E&E Off-Road 200 Series Skid Plate System (2 Viewers)

[dudemancool1904]

Changed my oil today.
Did a bolt check, everything was still snug (used blue Loctite).
Oil drain and filter doors came out no problem.
tried to keep everything clean but found about 30 seconds into the oil draining it starting dripping back into the skid plate. Ugh. Spent 20 mins cleaning it out with brake cleaner and rags.
Will definitely switch to a Valvomax after this.

Other than that everything worked great. Checked all the panels and I definitely got my money’s worth in terms of gouges in the front panel (bottomed out a few times) but overall everything looks great.

 

[lembowski]

Changed my oil today.
Did a bolt check, everything was still snug (used blue Loctite).
Oil drain and filter doors came out no problem.
tried to keep everything clean but found about 30 seconds into the oil draining it starting dripping back into the skid plate. Ugh. Spent 20 mins cleaning it out with brake cleaner and rags.
Will definitely switch to a Valvomax after this.

Other than that everything worked great. Checked all the panels and I definitely got my money’s worth in terms of gouges in the front panel (bottomed out a few times) but overall everything looks great.

Get a flexible funnel. I use the below one and it works great.

Amazon.com: Foldable Flexible Oil Funnel, Form a Funnel for Automotivel, Flexible Oil Draining Tools for Oil Change, Easy to Clean : Automotive

Buy Foldable Flexible Oil Funnel, Form a Funnel for Automotivel, Flexible Oil Draining Tools for Oil Change, Easy to Clean: Funnels - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

a.co

 

[bloc]

I cut a 1qt plastic paint container from the hardware store in half vertically, and it wedges in perfectly between the oil pan and E&E skid. Holds itself in place and completely prevents spillage.

Also very easy to clean up afterward.

Will get pics when I have some time.

The foldable funnel seems useful though.

 

[Adrenaline6]

With the Valvomax fitting, You don't even need to drop the drain door. The drain tube goes over the side of the skid and into the drain pan.

 

[turbo8]

Changed my oil today.
Did a bolt check, everything was still snug (used blue Loctite).
Oil drain and filter doors came out no problem.
tried to keep everything clean but found about 30 seconds into the oil draining it starting dripping back into the skid plate. Ugh. Spent 20 mins cleaning it out with brake cleaner and rags.
Will definitely switch to a Valvomax after this.

Other than that everything worked great. Checked all the panels and I definitely got my money’s worth in terms of gouges in the front panel (bottomed out a few times) but overall everything looks great.

The oil drain valves make it so much easier to do oil changes. All my vehicles have them.

I have the Fumoto F-103 along with the Jowett performance oil filter housing on my LX. From what I hear, the Valvomax is a good choice too.

Glad you like the skids!

 

[bloc]

I slide this thing up between the oil pan and skid where it's out of the way, loosen and remove the drain plug, then slide it across to make sure nothing drips onto the skid.

Full-speed drain, zero mess. The only thing I have to clean up is the screwdriver I use to remove the old plug gasket and the cut up paint bucket.

 

[turbo8]

I slide this thing up between the oil pan and skid where it's out of the way, loosen and remove the drain plug, then slide it across to make sure nothing drips onto the skid.

Full-speed drain, zero mess. The only thing I have to clean up is the screwdriver I use to remove the old plug gasket and the cut up paint bucket.

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Thanks for the tip!

Without the cut up cup, does the oil drain onto the skid after the stock drain plug is removed?

I've always had a Fumoto valve, so I never tried an oil change with the the stock drain plug.

 

[grinchy]

I put on a ez-drain on my first oil change. I think oil changes without would be pretty messy.

 

[bloc]

Thanks for the tip!

Without the cut up cup, does the oil drain onto the skid after the stock drain plug is removed?

I've always had a Fumoto valve, so I never tried an oil change with the the stock drain plug.

The bulk of the flow clears the skid system easily, it’s when flow slows down and it turns back and sticks to the oil pan then runs downward… that part ends up on top.

And I know everyone loves those EZ-drain systems but I just can’t be sure I won’t smack it on a rock from some dumb mistake I make off-road. A stock plug would survive.. these could snap off and now there’s all of my oil on the trail with no great way that address it right there.

I actually put a good dent in my skids the last time I was in Colorado. Looking for time to remove the bent parts to see how hard they’ll be to get back on and off.

 

[K9LTW]

Thanks for the tip!

Without the cut up cup, does the oil drain onto the skid after the stock drain plug is removed?

I've always had a Fumoto valve, so I never tried an oil change with the the stock drain plug.

Can confirm it makes a hella mess with the stock plug I hadn't done the first oil change to change to the ValvoMax drain plug (I have Fumotos on my other vehicles...not sure which I like better). I ended up having to drop both the front and middle sections to clean them up as there was a good bit of oil on the middle section. Never again! MUAHAHAHAHAAAAA!

