Change Engine Oil Hot or Cold (Tested) Long vs Short Oil Drain Timelapse

[@TaylorZ2]

Great demonstration, concise and to the point. I'm so tired of 15 minute videos for things that can easily be answered in 2 or 3 minutes.

[@80skid83]

True , but I think they're prolonging the videos on purpose to get more adsense revenue

[@pg41226]

And annoying music

[@alexanderclifton3385]

Agreed

[@thenabinator]

My question was never about speed, but rather the difference in volume of oil between a hot & old drain. My theory was a cold drain would yield more oil since all oil had time to drain into the sump from all parts of the engine. But since a hot drain yielded even more oil - and took less time - the theory is blown. Happy to be proven wrong on this. Thanks!!

[@TheUnkindness]

I personally do both ''at the same time''. I usually change the oil after my car has been stored for a few months for winter, at that point all the old oil sunk into the pan so I drain it cold to remove as much old oil as possible. Then, I add unused but not fresh oil that I had left from my previous oil change, just enough to reach the dipstick and turn on the engine until it reaches operating temperature and turn it off. This allows for the unused oil to chase the old oil from the nooks and crannies, then I can simply drain the hot unused oil with the contaminants it managed to stir up and fill it up completely with fresh new oil. Best of both worlds. Yes, I do suck the fun out of life.

[@streetsquiid5615]

I once heard that, pouring used engine oil (even if it ran for a couple of kms) back into the engine is harmful for the engine.

[@TheUnkindness]

@@streetsquiid5615 i don't pour used oil in the engine. It's unused, just not fresh from the store. It's leftover oil that I didn't use from the previous oil change.

[@streetsquiid5615]

@@TheUnkindness No problem at all, I don't even know what would be the real problem of pouring back the same used oil taken from an engine. I'm just paranoid over my rebuilt engine hence listened to that advice.

[@igorpotocnik7231]

@@streetsquiid5615 Providing you didn't change the filter too.

[@bladder1010]

Bottom line is that a hot oil drain netted you an additional 1.7% oil over the cold oil drain. In the grand scheme of things that is completely negligible. Even fully drained, engines retain quite a bit of the old oil anyway -- many times more than that tiny amount. Modern engines aren't really as fragile as people imagine. Engine failure is probably pretty far down the list for why cars end up getting scrapped. The main thing is that the oil is changed *regularly*, as you are constantly putting in a new supply, no matter how much of the previous oil remains.

[@OwenLucas]

Well said. I think a lot of the hype of special oils and filters doesn't mean much in the end, it's just being consistent with good maintenance.

[@alejandrotobienne8220]

Exactly which really doesn’t make a difference. Contamination suspended is suspended. What’s at bottom will still stay even when hot. Use Marvel Mystery or automatic trans oil to clean sump of pan. If you change first thing in morning over 12hrs after say going to the store the previous day. You’re fine to change oil. The head alone can hold almost half or more quarts. I’m more concerned with removing a threaded bolt when hot versus when cool. Seen more stripped hot bolts than cold or ambient temps.

[@thewayidoit8895]

Thank you. I've always felt that thise that did warm oil changes were a bit nuts considering what's left in the engine.

[@Bawkr]

I found it easier remove hot bolt but hot filter not so much. Probably better just to keep an eye on color change early rather than trying to maximize the oil change itself especially on a working rig not a race setup. Color to remove carbon.

[@davidlapierre4058]

What matters more is the percentage difference between what remains in the engine. About 500 ml liters remaining after an oil drain should be relatively close. Most people don't wait anywhere near three hours, but if they did, that over a 10% difference in remaining old oil and suspended contamination.

[@62impalaconvert]

From what I am hearing (and seeing) here 5w/30 when it is hot is actually thinner than 5w/30 that is cold. Probably better to drain hot, just give it at least an hour to drain down as much as possible from the engine to the pan and out the drain hole. Now if pans only had a hinged bottom like a toaster so you could wipe out any sediment!

