The last few turns of an oil drain plug during an oil change can be the most nerve-racking moments of a gearhead’s life:
- Will scalding hot oil pour all over your arms and hands?
- Will it spill out onto your driveway?
- Will it stain and ruin your vintage Def Leppard T-shirt?
Well, with the handy OTC Drain Plug Pro, you don’t need to worry about any of that.
There’s beauty in simplicity and, as such, there’s not much to this ingenious little drain plug removal tool.
It’s basically just a flexible, sturdy gooseneck attached to a screwdriver-like handle. On the other end is a partial socket with two flanges to hold the bolt—along with a super strong magnet to keep the drain plug in place once it’s removed.
Frankly, we’re disappointed in ourselves that it took us so long to discover this handy little gadget.
Using this drain plug removal tool is super simple too. We’ll walk you through the process as we drain the oil on a AMC 258 I6 in a vintage Jeep CJ-5.
Note: Though oil changes on this CJ are laughably easy, this quick demo should give you an idea of how helpful this tool can be in the tight spaces of a cramped engine bay.
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Start by using a standard socket/wrench to loosen the drain bolt so that it’s about finger tight—just stop turning it before oil begins to drain out.
Then put the socket end of the Drain Plug Pro onto the bolt and continue loosening the drain plug.
The appeal here is that you now have a ton of control over the drain bolt itself, so you can start with a trickle and then gradually loosen the drain plug to make sure it’ll pour directly into your drain pan or tub below.
Continue turning the drain plug tool and the oil stream will grow which, again, is a big part of the magic here. You can control the amount of oil pouring from the pan so you can be sure your drain pan or tank is perfectly positioned to catch it all.
In other words, this tool will go a long way towards preventing an oil-soaked driveway or shop floor.
The best news is that, since the tip is magnetic, it can prevent you from accidentally dropping the drain bolt or losing its thin metal crush washer.
Heck, our drain plug on this AMC has a nylon washer and we were able to easily flick the bolt upwards once it was fully removed to keep the washer from falling off into the used oil.
(If you’ve ever had to fish through a pan of dirty, hot oil to find a tiny washer—or the drain plug entirely—you’re probably smiling here.)
Pretty soon, the drain plug will be out and secured to the head of the tool. Honestly, you could swing it around the shop without fear of losing the bolt—the magnet is that freakin’ strong.
From there, you can wipe it off and set it aside until you’re ready to put it back into the pan.
Easy-peasy.
All told, the OTC Oil Drain Plug Pro tool can make a gearhead’s life way, way easier. And considering it’s a Tool Under $30, it makes the perfect gift to give and receive.
The OTC Drain Plug Pro is available in two flavors, click the part numbers for pricing and availability:
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