Buying An Oil Extractor Pump

[dbias]

I have a pella 6 liter extractor and it works fine. Keep in mind some make’s and models are more conducive to their use than others. VW is always easy to do as on most models you simply slip the hose into the dipstick push it all the way in till it stops and pull back about a half inch and it will get most all of the oil out. While the oil is drawn out work on the filter and you are ready to put new oil in.
Some models it is a job to get the hose all the way into the dipstick tube and the dipstick tube location may not place the suction hose at the lowest point in the oil pan. Ymmv.

 

[Elkins45]

I still have to get on my back and crawl under to reach the filter on all my vehicles. Don’t see how one would really make things much easier for me.

 

[barryh]

I will never go back to removing sump plugs it's too much hassle when they are no longer accessible due to underbody trays.

My first suction pump was the Pela type but I've relegated that to plumbing duties and now use a 12 Volt electric pump which has the advantage of pumping the oil straight into the waste container/

 

[JohnnyG]

I use one of these:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Attwood-High-Speed-Oil-Change-Pump/38057100

For $35.00, you can't go wrong.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I still have to get on my back and crawl under to reach the filter on all my vehicles. Don’t see how one would really make things much easier for me.

True if you change your filter with every service. I do 5K OCIs and swap the filter every 2nd or 3rd service.
An extractor would still make the job easier, IMO. I extract and then pull filter due to ease.

And there are so many other uses for the MityVac. Seriously. I am a changed man!

 

[UncleDave]

I still have to get on my back and crawl under to reach the filter on all my vehicles. Don’t see how one would really make things much easier for me.

thats only IF you change the filter.

If you are running an extended FCI oil filter and using it as such , or following Honda/ Acura adivice and changing every other time then you can skip the filter change every OCI.

I've had 4 5K changes in a single oil filter many times.

 

[UncleDave]

True if you change your filter with every service. I do 5K OCIs and swap the filter every 2nd or 3rd service.
An extractor would still make the job easier, IMO. I extract and then pull filter due to ease.

And there are so many other uses for the MityVac. Seriously. I am a changed man!

You beat me to it Jeff....

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

You ask 2 questions.

Will it physically work on your particular vehicle or device -
You dont know what an extractor will work on until you try. It doesn't work on a small number of devices - a running list would be awesome.

Is that model worth buying?
Cant say, what I would say is if you buy the brand mityvac you'll probably be happy a long time.



What I can say is the device saves me a tremendous amount of time and has been worth every penny.

Right , I have experience with several on the jobs and at home. Different brands as well. Mityvac makes very good quality products that last. Even had Mityvac hand pumps for brake bleeding years ago. I have one , fairly newer (2020) from Griot's garage these days. Their newest model. This is the 2nd one for home use I have had from Griots. Gave the first one away (still working) to one of the young men in the family who is like lots of us here.... He is a DIY and likes to get in there and fix things for himself and others and not afraid of hard work or getting his hands dirty. They do and perform exactly for and how you say. Great time + mess savers for some of us.

If it has a drain plug then there's no need for an extractor.

Agreed / UNTIL you become a broke down OLD man like me. Any time saver / tool or device is welcome then.

 

[Elkins45]

thats only IF you change the filter.

If you are running an extended FCI oil filter and using it as such , or following Honda/ Acura adivice and changing every other time then you can skip the filter change every OCI.

I've had 4 5K changes in a single oil filter many times.

Still have to crawl under to change it though.

What I really want is a lift. Having a lift would seriously change my life.

 

[CR94]

Amazon sells that pump under several brand names, at a range of prices. I bought it when they were about $20. If the 5W-20 is warm (not hot!) it drains my 4+ quarts in about 7 minutes, apparently more thoroughly than taking the plug out does (because the plug is not at the lowest point of the oil pan). I cut the suction tube down to appropriate length for my specific car.
Using the same pump to drain cold ATF from a friend's car through a longer, thinner makeshift tube required a much longer time, over an hour I think.
It has obvious drawbacks, compared to the more expensive type that involves a tank with vacuum pump. Compensating advantages includes not only that it's less expensive, but also that it takes a lot less space to store, and (as others have mentioned) pumps directly into whatever container you use to haul the waste oil away.

