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Quick drain oil plug

JHartline

Well Known Member
For those that have put a quick drain on an IO-390... Love it, hate it? Which one did you use?

I got 92 hours on my plane and it?s about time for condition inspection #1. Plus I haven?t spent any money at ACS in at least 2 months. I?m overdue.
 
Love it. Really worth it, makes oil changes a breeze.

Be sure to put it on front left port on the IO-390 (don't try to install it on the back). Assuming you're FF is by the book, it will clear everything there.

I got this one, nice quality and installs in about a minute:

https://shop.vansaircraft.com/cgi-bin/shop.cgi?ident=1584387718-12-450&browse=em&product=oil-drain

Note that if you don't let the oil drain completely out and close the valve you'll get a false impression it's leaking. In these cases, I used a q-tip to get any excess out of the tip after closing, but it's not an issue if you give it plenty of time to drain empty.
 
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Very much a worthwhile thing to have. I have a feeling that this $10 part is $81 because the liability insurance is astronomical, and they don?t sell that many of them, and it will last you forever. You may have to replace an O-ring far into the future, but that?s only a nickel.
 
Support Saf-air if you can. They stand behind their products. I mentioned that mine came with a small nick that I had to dress to stem a minuscule drip (while visiting their booth at OSH). The owner (can?t recall his name) handed me a new one. Instant customer for life.
 
Options...

I should have specified which type plug, not which drain hole. My bad. Also, for the conventional gear -14 the front left drain is really the only choice for normal oil changes.

The one Vans sells looks just like the Saf-Air sold by another common seller and it?s $10 less. The Fumoto T202N can be found for around $35 but it doesn?t have the cool-looking anodized coating. More shopping to do I guess...
 
I have the Saf-Air and it works great, put a length of hose over it when you drain and the mess goes right into your container.
 
The quick drain on the Rocket is on the left front. Do most of you lift the tail during a oil change or does sump design make that unnecessary?
G
 
Thanks all. Yes, left front and I lift the tail to get as much out as possible. This time I?ll be able to use my tail lift and save my back :D
 
Why the front left?

I should have specified which type plug, not which drain hole. My bad. Also, for the conventional gear -14 the front left drain is really the only choice for normal oil changes..

My 14 is conventional gear and I put my quickdrain in the aft port, which os the lowest point in that configuration. Works great, and I see no reason to put it anywhere else.
 
The same (supplied by Van's), left front.
Very convenient but a slight oil leak. So I bought a Fumoto to change it next oil drain.
 
No where near putting an engine on yet so just wondering. Do normal drain plugs have magnets in them to detect magnetic shavings? I understand a large amount of the engine is Aluminium, so I assume the oil filter is the main source for looking at metal in the oil, therefore it does not mater if you have a quick drain.

Thanks.
 
Here's another option: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=177598

I have one but have not yet installed it. I will do it on the next change I guess. :)

The EZ-Drain (very similar/equivelant to the Fumoto) also work great. The EZ-202 it the correct size.

https://ezoildrainvalve.com/ez-oil-drain-valve.html

https://www.amazon.com/EZ-Oil-Drain-Valve-removable/dp/B07CMP9CHJ

I've used the SAF-AIR valves sold by ACS, and find them to leak after a couple of years. The EZ-Drains are on all my cars/trucks, too, and no problems.
 
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I have an odd question.

Has anyone used a quick drain, like the one Van's sells, and then put on a back up valve?

I know that you connect a tube to the quick change valve when you drain the oil. But in theory, you could connect up a flex tube and connect a 1/4 turn ball valve. Hose clamp the flex tube to the drain valve and to the ball valve. Then you just have to connect up a drain hose to the ball valve when changing the oil. The tubing between the drain valve and the ball valve would have to be able to handle the heat.

Any thoughts?
 
Short answer is... No. I take the cowl off for an oil change, which also provides an excellent opportunity to inspect everything in the engine room.

BTW I have both a Saf-Air and a Fumoto (different airplanes). Really like the Fumoto. And yes, I safety wire it in the closed position - only takes a minute to do with a loop of safety wire wrapped around the valve body and the valve handle.
 
Drain hose size?

Could you please tell me the i.d. of the hose you use on the Fumoto?
Thanks
 
If your aircraft doesn't have enough space between the exhaust and the oil plug to either fit or use a conventional oil quick drain with a beaded nipple, Saf-Air makes a model of flush drain valve that is low-profile. It is more common for retractable gear aircraft to use these to keep the nose gear from retracting into the cowl and pushing on a conventional quick drain valve emptying it on climb out (eeek). When the first quick drain oil valves were introduced many retractable gear pilots had to change their underwear the first flight after installing the quick drain. The solution was this low-profile version that comes with a screw-on release tool for draining the oil. You do have to keep track of that drain tool with the airplane (throw it in the back or glove box) or you can't quick drain your oil. This design has the oil slowly release as the drain tool is screwed onto the valve so it's proven to eliminate any messy mistakes.

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I just put one on my RV-3B due to exhaust clearance issues and it works great. I had to install it prior to putting on the exhaust due to overall length but once tightened down it clears the exhaust. In my case the right rear plug was the one to use as the left front had very little clearance with the exhaust.
 
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