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Oil Change on cars
Old 09-08-2016, 07:54 AM   #1
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Oil Change on cars

I hope this is in the right forum. Well, here goes. I have been changing my own car oil the last couple of years and have been wondering how to store away old oily rags and oil catch pan. I have been just cleaning the pan by wiping it out and then placing everything in plastic bags and storing in attic of garage. I have seen where linseed oil can catch fire if left out but not car oil. Is there anybody that does their own oil changes and how do they store away and clean up?
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:10 AM   #2
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I don't go to the trouble of cleaning my oil drain pan. It's one of the 15 qt. plastic pans that has a petcock on top. I just put the caps on the drain pan and go about my way.

As far as oily rags, I just throw them away in the trash can.

It's hard to believe more people don't do their own oil changes. I drive my cars and truck up on ramps, and changing oil's just a 10 minute job. Sometimes changing oil is the most peaceful time of my week. My diesel pickup takes 15 quarts and an expensive filter, so I'm saving a bunch of money doing my own maintenance.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:25 AM   #3
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I don't go to the trouble of cleaning my oil drain pan. It's one of the 15 qt. plastic pans that has a petcock on top. I just put the caps on the drain pan and go about my way.

As far as oily rags, I just throw them away in the trash can.

It's hard to believe more people don't do their own oil changes. I drive my cars and truck up on ramps, and changing oil's just a 10 minute job. Sometimes changing oil is the most peaceful time of my week. My diesel pickup takes 15 quarts and an expensive filter, so I'm saving a bunch of money doing my own maintenance.
Yeah, I'm not mechanically inclined but I just googled it one day and started doing my own. Besides I'm retired and it gives me something else to do with my spare time.
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Old 09-08-2016, 08:27 AM   #4
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+1
Like Bamaman I don't bother cleaning the drain pan, just put away as is.

And I use Scotts shop towels that get tossed once used.

I collect the used oil until I have about 5 gallons stored in 2.5 gallon containers and then take them to work and dump it into the used oil tank to be recycled.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:19 AM   #5
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+1
Like Bamaman I don't bother cleaning the drain pan, just put away as is.

And I use Scotts shop towels that get tossed once used.

I collect the used oil until I have about 5 gallons stored in 2.5 gallon containers and then take them to work and dump it into the used oil tank to be recycled.
How and where do you store the pan?
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:26 AM   #6
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I don't store oily rags, but if not too nasty I just put them in a 5 gallon bucket with some water and detergent and let them soak, then swish them around, then rinse. The pan goes into a garbage bag while stored to keep dust out of it.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:35 AM   #7
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I have a shelf in the garage dedicated to oily tools. I just put a heavy duty garbage bag down and store them in a short cardboard box that gets replaced every so often or a plastic bin. As for rags, I use paper towels and they get disposed with the oil containers. I once took them to hazardous waste and they said to just put them in the trash.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:41 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by ripper1 View Post
I hope this is in the right forum. Well, here goes. I have been changing my own car oil the last couple of years and have been wondering how to store away old oily rags and oil catch pan. I have been just cleaning the pan by wiping it out and then placing everything in plastic bags and storing in attic of garage. I have seen where linseed oil can catch fire if left out but not car oil. Is there anybody that does their own oil changes and how do they store away and clean up?
i throw out the rags - I buy those red ones in bunches and the blue shop towel thingys too

I just wipe the oil pan and put it under the workbench - i've never had any issues
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:49 AM   #9
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I don't bother with doing oil changes any more, but I previously used one of these receptacles and when full, I took the used oil to an oil change facility. Also used the blue paper shop towels for wiping up when needed. I would never store oily rags for any period of time.
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:56 AM   #10
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our trash collection actually picks up used oil on recycle days - it just needs to be out by the blue can and labeled "used oil". pretty neat
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Old 09-08-2016, 09:57 AM   #11
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No need for oil pan or rags I just pull the car over the storm drain that says "drains to stream".

