My catch pan never seems big enough

[JayArr]

It doesn't seem to matter if I'm trying to catch oil or coolant or transmission fluid, there always seems to be a drip or a stream just outside the pan, it's like some evil god of the automotive undercarriage makes sure there are two streams far enough apart that I can't get them both with the same pan.

I've been lining the driveway under the car with big sheets of cardboard to minimize the telltale stains but I'd like to buy a really big pan or several that link together so that I'm not always covered in fluid and mopping up under the car.

What do you guys use for catch pans? Am I just unusually messy?

 

[mrrsm]

Time and Time Again... The Cement Mixing Pans sold at Home Depot have proven to have capacious appetites BIG enough to 'catch and hold' ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that has ever Fallen, Drained or Dropped out from the areas of the Engine Bays on my vehicles. The first one showing up at this link will prove to be the favorite for Only $12.98:

Mixing Tub/Pan - Concrete, Cement & Masonry - Building Materials - The Home Depot

Get free shipping on qualified Mixing Tub/Pan Concrete, Cement & Masonry products or Buy Online Pick Up in Store today in the Building Materials Department.

www.homedepot.com

 

[gmcman]

Time and Time Again... The Cement Mixing Pans sold at Home Depot have proven to have a capacious appetite to 'catch and hold' ANYTHING and EVERYTHING

Since you recommended that to me last fall, I don't know how I went this long without one.

 

[KEEBZ489]

yeah , a tub is a nice size i thought about it , but emptying it makes me think ill make a bigger mess lol i use a $5 moving blanket from harbor freight , something to lay on , heavier than a sheet , catches all those drips when the wind blows , and washable and foldable unlike cardboard

 

[Redbeard]

yeah , a tub is a nice size i thought about it , but emptying it makes me think ill make a bigger mess lol i use a $5 moving blanket from harbor freight , something to lay on , heavier than a sheet , catches all those drips when the wind blows , and washable and foldable unlike cardboard

What I use is a plastic floor guard (not the correct name, but it's what the old secretary's chairs rolled on). Any drippings are easily wiped off. The big plus is how nice it is to slide across a surface without struggling. Even when you are working on concrete. If you ever use one you'll never work under a vehicle without one. The one I am currently using is over thirty years old and starting to get brittle. Often you can find these for free on craig's list or when a company is getting new furniture look in the dumpster for the old one. Even if it has "barbs" on the one side it will work fine-just place that side away from your body. You won't feel it at all.

 

[gmcman]

a tub is a nice size i thought about it , but emptying it makes me think ill make a bigger mess

Those orange Homer 5 gal buckets at Home Depot have a seal on the lid. Thats what I empty all my oil into then take to the recycling center at the landfill. Also provides easy pouring from the large plastic tub.

 

[JayArr]

I buy both oil and transmission fluid in 5 gallon buckets. It's cheaper, a lot cheaper. Dex III in a bucket is about $3 cdn per litre ($2.15USD/quart). Oil is similar. I had to invest in a pair of the pumps that go on the buckets but they paid for themselves twenty years ago. I always have a supply of buckets to dump the old oil, our recycle depot allows dumping for free and you just pour it into a big 1000 gallon drum and take the bucket back home with you. I have a fiver with chicken wire on top that all old fluid goes into

 

[TequilaWarrior]

I use a "tote" - or whatever they're called. It's a clear plastic storage container about 24 inches wide, around 36 inches long, 5 inches or so deep. I change the oil in my car and the wife's car without jacks or ramps. It just slides right under without touching anything. It will hold around 20 gallons or so. I've even used it to change differential fluid as it slides right under the diff. Our local dollar store usually has them for less than $5.

 

[mrrsm]

I was just thinking about what "The Lil Woman" would have to say if I washed a Harbor Freight Shipping Blanket soaked in Motor Oil in our Laundry Room and then set the place on Fire after turning the Clothes Dryer into an "Oil Burner"... LOL

 

[Redbeard]

I do wonder just how many pieces the "the Lil Woman" ruining her clothes with a "oily rag" will cut you into. Heck there may not even be enough pieces left to check for DNA evidence if she is related to my mrs. Ruin just one dress and you'll never hear the end of it. Guaranteed . On the positive side after the house is torched you could start a tread "how to remodel" after exposure. Exposing a dress to an oily rag.
all in jest

 

[TJBaker57]

I buy both oil and transmission fluid in 5 gallon buckets. It's cheaper, a lot cheaper

I was surprised the first time I bought a 12 qt box of oil at the Wally. I was expecting 12 one quart plastic bottles. Nope! A bag! With a spigot like cheap wine!

 

[KEEBZ489]

oil soaked would be tossed ..... a few drips is nothing more than me wiping my hands on old work pants or a tshirt ( sometimes you cant find a rag ) and my stuff gets washed after everyone else with a 1/2 cup greased lighting degreaser added then the whites go in with bleach

 

[Reprise]

It doesn't seem to matter if I'm trying to catch oil or coolant or transmission fluid, there always seems to be a drip or a stream just outside the pan, it's like some evil god of the automotive undercarriage makes sure there are two streams far enough apart that I can't get them both with the same pan.

I've been lining the driveway under the car with big sheets of cardboard to minimize the telltale stains but I'd like to buy a really big pan or several that link together so that I'm not always covered in fluid and mopping up under the car.

What do you guys use for catch pans? Am I just unusually messy?

Maybe. I like to think I have it pretty much down to a science (such as it is)...
This first one may seem a little obvious, but I try and use a pan / container with larger capacity than what is known to drain out. I use the round plastic pans you can pick up at the auto parts store for oils; for coolant, I have a 16 (?) qt container that I can drain directly into (which I also picked up locally).

The other thing is that I know a 'side' drain will shoot out a few inches farther when it first starts. So I'll place the center of the pan about 4"-6" back of the plug. When I loosen the plug, I'll keep inward pressure on it, until I know it's unthreaded - then I'll pull it away quickly, let it start draining, and in a few seconds, center the pan back under the drain hole. Same for the filter (since I have V8s, they're mounted more or less vertically.)

I'll get a little oil draining on the outside of the filter onto my hand; when I spin it off, I'll hold it & turn upside down to drain it. A good day is when I don't accidentally drop it into the pan. And, yes, I wear nitrile gloves, most of the time. Easy cleanup.

BTW, the fluid will drain faster if you can introduce air via the fill hole (like the oil fill cap up top, etc.)

Now, that's not to say I don't have any issues whatsoever. One problem I seem to have is stepping on the pan, after I pull it out from under the vehicle, or knocking it over before I drain the fluid out (my room is limited, especially if the full-size pickup is what I'm working on.)
Thus, I don't have many drips, etc., under the vehicle... but I'll sometimes have a helluva mess if I step on the pan... especially if it's near the garage door, as it'll seep under the door and stain the lip of the concrete in front of the door. Because of this, I always keep a jug of plain kitty litter (the cheap stuff, not the 'multi-cat', 'clumping', etc.) around to help with soaking up fluids. Works well. You can also use it on small spills, and ground it into the stain, which will leach it out of the concrete. Leave it on about 24hrs, or at least overnite.