[@happygarage6310]

I prefer to change engine oil when hot, and the test confirmed why, any carbon or particulate is still suspended in the oil allowing more to be drained out, vs settling in the bottom of the oil pan. Nice demonstration.

[@dimmacommunication]

Probably it's suspended when it's warm not hot ,cause when warm it's more viscous and keeps the particulate suspended.

[@bobodyuknow]

If anything colder higher viscous oil suspends particulates where as hot oil low viscosity allows it to sink to the sump

[@sarannadams]

Thank you for a short, easy to understand video. You confirmed why my dad always drained it hot and why I do. But my husband doesn't and he takes care of our vehicles now. He does a good job, but it is something we disagree on. In the end, not worth the argument! 😂💗

[@OwenLucas]

You’re welcome! Realistically the dealership doesn’t wait to drain oil completely when you go in for a change. I wouldn’t be surprised if they put the plug in right after they change the oil filter. Supposedly up to a quart of old oil still remains in the nooks of the engine or more if it’s a large engine. This test is more for the curious…and OCD lol.😂

[@igorpotocnik7231]

@@OwenLucas And they can pour less new oil in the engine and charge you full quantity.

[@geraldharrell2400]

This was exactly what I wanted to know. I typically change oil when hot, and now I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks.

[@LynxStarAuto]

Is it tho? The changes are minimal. More important is to change your oil frequently, and use the proper spec oil. None of this extended oil service nonsense.

[@Lrndthehardway]

@@LynxStarAuto The extended oils are really good these days, within reason lol

[@aprilgosa5779]

it really means little difference and it's not really worth burnt hands

[@ranger178]

i don't think it needs to be hot just recently run stirs up dirt into oil to be drained with the oil. just warm is good.

[@burnetthopkins9583]

Thanks for going to the effort to run this experiment, and show the actual difference. I always find it interesting that most people, when the debate the "importance" of this topic, forget that all engines retain a significant amount of oil, that can only be removed by engine teardown. Engines I am familiar with retain anywhere from 0.8 quarts to 1.6 quarts. Even a 24 hour drain will never get this oil out of the engine. With this in mind, it seems like a moot point to spend extra time to get those last few ounces out at oil change.

[@OwenLucas]

I agree, waiting to drain 150ml is not worth the extra 12 hour wait. Great point about all that remaining oil that can’t drain out of the engine, that is a lot!

[@duroxkilo]

good point. even a smaller motorcycle engine will keep about 0.5L of oil out of a total of 3.5-4L. (most manuals instruct on oil capacity under 3 conditions: rebuilt engine (dry engine), oil filter replaced, oil filter reused. oil filter capacity is 200-250ml)

[@steven4894]

Add new oil. Drive it around for a week and drain the oil and replace the filter when hot. This gets rid of 99%.

[@steven4894]

It's as good as it gets.

[@kris856]

@@steven4894 exactly - I used to do this in my older cars. With new car I simply stick to 5k miles interval, add sme Archoil 9100 to keep the engine clean inside - but still prefer to drain the oil hot/warm and not cold

[@gusgiesel]

I drain oil when hot, not to get the most oil out of the engine but to remove any sediment at the bottom of the pan. Any sediment present would be stirred up while the oil is circulating. I realize sediment may not be present in the pan depending on condition of the engine and regular servicing... maybe we can do a video showing a wire or stick rotated inside the drain hole to pick up any sediment in the bottom of the pan.

[@OwenLucas]

That's a great point. I do have a borescope so I can take a peak and record inside the oil pan next time.

[@CJ-wc6lf]

I sometimes will pour fresh oil in to get some of the remaining oil out. I know a good amount stays behind in the oil pan.

[@marshmower]

​@@CJ-wc6lf hey I've done it with some lesser oil first. And not a lot. Just to chase garbage out. I believe slightly overfilling beforehand with a flush concoction and running it a while is going to do more.

[@sogoals1929]

Just open the oil pan..... i did it in every 100k km..... open the oil pan clean it you can clean the oil screen filter too....

[@80skid83]

​@@CJ-wc6lfI'm gonna try this next time

[@tardeliesmagic]

On long oil service intervals i always pour/add an 1/8th of a quart to the drained oil as it'll get anything sitting around the pan out nicely.

