Oil change question...

[thirdktm]

How important do you believe it is that engine oil be changed when the oil is hot? Versus changing oil in an engine that has been sitting and not running for days?

[Hazman65]

I was always taught to change oil when it was hot as that made sure oil the old oil could drain from the engine in some reasonable amount of time. It’s kind of a pain dealing with really hot oil but you just have to be careful. For what it’s worth!

[pward]

As Hazman65 stated, warm is better, does not have to be "hot". Warm oil flows better than cold or cool, really the only reason IMO.

[jbrnigan]

Since I do my own oil changes, I just open the Fumoto valve and come back an hour or so later, or even the next day, change the filter and refill the crankcase. After an hour or so, even cold oil will drain completely (less what will never drain from engine nooks and cranny's and the crankcase).

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by thirdktm

How important do you believe it is that engine oil be changed when the oil is hot? Versus changing oil in an engine that has been sitting and not running for days?

Simply starting the engine and let it run for a few minutes then change the oil. It’ll flow easier and the oil filter will come off easier too.

[mokurt]

Oil is thinner when hot so most of it will drain out.

[JFlightRisk]

I warm up our vehicles first, also. The hot, thinner oil will flush out anything that's settled on the bottom of the pan. I'm just very careful taking the drain plug out, so I don't burn over 90% of my body! I wear some heavy duty rubber gloves, so it doesn't sting so much. Some vehicles are easier than others to get away without an oil bath.

[CAG]

Besides flowing better hot/warm mixed oil allows all of the contaminates to flow out. Cold oil leaves the sludge in the bottom of the pan.

Fumoto valve prevents burns and having to search in the hot drained oil for the drain plug. An “oil bath” won’t happen.

[jbrnigan]

The ONLY reason to change oil warm/hot is that hot oil is less viscous and drains marginally faster. References to sludge and contaminates precipitating out and laying in the bottom of the pan or engine galleries just does't happen with modern engine oils, designed to keep harmful contaminants in suspension. 99% of harmful solids are captured by the filter. There is ONLY a certain QUANTITY of oil that will drain out of an engine, whether it is drained in 10 minutes or 10 hours. Do what you're most comfortable with or what your daddy did, but your engine won't go further or last longer based on whether you change your engine oil....hot or cold.

[CAG]

some experts seem to disagree. In fact, dino oil is still dino oil and some contaminants still settles to the bottom of the tank. Not so much with synthetic.

I have to wonder about walking away from a vehicle with no oil in and leaving it for a day. I hope no one else has the keys and decides to take a trip to the store.

[thirdktm]

To everyone who replied...!...Thanks....
What I did: Drove 3 miles. Removed the drain plug. The oil, which is slightly cooler than hot, shoots out, perhaps 18 inches. After a few minutes, it begins to drip.
Surprising to me is that the drain plug apparently is not magnetic. The three drain plugs on my Harley are -- and each one catches slivers of metal. That's a good thing, I suppose. There were no slivers on the RV drain plug. Good thing? Bad thing? Not sure which.....
The RV is a 2016 Jayco Melbourne 24, which has the Mercedes turbo six-cylinder. Its owner's manual says to change in the oil every year or every 20,000 miles. I do it once a year....

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by thirdktm

To everyone who replied...!...Thanks....
What I did: Drove 3 miles. Removed the drain plug. The oil, which is slightly cooler than hot, shoots out, perhaps 18 inches. After a few minutes, it begins to drip.
Surprising to me is that the drain plug apparently is not magnetic. The three drain plugs on my Harley are -- and each one catches slivers of metal. That's a good thing, I suppose. There were no slivers on the RV drain plug. Good thing? Bad thing? Not sure which.....
The RV is a 2016 Jayco Melbourne 24, which has the Mercedes turbo six-cylinder. Its owner's manual says to change in the oil every year or every 20,000 miles. I do it once a year....

It was mentioned earlier, look into a FUMOTO VALVE, they are basically like turning on the faucet, easy on easy off, and you can put a hose on the end and drain it directly into a container. This prevents that 18 inch flash of oil that splatters all over everything. When you go to their website you will most likely see several options, if you do any kind of Boondocking pick the low profile one otherwise pick the best one for your application. If you have any questions I’m sure with the rest of us can answer them for you.

http://fumotousa.com/

[Lake Huron]

I have a 99 Dodge Cummins, an 09 G6, a 2001 Yukon Xl, and a 15 Duramax. All my engines run Synthetic Amsoil. I'll plan my oil changes for when I get home after a good 20-30min drive. I'll let it sit for about 15-30min to cool off just a little bit. I wear nitrile gloves so I dont get any burns and keep a shop rag right there. Unless you have a Fumoto valve, getting oil on your hands is going to happen. The Cummins holds 11 quarts and is so high I dont need to jack it up and I slide a 5gal pail under the truck, loosen the drain plug and just let it fall into the bucket. I fish it out with a telescoping magnet. The Duramax has to get the front jacked up a little bit to get the same pail under it. Lifting the front up also helps to drain SOME of the oil out on the front side of the oil pan. There is a hump in the pan that traps a quart of oil in the front of it. I have a pump that I use to suck the rest of it out. I also tend to let that truck sit for a few hours to drain let it drain as much out of the upper pan as possible. The car and the Yukon sit low enough I have to jack the front ends up just to get under them. Same goes for those, I break the plugs loose with a socket and ratchet and spin it off by hand donned in nitrile gloves and just let it drop into a 2gal bucket I have. They dont give me a splash issue because the bucket is tall and close to the drain hole.
The Cummins has a vertical filter so I fill the new one with new oil before I install it. The Duramax has an aftermarket filter system on it so BOTH oil filters are vertical and get filled before install. The Yukon is somewhat vertical so I fill it about half way otherwise itll spill out. The car has a topside filter element so there is no filling that. The reason I fill the filters is so the engine gets oil quicker.

[GAD36H]

As they say, YMMV but I change it hot, warm or cold. I suspect after the vehicle has been sitting overnight or longer, most of the oil will be in the pan anyway. If you worry about sludge buildup, you're not changing oil and filter often enough. These modern engines are mostly bullet proof if you treat them right.

[Murff]

It's usually hot by the time i get it to my mechanic.

Murff

[TCNashville]

I also fill my oil filters as part of the oil change procedure. The oil seems to get to the top end quicker that way and the oil light goes out more quickly.

[klirg]

There is an advantage to a cold oil drain after a long idle period as some settling of crud may occur and it will drain.

[ARMYG]

I would always look at how dirty the oil was while draining and then deciding if I would flush the engine with oil, then do the final oil change. It costs twice as much for the oil, but if the engine is still dirty inside after draining and refilling, the extra money spent will benefit you in the long run. And changing oil every three months regardless of the mileage will also make you engine wear less and last longer. summary: Oil is always cheaper than bearing, lol My two cents also includes changing oil when it is hot vrs cold

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by timgarmon

I would always look at how dirty the oil was while draining and then deciding if I would flush the engine with oil, then do the final oil change. It costs twice as much for the oil, but if the engine is still dirty inside after draining and refilling, the extra money spent will benefit you in the long run. And changing oil every three months regardless of the mileage will also make you engine wear less and last longer. summary: Oil is always cheaper than bearing, lol My two cents also includes changing oil when it is hot vrs cold

What ever makes you happy. It's your money.

[ARMYG]

VICR, was you post intended to be unfriendly, critical or you just having a bad day.