Fram Sure Drain

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 11, 2002
Messages
22,183
Location
Colorado Springs
Not to much has been posted about these, so I went out and bought one and "disassembled" it. Hehe. The construction is solid. The actuator valve is simply a metal plate with a spring and a rubber seal. There is very little chance of it leaking. The only thing that would cause it to leak is a pebble getting stuck between the base and the rubber seal, but I doubt that would happen. All in all, it looks great. I did, however, check the height of the threads on my oil pan for the drain plug during my last oil change, and any quick change valve will stick up about 1/4 inch past the threads, holding oil back. So I'm just going to use my stock heavy duty, very thick rubber drain plug washer in addition to the copper one provided with the sure drain. That will level it out with the threads in the oil pan. So, now I have to go buy another one to actually use, cause I hacked this one up with a dremel to get inside of it
lol.gif
Yes, I have to much time on my hands
fruit.gif
 
What is the probability of the spring getting weak and permitting oil to flow out??? The fumoto has a spring also but if the spring fails I believe it is still tough to move the lever and open the valve.
 
How about using a hack saw to put a slit in the end of the threads that would bring it down to the bottom of the pan, then with a little patience the oil would still drain out?
 
Either that or put a coupole of V notches at the top of the threads. Just dress up the threads after you do it
smile.gif
 
I really do not want to cut the threads at all and risk damaging the threads in the oil pan. Using two gaskets will work good enough. Al, I did see someone on a Subaru forum do the v-notch idea for the fumoto. In that particular thread, someone posted a picture of the fumoto installed in an oil pan that was off the car and it stuck up way past the threads in the pan. It would have held back at least 1/4 quart of oil, maybe more.
frown.gif
 
quote:

Originally posted by Spector:
What is the probability of the spring getting weak and permitting oil to flow out??? The fumoto has a spring also but if the spring fails I believe it is still tough to move the lever and open the valve.

There is a cap which goes on the end of the sure drain setup, so even if the inside part did start to leak somehow, no oil would get out if you screwed the outer cap on tightly. I've never seen any evidence of even the slightest bit of leakage from either of my Suredrains. They've been on each of my cars for about a year now.
 
I recently put one on my pickup and will be putting them on my motorhome and my wife's van. These are all Fords and drain out the side of the pan at the bottom, so the extra length in the pan is not a big deal. The one thing is they drain rather slowly compared to the Fumoto (as seen in photos), but that may be good to control the output. First thing I did was toss the orange hose and get a clear tubing from the hardware. Cut it to whaterver length works for you. I wish I had this on my motorhome last trip. The oil got pretty bad and I'd have changed it but was not prepared for all the mess. With the Fram valve I could have drained it into a couple empty water jugs without a drop spilled. That's my plan now because sometimes that oil change time comes 1000 miles f rom home and this thing makes in nice and easy. I had looked at the Fumotos but their literatuure tells you to check that the valve lever did not open up the drain every time a stone hits the bottom of the car and says to use caution on gravel roads, etc. That, and it sticks out much farther, made me leary. And no cap with the Fumoto.
 
quote:

Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX:
I put a small hose clamp on the Fram orange tubing to secure it more firmly.

Actually I tossed it because it comes with a severe bend in it and then liked watching the oil come through the clear hose
gr_stretch.gif
 
I like that it drains more slowly since it allows me to take samples without making as much of a mess. If you're going to let your oil drain for a long time anyways, this setup doesn't add any time to your oil change.

I don't use the tubing at all.

When I'm done I clean the attachment piece with brake cleaner.
 
I think Fumoto valve is much safer design. The seal is much more positive and it does not depend on spring pressure.
 
The cap with o-ring on the fram sure drain makes is safer than the fumote will ever be. With the cap on, the Fram is just as safe as a regular drain plug.

quote:

Originally posted by vvk:
I think Fumoto valve is much safer design. The seal is much more positive and it does not depend on spring pressure.

 
I'm sure the Fumoto is a great valve, but the Fram is what sold me on getting a valve. Not that I lay under my truck admiring the drain valve, but the Fram does looks very good sticking out of the pan compared to the look of the Fumoto. The other advantage of the Fram is that it is about half the price. However the Fram is a bit of a pain having the tube trying to flip around as you rotate the valve release onto the valve. This is likely only a problem on Fords with the side drain hole. Still, I vote for the Fram.
 
quote:

Originally posted by TallPaul:
I'm sure the Fumoto is a great valve, but the Fram is what sold me on getting a valve. Not that I lay under my truck admiring the drain valve, but the Fram does looks very good sticking out of the pan compared to the look of the Fumoto. The other advantage of the Fram is that it is about half the price. However the Fram is a bit of a pain having the tube trying to flip around as you rotate the valve release onto the valve. This is likely only a problem on Fords with the side drain hole. Still, I vote for the Fram.

If you use the hose with this system, why not leave it off at first and just screw in the other piece slowly, then when you notice it beginning to drip, then put on the hose and continue loosening?
 
quote:

Originally posted by Patman:
If you use the hose with this system, why not leave it off at first and just screw in the other piece slowly, then when you notice it beginning to drip, then put on the hose and continue loosening?

Excellent idea and probably can turn it within the hose the rest of the way. Thanks.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top