[@MattB787]

Good to see that it really is negligible. If my car is already warmed up from driving, I'll drain it - but I'm not going to run it just to get the oil hot.

[@OwenLucas]

Yes, either way you are fine. There is always some oil left in the battles, oil galleys and other nooks. I'm sure the engineers take all of this into account.

[@drumvannelle69]

Your videos are really very interesting and simple. Thank you 🙏

[@OwenLucas]

Thank You Sherif, I appreciate that. Happy New Year!

[@drumvannelle69]

@@OwenLucas very happy new year to you Own 🙏🙏🙏

[@ranger178]

i believe the recommendation of changing oil hot after it has just run is mostly to stir up all the contaminants into oil so it will pour out with the oil easier rather than sitting on bottom of the pan.

[@OwenLucas]

That is a great point. Get the contaminants out while they are suspended in the oil.

[@Pertamax7-HD]

warm engine here

[@ranger178]

I like to put in a few ounces of new oil in engine to help rinse out some of the old oil after the first 5 minutes or so not sure if it does much good since there is always oil hiding in nooks and crannies of engine that will never drain out.

[@OwenLucas]

Lol, me too! One of my vehicles takes 5.7 quarts of oil, so I automatically pour .3 down the funnel before I put the drain plug in.

[@LA_Commander]

Having burned my hands during hot oil changes, I always prefer to drain my oil while it's cold, or at least cooled-down. I haven't burned my hands since and all my vehicles have reached 300,000 miles or more after years of service. The key takeaway here is to change that oil regularly.

[@kris856]

it's easy not to burn your hands if use some brain's power - simply take a magnetic wrench to hold the oilpan drain plug... LOL

[@LA_Commander]

@@kris856 some people can't afford one

[@80skid83]

​@kris856 it may not be the sump plug that burns , but an awkward to remove oil filter

[@Tk-ou9ec]

I’ve always drained cold in my old classic. This car will sit sometimes for maybe three weeks so I know the oil (or most of it) has drained down into the sump. Never once had a drama doing it this way. And no burning fingers either. I usually let it drain for approximately one hour anyway. As you showed in this demonstration,there is stuff all difference anyway.

[@derekp6636]

right? I was concerned I was doing it wrong but if the only difference is a few ml, I'll be happy not burning my arms/hands when I do it myself on the ground. I think more important is just staying on top of the changes every 5k with synthetic.

[@stevesteve9621]

Great service

[@OwenLucas]

Thank you!

[@CarlosAp27]

Great video! It would be important to know the amount of oil that remains inside the engine after draining for 12 hours.

[@OwenLucas]

I've heard estimates that it can be from 10-20%. On a large motor like some diesels that can be a few quarts!

[@graphitedak04]

The color difference between the two samples is what sold me. I'd prefer to get more contaminants purged during an oil change. Hot looks like the way to go. Thank you.

[@OwenLucas]

Yes indeed. Just make sure to wear some high quality latex gloves that won't rip. Hot synthetic oil is pretty toxic and you don't want it touching your skin.

[@LA_Commander]

That's because the second oil drain was with cleaner oil. He had simply refilled the oil pan with new oil after draining the first time while hot.

[@arshadowma]

Great video!!

[@OwenLucas]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Deposito-u2c]

very interesting video. thanks

[@luckylotus11]

excellent .... and hard time consuming job.... thanks 🙇🏼‍♂️

[@OwenLucas]

Thank you!

[@marshmower]

Nice experiment. Im already subbing.

[@nicholaspetre1]

This is an awesome video

[@OwenLucas]

Thank you Sir!

[@matgonjinn]

It's not about volume or speed of oil drain. It's that when the oil is hot, the contaminants are flowing around with the oil, and drain out with the oil. When you drain it cold all the contaminants, metal, dirt, other garbage sits on the sump floor and the oil drains out over the top of it. Put your clean oil in and soon as it heats up all that garbage is flowing through your clean oil again

[@TheMainLead]

Great video. Thank you much!

