[dloop]

Hi,

I'm preparing to add a Fumoto oil drain valve to my Insight. I think I've read through most of the existing threads on this, but I still have a question.

I have purchased both the valve and the adapter, but I'm trying to see if I can avoid using the adapter if at all possible (one fewer place to develop an oil leak).

Using JoeCVT's picture here (thanks Joe) as a reference:

http://pages.sbcglobal.net/warehows/_ui ... moto06.jpg

Would it be possible to install the valve without the adapter (the adapter is provided to have clearance for the small bolt seen in his picture) by following these steps?

1) Remove the small bolt (hoping it is not some 12 inch thing that holds the entire engine together)

2) Install the valve without the adapter.

3) Put the small bolt back on.

dloop

 

[SeanW]

That small bolt is only used to hold the black plate on. Since you already have the parts, you might try what I believe some here have done:

1) Remove small bolt

2) Remove black plate

3) Install adapter (watch the torque!)

4) Install valve (hold adapter with wrench to prevent over-torquing)

This method gives the adapter more threads to grip in the pan and should make everything that much more secure.

If I had known about it at the time I would have done it this way. Mine is the setup in the pic. 8)

 

[dloop]

Sean, sorry for not identfying the picture correctly as yours.

Your reply suggests trying this by permanently removing the black plate. I do like your idea about having more threads to grip with that plate removed. But I still have to ask, why use the adapter at all, and not just use the valve solo? Is there something other than that bolt that the adapter is providing clearance for?

I'm just trying to elimate the valve-to-adapter connection if it's not needed. One less place for a leak to happen. One less place to accidentally strip the threads. Hopefully I'll have time to try this tonight and I'll take pictures too.

Thanks.

 

[joecvt]

Hello dloop,

I did the steps that you suggested and it has worked fine that way for
almost two years now. Your only chance that it will not work is if you
tighten and the part that sicks out (the handle) covers the small bolt.
The valve without the adapter has slightly longer threads and it does
not stick out as far so I think that it is a better design just using the valve.

JoeCVT - Just your average CVT owner

 

[SeanW]

Is there something other than that bolt that the adapter is providing clearance for? I'm just trying to eliminate the valve-to-adapter connection if it's not needed. One less place for a leak to happen. One less place to accidentally strip the threads.

Fumoto provides the adapter as a catch-all solution to any clearance problems. I have one on my 2004 Odyssey and also had to use an adapter just because of the design of the pan.

Obviously there are many different ways to use this valve on the Insight and, from what I have read, no matter which way you choose they all work very well.

I have used Fumotos on five different cars and have NEVER had a leak from anywhere!

Just install and enjoy! 8)

 

[dloop]

I was able to install the Fumoto oil pan valve and took some pictures.

I removed my original oil pan bolt.

The original oil pan bolt (right) has considerably longer threads than the Fumoto adapter (middle) and the Fumoto valve (left)

This made me decide to remove small bolt and the black spacer to get as much thread depth as possible. Someone mentioned they believed the black spacer is there to limit the galvanic reaction between the two metals.

But when I installed the valve-only directly to the pan the valve spring pointed downward when tightened. I worried about a hard hit at the bottom of the car with this sticking down . So I put the spacer back on. Fiddling with the small bolt as I tightened the valve I was able to get it installed without the Fumoto adapter as others had suggested. When tightened, the spring part of the valve is pointing out to the side.

I very carefully tightened the adapter.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

Nice post dloop.

Should help out many an Insighter in deciding how to eliminate the dreaded stripped oil pan threads. I'm your first convert :!:

And thanks for watching the pic sizes too. :!: <nit pic mode on> Now if only you could have adjusted the .jpg compression factor a bit you could have cut my thread load time in half. Yah, they'd been a bit fuzzier, but the same quality of information would have been communicated. <nit pic mode off>

THANKS!

 

[SeanW]

Yes dloop, very well done!

This not only answers questions about the installation of the valve but also about what lies behind the mysterious black plate.

With so much info, maybe it should be a sticky!

 

[HafNHaf]

how about the fram oil valve? it's about 13 bux, and it's NOT a filter :badgrin:
anybody try one of those?

 

[Jerry]

Oil drain valve

I have had the Fram oil drain on my car for about a year now.
When I installed it I removed the black plate, as with the Fomoto
the threads on the Fram drain are shorter than the Honda drain plug
and I wanted to make sure I had a good seal. There has been no reaction
between the metals of the oil pan and the valve. I would recommend either one as the dealer stripped the threads out of my original oil pan.

 

[HafNHaf]

well... next oil change i will take a closer look at the fram valve. thanx!

 

[highwater]

Just got finished changing the oil in mine today, and I installed the Fram Sure-Drain SD2, M14 X 1.5 thread size. I looked at the Fumoto on the net and it was ~25 bucks. It looks to be a very well made item. I think I will like the Fram since every time I change the oil the wind is blowing :evil: , and its a pain to keep the pan under the stream when the wind is whipping it around. The plunger fitting doo-dad that is part of the Fram has a tube attached to it so now the tube can be stuck down into the drain pan and the wind won't be a problem. O'reilys 10 bucks. I think they were closing them out . I also removed the black spacer and small bolt.

Randall