cosmomiller

I can count on one hand (original quantity of digits intact) the number of times in my 40+ years of driving all over the world, that I have hit something that caused some kind of damage. One of those, interestingly enough, was a rock impact to an oil pan ( 60's Olds) that within one minute caused the oil light to illuminate as the oil drained into the Baja dirt road dust. Glad my buddy had an International Harvester 4X4 to haul/tow me and the car back to the States.

The likelihood of a "perfect" impact to cause valve failure/pan integrity loss is just so small. An impact with some kind of flotsam or jetsam that would destroy the valve is going to be an attention getter (probably get your attention right BEFORE impact!). I cannot imagine anyone of us continuing to drive after something like that without canvassing the vehicle for damage. The oil would not drain out instantly; you would have time to pull over and shut down to watch the rest of it drain. There have been so many times with all of my vehicles that I stopped the car and investigated some perceived weird noise, unusual vibration, or even a feeling something is amiss, that an impact would most assuredly invite scrutiny.

Car Analogy

I'm much more concerned about being stuck at the roadside, and having to replace the pan, than the concern about engine damage (because, as stated, anyone would shut off engine before significant oil had a chance to leak out).

My car is my dd. So this scenario could be a major hassle.

I too have had precious few instances where anything really caused undercarriage damage. But that was without having something sticking down from my oil pan waiting to get wacked. Maybe any number of things I've run over, or speed bumps I went over too fast, that didn't cause an issue then, would have had their been this thing sticking out ready to be assalted.

Like I said, I haven't done any research yet to find out how far it sticks out, or how far down below the rest of the undercarriage this thing sticks out with our cars, to know if this concern is totally unfounded.

cosmomiller

Being stranded is always a major hassle in my view.

I am on the road (business, no S) so I can't get a good picture from underneath; this is a picture of my car from above. I can tell you it does not stick down, it is horizontal. You cannot see it looking under the car. It is just above the bottom edge of the oil pan so the oil pan is much more likely to take the impact of satan's object. The picture makes it look bigger than it is. Something would have to bounce, catch the ground and protrude up into the engine compartment at a perfect angle to get there. As the valve is constructed of brass and stainless steel it would have to be an astonishing side impact to destroy it. More likely, and impact would bend it somewhat.

Memo6453

Adapter on this drain valve?

AZS2KDancer

As stated earlier, there is now a "safety" lock to prevent the double action lever from accidentally being opened. $2.00 for piece of mind. I've had my Fumoto valve on for 4 years or more, and since I'm not off-roading the S too often, I can report no negative side effects. I also enjoy being able to change my oil without having to jack the car. I, too, have a shallow drain pan that fits under the S, and I, too use a drip pan in case of a spill. Oil changes are way too easy now.

cosmomiller

There is one for this car. Almost all cars need some kind of adapter so it does not hit the oil pan. It is not a universal adaptor, they are tailored for the make and model, so it does not stick out too far; just enough to clear the pan. The only thing I would get now if I was ordering it anew, would be a "nipple" on the end so you can attach a hose for filling individual bottles. Its easy to stop and start the flow of oil and would eliminate an oil pan. I have also used this when I have overfilled the oil a tad and want to bring it down to exactly the fill line.