Elite Oil Spout

Ironflight · #1 10-02-2007, 09:17 PM

OK, so the other day, I was out at the airport, done with my Saturday flying and waiting for Louise to arrive from Virginia. Looking for something to do, I ran across my cache of Exxon Elite oil spouts. Back when I received my band new Mattituck Engine, I was shipped a couple of free cases of Exxon Elite oil, and I was amazed to find that some genius had designed a plastic bottle whose opening was too large to fit in a Lycoming oil filler neck. Brilliant! But, not to be outdone, Exxon included a fancy little oil spout in each case which (after you removed several adapters that fit who-knows-what) screwed on to the bottle. Of course, the end of the adapter/spout was STILL too big to fit in the Lycoming oil filler neck, so you were back where you started....and Since you got one in every case, I had quite a collection!

Never quite satisfied with my box of oily funnels, none of which are perfect for the oil filling job through the oil door on my -8, I studied the problem, and realized that what I needed was a hose attached to the end of the spout. I looked around at the local builder's supply store, and found some Poly tubing with an O.D. of 1" - and it made a tight interference fit wit the inside diameter of the spout! I cut off a chunk and forced it up into the opening. Next, I found a chunk of thin-walled tubing - the remains of a folding chair I had bought and destroyed at an air show - and cut off a 6" length that fit perfectly in the engine's oil filler neck. It also slid tightly into the poly tubing. A couple of pieces of heat shrink tubing that I had lying around fastened everything together and ...voila' ! A no-cost alternative to the funnel!

Since the red spout actually has a shut-off capability, I can mount it on the oil bottle, shove the end of the spout into the engine, then tilt the bottle up and open the valve. Slick and neat! Now I just have to make a little cap for the end so that I can put it back in the baggage compartment without spilling extra oil all over everything....

Hey, it's a trivial project - but it was free! And, I got rid of one of those silly spouts that came with every case of oil....

Paul

scard · #2 10-02-2007, 09:28 PM

I just recently abandoned the little red spout in favor of a good ol' funnel since the spout drips just as much (if not more) oil after use. Especially during an oil change when you have to thread it on the bottle eight times... The real magic trick will be the cap for post-use and then I'll be onboard.

Ironflight · #3 10-02-2007, 09:50 PM

Oh yeah Scott....this isn't for oil changes - too much Mickey Mouse changing it out on bottles....but for on the road or single bottle? I'll let you know how it works....

Paul

asav8tor · #4 10-03-2007, 03:58 AM

Looks like something a NASA Rocket Scientist would come up with?.. Oops did I just say that out loud? Oh sorry, I meant nothing bad by it.

AlexPeterson · #5 10-03-2007, 06:47 AM

You know, this is like a wound being ripped open. I have asked Exxon representatives who the Einstein was who decided on the stupid large mouth bottles for their oil. The poor reps at Oshkosh hear constantly about how dumb it is, but obviously are not listened to. I can imagine some tyrant at the company who isn't backing down... I am sure they lose plenty of sales over it.

In any case, great idea Paul. I never have gotten a spout from them, maybe I'll get one now. I'm amazed at how much room the funnel I need takes up in my bag in the plane.

jonbakerok · #6 10-03-2007, 07:18 AM

Paul, I was actually able to find a combination of those plastic red parts that produced an adapter that would fit into a Lycoming filler neck. You just have to keep taking off parts until you find the one that fits. It winds up pretty short, though, so you might decide that you prefer your gadget anyway.

Man, the first time I opened a case of Exxon Elite and I saw those bottles and that silly red contraption, I just about sent it back. I mean, here's a company who claims to make the world's greatest airplane oil -- but they've apparently never seen a Lycoming oil filler neck!

Think about it for a minute. There are less than a million piston airplanes in the entire country and only two engine manufacturers. So these geniuses spend millions to develop a better oil for this tiny market and then instead of using the same standard off-the-shelf bottle that works for every other brand of oil in the world, they spend a few million more to develop a package that's wrong for 75% of their customers! And here's the best part -- when they discovered the goof, instead of just chucking the new bottle design, they spent millions more to develop a goofy all-purpose patented Rube Goldburg filler spout!

That's dumb on a glorious scale.

Special Delivery · #7 10-03-2007, 07:42 AM

Great design Paul! While Exxon Elite is the finest aviation piston oil available, the large mouth bottle does leave much to be desired... it doesn't even fit auto filler tubes! Truth known, Exxon's aviation lubricant division went down in flames kicking and screaming about the neck size of the new bottle. The design change was implemented (apparantly by someone who has never raised the hood on anything) system wide in ALL of Exxon's bottled lubricants in an effort to improve and standardize their packaging facilities. Really poor packaging design, but the product is well worth the inconvenience!

Ernie Butcher
-8 Flying
Crew- Bruce Bohannon's Exxon Flyin' Tiger
(New sponsor on the horizon)

RV8N · #8 10-03-2007, 07:44 AM

Have you noticed that the thread pitch on the bottle is different than that on the spout? The spout is a very coarse pitch and the bottle is a finer pitch. It is quite an interference fit to screw it on (at least on the ones I've got). I gave up on it a bought a different version on the aviation isle of the local autoparts store.

Karl

frankh · #9 10-03-2007, 08:34 AM

I think I found a better solution....Buy 100W Aeroshell, save $20 a case and you get a bottle that fits the standard automotive filler tube with valve deal.

Exxon is the finest lube eh?..yeah well my FBO gets engines to TBO more often than not by running 100W in the Summer and 80W in the winter...I mean how good does the oil have to be?

Frank

Bubblehead · #10 10-03-2007, 10:27 AM

It doesn't have to be this hard. Take an empty soda bottle (coke, 7-Up etc.) and cut the bottom off. The threads on the top are just right to thread into the dip stick tube. Take the dipstick out, screw in the now upside down bottle, and it becomes a funnel for whatever oil you use. When done, you can use a paper towel to clean the oil film from inside the bottle before removing it. Now unscrew the bottle and put the twist off cap back on. That will help prevent dripping any oil on the engine. Stick the paper towels into the bottle and stow it in the baggage compartment.