 

[LTSR]

And I know everyone loves those EZ-drain systems but I just can’t be sure I won’t smack it on a rock from some dumb mistake I make off-road. A stock plug would survive.. these could snap off and now there’s all of my oil on the trail with no great way that address it right there.

This happened to me. I had a fumoto valve, bottomed out and the fumoto unscrewed and I lost a lot of oil without noticing for miles unit the oil pressure light went on but it was too late. This happened on an LS1 powered rx7. I added oil and the car ran for 2 days until it spun a rod and put a hole in the block. I told myself never again, back to stock drain plug on all vehicles.

Back on topic of these skids. Love the peace of mind they give me. The oil does slowly drip onto the skids when it starts to trickle. Maybe the trick is to have the driver side lifted slightly to or.. give your bucket-half-cut method a try.

 

[Valgrind]

I don't really see how you'd hit something bad enough with the skids to break off the fumoto valve...
I get this if you have no skids, but even with aluminum, it would take a lot of impact. If you're hitting that hard, I'd hope you'd get out and check it.

 

[LTSR]

I don't really see how you'd hit something bad enough with the skids to break off the fumoto valve...
I get this if you have no skids, but even with aluminum, it would take a lot of impact. If you're hitting that hard, I'd hope you'd get out and check it.

That's mostly true, but having experienced forking out money for a new engine, i'm not willing to bet a new 3UR just so I can change my oil 5 minutes faster and slightly less oil spillage. I'm just sharing my experience and agreeing with @bloc - but if you find removing that bolt too much of a hassle and oil too messy, I respect your choice. I'm here to learn and share my personal experiences.

 

[Adrenaline6]

That's mostly true, but having experienced forking out money for a new engine, i'm not willing to bet a new 3UR just so I can change my oil 5 minutes faster and slightly less oil spillage. I'm just sharing my experience and agreeing with @bloc - but if you find removing that bolt too much of a hassle and oil too messy, I respect your choice. I'm here to learn and share my personal experiences.

You might want to look at the Valvomax. That thing is pretty solid. I doubt you could break that thing off without ripping the threads out of the pan. If you hit that hard to smash the skids AND rip the threads out of the pan, you did it wrong.

 

[Valgrind]

That's mostly true, but having experienced forking out money for a new engine, i'm not willing to bet a new 3UR just so I can change my oil 5 minutes faster and slightly less oil spillage. I'm just sharing my experience and agreeing with @bloc - but if you find removing that bolt too much of a hassle and oil too messy, I respect your choice. I'm here to learn and share my personal experiences.

Im also not crawling my truck, we dont really have big rocks in florida lol. So not really a big concern here.

I would have steel skids if there was that much of a concern personally.

 

[UPR LC]

That's mostly true, but having experienced forking out money for a new engine, i'm not willing to bet a new 3UR just so I can change my oil 5 minutes faster and slightly less oil spillage. I'm just sharing my experience and agreeing with @bloc - but if you find removing that bolt too much of a hassle and oil too messy, I respect your choice. I'm here to learn and share my personal experiences.

Use one of these and they do not stick out any further than the drain bolt. An adapter screws on with a piece of tubing, can drain directly into a milk jug, no mess, no drain pan, easy. Compact - https://nospillsystems.com/compact-3/

 

[bloc]

This impact was so soft I was pretty sure it was just something I rolled over and it had been dampened by the sidewalls and suspension. I assume the aluminum deforming relatively easily did the dampening. And keep in mind the drain plug is located near a relatively unsupported part of this skid system.. there's only a spine in the middle under the engine section.

 

[turbo8]

This impact was so soft I was pretty sure it was just something I rolled over and it had been dampened by the sidewalls and suspension. I assume the aluminum deforming relatively easily did the dampening. And keep in mind the drain plug is located near a relatively unsupported part of this skid system.. there's only a spine in the middle under the engine section.

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Since there are not scrapes going down the rest of the skids, did you drop off of a ledge onto a rock right there?
That area is probably the area that will hit the most, I'll see if I can figure out a way to retrofit a brace in that location.

On my 4runner, I added a brace that goes all the way across, this reduced the approach angle a little and it hits quite often.

 

[bloc]

Since there are not scrapes going down the rest of the skids, did you drop off of a ledge onto a rock right there?
That area is probably the area that will hit the most, I'll see if I can figure out a way to retrofit a brace in that location.

On my 4runner, I added a brace that goes all the way across, this reduced the approach angle a little and it hits quite often.
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Yeah, I came down off a rock or ledge and must have tapped the skid on another rock.

TBH I'm not worried about the dent.. when I get time I had plans to pull the front skid and hammer it out as best I can. Personally I wouldn't want to give up any clearance under the rig as I'm back on stock suspension/tires plus the OE strut spacer.