The huge thread on oil extractor pumps

Stevie Dakota

Are these any good? My thinking was always that the real sludge will be right at the bottom of the sump, and gravity and your drain bolt is your best bet to expel everything.

While the pumps are no doubt easier I just doubt they do as good a job, any thoughts?

biko

Never used one although I guess they'd be more handy in case you overfill the oil, rather than a full oil change.

Owen

I know a lot of mechanics who use them, and two main dealers that do too. Some of the modern sump plugs aren't too strong and can weep after a few oil changes even when the o rings are changed. There is always a tiny amount of oil left in the bottom, but with the amount of new oil put in it doesn't really matter.

Run_to_da_hills

Not gone on them as there is a chance that they could still leave oil behind in the sump particularly if the suction pipe was out of reach or the car was on a slope. Also I like to inspect the sump plug magnet for any residue of metal that has stuck to it.

John_Mc

I bought one on Ebay last year because I made sh*t of the sump plug when trying to change the oil. For a start the tube wouldnt fit down the oil dipstick so I had to get creative to get it to work.

It took ages and was messy. My car is due another oil change now and I went out to use the pump again - 15 mins later I threw it in the bin. Will just get a mechanic to fix the sump plug as its easier and will get all of the oil out.

Would recommend you avoid unless you're buying the professional ones which cost a lot of money

Owen

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Not gone on them as there is a chance that they could still leave oil behind in the sump particularly if the suction pipe was out of reach

You'd think that alright, I did, but as soon as you do one change with the extractor and have everything over and done with in 10 minutes, and your car doesn't spontaneously cumbust a few miles later, you'd never look at doing it the old way again. It's cleaner, tidier, and a hell of a lot faster.

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

or the car was on a slope

To be fair, if the car was on a slope, it wouldn't matter if you used an extractor, or drained through the sump plug.

Run_to_da_hills

PaintDoctor wrote: »

To be fair, if the car was on a slope, it wouldn't matter if you used an extractor, or drained through the sump plug.

How do we know that the hose on this pump is reaching the lowest part of the sump? At least the bung is at the lowest part. If the oil hadn't being changed in some time I would use an engine flush, I would also prefere to get every drop of this stuff out of the engine before I replace it.

Owen

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

How do we know that the hose on this pump is reaching the lowest part of the sump?

You don't. I've said as much above that there will always be a small amount of old oil left, but there's so much new oil going in that it really won't make a blind bit of difference.

I think people get a bit paranoid about stuff like this sometimes, I mean if you're putting in 3.9 litres of new shiny Castrol, and there's 100 millilitres of old Castrol in there, you're hardly going to damage your engine. As I said earlier too, plenty of Mechanics and Dealerships use these now - and I've yet to hear of a car breaking down prematurely as a result.

Run_to_da_hills

PaintDoctor wrote: »

You don't. I've said as much above that there will always be a small amount of old oil left, but there's so much new oil going in that it really won't make a blind bit of difference.

I just prefere to do it right.

Oil extractor pumps are just a lazy out for those that do not want to get their hands dirty.

galwaytt

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

... I would also prefere to get every drop of this stuff out of the engine before I replace it.

...I see where you're coming from, but the sump plug doesn't actually take all of it out, either. Most, yes, but not all. So, potato's/potatoes ?

voxpop

Have to agree with PaintDoctor - iv used one on the last 2 oil changes and it really make changing the oil a doddle - so much in fact that your more likely to do it more often (imo). The other benifit is that you can suck all the bad oil out of the oil filter chamber, which you couldnt do if changing via sump.
The oil filter will take car of any gunk that may or may not be in the bottom of the sump - after all thats its job.

Owen

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

I just prefere to do it right.

And fair play, not many people these days willing to do their own work, but there's also overthinking an oil change too. All your doing is eating up your own time and energy.

teelinboy

Would concur with PaintDoctor and Voxpop.

I have used a pela pump on several cars and found it easy to use if you follow the instructions. Its great not having to jack up the car, mess around underneath it, get hot black oil up your sleeve all for the sake of doing it by the book.

I find these pumps especially handy for oil changes in between manufacturers recommendations (I think oil is the life blood of any engine and I dont trust leaving it in for at least 18000 miles as is the case for my diesel bmw).

gofaster_s13

Used correctly they get more oil out than the sump bung as the threaded section of the sump that the pung screws into actually protudes slightly into the sump and the oil will only drain as far as this when using the bung to drain the oil.

allisbleak

Some new mercs do not have drain plugs anymore. i have used it at my local for the last 2 services, no probs at all.

Atlantic Dawn

gofaster_s13 wrote: »

Used correctly they get more oil out than the sump bung as the threaded section of the sump that the pung screws into actually protudes slightly into the sump and the oil will only drain as far as this when using the bung to drain the oil.

Yes but would it not be virtually impossibly to get the end of the hose from the extractor at exactly the bottom of the sump without causing it to lose suction as it would touch the base of the sump?

