Anyone have the new UPR Billet Oil Pan Drain Plug with Easy Drain Valve?

[Elp_jc]

I'm sold on your catch can ... but would buy from CJP since they have free shipping, and no tax. But not so much on the drain plug. The most important reason is it doesn't seem to have a positive locking mechanism. Next, is the sealing O-ring can be damaged if cranked too much... but how do you know when it's just right? That's also why a locking mechanism is very important: To prevent leaks and damage, and to ensure it'd never back out with vibration. And finally, the exposed threads. An extra cleaning step that needs to be done to prevent damage to the unit. That's why I'll probably stick to the stock cap, especially if I can do what I want: drain about 3 quarts by controlling the cap. Put it back in. Draining that oil into a recycling container, then draining the rest, so it fits my 10-qt container without any risk of spilling oil. We'll see how it goes, and will decide after that. I like the idea of a magnet in there, but it's not essential.

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[UPRjoe]

Just to share this since I must not have been clear on the positive lock that our drain plug has and it will not vibrate loose of fall out. All our drain plugs have had the locking
tabs revised to make sure they are dummy proof. When we released the UPR Drain Valve for the Ford Plastic Oil Pan we went ahead and updated all the locking tabs to be
much narrower than the factory retaining tabs on the plastic yellow drain plugs. So we reduced the factory width retaining tabs from .485 wide down to .435 making them
much narrower to give them a much better positive lock than even the factory yellow plastic drain plug from FORD.

It will not leak as it is a double o-ring seal and offers the best seal over anything available. Threads are not an issue with wd-40 during install and the tolerance always keep
them clean during operation.

We stand behind our products with the unconditional UPR warranty against manufacturer defects.

PM me when you get a chance and have a great day.

Joe

 

[Elp_jc]

Joe, I was talking about the INNER part of your plug; the one you screw INWARD to drain the oil. Even your instructions clearly say not to overtighten the O-ring when closing the valve (counterclockwise), or it could be damaged. THAT smaller O-ring at the end of the valve (where the magnet is) is the one I'd be worried about. Is it tight enough to not leak and not get damaged? Or is it not tight enough that it could leak? THAT part of the valve should also have a positive lock (or 'click'), so it's always tightened 'right' . Hope I was clear this time.

 

[Fly2High]

how do you remove this when you have to turn it counterclockwise which also closes the valve? How do you NOT over tighten the valve when you remove it? You have the friction of two o-rings to overcome.

 

[UPRjoe]

how do you remove this when you have to turn it counterclockwise which also closes the valve? How do you NOT over tighten the valve when you remove it? You have the friction of two o-rings to overcome.

Quick Information:

The o-ring just needs to be snugged closed and you can see it clearly when you have it in your hand as the o-ring gets a small amount of pressure against the body to seal when it closes with only a slight amount of friction to seal the oil in the valve positively. Our UPR Drain Valve can be opened - closed within a heavy 1/4" of thread travel. The valve doesn't need to be more than snugged in the closed = counterclockwise position or open = clockwise position when you're operating the UPR Drain Valve and never turn the valve, so it locks against the face of the housing always keep a slight air gap.

I'm sorry if there is any confusion and will make sure the directions reflect this as well.

As for installing or removing the valve you just make sure you have your fingers holding the knurled body and the two locking tabs at the same time while rotating them together until it positively rests against the stops on the plastic oil pan. As for removing the UPR Drain Valve I recommend using a small screwdriver or needlenose pliers to gently take the pressure off the locking tabs while you are rotating the knurled knob and the locking tabs together. Never use the knurled knob to try and remove the UPR Drain Valve as it' designed with narrower locking tabs to eliminate any chance of coming loose and cannot be removed this way. The new locking tabs design eliminates any possibility of coming loose.

We developed this using the feedback from tuners, builders, and fellow enthusiasts to have the most dependable upgrade-replacement for the Ford Plastic Yellow Drain Plug.

