Buying An Oil Extractor Pump

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

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

Good for you. I wish we had that.
We are lucky if our town's contracted collection company shows up when they are supposed to.
Contracted for Tues and Fridays and yet some weeks they manage not to show for either.

 

[jetman]

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/

Here's what I use on the 10 gal sump of my Detroit Diesel. Fumoto T-201N

 

[UncleDave]

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

yeah......not me.

If Im going to bother to break the seal, Im going to replace it.

There isnt enough oil in that filter compared to whats left in the rest of the engine to amount to anything worth worrying about.

 

[scrowley]

Bought (2) of the 6 dollar suction pumps at Harbor Freight early this week. Sucked the trans pan dry on a Ranger, had to use a smaller tube than the 3/8 or 1/2 inch orange tube it came with to get all the way down to the bottom through the dipstick hole. Took about 5 minutes to suck 3 quarts out of the pan.Also used it on the differential, very fast with the larger tubing it came with. Overall, worked better than expected.

 

[Carmudgeon]

After doing some more research, I switched gears and decided to order an electric pump instead.

Instead of the plastic encased pump linked by the OP, and also sold under Performance Tool branding, I'm going to try one from Aliexpress for about the same cost, ~$30.

It has an all-metal gerotor pump, and claimed 100W motor. Also easy to disassemble, and judging by the reviews, may be wise to do since the factory doesn't necessarily clean up all the burrs during assembly. A bit of a gamble to be sure, but not a huge risk.

Originally, was aiming for the Mityvac 7201, since it had sufficient capacity for a large (6.9l) sump, and the ability to dispense as well.

But the price got jacked up recently, and the reviews questioning its durability, and for those types of extractors in general, gave me second thoughts. I've experienced more issues that I care to with the integrity of plastic-bodied pressure vessels in the form of brake bleeders and garden sprayers and didn't want to add another gadget that may have similar problems. With an electric unit, oil can be pumped directly into the waste container and skip the additional transfer step, lines purged with cleaner, and not have a dirty vessel sitting around. And the only limitation on capacity rests with the waste containers.

If it doesn't work, it was a $30 bet on not spending 2-4x that for a extractor that may be short-lived anyway.

 

[Astro14]

To add to @UncleDave post, you can do an oil change in your Sunday best. It's a joke it's so easy.
No floor jack and stands, no drain pan, no wrenches, no belly pan. Barely even need rags. No freakin' mess!
Sometimes we put off an oil change till the weekend or whenever, because we don't have time or don't wanna get dirty. By the time you made that decision you could be done if you used your MityVac.

That's my experience.

Great in theory, and I’m glad it works for you, but it doesn’t work on either of my Mercedes’ or on the Tundra, sadly.

I’ve got a similar extractor - but with a Venturi vacuum that uses an air hose to creat the vacuum. Even better than pumping a handle. Absolutely awesome for transmission D&F on all the cars that have a dipstick. (Tundra doesn’t). So, while I love these things, they don’t work well on all vehicles.

In the end, I don’t mind putting the car up on a lift, well, Quickjack, because I rotate tires, and take a look underneath, when I do the oil. The oil change is infrequent enough that extra hassle is offset by bundling work - tire rotation, inspection, etc.

But I still love the extractor. Power steering fluid. Transmission fluid. Suspension fluid. All easily removed by the extractor (and I don’t even have to pump it) to start work on those systems, or simply to replace fluid in those systems.

Great piece of gear. Should be in every shop.

 

[JeffKeryk]

@Astro14 the MityVac works well for our 2001 Tundra 4.7, both engine and transmission (dipstick, of course).
The only car I've personally had a problem with was a '98 Accord 4 banger. Until I found I had the flow direction in the expel direction...

 

[Stonemason Jason]

I have an oil extractor pump, I've used it maybe twice, I work on a few of my family members push mowers, but I prefer the old-school tipping method, it's quicker that way, but I will say if you want a decent extraction pump AutoZone has them at least the one where I live does, that's where I got mine.

