Edit: Finished and no big mess. 

Kinja'd!!! by "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
Published 10/11/2017 at 13:38

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The other week I took the Integra to a lube place to get the oil changed. The bastards overfilled it by 0.5-1qt. I was planning on just undoing the drain bolt and letting it pour out for 5 seconds or something, but I figured it’ll be messy putting it back in with oil coming out.

Any tips to do it cleaner?


Replies (24)

Kinja'd!!! "Funktheduck" (funktheduck)
10/11/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 2

Don’t completely take the plug out. It’d drain slower but it’s gonna be messy no matter what

Kinja'd!!! "crowmolly" (crowmolly)
10/11/2017 at 13:40, STARS: 1

I’d think you can just crack the bolt a little and drain into a bottle. Shouldn’t be that messy.

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/11/2017 at 13:41, STARS: 0

I’ll try, but every time I’ve changed the oil it’s nothing until the bolts all the way out.

Kinja'd!!! "bob and john" (bobandjohn)
10/11/2017 at 13:42, STARS: 0

if you have a really long tube stick it into the dipstick tueb and siphone some out that way.

otherwise, have fun!

Kinja'd!!! "vicali" (vicali)
10/11/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 1

Fu

Mo

To

Kinja'd!!! "Stapleface" (patrickgruden)
10/11/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 1

Probably the best solution

https://www.harborfreight.com/Multi-Use-Transfer-Pump-63144.html

Kinja'd!!! "Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
10/11/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 0

Take car back to quick lube place and make them do it.

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/11/2017 at 13:46, STARS: 1

It may not work for this instance, but in the future you could use a siphon vacuum pump and just take oil out through the dipstick tube, if it has one. You’d also be able to take oil samples before you go and have it changed. The information you get from used oil reports is much more valuable than the cost of the report. https://www.blackstone-labs.com/vacuum-pump.php

In this case, though, just take the drain plug out very slowly until hopefully it starts dripping. I’d recommend doing it when it’s cold so you don’t burn yourself.

If nothing comes out with the drain plug still in, then slowly unthread until it’s about to come out, but just hold it tight against the hole and let it drain a little, then rethread and check.

It will take an hour and be a pain in the ass, that’s why I’m glad I have the vacuum pump now.

Kinja'd!!! "ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com" (ita97)
10/11/2017 at 14:06, STARS: 0

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004UOU6L0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Kinja'd!!! "gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
10/11/2017 at 14:29, STARS: 1

It’s gonna be messy. Had to do this at work frequently because some dipstick couldn’t read one. Don’t drop the drain plug. If you’ve got a pan with a funnel and narrow hole in it keep a magnet on hand because you WILL drop the drain plug and it WILL fall and plug that hole, rapidly overflowing the funnel before you can get the bolt out, meaning you end up lying in the snow with your finger shoved up a skidsteer’s ass for a half-hour or so until someone comes within shouting distance, and then another fifteen while they run around in a panic because they can’t find the pickup tool that is exactly where you told them it is.

But yeah. The procedure is to loosen the plug until you can unscrew it by hand, carefully pull it out, don’t drop it, watch the oil flow all over everywhere except the drain pan for 5-10 seconds, then quickly shove the plug back in.

I was at the point where I threw down the oil dry before I started the procedure. Wear eye protection if you have short arms.

Kinja'd!!! "merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
10/11/2017 at 14:33, STARS: 0

Also maybe have an assistant available in case you drop the bolt and have to put a thumb over the hole while your assistant can locate the bolt for you.

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/11/2017 at 14:33, STARS: 0

Surprisingly, it went pretty good for me. Just un-threaded the bolt all the way, but held it in there blocking the oil flow, then tilted it up a bit.

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/11/2017 at 14:35, STARS: 0

I would, but it’s pretty far away and I didn’t wanna drive it that far with extra oil. I just did and there wasn’t nearly as much as I though. Not even half a quart.

But no mess, so I’m happy.

Kinja'd!!! "Michael" (mhanczyc)
10/11/2017 at 14:39, STARS: 0

Redline it with a cold engine

Kinja'd!!! "DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/11/2017 at 14:46, STARS: 0

tbh that might’ve worked. There wasn’t even half an extra quart in there.

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/11/2017 at 15:52, STARS: 0

It would be cheaper to buy another drain plug and have it handy instead of paying some lacky .

Kinja'd!!! "merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
10/11/2017 at 20:43, STARS: 1

I was assuming they had a friend or somebody that wouldn’t mind hanging out with them for the ten minutes it should take to make a huge mess trying to drain a bit of oil out of the oil pan ;). But you’re right too, could just have another plug ready to go, spin out the old and slap in the new one.

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/12/2017 at 10:59, STARS: 1

I also think it’s a good idea to have extra drain plugs. I got into the habit of replacing the drain plugs on my TDI because the dealer I was at did that, mainly because I think they were too lazy to cut the old seal off and replace it. Plus, a drain plug only costs me a dollar or something. I’m going to put a magnetic on in next oil change, though.

Kinja'd!!! "merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
10/12/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0

Yeah, my Audi’s drain plugs are always included in the oil change kits from ECS tuning, and actually, a lot of the drain plugs call for replacement every time if you read the repair manual. I had a magnetic plug on my S4, no big deal really, but I won’t be putting one on my S8 as the magnetic plug is a bit lower hanging than the Allen bolt plug, no need to add another place for something to somehow snag it, however unlikely. They still make a mess when you pull them. Audi now recommends using an extractor anyway. But there aren’t too many out there that will hold 12 liters, so I’ll just pop the plug.

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/12/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 1

Oh I do not like the Audi allens because they make such a huge mess. I would never do an extraction oil change though since you’re leaving all of the crap on the bottom of the pan. But Audi nor the dealers care because by the time there’s a problem it will be out of warranty, and the current owner will most likely have a new Audi anyways.

Kinja'd!!! "merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
10/12/2017 at 13:05, STARS: 0

True that to the dealers not giving a shit about the maintenance stuff. Same reason they say their trans fluid is a lifetime fill. What a bunch of BS, even ZF says they’re full of shit and recommends drain and refill intervals less than 100k miles. As for the extractor method, I have a friend that is an ex Mercedes tech, and he swears by the superiority of the extraction method. He tells me he has called someone out on it and had them drain via the drain plug, then he was still able to pull a pint or more out via an extractor.

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/12/2017 at 23:04, STARS: 0

Oh shit, really??? If that’s the case then I’m going to Amazon now to order an extractor.

Kinja'd!!! "merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc" (merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc)
10/12/2017 at 23:32, STARS: 0

Yeah, he swears by the method. I tried a homemade extractor but it didn’t hold up like a real purchased one would. I was trying to use a 5 gal bucket and a vacuum and ended up crushing the bucket from the vacuum. The only issue I see with the extraction method is the temp of the oil and the tube you’re using. You want to drain/extract when the oil is hot, but not too hot that it melts the extractor tube. But if you get all that right, then you should be good to go, and you never have to crawl under your car to do an oil change, assuming the filter is up top too.  

Kinja'd!!! "His Stigness" (HisStigness)
10/13/2017 at 12:34, STARS: 1

My thing is just getting any crap at the bottom, but my cars don’t have sludge, and after doing a little reading last night I think all of the material that would get drained is going to be suspended in the oil anyways, so then it boils down to which method extracts more oil. I think I may test that during the next oil change.

I have a lift at work so obviously, I don’t need to worry about the trouble of jacking it up, and even if I did the extraction method I’d still lift the car to inspect it. But it might actually be nice at home if I wanted to do a quick oil change since filters on my cars are both on top, so I’d only have to have a couple spare tools at home.