Another Extractor Thread...

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Dec 30, 2005
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30
Location
Grand Rapids,MI
"Hold my beer" moment here, got an idea. I've read a few extractor threads over the years and finally picked one up. It's the EWK 10 liter model, big, with hand pump OR pneumatic [air compressor] powered suction.

This idea would be especially useful to those who can only get about 2 qts of oil out through the dipstick when they try. Consider an example car doing 10-12k miles a year that you're using a quality full synthetic, perhaps 5 qts to make it easy. Let's say you plan on changing that 2x a year to be on the safe side even if you can probably get away with 1 change a year. So 2x changing, that's 10 qts a year. Instead of changing it 2x, why not just pull out 2 qts every 2 months [roughly] with the extractor?

I picked up a few fram ultras which are a 20,000 mile filter. And just to be paranoid, maybe do a full drain at 20,000 while I'm under there.

Who would want to do this? Anyone who doesn't like getting under their vehicle much but does want to know they have quality oil that's not ever pushed beyond it's reasonable life-span.

Why do this? For harsh engines, harsh climates, harsh driving/idling, etc, a fluid that's been in the engine for 5000-10000 miles is going to be a lot less "fresh" than one that's had 2 new quarts put in 2 months or maybe 2000 miles back right?

With an air powered extractor, I can take out 2 quarts in about a minute and cleanup is neater than pulling the pan bolt by far.

Anyone ever done it? Any reason why not to do it? I'm fully sold on oil changes from the top ever since getting he extractor and with how simple it is to pull out any volume I want this seemed like a natural progression. I think of it a little like the waverunner.. can't get more than 1/2 it's oil out at any one time ever. Thoughts? Thanks all!
 
How do you empty thet extractor? Pour or reverse flow?
WHich car only gets 2 qts out?

I would not use an extractor that gets 2/5, or 40%, of the oil out.
 
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Just like a Fumoto this doesn't keep you from crawling under the car to change your filter so unless you have a top mount filter say like some BMW's and a few other cars in my mind these things are useless.
 
I'm not a big fan of extractors, yet I do use them on occasion...like Wednesday night for example...wife's Mercedes ML350...8.5 quarts 0W40 and filter up top. Took ONE HOUR to pull 8.5 (hot) quarts out of that engine. Mighty Vac, hand pump extractor. Brand new. Filter up top, easy change.

It just takes soooo loooong. And I have to empty the extractor while I'm doing it because it only holds 6.5 quarts or so.

But with THAT particular SUV it still beats getting under it and changing it because there's a metal shield that you have to remove, and it's a pain. It's easier and neater with the extractor, but in most cases I wouldn't use it, nor would I use a Fumoto Valve...been there done that, no thanks. Too long for it to drain. I'm all set.
 
My extractor will pull 9+ quarts of warm oil in a few minutes, using the shop air powered vacuum pump (a venturi pump built into the lid). Extractors are great - but they don't work on every vehicle.

If I couldn't get all the oil from the sump with an extractor, I would use the drain plug.

Partial oil changes make no sense to me.
 
My extractor will pull 9+ quarts of warm oil in a few minutes, using the shop air powered vacuum pump (a venturi pump built into the lid). Extractors are great - but they don't work on every vehicle.

If I couldn't get all the oil from the sump with an extractor, I would use the drain plug.

Partial oil changes make no sense to me.
I've had to do them for saving grace as my spine isn't in great enough condition to move under the car. I usually get my cvt,oil change,tire rotation done by the same guy but his wife had a baby and I missed his doing my car. I had 30 percent life but didn't know if that would last as he does every third Saturday so I acted on side on margin and changed fluid by extraction and when the next time to change happened I was slightly below 0 percentage. It gave me piece of mind and he told me that he would say it was better than leaving in old oil.
 

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Would it be great if car manufacturers made oil extractor tubes permanently set at the very bottom of the oil pan and the extractor was made for the tube? They do not though. I have a Fumoto valve with a tygon tube and love it. If I was to get another valve it would be this…

 
This sounds like a waste of time to me. How would you describe this partial service in your service records anyway?
Just do a proper oil change at a reasonable interval. It will be a complete service and the majority of the oil will be fresh, not just 40%.
Also you say that one reason for doing this partial service would be to benefit those who don't like getting under their cars very often. Well you have to change the filter periodically anyway, so just drain ALL the oil while you are down there.
 
I bought a oil extractor for changing oil in the lawn tractor and love it.

Discussions like this keep me changing my vehicles oil the old fashioned way - by removing the oil plug 👍
 
My first reaction was that I wouldn't do this myself, but then I realized that I do partial drain-and-fills on ATF and coolant, as well as doing partial PSF and brake fluid changes by syringe.

So why not motor oil? I guess a UOA would let you know for sure.

As well, those old Amsoil-with-bypass-filter ads in Popular Mechanics come to mind - with the happy man saying he has 167,000 miles on his Cadillac and has never changed the oil, although he does change the bypass filter element every x number of miles and adds a quart of new oil.

It's moot for me because I don't have an extractor, so I change oil the old-school way.
 
