Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

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Chris M
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Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by Chris M »

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A school I flew with had them and the first time I used one to top up the oil the clouds parted and angels started singing. Handiest little thing I've used in a while. They seem to be tricky to track down though. Sporty's sells their version for $3 and Spruce has one for $10, but neither are as well designed in my opinion. Does anyone know where I could find the one pictured above? I'd like to pick up a few for the club that can be left in the planes. A few people have tried filling the 150 without a funnel and made a bit of a mess.
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Adam Oke
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by Adam Oke »

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Phillips has a spout. Not sure if it comes in a case or not, but a quick google search shows you can find one for a buck. I screw the spout in first, then dump the oil in the spout and press down. It gives a positive "click" and you can walk away to finish your coffee while it drips.

I have also used a funnel with a screw top and bottom for a clean solution. I think we got ours from princess auto. Each plane has their own in the baggage compartment.

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Edit: But to answer your question, take a look around automotive shops. Here it is on amazon for $5.12 + $11.26 shipping.

https://www.amazon.ca/Hopkins-10107B-12 ... entries*=0
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I_Drive_Planes
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by I_Drive_Planes »

Adam Oke wrote: Phillips has a spout. Not sure if it comes in a case or not, but a quick google search shows you can find one for a buck. I screw the spout in first, then dump the oil in the spout and press down. It gives a positive "click" and you can walk away to finish your coffee while it drips.
Phillips does come with the spout in the case. I never use it though, I find the bottle of oil will thread directly into the filler neck on my engine so I can screw it in and leave it there to drain while I go do something else.
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crazyaviator
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by crazyaviator »

I find the bottle of oil will thread directly into the filler neck on my engine so I can screw it in and leave it there to drain while I go do something else.


Wouldnt that be amazing if phillips were to design a bottle to thread directly into the engine !!!!!
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cgzro
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by cgzro »

And for a real rocket science solution you can take an empty Aeroshell etc. plastic bottle, cut it in 1/2 and use it as funnel which screws into the filler neck. :)
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Chris M
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by Chris M »

Adam Oke wrote:
Edit: But to answer your question, take a look around automotive shops. Here it is on amazon for $5.12 + $11.26 shipping.

https://www.amazon.ca/Hopkins-10107B-12 ... entries*=0
Awesome, thanks. I just ordered 3 of them.

I worked in garages all the way through school so I've seen just about every conceivable method of adding oil to an engine, but some of the other pilots in the club don't have that experience and are a bit lazy. The 172 isn't a problem, but the dipstick on the 150 sits quite a bit farther down and instead of getting a funnel people will try to just stuff the oil bottle in quickly, hoping to not make a mess. They don't always succeed. My hope is that by putting one of these in a ziplock bag in each plane and also with the spare oil in the shed people will be more inclined to take care of the planes.
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SuperchargedRS
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by SuperchargedRS »

I_Drive_Planes wrote:
Adam Oke wrote: Phillips has a spout. Not sure if it comes in a case or not, but a quick google search shows you can find one for a buck. I screw the spout in first, then dump the oil in the spout and press down. It gives a positive "click" and you can walk away to finish your coffee while it drips.
Phillips does come with the spout in the case. I never use it though, I find the bottle of oil will thread directly into the filler neck on my engine so I can screw it in and leave it there to drain while I go do something else.
Yeah.

If you're good you can just put the bottles neck right into the engine filler hole, at least with the XC oil and big bore continentials.
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CpnCrunch
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Re: Anyone use one of these for oil top-ups?

Post by CpnCrunch »

Chris M wrote: The 172 isn't a problem, but the dipstick on the 150 sits quite a bit farther down and instead of getting a funnel people will try to just stuff the oil bottle in quickly, hoping to not make a mess. They don't always succeed. My hope is that by putting one of these in a ziplock bag in each plane and also with the spare oil in the shed people will be more inclined to take care of the planes.
I've never had a problem with the 150. I just stuff the oil bottle into the hole, and the oil goes into the engine. I didn't think it was such a big deal.
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