I hope this cleared things up, Joe@UPR

https://uprproducts.com/upr-ford-ea...rer/?ctk=ebe3ca4d-2884-474d-9d24-dff7829a00e5

 

[UPRjoe]

Joe, I was talking about the INNER part of your plug; the one you screw INWARD to drain the oil. Even your instructions clearly say not to overtighten the O-ring when closing the valve (counterclockwise), or it could be damaged. THAT smaller O-ring at the end of the valve (where the magnet is) is the one I'd be worried about. Is it tight enough to not leak and not get damaged? Or is it not tight enough that it could leak? THAT part of the valve should also have a positive lock (or 'click'), so it's always tightened 'right' . Hope I was clear this time.

The UPR Drain Valve has a detent screw that keeps tension on the shaft center shaft so it will not vibrate loose or have any leaking issues as long as you lightly snug it closed as the o-ring and the sealing surface are machined perfectly to ensure a positive seal. Also, the precision machining of the o-ring surface allows the o-ring to seal without having to use a lot of pressure just the same as the o-ring that seals when you install the UPR Drain Valve in the oil pan with a simple interference fit.

Yes you were clear and I missed your post before replying. The most important thing is we stand behind our parts and can be sure you will have no problems.

Joe@UPR

 

[kz]

A pinch of salt to this thread - at SCCA Bristol Championship Tour that I participated in last weekend, drain valve in UPRs plug backed itself off at least one full turn after running over a cone. I pulled into impound and was told I'm leaking oil - which I was.... Shut the engine down immediately, after about 10 minutes entire oil was gone.

While this is extremely rare occurrence and it's unlikely to happen anyone daily driving their car, it can happen - I was in the lucky situation of participating in the event and having multiple eyes on me. Had this happen somewhere on the road, entirely oil would have been gone. Wet spots around the car is some of 10 quarts of oil that my car dumped all over the place.

Not trying to shit on UPR's product but people using it have to be aware of this possibility. Replaced with yellow Ford plastic plug I've had with me as a back up and not putting UPR's one back in. Also disclaimer - car is slightly lowered.

 

[UPRjoe]

We haven't run into this and would like you to send in the Drain plug so we can inspect the locking tabs and will send you out a replacement immediately. I want to be sure we get any issue resolved 100% without any hesitation. PM me your name and info so I can get the product out to you. I can't guess at what the cone could do getting run over and hitting the drain plug? I just want to be sure you have a perfect fresh part to be safe with. The factory unit can and will have a similar result as we have seen the plastic unit break the tabs off and come out during normal driving. We designed the UPR Billet Drain plugs to survive road debris and have run into a cone eater yet.

Either way, we work hard on our designs to survive such instances. This is definitely a new one!

Have a good morning and know UPR has you covered, Joe

 

[kz]

We haven't run into this and would like you to send in the Drain plug so we can inspect the locking tabs and will send you out a replacement immediately. I want to be sure we get any issue resolved 100% without any hesitation. PM me your name and info so I can get the product out to you. I can't guess at what the cone could do getting run over and hitting the drain plug? I just want to be sure you have a perfect fresh part to be safe with. The factory unit can and will have a similar result as we have seen the plastic unit break the tabs off and come out during normal driving. We designed the UPR Billet Drain plugs to survive road debris and have run into a cone eater yet.

Either way, we work hard on our designs to survive such instances. This is definitely a new one!

Have a good morning and know UPR has you covered, Joe

Joe - appreciate the response and its tone - tabs were fine, it was the knurled valve know that got turned open - I think the plug as removed is fine and there is nothing wrong with it.
If you look at the picture, that is more or less how it looked seating in the oil pan - I don't have a picture unfortunately, but it was the heat of the moment, car pouring oil everywhere and taking a pic was last thing on my mind. Valve was clearly backed away about the distance pic shows it.

The fact that it was only the knob and not the tabs / entirely plug actually resulted in a relatively slow oil loss, had the entire plug come out (which could be the case with the plastic OEM one), oil loss is immediate and would likely result in the engine damage. Again, highly unlikely thing to happen to anyone

 

[Fly2High]

Joe,
after reading this I decided to check my yet to be installed drain plug and saw that it only takes about 3/4 to 1 full turn before the inner O - ring shows a visible thin gap allowing oil to flow. It might be less than this since I was only going by eye (and I wear glasses). Since it only has whatever oil/lubricant you ship with, at first it was firm to turn. Once I exercised it once or twice it loosened up. it became rather easy to turn. It was not stupid easy but required rather little torque to cause it to unscrew.

