cutting hole in sump guard to aid oil changes

[SilverSaloon]

hi

my W124 has the steel sump guard on it.

I drain my oil (not a fan of sucking it out), so every time i do this its a hassle getting the sump guard back on.

I was thinking about cutting a small hole/cutout in the guard to allow enough space to get a spanner in there to undo the sump bolt and let the oil drain out.

Do you think this is a good idea? if not, why not? seems quite a good idea to me.....

cheers

Derek

 

[AANDYY]

I understand what you mean about removing them sump guards whilst under the car on stands!
Depends what you mean by a small hole?
Remember the oil 'arcs' out when hot so the hole need to be about 6" long I guess.
What about a hatch, then it can be bigger and easier to work on/in and to get on and off.

 

[grober]

Use an oil extractor- Mercedes do! Otherwise--- why not extend the drain with a suitable threaded union and pipe with termination/plug to an easily accessible position. With your method I would forecast lots of oil all over the top of your sump guard as the draining oil flow direction changes??

 

[SilverSaloon]

i agree it would have to be quite a long rectangle cut-out.

i'll take a look at it when its off and maybe make a cardboard template to check against.

 

[jaymanek]

A couple of my cars have the sump guard and there is already access to the drain plug?

 

[SilverSaloon]

A couple of my cars have the sump guard and there is already access to the drain plug?

there is no way to get access to the drain plug with the metal guard in place. there is a cut out near the back, but i've always assumed this is for cr@p to drain out of it....?

 

[del320]

I understand what you mean about removing them sump guards whilst under the car on stands!
Depends what you mean by a small hole?
Remember the oil 'arcs' out when hot so the hole need to be about 6" long I guess.
What about a hatch, then it can be bigger and easier to work on/in and to get on and off.

You know that Sod's Law will dictate that no matter what shape of hole you cut, the oil will flow all over the upper surface and eventually drain all over you and the garage floor.

The remedial work will therefore be far, far greater than if you just took the damn thing off in the first place.

 

[BlackC55]

I would suck the oil out everytime. It DOES get all of the oil out.

 

[Smiley]

Get a plastic sump guard; off and on in minutes.

 

[spock500]

Drain plug

Could use one of these then attach a hose directly into container

Femco UK - Oil Drain Technology Frequently Asked Questions

 

[SilverSaloon]

A couple of my cars have the sump guard and there is already access to the drain plug?

I changed the oil today. Jay - you were right, there is a small hole very near to the sump plug and you can see the plug through it, however it would be hard to undo the plug (but possible) via the hole.... but you couldnt drain the oil through it....

only use for the hole as far as i can see is to check whether the plug is leaking oil or not.

anyway, i didnt bother to cut a bigger hole.... just decided to accept the extra 10 mins it takes to bolt the thing back on again. It actually didnt take so long this time... i used a jack to hold it in position which helped.

also replaced the air filter.... got to change some glow plugs tommorow, so a busy weekend with the car for me!

 

[compress ignite]

Part Number for the Steel under engine cover ?

Silver Saloon,

'Have you the part number for the Sump guard Steel cover?

thanks!

 

[SilverSaloon]

Silver Saloon,

'Have you the part number for the Sump guard Steel cover?

thanks!

no sorry, it was standard on my car when i got it.

 

[219]

Both my W124s had the plastic undertray , which did not interfere with oil changes .

Unless you do off-roading , I would venture that a steel sump guard is not neccessary for normal driving .

On the subject of draining sumps , why-oh-why did they put the drain plug on the rear edge of the sump on my 500SEL , where it is ****** awkward to get at . The bottom of the sump is flat and level so it would have drained just as well from the front . The sump looks more or less rectangular - I must look whether it could simply be turned round ( maybe someone put it on the wrong way sometime before ) .

 

[corned]

I guess the rearward drain plug is there on the assumption that if anything, when you raise the car to gain access to the drain plug, you are going to be tilting the car up at the front, not back. Notwithstanding the fact that you are obviously doing this either under a lift or in a pit.

 

[EDZ649]

Not taking the sump guard off when doing an oil change seems very strange to me, it's an ideal time to check under the rest of the engine for any other problems that may not be visible otherwise.

 

[DSM10000]

Ugg boot post reported.