 

[Shel_B]

True if you change your filter with every service. I do 5K OCIs and swap the filter every 2nd or 3rd service.
An extractor would still make the job easier, IMO. I extract and then pull filter due to ease.

And there are so many other uses for the MityVac. Seriously. I am a changed man!

Please provide some examples. I am so totally on the fence about getting a unit, maybe knowing what else it can be used for will move me.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Please provide some examples. I am so totally on the fence about getting a unit, maybe knowing what else it can be used for will move me.

@Shel_B I use the MityVac every time I do a brake service to empty the master cylinder. I do quickie trans services on cars with trans dipsticks.
My favorite is power steering flushes. Suck out the reservoir; hook up the extractor tube to the return line and vacuum out PS fluid until you get air. Fill reservoir with fresh fluid and suck it through. Let reservoir run low to make reattaching return line easier. Full reservoir, start engine to bleed any air. Easy peasey.

But the ease and cleanliness of a basic oil change is worthe the price of admission.
The just flip the fluid direction switch and empty into your recycle container.

My friend @The Critic is a purist; he has a MityVac. Perhaps he might chime in? If he approves, the book is closed on the subject!

 

[UncleDave]

Still have to crawl under to change it though.

What I really want is a lift. Having a lift would seriously change my life.

For sure, but if you reduce that frequency to half or more it becomes notable in a multi vehicle household.

Im lucky to have a lift.

 

[Elkins45]

For sure, but if you reduce that frequency to half or more it becomes notable in a multi vehicle household.

Im lucky to have a lift.

Even when I reuse a filter I still unscrew and drain it.

 

[Vil_Riker]

An electric pump will save some physical work compared to a Mityvac. I have been using a Mityvac MV7400 for the past 15 years and used it to change oil on two cars this Sunday. I do have an issue with my device capacity and have to empty it halfway through the extraction. An electric pump will not have that issue. The filter cartridges on all cars are on top of the engine so oil changes are easy with a pump.

It's cheap enough to give it a try as an experiment. Saving time and not crawling under a car might be worth the experiment price.

 

[Rand]

Even when I reuse a filter I still unscrew and drain it.

sounds like a leak waiting to happen. If I'm unscrewing it.. a new one is going on.

 

[CR94]

sounds like a leak waiting to happen. If I'm unscrewing it.. a new one is going on.

That never happened when I did it, many times.

 

[Delta]

I bought one of the better extractors at Harbor Freight a good while ago when I still had my GTI.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

It's a really good solid unit. But, since I sold that vehicle it really doesn't get used much. However, it's great for the mower!

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I bought one of the better extractors at Harbor Freight a good while ago when I still had my GTI.

Harbor Freight Tools – Quality Tools at Discount Prices Since 1977

Harbor Freight buys their top quality tools from the same factories that supply our competitors. We cut out the middleman and pass the savings to you!

www.harborfreight.com

It's a really good solid unit. But, since I sold that vehicle it really doesn't get used much. However, it's great for the mower!

This one is what I have now and similar to the very first one. They hold 5-6 quarts and its easy to leave fluid in them until u ready to pour it into what ever containers you will use to haul your used oil to where ever you dispose of it. Many Walmarts have a spot outside the Tire & Auto section for you to place your used oil containers inside a large box where they keep it until they ship it where ever. Also can do brake bleeding with this one. Came with special brake fluid hoses and connectors. First one years ago was about $70. Not anymore of course, now they are about $100 to $115 with tax n shipping. They can be found all over so people can probably find one near home without even going thru the trouble of ordering. Like above, Harbor Freight and they are likely very similar quality. Mine both came from Griots.

 

[JeffKeryk]

The MityVac simply reverses flow to empty into your recycle container.
We have curbside recycling here, which is great.