My Jaguar is designed for top extraction and has a top mounted cannister filter. I bought a Mityvac and I have to say it was actually a pleasure to do an oil change and only spilled aboiut an ounce when pouring the contents of the Mityvac into an empty jug for taking to a recycler. I used the old aluminum drip pan under the Mityvac just in case and sure enough it still did it's duty.

Anyway, my Mityvac required a lot of pumping to get all the oil out, it didn't just start siphoning with a few pumps and then suck all the oil out. But it wasn't a big deal and didn't take very long. The graduations on the side showed that it removed a little more than 6.5 quarts which sounded about right since the stated capacity with a filter change was 6.9 quarts. So I added 6 quarts, 24 ounces and called it a day.
I sure wish the car had a conventional dipstick was well, it measures the oil level electronically and can take a real time or average reading, neither of which I fully trust. Give me an old fashioned dipstick that I can check in the morning when the oil is cold which has worked quite satisfactorily for me since I started driving in 1971.
 
Thanks all very much!

Of all replies so far I'm really only hearing 1 potential downside which is service record history. I'm not so concerned with this as mine will be driven until the floor rusts out here in MI, or until a niece/nephew needs a vehicle and I upgrade The van has ~245,000 miles and the truck has ~165,000. Both run "like new" and have been happy being fed M1, Amsoil, Castrol, or whatever other full synth I've found on sale at the time.

If I had to hand pump my extractor it would be tedious, but being able to hook up the air compressor makes all the difference in the world.

I considered going with fumoto valves to make drains simpler/neater but if I'm going under the vehicles at all I don't mind the pan bolt. When I do go under to get the filter every 20,000 or so I don't even need to jack it up with the current vehicles. You can reach the fans filter through the wheel well and the truck is high enough off the ground to shimmy under the bumper and reach it.

"majority of the oil will be fresh, not just 40%." I think this misses the point of doing 40-50% of the oil every 2-3 months vs just once a year on a full drain. If you do 4-6 40% drains/changes in a year it's more fresh oil going in over the course of a year vs doing just one full oil change. I was never suggesting changing only 40% of the oil is comparable with a full drain.

"he told me that he would say it was better than leaving in old oil." This is the crux of the idea. If you are like me and have recently been doing full synth changes 1x a year, let's be honest that oil is pretty well used by months 11 and 12. Compare that to a fresh 2 quarts going in every 2-3 months, you are always refreshing the oil. If I pull out 2 quarts every 3 months, for simple math, that's 8 quarts a year. 8 quarts of old used oil and it's contaminates coming out of the engine each year, replaced by fresh new shiny oil. And if anyone says this wastes time/effort, you simply don't know how quick and easy a pneumatic extractor can get those 2 quarts out.

"But with THAT particular SUV it still beats getting under it and changing it because there's a metal shield that you have to remove, and it's a pain. It's easier and neater with the extractor" Wow yeah, major pain. Years back I had a Lexus and the roughly 18-22 bolts to remove to change it's oil had me going into the dealer for changes. I just wasn't going to mess with it. Like many of you, I'm not a "car guy." Just a lubrication fanatic of sorts :).

"I'm not a big fan of extractors, yet I do use them on occasion...like Wednesday night for example...wife's Mercedes ML350...8.5 quarts 0W40 and filter up top. Took ONE HOUR to pull 8.5 (hot) quarts out of that engine. Mighty Vac, hand pump extractor. Brand new. Filter up top, easy change.

It just takes soooo loooong. And I have to empty the extractor while I'm doing it because it only holds 6.5 quarts or so." I never was a fan either until I tried it with air compressor power! It's night and day. I can't imagine waiting for 8.5 quarts by hand pump... that might take 2 hours or so and TONS of pumping at least with my EWK. 6.5 qt is a little small for the larger capacity vehicles. My truck is about 7.5 qts so I made sure to get the 10 liter extractor. It's the big one! I wish all cars had a properly designed dipstick for this and filter up top. Still should also have a bolt down below though too just in case.

"How do you empty thet extractor? Pour or reverse flow?" I pour it into empty 5 qt jugs and waste oil containers for taking back to autozone. My extractor doesn't have a reverse flow or any other way but dump it out.
 
I go to extractors every time for my 19 sumps.

I can do my ridgeline in 12 minutes flat with a mityvc

Screen Shot 2022-06-12 at 11.15.51 PM.jpg
 
A ton of hand pumping is not my experience. I always use the small tube, and gauge depth by the dipstick. Hot oil makes a ton of difference vs cold... A few pumps gets the flow going and about 10 more and I just let the process proceed.
IMO, pouring the oil out of the extractor sounds like a pain. I just flick the flow switch and give it a few pumps and the used oil goes right into a 5 qt jug. We have curb side recycling here. Easy peasy.
The best part is no mess.

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I got tired of pumping my topsider and bought a $25 electric pump on Amazon.
Pump oil straight into a 2.5 gallon container and take to the recycle tank at the dump.
Great on the Mercedes and lawn mowers I've owned. Doesn't work for most things and not at all for the BMW = the only dipstick is the driver.
 
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