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A little worried about the fumoto oil valve

11K views 48 replies 23 participants last post by  afd660 
#1 ·
Neat device. Does anyone else have the handle facing straight down when the valve is torqued into place? I am going to need a skid plate for any serious wheeling.

Anyone recommend a decent skid plate that can later be a system? So far I am looking at the RH skid plate since I can expand it later.
 
#2 ·
There are a lot of good options out there. Rock hard is probably the top pick, I have river raider, its a nice system but if I were to buy again I would go rock hard. Also synergy, jcr, and a number of others make good stuff.

Love my fumoto valve but would not run it personally without a skid.
 
#3 ·
I have the Rock Hard skids, but I'd recommend installing all three at the same time, since they really are an interconnected system. So far, all but one of my hits have been on the transfer case and the fuel tank. The one hit on the engine skid was at the rear, right in front of the dome washer, which worked as advertised. There is plenty of room for the Fumoto oil drain valve and it doesn't really matter where the handle winds up. I'd go with the F-106N. That way you can hook up a drain hose and leave it hooked up between oil changes. But definitely do not run the Fumoto without an engine skid if you plan on doing any off roading.
 
#4 ·
Wait till you change your oil first time using that Fumoto valve. I've pulled them off of all my vehicles and gone back to a plain vanilla drain plug. Took FOREVER to drain the oil from the oil pan! Seriously, it was still streaming out a couple of hours later. Took THREE HOURS to drain the oil to where it was just dripping instead of streaming! You might be able to live with that if you change your own oil, but if you take it anywhere, they are just going to remove the valve anyway and then put it back in after the oil has drained, completely defeating the reason you installed it. They sure as heck aren't going to wait three hours to have the oil drained completely THROUGH that valve.

Fumoto Qwikvalve review - The ALL Florida Online Corvette Club

YMMV, of course.......
 
#5 ·
Wait till you change your oil first time using that Fumoto valve. I've pulled them off of all my vehicles and gone back to a plain vanilla drain plug. Took FOREVER to drain the oil from the oil pan! Seriously, it was still streaming out a couple of hours later. Took THREE HOURS to drain the oil to where it was just dripping instead of streaming! You might be able to live with that if you change your own oil, but if you take it anywhere, they are just going to remove the valve anyway and then put it back in after the oil has drained, completely defeating the reason you installed it. They sure as heck aren't going to wait three hours to have the oil drained completely THROUGH that valve. Fumoto Qwikvalve review - The ALL Florida Online Corvette Club YMMV, of course.......
This is true. Used Fumoto to drain oil. Then i decided to remove it completely because i was going to an off roading event. As soon the valve came off, the leftover oil splashed right after. Looks like it still left 1/4 of the oil inside with Fumoto. I don't think i will be using it again. The conventional bolt is still very easy to use.
 
#6 ·
I have used Fumoto drain valves on all of my vehicles for the last 12 years and I love them. I have never had one accidentally open. And here is a little trick to get the oil to drain quickly with the valves. Run the engine for just a couple of minutes right before the oil change. Hot or even warm oil gets thinner and pours out much faster than thick cold oil. It takes maybe 15 or 20 minutes to change the oil on my Jeep.

The valve does hang down just a little so I would put on a skid plate if you plan on doing any off roading. I am installing a Rubicon Express oil pan skid plate on my JKU this weekend. I did a test fit that past weekend and there is enough clearance between the Fumoto valve and the skid plate to where I can keep the Fumoto valve on.

 
#17 ·
They solve a first world problem. A nicety but not a necessity.

That being said, I use one with a short tube and draining directly into my waste oil container that I take directly to recycle is nice to have with no mess. Even with a traditional catch pan, there is still some splash at times and the transfer into a storage container for recycle transport is another possible spilling point to avoid with a Fumoto.
 
#8 ·
I installed the Fumoto drain valve because I wanted to avoid making a mess inside my M.O.R.E. motor and transmission skid plate. There would have been no need for it without a skid plate.

I always warm up the motor before draining the oil and it comes out much quicker than I expected. No complaints about too much time needed for draining oil with the Fumoto valve.

I take note of the quantity of oil drained and haven't noted significant retention of old oil. Perhaps that is because I drive up on front ramps to do the job.

What I really like is the total lack of splashing or spillage during the draining process.:iamhappy:
 
#9 ·
I've been using Fumoto drain valves on various vehicles for years and they don't take that much longer than using the drain plug. They also make home oil changes much simpler. I always change the oil when the engine is warm and I also remove the oil cap on the engine to allow the to drain freely. I forgot to do that once and it was much slower. Once I removed the oil cap, the oil drained much faster.
 
#11 ·
I had a Fumoto valve, but when placing my Evo skids on, it wouldn't clear the skid because of it's size. Fortunately, I could find the original bolt so I went back. Considering getting one of the competitors that isn't as large. I really like my EVO skids. They are very solid.

I wasn't happy with the speed that it drained. It did take a long time, but normally while I'm changing the oil, I'll do a bunch of other things so it wasn't much of an issue.
 
#12 ·
I modified a stock Mopar Skid plat and installed one of these valves to make oil changes easier. You're going to love it! The skid plate will give you peace of mind while wheeling regardless of drain plug choice.

I like my valve so much that I've added one to my daily driver. I change the oil in that every 6 weeks (I know every 3K is an old school mentality, I should run synth, get an oil analysis done....) and it makes the job much cleaner and faster. I can do from sliding the jack under the car to wheels back on the ground and cleaned up in 20 mins! Enjoy!

