What have you done to your DeLorean today?

[Tillsy]

If you have the rear end in the air and your catch pan centred, get a small piece of cardboard in behind the drain plug hole on an angle and basically pull out the plug and let the oil shoot out but into the cardboard and it angles it down. This stops it from splashing against the frame, which makes it go everywhere and makes a mess of your frame. It's fairly easy to control where it goes believe it or not.

That's how I did it both times so far - I was concerned it would spray all over the frame so taped a plastic cutting mat to deflect and funnel the oil. Worked a treat and given the oil coating all over the mat it was obvious my frame would have been a mess had I not done that.

[LordFly]

If you have the rear end in the air and your catch pan centred, get a small piece of cardboard in behind the drain plug hole on an angle and basically pull out the plug and let the oil shoot out but into the cardboard and it angles it down. This stops it from splashing against the frame, which makes it go everywhere and makes a mess of your frame. It's fairly easy to control where it goes believe it or not.

The oil there in your photo looks pretty black, non?

Yeah, I'll definitely try that trick next time. At last the back of my frame is well oiled

Yeah, it's pretty black looking. Nothing too excessive, but I'm definitely glad I changed it. I'll flush the brakes in the next week as well. And the coolant system after I order the DMC house kit. Then I should be good for a bit

[Dangermouse]

Are those vice grips I spy on your drain plug

[DrJeff]

Pulled out the master clutch cylinder and prepared for pulling the slave. I've practiced with the pry bar on the slave a few times and I think I can get it far enough out. Another attempt tomorrow morning with my son helping! Next up is servicing the cylinders - DIY style

[LordFly]

Are those vice grips I spy on your drain plug

Technically, no. They're clamped onto what used to be a center punch. The center punch previously had a square end on it, approximately 8mm. God only knows why they didn't make it a 3/8" square hole so that anyone with a ratchet could get it off. I guess it's just one of those things that makes the car special

[eagle-co94]

My guess is that JZD was trying to move ahead of everyone else by moving as much as possible to the metric system. The Metric Conversion Act was signed in '75 so the timing is about right.

[jawn101]

If you have the rear end in the air and your catch pan centred, get a small piece of cardboard in behind the drain plug hole on an angle and basically pull out the plug and let the oil shoot out but into the cardboard and it angles it down. This stops it from splashing against the frame, which makes it go everywhere and makes a mess of your frame. It's fairly easy to control where it goes believe it or not.

The oil there in your photo looks pretty black, non?

Yeah, I picked up one of those flexible plastic oil drain director things last time I was at O'Reilly for just this reason. The frame gets coated if you aren't careful and it's a real mess.

And yeah I thought the same thing about that oil - it looks like crude! Wonder when the last change was. Did it smell weird? Like gas or sweet?

[LordFly]

And yeah I thought the same thing about that oil - it looks like crude! Wonder when the last change was. Did it smell weird? Like gas or sweet?

I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about it. Just glad I changed it

[eagle-co94]

Oil gets black in as little as 500 miles FYI, so there's likely nothing wrong with it.

[Jonathan]

I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about it. Just glad I changed it

Good call. Best thing to do is know what you have going forward. Change fluids and see if anything in them is out of the ordinary. You can't go back and change what some PO did in the past... no matter what kind of car you have