|
|
08-13-2015, 01:06 PM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Cali desert
Posts: 302
|
Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
Took Lola in for her first oil change today and discovered a mystery. The Sears folks say she has some sort of aftermarket oil system, and they can't change the oil because they need a special tool to open the drain and they don't have that sort of thing.
They suggested asking the dealer.
Stopped by the dealer, and while they'd be happy to take a look, they couldn't do it today.
There's a K&N sticker on my air filter housing*, but the dealer never said anything about an oil system, and I wasn't given any sort of doo-hickey related to changing the oil.
Regrettably, I don't have pics, and I can't even describe what I'm talking about because Sears had it down off the rack by the time I got over.
Does anyone have a clue what sort of thing I might be dealing with?
*I know the air filter has nothing to do with the oil system, but if there's a K&N air filter, that maybe implies a K&N oil system? Would that require a special tool to change the oil?
My upcoming trip is 3,000 miles, so I'm guessing it's not going to hurt anything to put off the oil change until I get back.
If anyone has a good guess about what the tool is, I'd like to go buy one so I can get the oil change done.
Thanks!
Dia
__________________
The Petroleum Falcon, aka LOLA. 2011 RB E350 5.4L w/PH. Now I just need solar, an interior and... Hey, why is the money always gone?
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:18 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 879
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - aftermarket syste
I wonder if it's a Fumoto valve, and they just weren't familiar with it? (It doesn't require a special tool - it's a metal piece that replaces the oil drain plug and can be "flipped" open right in place instead of unscrewed and removed like a stock drain plug.)
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:19 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 3,261
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - aftermarket syste
Is the question about the filter or the drain plug, or both?
Viva - was thinking something the same as you for the drain plug
__________________
Ray
Beastie 3: 2002 7.3 EB Cargo: Agile TTB, CCV High Top, Custom Walk Through, Lots of stuff added. www.BlingMyRig.com
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:25 PM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Cali desert
Posts: 302
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - aftermarket syste
Thanks, Viva.
If I were to crawl under the van and take a look, whereabouts would I be looking?
__________________
The Petroleum Falcon, aka LOLA. 2011 RB E350 5.4L w/PH. Now I just need solar, an interior and... Hey, why is the money always gone?
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:27 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Cali desert
Posts: 302
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - aftermarket syste
I went out and crawled under. You guys were dead on - it's a Fumoto valve. The oil filter doesn't look like anything special. It's blue and says PartsPlus on it.
So no tool needed - you just have to know how to work the valve, right?
Thanks, gents!
__________________
The Petroleum Falcon, aka LOLA. 2011 RB E350 5.4L w/PH. Now I just need solar, an interior and... Hey, why is the money always gone?
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:47 PM
|
#6
|
Site Team
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southern New Mexico
Posts: 10,177
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
The solution is to not go back to Sears, if they couldn't figure that out.
Herb
__________________
SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:49 PM
|
#7
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Cali desert
Posts: 302
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
Quote:
Originally Posted by BroncoHauler
The solution is to not go back to Sears, if they couldn't figure that out.
Herb
|
Amen to that!
__________________
The Petroleum Falcon, aka LOLA. 2011 RB E350 5.4L w/PH. Now I just need solar, an interior and... Hey, why is the money always gone?
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 01:59 PM
|
#8
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 879
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
Kind of ironic, since the "thing" about the Fumoto valve is that it doesn't require tools!
I first got one when I had a car with slightly messed up oil plug threads (not by me!). They were usable, but I didn't want to keep putting wear on them on threading/un-threading the oil drain plug, and a friend had been using the Fumotos on his vehicles for years.
I have one on my E-350 now too.
Glad the problem is solved (including that you know not to go back to that place!)
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 02:03 PM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: San Luis Obispo, CA
Posts: 2,552
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
Thanks a lot...another thing to get...
Except the messy part for me is the oil filter, not so much the drain plug.
__________________
2005 E350 Chateau - V10 - Agile Offroad 4x4
2012 CTS-V Wagon - For the baby...
|
|
|
08-13-2015, 04:52 PM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Corvallis, OR
Posts: 5,300
|
Re: Can't change oil, needs special tool - SOLVED
PS - It's not really necessary to change the oil at 3,000 miles. Ford says 5,000-7500 miles depending on drive cycle. I regularly go over 10,000 miles on full synthetic.
__________________
2000 E450 dually V10 wagon
|
|
|
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|