For the do-it yourselfer (and professionals).

Like a big spin on oil filter only it's the entire oil pan with integrated filter.

Purchase the pan-filter unit prefilled with oil. Spin off the used unit. Remove the snap on plastic lid from the new one. Snap the plastic lid on the old unit. Spin the fresh unit on the engine. Return old pan to recycling location within auto parts store.

Yeah, yeah. I know there are issues:
- Engineering car's structure to allow room for the pan to drop out: no big deal, RayfordSteele can always use the work
- Spinning the thing off without dropping it: be careful
- Standarization: have you looked at the plethora of oil filters in the parts store? Now would be a good time to begin reducing the number of choices.
- Indexing to ensure the baffling is in the right position to keep oil near the pump pickup while turning, accelerating: tricky, this one.
- etc.
- etc.
- etc.

If the pan is engineered to be of sufficiently low profile, a semi-automated floor jack type device could be used to roll under the car, automatically remove the pan and roll back out. All without jacking up the car and all without me getting dirty oil in my eye.
-- half, Jun 22 2003

Lube *needs* to be added at the top end, doesn't it? What if the threads get stripped?
-- thumbwax, Jun 22 2003


Yes, I guess the gasket would have a light coating of grease from the factory for a no-oil-on-hands install.

If the threads get stripped, that'd be no different than the same problem with spin on oil filters (no fun by the way). If it's the threaded part on the engine, replace it. If it's the threaded part of the filter (now pan) replace it.
-- half, Jun 22 2003


I’m Popeye the sailor man.
Just switched a spin on oil can.
It’s unsoiled like my goyl
Whose name’s Olive Oyle.
A whole + from another œ fan.
-- FarmerJohn, Jun 22 2003


I mean, *top end* of the engine.
-- thumbwax, Jun 22 2003


Oh, you mean "lube *needs* to be added at the top end". Why didn't you just say that? I know of no reason that lube needs to be added from the top end. It all gets sucked out of the oil pan no matter how it gets in to the pan. After your car is parked a while, there's no oil in the top end. After pouring in the oil for an oil change, it all just runs down in to the pan in short order. (Speaking generally about run of the mill production cars that I'm familiar with.)

Maybe you're thinking of something that I'm not.
-- half, Jun 22 2003


Hmmm. Aren't you making a regularly replaced part (oil filter) more expensive, increasing the running costs of the car?
-- st3f, Jun 23 2003


This is an outstanding idea. The only problems I see are:
1) Those people who, for what ever reason, want to put additives in their oil, and
2) Standardization.

The first one could be solved by offering un-oiled filter/pans. The second would probably work out with market forces.
-- phoenix, Jun 23 2003


Should this be forwarded to Auto makers? Probably.
-- Zimmy, Jun 23 2003


s3tf- this needn't increase the cost much. as the pan is being returned and presumeably cleaned and refilled by the auto-parts store the only cost should be in replacing the integral filter. this should be cheaper then a normal filter due to the necessary standardisation giving a larger market. it may even make this process cheaper than the current one, although that would probably represent a better profit margin, rather than a reduction in price.
-- stilgar, Jun 09 2004



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