Anyway, the way I look at Skid Plates is that if they're thick and they fit somewhat ok, I'm in. Even if I have to re-drill a hole or two I'm fine with that since it's just a skid and it's going to get beat up anyway. The bottom line is that, for me, I won't spend more for a brand name skid if it's the same thickness of a cheaper non-brand name skid. Any plate you see in that link that will cover what you want to cover will work! Let me know if you have questions or if you'd like a quote.

-Ryan
 
#13 ·
Just did my second oil change, first one since installing the fumoto valve.

Drain took a little longer, not much longer. I removed the fill cap and the filter while it was draining. Cold engine.

No complaints regarding the valve here.
 
#14 ·
Same here...excellent addition to my Jeep. But I drain with a warmed up engine.
 
#15 ·
I wish all threads were like this. Someone remarks on a product, others chime in on that product ! Simple ! No blame, no bad language, etc. I have been on the fence on getting this but, now I will. I just wish the one guy who said it takes forever to drain would come back and talk. Maybe it was winter, super cold oil, and he didn't remove his oil cap to allow air in when oil goes out.
 
#24 ·
Nope, not super cold. I'm in north Florida, so cold really isn't much of an issue here. And the oil changes are done inside my garage up on a lift. And no, I did not run the engine to heat up the oil prior to changing it. Getting hot oil running down my arm when pulling off the oil filter is just not my idea of a fun time in the garage.

As for removing the oil fill cap, no, I don't do that. But in the one car that I last changed the oil and decided then and there to ditch the Fumotos, my valve covers are vented into an air breather. You can see it in this pic in the front passenger side of the engine.



Things of this nature are purchased to make my life easier. This did not prove to be the case, so I just moved on and considered a lesson learned. The design and shape of other vehicles might be more conducive to oil flow using this valve, but for my Corvettes, the oil pan bottom is flat with the bottom of the threaded drain hole being level with the bottom of the oil pan. The design of the Fumoto is such that it will leave a substantial amount of old oil in the pan even after the oil stops dripping out of the valve. At least in my cars. Your mileage might vary, but I thought some people might want to be aware of potential issues.

BTW, when I was using the Fumotos, I would just put a plastic wire tie in the groove that the valve handle rests in. It's spring loaded, but I have learned to never trust Murphy's Law, and felt this would be a safeguard against having that valve open up while driving down the road. Of course, I then had to cut off that wire tie when it came time to change the oil

I also had to use multiple seals of varying thicknesses in order to position the valve handle where I wanted it to be. Having the handle pointing straight down with a car that rides as low to the ground as a vette did was, in my opinion, just asking for trouble. Honestly using multiple seals isn't a real good idea neither. So bear in mind when you screw the valve into your oilpan, it isn't necessarily going to tighten exactly in the position you want it to be.

So all in all, for me, they just did not prove to be worthwhile using. They made oil changes slower and less convenient, and I really didn't gain anything from their use. I put them on three cars, and took them off of three cars after a few oil changes. Yeah, there are probably hoops I could jump through to make them work, but nah, kind of defeats the purpose of buying something that is supposed to make it EASIER and more convenient.
 
#16 ·
Mine works great with my M.O.R.E. skid plate
 

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#26 ·
More oil than your comfortable with? A couple of table spoons maybe? I also owned a Vette, and that was my first experience with the Fumoto valve. The valve simple makes changing oil, well simple, no fuss, no mess.
 
#30 ·
During my last oil change, I installed one those valves on my Jeep after spilling some oil on my garage floor. I had some Rubicon Express skids installed last week. I went to pick up my Jeep last Fri. on the way to a run on Sat. The installer informed and showed me the valve sticks out a bit below the skid. Needless to say I was concerned about it during the whole run. I'm going to remove it and put it on my motorhome.
 
#33 ·
Thanks for the explanation Rich Z. Very clear that some people have different experiences with them. Hey Rich, send me your old one ! Lol. Also I want to ring out your vette in every gear til it's as fast as it will go! First car I ever drove was a 67 that belonged to my drunk neighbor. He was just drunk enough to let me drive it when I was 13.
 
#36 ·
Are the oil pan bolt threads the same on the Jeep as they are on a C5 and C6 Corvette? If so, sure, I'll send you one.

Never had it as fast as it can go myself. It's an '02 Z06 with a custom 427 RHS block with rear mounted twin turbos. I was doing some data logging while tuning the engine and ran it up to 140mph from a slow start with the engine lugging, then WOT to around 6500 rpm in fourth gear. Still had more till red line, but a curve in the road was coming up AWFUL quickly. Everything looked good when I ran the graphs from the log, so it was a good day. Acceleration, rpm, and relevant monitored data lines were exactly linear without any odd dips or spurts. Haven't had it on a dyno, and honestly, don't feel the need. Seat of the pants feels just fine to me.
 
#40 ·
Okay, I was wrong, I really don't need to go that fast. Just the acceleration would be enough. I have an old Willys station wagon. It has a 383 stroker with 11.3 to 1 compression and putting out about 550 h/p. It's a blast but, the 38x14.5 inch tires takes a little out of it but, it is fun throwing 4 wheel roosts in the dirt with my old station wagon!:bop:
 
#42 ·
I just installed a Rubicon Express oil pan skid plate and it protects the Fumoto oil valve. I ran my hand along the bottom of the skid plate at the oil valve and the oil valve does not stick out below the oil pan. And there is just enough room for me to get my fingers in there and rotate the little lever on the valve.





 
#43 ·
First of all I need to apologize to those reading this thread. I do NOT have the Fumoto valve, turns out I bought the EZ valve instead. I purchased it a while back and remember going back and forth between the two. That said, they are similar in size and design and the handle does protrude below my skid.

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