Curious about getting one myself but I would be afraid that fragments of metal or whatever would not be picked up as they would likely fall to the bottom of the sump and be missed.

Voodoomelon

Get away from me with your pumps, under the car all the way, sure that's half the fun!

Owen

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Curious about getting one myself but I would be afraid that fragments of metal or whatever would not be picked up as they would likely fall to the bottom of the sump and be missed.

If there's fragments of metal in your oil, an extractor will be the least of your worries But as another user said, sump plug 'hole' for want of a better word is usually higher than the sump on the inside, so draining oil through the sump plug hole isn't going to be much more efficient than using an extractor pump.

BrianD3

Will probably get one myself. The "sludge" issue is probably overstated. If you change the oil at the correct intervals and have it well warmed up beforehand I don't see a problem. You'll know roughly how much of the oil you're getting out anyway by comparing the volume in the handbook to the volume you pumped out. If 10% or less of the old oil is left then I wouldn't get overly excited about it

Used engine oil is a suspected carcinogen. The less of a mess you make when changing it, the better.

-Corkie-

I was talking about these on a different thread last night. Im just wondering if when you use the sump plug, if you put a high pressure air line in the oil filler and again in filter chamber and dipstick plug. Would that blow out any crap outa the engine or am i going ott:rolleyes:

Redsoxfan

Good timing-I only found out about these yokes last week-can anyone recommend a model of pump and where to buy one around Dublin/online?

Esel

malcox wrote: »

Im just wondering if when you use the sump plug, if you put a high pressure air line in the oil filler and again in filter chamber and dipstick plug. Would that blow out any crap outa the engine or am i going ott:rolleyes:

Yes, you are.

CJhaughey

malcox wrote: »

I was talking about these on a different thread last night. Im just wondering if when you use the sump plug, if you put a high pressure air line in the oil filler and again in filter chamber and dipstick plug. Would that blow out any crap outa the engine or am i going ott:rolleyes:

When you shift a seal and it starts to weep then it can be a very costly and unnecessary exercise to repair.

neilthefunkeone

Was changing my oil last week outside the house and some bloke walking past started into a conversation about one of these pumps..

Said he got one for about 30quid.. didnt say where.. Said it was the business...

antoswords

Hi folks,

Looking to buy an oil extractor pump to service my own car. Any ideas where I might pick one up?

Also, anyone use one of these? Are they any good? Heard mixed reports.


Cheers

Anto

Nissan doctor

I wouldn't use one, any deposit build up within your engine will mostly accumulate at the bottom of the sump and using one of these pumps to suck the oil out doesn't get rid of this.

gyppo

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I wouldn't use one, any deposit build up within your engine will mostly accumulate at the bottom of the sump and using one of these pumps to suck the oil out doesn't get rid of this.

+1.

Put it another way, would you like to eat out of a clean cereal bowl each morning, or one that is never completely clean?

irish bloke

All,

I’m looking for advice on a good engine oil extractor.

I change oil on a petrol Audi every 5k as it has the finicky AVJ engine with the sludge problem if not minded. Also picked up a diesel BMW 520 with the M47 engine that takes 7 liters of oil AFAIK. This will also need good regular services.

Don’t mind servicing a car as it saves me money and you know it’s done right, but the crawling under the car to work, oil leakage from filter and most of all the removing/refitting of the damn plastic lower engine covers drive me insane!!!

Anyway was wondering:

• are these extractors any good
• do or can they cause damage/blockages
• are you getting all the oil out
• Do main dealers/inde’s use them

Thanks

darragh o meara

irish bloke wrote: »

All,


Anyway was wondering:

• are these extractors any good
• do or can they cause damage/blockages
• are you getting all the oil out
• Do main dealers/inde’s use them

Thanks

• are these extractors any good

Yes they are good and save a lot of time usually spent taking off under guards etc. also with a lot of modern cars inc vws, audis etc.. The sumps are aluminium and I've seen plenty of them with crossed threads in the sump plug, which in most cases requires the sump to be replaced.

• do or can they cause damage/blockages

The only damage I've ever heard is one lad who emptied the oil, filled it up again and forgot to pull the suction straw out before he started the car. But most people take them out when they rove all the oil

• are you getting all the oil out

I've had two of these, one that used a handle to produce suction and the other that plugs into a compressed air line.

I found that the first one would leave a tiny amount ( 2 egg cups )

The other one that was plugged into the compressor took every drop but you have to remember that you will have some oil in the lines that you won't get out.

• Do main dealers/inde’s use them

Yes, most main dealers I've ever visited and I've been to a few with my previous job have had them. It's a much tidier way of removing oil.

Mycroft H

Do they suck it up from the sump? Or do they drag all the dirty oil up through the engine?

darragh o meara

BX 19 wrote: »

Do they suck it up from the sump? Or do they drag all the dirty oil up through the engine?

Pipe goes down through the dipstick tube into the sump and sucks it up from there. it doesn't drag any oil through the engine.