Oil Change on cars

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ripper1

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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 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.
 
Bamaman said:
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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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.
 
+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.
 
3800Fiero said:
+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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How and where do you store the pan?
 
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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.
 
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.
 
ripper1 said:
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?
Click to expand...

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
 
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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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
 
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.
 
Bamaman said:
...
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.

_______________________

"It is not desirable to know more people than necessary"
 
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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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.

-ERD50
 
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.
 
Car-Guy said:
........... Not sure why I went that one time? .........
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Did you need your drain plug threads stripped? Or maybe the crankcase over filled?
 
travelover said:
Did you need your drain plug threads stripped? Or maybe the crankcase over filled?
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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 :mad:


"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"
 
After many years of changing my vehicles oil by crawling under the car I finally got to the point about 4-5 years ago when my aching back said we were done with that procedure. I got a lifetime oil change plan for $400 with my next vehicle purchase (4 changes a year or every 3,000 miles) and so far seems to be working OK. The only complain is that it takes over an hour to get it done but what the heck, I'm retired and that way I can go look at all the shiny new cars while they do the oil change.
 
Always changed my own until a few years ago but now just pay a local shop for the one or two oil changes a year. But to stay on topic, I would store all of the oil change gear in the garage under a work bench (back when I had a house/garage).
 
RunningBum said:
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.
Click to expand...

I'm one that doesn't want anyone to do anything for me that I can do myself. I'm my happiest when I'm good and greasy--and when my mechanical exploits work like planned.

It's almost a sort of artistry. It's not all about saving money as vehicle maintenance is enjoyable.

I also do professional quality electrical work, plumbing and ceramic tile work. I do draw the line on climbing tall ladders, as I once broke a leg and have no more falls left in me.
 
travelover said:
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.
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We had one of those in the gas station where I worked too. One of the lasting impressions I learned there was the danger of piling up oily rags. At the end of the shift one of my tasks was to make sure all of them were in the metal can. I found a pile of them and when I grabbed a bunch of them I was astonished that the middle of the pile was almost hot enough to burn my hand. Okay, lesson learned!

Back to the original topic I just used paper towels on my oil changes and threw them out with the trash, making sure that the plastic bag they were in was tied off airtight.
 
Bamaman said:
I'm one that doesn't want anyone to do anything for me that I can do myself. I'm my happiest when I'm good and greasy--and when my mechanical exploits work like planned.

It's almost a sort of artistry. It's not all about saving money as vehicle maintenance is enjoyable.

I also do professional quality electrical work, plumbing and ceramic tile work. I do draw the line on climbing tall ladders, as I once broke a leg and have no more falls left in me.
Click to expand...
I get that, and I only responded because you said you couldn't believe more people don't change their own. Not sure whether you understand that a lot of people don't enjoy it and see muck, not artistry.
 
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