Fumoto Drain Valve Clip

If you have a Fumoto drain valve, you know these little clips like to snap during normal use. It's a bit of a pain, since replacements are nearly $10 at time of writing on Amazon, so a suitable printed replacement is a great option for such a tiny plastic piece!

There's a similar model available on Thingiverse from Damon Velocitas, but I wanted to keep the thinner walls, and retain a shape closer to the original while adding a textured grip surface (mostly for aesthetics). I've printed Damon's version in PC and didn't have any problems with deformation over time, and only needed to replace it when I dropped it in my closed oil drain pan.

The top edges are filleted, but the bottom is left squared off for bed adhesion. I was still able to mitigate any elephants foot with a -0.15mm “Initial Layer Horizontal Expansion” without the clip tabs lifting during the print. I also tried to match the original Fumoto text the best I could, but I couldn't find a direct match easily. Close enough!

As Damon mentioned on his upload, this part MUST be printed in Nylon. PC also worked for me, but I worry about the chemical and solvent resistance, so I've switched for these newer prints. While the outside of your oil pan likely won't reach the same temperature as the oil inside, filaments like PETG and especially PLA will not work for this model. If you're lucky, it just won't be there when you return for the next oil change, but goopy, degraded plastic in your fancy drain valve sounds like a recipe for disaster. Don't be scared of Nylon if you haven't printed it before, just make sure to have a good bed adhesive like Vision Miner's Nano Polymer and a printer capable of 245H/60B.

Included in the models is a version with and without the diamond texture, as well as corresponding .step files if you'd like to come up with your own version! Please don't sell prints of this model without permission, just reach out and ask :)

If this model works for you, post a comment or a picture of your print! I'd love to see it getting use, and would appreciate any feedback you might have.