I don't worry about "getting enough oil" out of the engine.
I get most of it, but am not concerned with ever last drop.
Originally Posted by BHopkins
If you are draining oil with only the front end on ramps, you are doing it wrong. A car should be level for an oil change.
Personally, I hate ramps. Many of the cars I've owned have too much overhang to even begin to get onto ramps. And it's a PITA to have to fiddle with laying out 2x8 boards to raise the front end up high enough to get on the ramps. Can't do any wheel work with ramps. I have never understood why some people like ramps so much.
Buy two sets of jack stands and a floor jack. Study up where the lift points are on your car. Jack up the front, put the front jack stands in place. Repeat for the back. I can do that about as fast as getting out ramps, trying to position them in just the right place, and then trying to get the right run up onto them so they don't skid out from under the tires.
Now the car is level. Not only are you better situated for the oil change, you can also check brakes, flush brake fluid, check or change transmission fluid if needed, change diff fluid. Inspect brake and fuel lines. Rotate tires. And anything else that requires the car to be level or the wheels to be accessible.
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I've seen many mistakes when people are trying to get a car on ramps. But I've never seen an instance when a car unintentionally comes off of jack stands.
I use ramps all the time for oil change.
No way it is faster to lift all 4 wheels (jack up, move jack stand under vehicle, adjust to right height, lower jack, then repeat 3 more times. Plus many vehicle have only 1 solid point on each corner to jack/support with, so hard to jack and support at the same time.
Ramps are easy. put ramps in front of tires (it is not hard to line them up), start vehicle, drive forward till on ramp (this can be tricky depending on ramps and vehicle), set brake, change oil.
All my vehicles have the drain plug on the back of the oil pan, so it puts fluid to the back. If it was at the front of the pan, I would just park the vehicle "backwards" in my angled driveway, and that would get it level.
When I am done, I back the vehicle off and am done, instead of getting the jack back to all 4 corners and removing jack stands (which I have seen jack stands cause problems when placed incorrectly or a car rolls when on an angle with front tires up and then rear end lifted).
Yes jacks and jack stands have their place (like when needing to remove tires and such), but I can flush brakes, change ATF and diff easily on ramps (I use the vehicle backwards in angled drive with front wheels up to keep it level for ATF changes), and is what I use. I feel ramps are safer than jack stands when I am lying under a vehicle.