My thoughts are:

1. it needs a tighter fitting o - ring to put more initial friction to reduce the chance of turning. Of course this could cause the o-ring- wear prematurely. 0.1 - 0.2 mm thicker o-ring might do the trick.
2. a longer thread so that it will take more turns before the valve begins to drain. I would like to see two or three full turns before it begins to pass oil or leak/drip.
3. It should be machined tighter or a nylon insert or something added to create greater friction increasing the torque to open the valve. I suggest this b/c I wonder if the valve loosens up when it is installed and heated by the oil and a hot engine. If it does, it will be even easier to turn once hot.

I was thinking of slipping a rubber hose over the exposed assembly to keep dirt out but I wonder if that would also help reduce the tendency to turn. The friction of the stationary part would keep the valve knob from turning even if the hose was twisted.

just some thoughts...

Interested to hear if and how this might be changed.

 

[Fly2High]

Joe,
What is the purpose of the setscrew on the black part behind the valve? Does it adjust backlash?

 

[UPRjoe]

Joe - appreciate the response and its tone - tabs were fine, it was the knurled valve know that got turned open - I think the plug as removed is fine and there is nothing wrong with it.
If you look at the picture, that is more or less how it looked seating in the oil pan - I don't have a picture unfortunately, but it was the heat of the moment, car pouring oil everywhere and taking a pic was last thing on my mind. Valve was clearly backed away about the distance pic shows it.

The fact that it was only the knob and not the tabs / entirely plug actually resulted in a relatively slow oil loss, had the entire plug come out (which could be the case with the plastic OEM one), oil loss is immediate and would likely result in the engine damage. Again, highly unlikely thing to happen to anyone

Thank you for the response and let me know if there is any help you need from us or if your worried you damaged the drain valve.

The valve is designed to allow pressure between the seat once the aluminum touches and is fully closed.

The set screw is to allow you to adjust the pressure when turning the drain valve. You can adjust it a bit
tighter if you want to increase the detent against thee threads making it harder to turn. Never over-tighten
anything, as they are all designed to be light interference fits, and lasts the life of your vehicle.

Thank you, Joe

 

[kz]

Thank you for the response and let me know if there is any help you need from us or if your worried you damaged the drain valve.

I'm good but appreciate the response and offer.

 

[Elp_jc]

I bet the factory yellow plug wouldn't be affected for a simple reason: it's much shorter. And the new one with the square hole (rather than the 'wings') even less IMO. And the other also has potential issues, so decided to keep the stock one, and just put a magnet on the oil filter instead . To be honest, still haven't done an oil change yet (very close to it), but I'm almost sure I'll manage to not make a mess at all based on recommendations to just not completely remove the plug, so we'll see. And those flimsy Fumoto valves are even worse IMO. I'm all for making things easier for us, but some are just not worth it IMO, like 'easy drain plugs', but of course, to each his own .

 

[GB17shelbyGT350R]

Just wanted to share with everyone that we have run these with and without the cap in the end. The plug just keeps is clean and is a nice addition. The plug will not fall out once installed unless you pull it out. We do warranty all our parts 100% against manufacturer defects. The double o-ring is because the stock drain plug rocks and is very sloppy in the pan and I wanted to improve our design and like the double o-ring as it gives a much more solid installation and better support to be able to operate the drain valve and eliminates the rocking the factory units have.

As for the threads being exposed we just recommend to to spray the threads with wd-40 and the dirt and debris will never be an issue. I have done all the testing without any wd-40 to be sure it will not have any problems or premature wear. They did exceptional as we installed them on a few F150 that go hood deep in mud and crud to see how the drain valves held up. Feel free to PM me anytime for any questions as we always want to be sure to keep everyone as informed as possible.

Also, remember when you are closing the drain valve not to crank it tight as it's an o-ring seal that you just snug it tight and it will seal perfectly fine.

Joe

Joe is it possible for the plug to vibrate and cause the threaded portion to screw inward causing oil to drain?

This is my main concern, once screwed outward, sealing the ring, daily driving would cause vibration to drive the o ring back causing a potential leak/drain oil?

Doesn't look to be anything locking it into the closed position (threads showing) ?
Thanks

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