[@OwenLucas]

Glad it was helpful!

[@imortaliz]

i dont just change the oil when its hot i really go out and give the car a good ringing to dislodge any contaminents inside before changing it

[@fv7765]

I change my at cold, because all the old oil drain to the bottom from the top valves. If running on hot and drain, you will leave most old oil at the top.

[@joeloy1800]

Pretty sure this vid just proved u wrong as clearly more oil was removed when it was hot...

[@batuhanuzuner2767]

I find both interpretations reasonable. And I'm still undecided between hot and cold. :/

[@explorinlearnindoing5462]

But.., What would be better if the car hasnt been running for half a year, and its oil is now 2,5 years old. In my case my V8 has many litres to change but I am a bit scared to have it run now that all the oil is all down below in the pan after 6 months. Would you run it hot with old oil (and have dirty oil running through it) or simply drain cold and wait a day before filling the new? I am curious. Thanks!

[@OwenLucas]

I’ve read a blog article on the Blackstone Oil Analysis website that oil age doesn’t matter, oil just doesn’t get old, especially after 2.5 years. They tested 30 year old oil and it was fine. But since you mention the oil is already dirty, I would change it. A long drain won’t hurt but there will still be some old oil inside the engine, that should be OK.👍

[@explorinlearnindoing5462]

Thanks, so you would advice to change it cold right?

[@sipe12]

Great video, thanks

[@OwenLucas]

My pleasure!

[@ericrivera219]

Oil expands when hot that’s why it looks like more drained out

[@1STGeneral]

I suppose when using a fram oil filter it would be important to get all the debris out of the engine the filter missed or caused. Napa Gold is my filter of choice next is Mobile One my 2 cents

[@robertadamczuk5608]

Was it same oil (same brand)? Which test was first? Hot or cold? The difference in color between cold and hot seems to be quite noticable.

[@OwenLucas]

Yep, same oil brands. I believe it was Amazon Basics oil.

[@lostinlife99]

Thank you

[@OwenLucas]

You’re welcome!

[@sandyroadking]

Too good informative video..

[@gocomputer4947]

nice...man

[@Tryingtimes007]

I was under the impression oil gets thicker when warm, 5/30 as the example 5 being a thinner viscosity for a cold start, 30 being a thicker viscosity when warm, giving the engine the best protection.

[@cmte.brazinazzo2061]

A 30 hot is way thinner than a 5 cold. A 5 weight cold is about 50 cst and a 30 weight @ 100C is about 10 cst.

[@Taydrum]

5W is not the viscosity or weight when cold. It's a winter flow characteristic, IE how well it can flow when cold. It has nothing to do with the oil viscosity when cold. It's confusing I know.

[@yo_marc]

I was confused by this in the past. The key word is “acts like”. The oil acts like 5 weight when cold, and a 30 when hot. It’s still thicker when cold and thinner when hot.

[@kaliikleja]

usually nobody will wait for oil draining 24h, usually oil dripping lasts 5minutes and at home 10-20 minutes. At this time cold engine and several days stayed cars is best because all oil are dripped from engine to sump. This is the reason why i change cold oil and several days stayed car in garage. There are always quite much oil stayed in engine, just change oil at right time and all is right. 0,7L oil is always stayed in my engine, it's said in owner's manual.

[@OwenLucas]

I agree you’ll never get all the oil out of the engine unless you take it apart, I am sure the engineers took this into consideration when it comes to oil sump capacity, so that when you change the oil, your engine has enough fresh oil to operate properly.

[@kaliikleja]

@@OwenLucas If we talk ideal engine care, like waiting 24 hours for oil dripping then we talk that oil too, what stays in the engine and what is quite more oil than 24h dripping oil. Solution is sometimes change oil sooner, right thing is change oil regularly whole car lifespan and all is right. Most cases you won't have a time to wait 24h oil dripping.

[@ezwa9979]

good viDO, I wish U just drains the cold one after car had been sitting overnight(as it’s tricky to imp. to tell if whole eng. was at ambient 45•)👋

[@Taras-Nabad]

If you want to go step further, change your oil after a long trip as in one hour or longer of highway driving.

