Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve

Titan XE · 09-08-2004, 09:20 PM

I am thinking on picking one of these drain valves up: http://www.fumotovalve.com/
It is apparantly approved by Nissan for use in Japan. It is a ball valve system constructed of brass & stainless steel. The N type valve is the one with the nipple which the Titan would probably take but it is unclear if the skid plate would still have to be removed. If so I would skip the idea. Anyone here have this installed on their Titan? or have any feedback?

azxr · 09-08-2004, 10:13 PM

I haven't put one on the Titan yet, but have on two other vehicles and it is a quality time and mess saving device. I have 7 free oil changes coming from the dealer and plan on purchasing one and having them install it.

SUBTITAN · 09-08-2004, 10:37 PM

Good idea, but I worry about ball valves. They don't mention what the seats are made from and ball valves tend to have problems when not operated often, usually caused by the seats absorbing the moisture. If the seats were made of some sort of teflon I guess this would work fine. Before installing one with your truck under warranty I would check to see if Nissan will cover a failure of this.

NorCal 4x4 · 09-08-2004, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan XE

... but it is unclear if the skid plate would still have to be removed. If so I would skip the idea.

I did not have a skid plate that needed to be removed. Have you changed your Titan's oil yet, (so that you know for sure there is a plate covering it)?
If so, what Titan model and packages do you have? I have the 4x4 Crew cab w/4x4 off-road and big tow packages. To remove the oil filter there was the small ~ 8"x 8" plate, but the drain plug was accessible, w/o plate removal. Am I missing a plate?
The plug was on very tight, so be prepared. I don't know if this is because of the crushable washer, (that needs to be replaced each time), or because of factory tightening.
Thanks,
Steve

rholland · 09-09-2004, 06:41 AM

On my XE 4x2, I have changed the oil and you do have to remove the plate to get to the oil drain and filter.

Titan XE · 09-09-2004, 07:41 AM

I did my first oil change the other day @ 1,800 miles. I have the Titan XE King (not Crew) Cab and do not have the off road package. I removed the 4 bolts holding on the metal skid plate to get to the oil drain plug then about another 7 screws/bolts to remove the front underside metal cover to get to the oil filter! A pain in th butt when you have limited mobility. If this valve with a nipple can be utilized by not removing the oil pan skid plate, I will probably order one. If I would still have to remove the plate to get to it, I would not order it because at this point I might as well just turn the wrench! As far as getting to the oil filter, there is no way around that.

rjspitz · 09-09-2004, 12:17 PM

I would install this instead. Fram SureDRAIN SD3. I feel that it's more reliable than a ball valve. It also seems to have better clearance. I don't have the skid plate under the pan (just the filter) so I don't know if it will fit. It also has a dust cover to keep the tip clean. And for those with a skid plate, the hose might come in handy if you can get your hand far enough in to screw it on.

I used one on my Sebring for years and just installed one on the Titan this past weekend. Never get messy. I can now change the oil as soon as I pull into the garage after a 2-hour long drive without getting burned. I just wish they'd make one for my Audi. I've never had a problem with leakage. There is a rubber O-ring that seals the valve to the pan. I don't think that this is an issue, being that the filter uses a rubber O-ring too.

Oh, and by the way, this is the only FRAM product that I have faith in.

Bayou Titan · 09-09-2004, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titan XE

I am thinking on picking one of these drain valves up: http://www.fumotovalve.com/
It is apparantly approved by Nissan for use in Japan. It is a ball valve system constructed of brass & stainless steel. The N type valve is the one with the nipple which the Titan would probably take but it is unclear if the skid plate would still have to be removed. If so I would skip the idea. Anyone here have this installed on their Titan? or have any feedback?

I asked this question back in February. If you install one let me know how you like it.
Need info on aftermarket drain valves.

roadtoad · 09-09-2004, 07:02 PM

while my 4x has extensive skids, there is no coverage for the 14mm drain plug, however there are two holes inboard of it on the skid with a bare bolt dangling from one hole and the other missing .. is this that's covering the drain an extension that uses those two holes? -mike

TitanBrian · 09-12-2004, 01:23 PM

I installed the fumoto valve on the sump of my airplane's Lycoming engine. It's an excellent product, and has not dripped a single drop of oil in the year since I put it in service. Will install one in my Titan if it clears skid plate or whatever else might be down there.

CHuntMD · 09-13-2004, 07:43 AM

I've had this fumuto drain plug in my Armada for two oil changes. As for long term I have one in my 94 Ranger (135,000miles) and my 97 Explorer (125,000miles) w/o a problem. You can get them cheaper from distrubutors use google.

Chris

MKETASIS · 09-21-2004, 05:53 PM

I have had one of these valves on my Chevy Malibu and had problems with it. The valve is excellent and under normal conditions was great. The problems happened during the winter when my car scraped on piled up snow and once when I ran over a branch in the road during a storm. Both times the valve was hit and moved enough to allow oil to start draining.

However with the skid plates on the Titan, I don't think there would be any problems at all.

syntrix · 09-24-2004, 07:18 PM

I can get to the drain without removing the front skid plate.

You do have to remove that plate to get access to the oil filter, but it removes very easily.

SE 4x4 big tow here.