Oil Change: Threaded Funnel, Jacking, Oil Use

I use a piece oi appropriately 6x9 inch frozen food package cardboard rolled into a funnel. It fits tightly and stays tight in the oil fill hole.

It's basically free and totally disposable with no mess.

For jacking, I use this custom pinch weld adapter.



10,000 miles is too long.

3,000 to 5,000 max.

 

Better than nylon. Ultra durable UHMW Spectra. Hard to cut with the pinch weld "knife edge" even with the car's weight landing on it.

 

Here's an interesting funnel idea, fashioned from an empty oil quart bottle, with offset neck. Maybe requires particular thread style:

(video starts at appropriate point)

Still think you should persevere with making the front/rear jacking points work; rolling the front onto low-rise ramps as needed for initial clearance. I do that often, gets easy. The only car I raise from the side is a Tesla 3, 'cus Elon didn't think it needed front/rear jack points.

 

I used a screw in funnel for an oil change for the first time recently, it really is a great tool. Previously, I used a regular funnel, but it didn't go in very far due to all of the valve train parts under the fill hole, so the funnel tended to fall over to one side.

 

Cut the bottom off a 2 quart plastic milk carton or a gallon milk carton it you have really bad aim. If you cut it just below the handle, you'll have a nice funnel handle too boot. Nice wide opening that won't bottom out onto your valve train and fill faster than a funnel.
If you save the lid; it's a lot cleaner than a regular funnel, since you can cap-off one end and shove old rags in the other; for the next oil change.

 

Tried @Ragingfit style yesterday:

An offset funnel is almost necessity with gen 3. How I have been doing it:

 

I'll agree that using the cap to seal off the "funnel" when not in use is a nice feature, but the locking funnels that xlisderider is talking about(and I also use) are still better. Because they fully screw into the threads of the valve cover, there's no movement of any kind while filling oil. It also means you can't get "blow by" if you fill too fast and oil comes up out the sides. Finally, the milk jug won't fill faster than these types of funnels as the throat on these is the full diameter of the opening.

They really are a game changer for less than $10 if you shop around on Amazon for the best deal. Most come from the same factory in China, so just find the retailer selling it for the least. I apparently overpaid a year ago at $13 because I see a different retailer today selling the same one for $9.

Now I need to find a threaded cap for it so I can seal it the same way as the milk jug method.

 

For some reason the ones they sell for Subarus cost 2x more than the Toyota/Lexus ones.

I guess economy of scale factors in, as there's a lot more Toyota/Lexus owners out there compared to the Subaru faithful.

 

Maybe Toyota/Lexus owners are cheaper and too busy cutting up milk containers instead?

 

Why buy and use anything that cost money and needs to be cleaned and stored, when my rolled cardboard funnel can be thrown away.

Also, I can always find cardboard and will not have to search for a misplaced and maybe dusty funnel.

 

Wait a sec, you pour motor oil through a cardboard funnel, and then “throw it away”?

Sounds appropriate for a previous century. When I was a kid the up-the-street gas station poured the used oil over a rock outcrop ‘round back, similar sentiment.

 

What do you think spaying degreaser and rinsing a reusable funnel does?

It combines a small amount of new oil and adds depresser and contaminated water to the environment.

 

Spraying a funnel with degreaser and then washing with water seems a little hyperbolic, I’ll give the funnel a wipe with a shop towel. The towels do accumulate and get bagged and in the garbage, granted.

 

motor oil has a high flash point. trying to light it would be like trying to light wet newspaper. don't get me wrong, it'll burn - but i wouldn't roast marshmallows over it.