[@nightynine4061]

Hey just checking on my is it ready yet? No sorry its only been 10 hours the oil is still draining. Dont even ask about the oil filter.

[@OwenLucas]

😂

[@cmte.brazinazzo2061]

Test is for 12h, but the oil is warm just about 1h ... wth

[@steven4894]

Good work. 👍 Very interesting. I heated up my engine for about 90 mins and immediately performed a "hot" oil change. The biggest difference I found was that it was a LOT tougher removing the drain bolt! Molecules expand when heated, so this makes perfect sense. The best oil change eliminations of metallic debris occur when the engine oil is hot. I was wondering whether this might have done any damage to the oil pan threads.... 🤔??

[@OwenLucas]

Good points. I don't think there could be any damage to oil pan or bolt. I have changed the oil on my car hot most of the time over the past 180k and am still using the original drain bolt though I had 2 extra new ones for the video. The threads on the bolt and pan look fine.

[@FelipeTaboada]

You can loose a bit the drain bolt with the engine cold, just before heating it for the oil change. It will be much easier to remove later

[@eyeswideshut7732]

measure the oil level after the hot had cooled, i thought oil expanded a little when hot...

[@OwenLucas]

That’s a good point, I wonder how much? The samples were cool by the time I filmed the beakers.

[@eyeswideshut7732]

@@OwenLucas 👍💯

[@JohnNorris411]

I assume after 24hrs they are equal?

[@OwenLucas]

I didn't drain it for 24 hours unfortunately. Would be interesting to see!

[@redviper259classic9]

If the vehicle is on oil change incline ramps...it shouldn't matter if the oil is cold because all the oil has collected at the bottom in the oil pan??....isn't that right??

[@OwenLucas]

I don’t think it will matter much unless your drain bolt is above the lowest point, the. You will have a little left in the pan. If the oil is cold it really doesn’t matter either, it will just take longer to fully drain.

[@redviper259classic9]

@Owen Lucas thanks, exactly what I figured...thank for the clear cut answer...it is ok to drain the oil hours after its cold especially if it's already on the incline ramps, all the oil is all in the bottom of the pan anyway..it will just take longer to drain...and unless your pushed for time...ITS NO DIFFERENT 😊

[@randomthoughts8346]

but it's safe to drain engine oil in hot condition?

[@OwenLucas]

I personally do not prefer it super hot besides the burn potential, because the oil is also pretty toxic to your skin when very hot. Warm is just fine, the video was to show the extreme of both hot and cold oil drains. If you let the oil drain for 15 minutes , hot or cold, you will be fine.

[@jackmorgan709]

People are drawing the wrong convlusions from this video. The average person / shop waits a max of 15 minutes for oil to drain. In this case the amount drained is exactly the same. It's only if you wait significantly more than 15 minutes up to 12 hours (which nobody does) that the hot drains more than the cold.

[@simont6439]

The difference is actually 50, 80 and 65ml at 15min, 30min and 12h respectively. But biggest gain is to wait for 12h (140 hot or 125ml cold extra). Who cares what the average person/shop does? I think many would be happy to drain oil overnight for the extra 4%.

[@arnoldm889]

Best way to get all the oil is to drain it while running and rev the engine to get it all out 😛

[@OwenLucas]

😂 As a bonus you will get a nice fireworks display and a visit from the tow truck.

[@arnoldm889]

@@OwenLucas and if you do a total engine rebuild you’ll get ALL the oil out.

