oil drain pan mods

[donk]

I'm going to have to dump my oil soon and want to avoid what happened last time . Anyway, has anyone had success modifying the type of pan pictured below to flow fast enough so it doesn't overflow? Thanks.

[mudman]

I RTVed and clamped a 4' section of poly hose onto the outlet. At the end of the poly I installed an inline shut off valve (push in barb style). This allows me to set the pan on a bench and put empty jugs on the floor to fill up. My dad did the same but used an extra extension after the valve so he didn't have to bend over to shut off flow.
Parts: $12 @ Home Depot

-Jeremy

[donk]

I don't think we're on the same page. The hole that the oil flows into (when it is draining out of the car) is too small to allow that large quantity of oil inside the pan before it overflows. I was thinking of mods like drilling additional holes in the top, etc.

[Jdub]

Purchase a 13-quart stainless steel bowl at any wholesale restaurant or hospital supply house. Use that to drain the oil into, and then use a large, 5-gallon laundry bucket to store your oil.

If you already have the item pictured above, yes, then by all means cut a huge set of holes in it. The oil will overflow that baby very quickly.

John

[mudman]

Oh! Well, in that case...Make sure you have the vent open (the little yellow thing) and if you try the setup I described you can set the tubing up and open the valve. Also I think my dad totally drilled out the "drain filter" to get better flow.

[KTL]

To keep the above pictured pan from overflowing, you need to have the little yellow vent cap open and have the spout cap off AND the oil needs to be warm. Even then, it gets dangerously close to overflowing. I'd just cut a bigger hole in the middle.

[Tom F2]

I have the exact same pan. I took a knife to the center, and enlarged the hole to 3". Works fine, but don't tip it on its side full!

[donk]

yeah, I already have the drain in question. JDub is right, it overflows extremely fast... don't ask how I know this. Anyway, thanks alot. I will either drill some holes in it, or just get an open top pan and transfer to a sealable container after draining.

[mudman]

Home Depot used to carry large galvanized tubs/pans, I used them for washing parts but they would work for catching oil quite well.

[David]

My wife turned me on to this tip without even knowing it. When one of our clothes baskets wore out she cut off the bottom and asked if I could use it for a drippan in the garage. It works great. It's only about 2" tall but it's a large rectangular shape. It's obviously not big enough to catch all the oil but it works good under the oil pan in case of overflow or for working on brakes or whatever drips.

On a side note, we have a clothes basket that refuses to wear out. It's a Rubbermaid basket from about 1967 (I know this because my mom says she used to put me on top of the warm just dried clothes in it when I was a newborn). Someone told me they think it hasn't worn out because they used to put a lot of UV protection in the plastic. I've sent emails to Rubbermaid asking them about it but they've never responded.

[jdowty3]

Good idea David. Mark 1 up for your spouse. I have the same oil drain pan as shown at the top and found that if the vent is open and you quickly line up the oil stream with the center hole, gravity takes care of the rest. I always do the tank first then the engine. I overflowed on my first oil change but not since.

[vash]

go ask any chinese restautant if you can have their old cooking oil bottles, they hold 5 gallons of greasy hell safely. then you can just cut the entire top of you tub out and store elsewhere. i have the rectangular version of your tub, and it works killer, independent of oil temp. it doesnt even come close to overflowing. i love the slurping sound of the oil whirlpool when i goes down.

[Mike Kast]

I have 2 like this

It's easy to keep them clean if I for some reason don't want to contaminate what is being dumped in there.
I have a few 5 gallon spackle buckets to store the oil till I get a chance to bring it to the recycler

[Vintage911Racer]

It wontoverflow if you open the yellow pressure release valve. It will come close but it will not overflow.

I use the same one and I dump 10 Quarts into it without any problems.

[carreradpt]

I have the same pan and when I drain the oil, I just aim the flow into the hole and make sure that the little yellow cap is off. No problem. Have to adjust the pan while it is draining tho to keep the flow lined up.

[SilverPoly]

It wontoverflow if you open the yellow pressure release valve. It will come close but it will not overflow

That's true. I always get this funny feeling when it comes close.. even though it never overflows. Gotta always keep that kitty litter handy. How many of us have forgotten to open the pressure release valve though.

[Vintage911Racer]

Been there, done that.

One hell of a mess.

[Danskman]

The same company that makes that black pan makes a yellow one with no top. Buy that instead. Works perfect. Enough capacity for both drains.

[evren]

sometimes bigger is better:

[briansc]

Given a choice, opt for the open top. Accidently dropped the plug into the pan and it landed (of course) in the small inlet hole. It takes a long time to clean up the incredible amounts of oil on your floor. BTW don't try to retrieve the plug in the hot oil - it hurts.