Then my conscious kicks in and I do it the right way, storing the oil pan under the bottom shelf in the garage after pouring the used oil into a 5 gallon bucket. Rags etc into trash can.
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:04 AM   #12
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When I was a kid, I worked in a lawnmower shop where we stored oily rags in a special metal container due to fire danger. It even had a temperature tripped fuse to force the top to close if there was a fire in the rag bin.

Similar to these: https://www.google.com/search?q=oily...e+bin&tbm=shop
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:11 AM   #13
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...
It's hard to believe more people don't do their own oil changes. I drive my cars and truck up on ramps, and changing oil's just a 10 minute job. Sometimes changing oil is the most peaceful time of my week. My diesel pickup takes 15 quarts and an expensive filter, so I'm saving a bunch of money doing my own maintenance.
I'll call it one of my indicators of wealth to pay someone to change my oil. Crawling under the car and dealing with oil and grease? I'll pass. I think I may actually still have my ramps, but getting up them and not going over, alone, was never that fun and I'd probably do some damage going off of them one of these days.

I had still been rotating my own tires but when I splurged yesterday to take my car in for an oil change I felt like really pampering myself so I let them also rotate the tires. I think I'm done with that too. I've been going to the same shop for 15 years, I know they don't over tighten the lugs so I can get them off if I have a flat.
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:13 AM   #14
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When I was a kid, I worked in a lawnmower shop where we stored oily rags in a special metal container due to fire danger. It even had a temperature tripped fuse to force the top to close if there was a fire in the rag bin.

Similar to these: https://www.google.com/search?q=oily...e+bin&tbm=shop
I remember those having worked in a USAF shop many years ago.
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Old 09-08-2016, 10:19 AM   #15
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I recently began changing my vehicle oil once again after a long sabbatical. Having the time to do it, cost of having a shop do it with inferior products, are the 18 y/o "oil technicians" doing a good job? and being able to purchase a quality product at a fraction of the cost are all contributing factors. Biggest change this time... recycling the oil rather than pouring it along the fence line to kill weeds. My granddaughter taught me that.

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Old 09-08-2016, 10:24 AM   #16
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I burn the oil rags in my fire bin. Better to return CO2 to trees for cleaning up rather than leaching back oil into ground water. The old oil gets recycled at a local auto part store. By the way, I have Fumoto drain valve on all my vehicles. Easy to drain and no more stripped threads on the oil pan!!
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Old 09-08-2016, 01:23 PM   #17
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AFAIK, linseed oil and other wood polish/preserving type oils are 'drying oils'. In the process of drying, they are oxidizing, and that is just a slow combustion process. Heat is developed as they dry. That is why they can self-combust.

But car oil won't dry, so I don't think it will generate its own heat, but it is flammable, so you should still be careful with it.

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Old 09-08-2016, 02:22 PM   #18
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I think I may have gone to a "Jiffy Lube" maybe once in my life. Not sure why I went that one time? Anyway, I have always changed my own oil, filters and done my own lube jobs, where needed. I probably do 15+ oil and filter changes a year. All the oil is dumped into several 2.5 gallon plastic oil containers and then recycled at our local transfer station when they get full. I use heavy duty paper shop towels for any clean up and just toss them in the trash.

Changing oil on a lift rack is "sooooo" much easier than crawling around under a car.
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Old 09-08-2016, 02:47 PM   #19
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........... Not sure why I went that one time? .........
Did you need your drain plug threads stripped? Or maybe the crankcase over filled?
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Old 09-08-2016, 02:55 PM   #20
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Did you need your drain plug threads stripped? Or maybe the crankcase over filled?
or have the transmission drained instead and a guy telling you that the stock oil filter won't fit (because he was trying to replace the tranny filter) - yes this actually happened


"oh yeah, exactly when did he realize that he was draining the tranny - after 2 or 3 gallons of red fluid were drained?"
""hey, it was an honest mistake"
"you'd better put that guy back on broom duty"
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