Any benefit to changing oil when engine is warm???

[zerosoma]

Ideally I like to change after a long drive. If I'm travelling and I come back after a half hour drive on the highway, I'll put it in park, shut off the engine. Then I grab the ramps and all of my oil supplies and fire it up again and put it on the ramps. It sits about 5-10 minutes while I'm getting everything ready before I put it on the ramps.

The oil coming out HOT is wonderful, it flows so quickly and even though you might get stung it's only 5 seconds of pain while you wipe it off.

I have drained on a cold engine before and I do not like that. Takes too long and it feels like I'm not getting the same results out as if I were to drain it hot. It's like hot syrup versus cold syrup on your pancakes.

Hot or nothing.

 

[zerosoma]

Originally Posted By: DragRace
Warm or hot,oil will drain faster.

Cold,it just takes longer for the oil to drain.

Either method you choose,there's always leftover oil in the motor.Pick a method and dont lose sleep at night over it.


Hey, what part of SoDak are you from DragRace?

 

[hatt]

Originally Posted By: Artem


So when you go to drain the oil from the pan into your collection jug... notice the thick layer that remains on the bottom of the pan as soon as you drain 98% of the oil out.

I rest my case.

Yep. I didn't know anyone would change cold oil.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: Maxima97
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Remove oil filter first. Let it drop into the drain pan. Install new filter.

I will drain the oil 1st and then twist the dirty can. My Ford Explorer is the most hard to twist the can: there is a lower control arm right under the can and black oil will pour right on to the LCA then into the pan.

I remove the filter first so there's no splash of oil when it's dropped in the pan. Maybe not for your car, but for most cars it makes sense to do this.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: Maxima97
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Remove oil filter first. Let it drop into the drain pan. Install new filter.

I will drain the oil 1st and then twist the dirty can. My Ford Explorer is the most hard to twist the can: there is a lower control arm right under the can and black oil will pour right on to the LCA then into the pan.

I remove the filter first so there's no splash of oil when it's dropped in the pan. Maybe not for your car, but for most cars it makes sense to do this.


That is a good thought.
I change it hot. Gets everything all mixed up and the heat makes it drain better from all the inside surfaces.
I also take it for a drive as soon as I'm done. Whole process might take 15 minutes total.
Rings are still sealed and the inside of the engine is still hot which heats the oil up faster making the vehicle able to go full throttle sooner.
I also look for any differences as fas as sounds,ease of rpms,anything out of the ordinary.
Every different answer in this thread is a different ritual. I didn't realize there were so many different ways to do it.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
That is a good thought.
I change it hot. Gets everything all mixed up and the heat makes it drain better from all the inside surfaces.
I also take it for a drive as soon as I'm done. Whole process might take 15 minutes total.
Rings are still sealed and the inside of the engine is still hot which heats the oil up faster making the vehicle able to go full throttle sooner.
I also look for any differences as fas as sounds,ease of rpms,anything out of the ordinary.
Every different answer in this thread is a different ritual. I didn't realize there were so many different ways to do it.


This, and for the same reasons. I usually pull the drain plug and filter, open the oil cap and pull the dipstick slightly, then go on and clean and vaccuum the interior, wash the windows, de-junk the trunk, check my spark plugs, clean battery terminals and ground points, lube hinges, inspect brakes and suspension, check tire pressure and lugnut torque, check fluids (except coolant, which I save for last to allow it to cool a bit), clean up the drain bolt, push the dipstick back in, wipe the outside of the pan clean, screw on the new filter, replace the drain plug, then pour the oil in. While the last few drops are dripping out of the bottle, that's when I check the coolant.

I take probably 45 minutes, starting with the front of the car raised to get at the drain plug and the old filter, and inspect the front brakes, lower the front and raise the rear to inspect the rear brakes, then lower the rear and raise the front again to begin putting it all back together. When I raise the front at the end, another cup or so of oil usually comes out.

I could do the 15min job, but then I'd never get around to inspecting everything else like I should (safe for fluids and tire pressure, which get looked at weekly).

 

[crinkles]

I realised that changing cold makes it run out, but then it drips for ages as the less viscous oil drains from the inside surface of the pan. Next time I will drain it searing hot and see if it drains right first time without dribbling.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: crinkles
I realised that changing cold makes it run out, but then it drips for ages as the less viscous oil drains from the inside surface of the pan. Next time I will drain it searing hot and see if it drains right first time without dribbling.


Get good at removing the drain plug without getting oil on your hand before you do that. Hot oil isn't like hot water, it doesn't cool by evaporation and it's a bit more difficult to wipe off; all the heat in that oil is transferred to your skin, then the now-cold oil acts as an insulator, keeping your skin hot for longer. Oil burns skin worse, and faster, than water of the same temperature.

What I usually do is break the bolt free with a wrench, so it can be turned with just fingers, than grab the longest extension I can find (I've been known to chain several, provided they'll all fit) and use that to spin it out. That way, any oil that would have gotten on your hand has to run down the extension(s), which will draw the heat out of it so it doesn't burn you.

At 160F, water will burn your skin in 0.5 seconds. At 212F, it's instant. Keep that in mind, and remember that oil does the deed faster than water, when you're removing that drain plug from a hot engine. If you come in contact with 180-190F oil, it doesn't matter if you wipe it off immediately, at the very least you'll be using burn ointment for a few days.

Just some food for thought from a guy who's been known to do 2-person oil changes, a-la "Ok, I've got the plug out, shut the engine off *NOW*!"

 

[KrisZ]

There is one benefit on changing oil hot... it's a nice heat source when it's -10C outside and you're doing an oil change.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
There is one benefit on changing oil hot... it's a nice heat source when it's -10C outside and you're doing an oil change.

This too. Before I moved to Cali, I dealt with subzero winters. I didn't even think about it at the time, but now that you mention it, that might have something to do with my habit of changing it while it's still hot.

 

[TFB1]

Oil doesn't need to be drained when scalding hot, just nice and warm... I usually put mine up on the ramps, open hood and let it cool 10-15 minutes prior to draining, using rubber gloves I'm yet to get burned...

 

[Artem]

Rubber gloves aren't enough. I put on a rubber glove on top of a mechanics glove, so touching the HOT drain plug isn't an issue. I usually don't even get any oil on my fingers, past the drain plug. If you do it right, you won't get burned.

 

[TuBon_gRips]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Rubber gloves aren't enough. I put on a rubber glove on top of a mechanics glove, so touching the HOT drain plug isn't an issue. I usually don't even get any oil on my fingers, past the drain plug. If you do it right, you won't get burned.


Ah, so you drain it *hot* hot, too, eh? Have you ever done walk I talk about above (2-man oil change)?

 

[Artem]

I drain it hot, hot as soon as I pull into the drive way and shut off the engine and jack up the car. Usually no more then 5 mins after the engine has been off. I just don't feel the "burning" sensation that many members are reporting.

 

[LexAtlanta]

I drain it while it is hot. If I don't burn my finger tips then it's too cold

 

[sciphi]

It works much better with a oil extractor like a MityVac 7201 or Pela 6000 when it's warm but not hot.

 

[zerosoma]

I gotta say...I was changing the oil last night and I once again made a huge mess. It does not matter how hard you try. Perhaps it takes years of doing it to get it down without making a mess. You always forget something...positioning the pan right, dropping the filter.

Heck, I didn't even use my usual chain of events!

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
It works much better with a oil extractor like a MityVac 7201 or Pela 6000 when it's warm but not hot.

MityVac can siphon 8 quarts in about 6-8 minutes when oil temp was around 120-140F, when oil temp was less than 110F it took 10-15 minutes.