Draining out your old crankcase oil

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Originally Posted By: Durangoboy
How long do you allow for your oil to drain out of your pan when changing oil.


If I'm in a hurry, until it starts dripping slowly. If I'm not in a hurry, I'll go do something else while it drains. Usually ends up being and hour or two.
 
Usually I'm with the consensus here, when the drips slow way down, so 10-15 Max. The only time I've exceeded this was the last oil change I did on my neon. I literally pulled into the garage from an 1100mi straight thru trip(19hrs behind the wheel or so), let the car sit just long enough that I could get the ramps, wrench and drain pan from the basement and into position. Drove up the ramps, opened the plug, and went to bed. When I got up the next afternoon I buttoned everything up and finished. But even that was only about an 8 hr drain.
 
Changed the oil in my dad's Corolla today. He drove the 15 minutes or so to the workshop, left the car running, I got in, drove it onto the hoist, engine off, bonnet up, oil filler cap off, car in the air, sump plug out. When the stream slowed to drips, unscrewed the filter and let it drain. I'd reckon 5 minutes at most, new filter was on, sump plug back in. Done. Simple. 24 hours? Pffft. But hey, each to their own...
 
Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
I drain for 10+ minutes, then reinstall the drain plug. Then add MMO, let that sit for a spell, then drain. Then reinstall the plug. Add a cup plus of fresh motor oil. Drain that, then reinstall the plug, and fill with the good stuff.



Been thinking about doing something similar on my Saturns...
 
Originally Posted By: KrisZ
One more OCD thing that on the surface sounds like it might have a benefit, but in reality may cause more harm than good. Just the fact the the oil pump drains fully during those super long drain times is enough to deter me from doing them.


Yup you can lose the prime even on some cars!
 
Under no circumstance I would leave the car without oil sitting in my garage, especially if the car is not on the jack stand.
 
I have drained overnight for the past 10 years, never an issue. Further, oil dripping out or oil dripping back into the pan it is still oil not in the upper part of the engine so either way a cold start is the same if an engine sits for 24 hours or more. As to the oil draining out of the pump and causing issues, never heard of that one. Does it make a difference whether you let is drain overnight or not, no, just a matter of choice. It does appear to get an extra 4 or so ounces out but again, immaterial to the purpose of a change, just a matter of choice.
 
Another concern about letting the oil drain overnight (or longer) is the dry restart will be on a cold engine with a higher idle speed than a warm restart.

As someone else implied, it also increases the risk of another household member "borrowing" the car while it sits with no oil in the engine.
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Keep the hood up and a jack in place if you are away from the vehicle.
 
If I've gone really long on an oil change, I'll pour a 1/4 quart into the oil fill and let it drain back out into the pan once the oil slows to a drip. Otherwise, I don't bother. Drain the oil hot and you'll have to wait maybe 5 minutes. The little bit left over isn't going to hurt anything.
 
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I just leave it drain and go and do other things for awhile. It could be 20 minutes or an hour or two.
 
Originally Posted By: Turk
Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
I drain for 10+ minutes, then reinstall the drain plug. Then add MMO, let that sit for a spell, then drain. Then reinstall the plug. Add a cup plus of fresh motor oil. Drain that, then reinstall the plug, and fill with the good stuff.



Been thinking about doing something similar on my Saturns...


why?
 
I'm surprised Artem hasn't popped in here, but generally he will jack the car up during his oil changes to get more out of the pan.
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Originally Posted By: ted s
Originally Posted By: Turk
Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
I drain for 10+ minutes, then reinstall the drain plug. Then add MMO, let that sit for a spell, then drain. Then reinstall the plug. Add a cup plus of fresh motor oil. Drain that, then reinstall the plug, and fill with the good stuff.



Been thinking about doing something similar on my Saturns...


why?


Because we have a mighty stash and we can.
 
As soon as it stops being a stream and starts just dripping. I already know it has about .5-.25qt trapped in the motor that isnt going to come out, so the extra ounce via letting it drip all night does not matter to me.
 
Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
I'm surprised Artem hasn't popped in here, but generally he will jack the car up during his oil changes to get more out of the pan.


I do that - sort of. My driveway has a little short section that is sloped, so on oil change day I just back in and park on the slope, so the nose of the car is higher. The pan is flat on the bottom, so I figure having the car sloped uphill gets a little more out than otherwise. But I still don't let it drain for more than fifteen minutes or so.
 
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Originally Posted By: Texan4Life
however long it takes the stream to turn to drips...


+1

There is old oil sitting in hollows and depressions throughout the engine .. you'll never get it ALL out.


+2
 
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