipped out three so far, so I guess I can't go order a new 911 just yet.

I am only making them available as a service to other 3.2 Carrera owners that want a better way to add oil, and they don't have a 3D printer handy.

[wazzz]

Originally Posted by dw1

...

I ended up using a funnel with a flexible "gooseneck" and while that worked, carefully pouring from a large oil container while simultaneously holding the funnel and avoiding making a mess got me thinking there had to be an easier way.....

That's what I do too. I use a large funnel with flexible gooseneck. Neck was not long enough so I made an extension with a piece of hose and now the funnel can be held vertical. It clears the lid and is kept in position with a pair of clamps, so I can use both my hands to hold the 5-quart container. No more mess.

[Fab64]

Glen, I received my funnel today - thanks for the prompt shipping! I look forward to using it.

Cheers,

[emac911]

Thats a cool design! I have been through a ton of funnels over the years and hated all of them for one reason or another. Found this funnel a few years ago and I love it. I keep a piece of wire on the handle to hold it in place for certain jobs. Cleans great with brake parts cleaner. Flexible but doesnt collapse.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093X2Z41M?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_2&th=1

Link not working....flexall funnel on Amazon

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by emac911

Thats a cool design! I have been through a ton of funnels over the years and hated all of them for one reason or another. Found this funnel a few years ago and I love it. I keep a piece of wire on the handle to hold it in place for certain jobs. Cleans great with brake parts cleaner. Flexible but doesnt collapse.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093X2Z41M?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_ti tle_2&th=1

Link not working....flexall funnel on Amazon

I have tried the flexible funnels. I still had to stand there and pour in the oil as the bottle fell out if I did not hold it. The other thing is the end of it is always open, so dirt and debris will get in when stored. Mine has a screw in cap to keep the small end clean, and avoid any oil dripping out.

[emac911]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I have tried the flexible funnels. I still had to stand there and pour in the oil as the bottle fell out if I did not hold it. The other thing is the end of it is always open, so dirt and debris will get in when stored. Mine has a screw in cap to keep the small end clean, and avoid any oil dripping out.

No doubt its a great design for the 911! I was just mentioning the flexall as the material is so much better than any other ones I have used. My equipment varies from excavators to 911's! A large ziplock is good to store funnels from dust and debris, which I have a lot around my shop! Nice work!

[A930Rocket]

That’s awesome, Glen. PM going out…

[MSB911]

Great design! Just sent you a PM.

[SCforme]

Got my funnel yesterday and used it during my oil change today. It's a clever design that works really well and takes some of the tedium out of pouring in 10 separate oil containers. I'd recommend it to every Carrera owner.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by SCforme

Got my funnel yesterday and used it during my oil change today. It's a clever design that works really well and takes some of the tedium out of pouring in 10 separate oil containers. I'd recommend it to every Carrera owner.

Thanks. I mailed out two more today.

[GH85Carrera]

Just as an interesting fact of 3D printing, to make the funnels the printer requires some supports on the neck, and the part that hooks onto the air intake. The are somehow made with a lot of air in the support. The supports snap right off, and the inside of the neck where the cap screws on usually has some small debris specks. Those have to be removed with my finger. The cap itself has some supports around the 911 text. And if you look at the top of the second photo, the support for the 911 text on the side of the funnel. I have one with my initials on it, just because.


It take about 6 hours to print one funnel.

It is fascinating to see the printer working. From a digital file designed in Solidworks to a physical funnel. The design part is the hardest part. I figured the folks on the board that have never printed anything in 3D might want to know.

[Fab64]

Very cool, thanks for the explanation.

[Socbum]

Got my funnel today, thanks a bunch Glen

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Socbum

Got my funnel today, thanks a bunch Glen

You are welcome! Enjoy it.

I have several more printed up, and ready to mail out if anyone wants one. I just need your email address to request the funds through PayPal, and then your mailing address. Just PM me, and I will get it done.

And no I don't do Venmo or anything else but PayPal. I will take an analog paper check that has the mailing address that matches the address on the check.

[MSB911]

My funnel arrived today. Very cool! Thank you again!