[@cesardavrieux3767]

Yo lo hago siempre así. A motor caliente (recién vuelto de un viaje) y detenido, quitar el tapón de drenaje y dejar que salga la mayor cantidad del lubricante usado, luego poner en marcha al ralentí (sin colocar el tapón) y seguidamente dar un acelerón poco profundo, éso expulsará restos del aceite desde la bomba y del filtro viejo. Detener acto seguido el motor y dejar drenar algo más de tiempo hasta que ya apenas caigan gotas. recolocar el tapón de drenaje y apretarlo conveninetemente. Una buena guía para NO excederse es escuchar cuando apenas los botadores hidráulicos comiencen a "querer" golpetear. El motor también hará más ruidos desde los soportes (bielas y bancadas) ya que no habrá lubricación hidrodinámica (fluida) por haber poca presión de la bomba, entonces solamente se lubricará en modo "EMERGENCIA" o LÍMITE, donde actuarán los depósitos de aditivos de los aceites lubricantes. Nunca habrá problemas de hacerlo así, siempre si se obra con cautela. Tampoco es totalmente necesario hacerlo de este modo, ya que se "tolera" hasta un 5% del aceite anterior que NO influye en casi nada, excepto el oscurecimiento desde el inicio (a lubricante nuevo, pues se mezclará algo del viejo con el nuevo) Se recomienda hacer un lavado con aceites muy "livianos" o comunes y baratos, que se recuperarán para usarlo algunas otras veces en el futuro ( 5 como mínimo) hasta que se lo note algo contaminado (por medio de su creciente oscurecimiento) y se lo descarte también. El hacerlo así (al "lavado") arrastrará las últimas porciones de aceite usado y "sucio" (oscuro) pero con la diferencia que no se removerán lacas, ni "aflojará" sedimentos, lodos y barros (sludge) Para éso, agregar (antes de vaciar) un "flush" por un tiempo acorde, según instrucciones en el recipiente Lo mejor será utilizar SIEMPRE una aceite de la CALIDAD ((API, ACEA) del recomendado por el fabricante (del motor o del coche) También se pueden utilizar TABLAS de los fabricantes de los lubricantes. Éxitos.

[@80skid83]

I will try this next time 😳

[@jonathanm9436]

This is very interesting. Thank you. The evidence is clear, but could you clear up this for me though? 5W-30 means (I believe) that cold oil (winter) as a viscosity of 5 (low viscosity), while hot oil is more viscous. If this is the case, can you please explain why hot, more viscous oil flows more quickly? Thanks in anticipation. 😀

[@OwenLucas]

That is a very good question. I'm not a tribologist (engineer of lubrication) but I would guess viscosity ratings matter more under pressure such as in a crank shaft bearing than is a regular flow test as I am showing. It does seem odd and the opposite of what one would expect. There is definitely more to the science than I understand!

[@jonathanm9436]

@@OwenLucas Thanks for your prompt reply Owen. I thought you would be the one to explain this instantly and assuage my curiosity. I'll do some more research and see what I can come up with, and will share what I find. 😀

[@MarzNet256]

The high flow at low temperature is to get the engine quickly lubricated. There are additive packages with molecules that allow the oil to be multi grade and actually increase viscosity with temperature which helps protect engine at operating temperature. For 5w30, the 5 is viscosity for a cold engine and the 30 is viscosity at operating temperature.

[@jonathanm9436]

@@MarzNet256 I KNEW I'd heard this right. So, this would mean that cold oil will flow better for an oil change than warm oil.

[@batuhanuzuner2767]

I've been looking for the answer to this question for hours. But in this video it flows faster when it's hot. I still haven't found my answer.

[@pg41226]

And now get the ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ drained oil tested by a lab. Guess which one contains much more gunk ;)

[@aprilgosa5779]

Question what human being has 12 hours to wait for the oil to drain

[@OwenLucas]

A 12 hr oil drain is best done over night, next morning reinstall the drain plug.

[@62impalaconvert]

I could let it drain for days (and do sometimes) as I'm retired. But since so much oil remains trapped in the engine I think all this discussion is moot, though interesting. One more point though. Any remaining sediment in the bottom of the pan that gets recirculated will go to the new filter first and be held there.

[@mikecee3058]

Somebody has way too much time on their hands.

[@OwenLucas]

Indeed! Stay tuned for more!

[@bigeggplantholder7095]

Now to learn how to change it without burning myself

[@OwenLucas]

Gloves!

[@reiannaidoo]

Great video idea buddy. Shit i didn't know i wanted to know. Lol😂