 

[PontiacHO]

the

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.
View attachment 125125

the west marine version is on sale less than $50. I bought one for the boat but have used it to drain my GMC trans pan. Works well

 

[Astro14]

@Astro14 the MityVac works well for our 2001 Tundra 4.7, both engine and transmission (dipstick, of course).
The only car I've personally had a problem with was a '98 Accord 4 banger. Until I found I had the flow direction in the expel direction...

Sadly, the 5.7 is a bit different. I can’t get the tube anywhere near the bottom of the oil pan.

I’ve tried different tube diameters and materials - just doesn’t work.

I really would like it to, though, because 8+ quarts draining from 18” up always made a mess.

I finally gave up and went Fumoto with a hose.

Not as elegant or simple as the extractor.

Still, the extractor is so useful in so many other ways that I can’t imagine life without it.

 

[Lapham3]

I also like the Fumotos and use them where practical. Also the extractors where it works. I now fuss about the tight access and mess with these plastic under drivetrain belly pans and oil filter changes. We had bought a 1980 Mazda RX7 with the filter inverted on top of the engine. I'd punch a hole in the filter at oil change time that worked. It relieved the air lock and allowed the oil to drain out well and about eliminated the mess. Maybe I'll punch a hole again and control the mess better.

 

[Sam_Julier]

Flip the flow direction switch and empty into recycle container.
View attachment 124865

Which model is this?

 

[JeffKeryk]

Which model is this?

Tesla Model 3.
Oh you mean the MityVac 7201 ?

 

[Skippy722]

First time ever, have always pulled the drain plug.

https://www.amazon.ca/HighFree-Extractor-Scavenge-Suction-Transfer/dp/B08243WC2H/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

This one is inexpensive and has good reviews. Will it work?

That looks identical to the one I just bought from Menards, albeit different colors. Mine was $25 at the store, I was pretty impressed by it but I’ve only used it once so far.

 

[MaximaGuy]

The MityVac is a great product and a must have which. makes oil changes quite easy.
One mistake I did was buying them during Covid and never had to change the oil using it in over a year - it stayed in the garage. When I had to use it it didn't work and past warranty and had to replace the hoses and suction mechanism for over $40 - now it works like a charm. My recommendation is buy it and immediately use it to check product reliability.

 

[The Critic]

They’re a nice item to have and are useful for draining the p/s reservoir.

I have had inconsistent results with using it for engine oil services and 90% of the time, elevating the front-end and removing the drain plug removes more used oil. If you replace the filter and rotate the times each time (which you should), the benefits of an extractor are greatly reduced.

Still a nice item to have, but not a must-have.

 

[DwightFrye]

Another vote for the Mityvac. I'm at a point in my life where spending $100 for a quality tool vs. $30 on something questionable just to save a few bucks is a non issue.

My Jaguar is designed to have the oil extracted from the top. And the Mityvac works like a champ. I still place it on one of those aluminum drip pans to catch any errant drops of oil but it is 99.9% mess free with a little concentration when using it. It has a top mounted cannister filter and changing that at the same time is also a piece of cake.

Good thing the Jag is designed that way. Otherwise I would have to spend $150 for a low profile floor jack as my old one won't fit and remove a couple dozen fasteners in order to remove the under body aerodynamic shield to get to the drain plug. No thanks.

 

[Carmudgeon]

Got pump

Used pump. Took maybe a minute or two to fill a gallon jug with Castrol's finest bulk 502. Repeat once more with another to total ~7 qts.

Supplied clear vinyl discharge tubing is a bit short but easy enough to substitute a lengthier segment. Maybe in a different material that better sheds oil like the harder intake tubing for easier cleaning and storage.

Zero time spent jacking car up, or spent on back on cold garage floor.

Happy camper.

 

[UncleDave]

Got pump

Used pump. Took maybe a minute or two to fill a gallon jug with Castrol's finest bulk 502. Repeat once more with another to total ~7 qts.

Supplied clear vinyl discharge tubing is a bit short but easy enough to substitute a lengthier segment. Maybe in a different material that better sheds oil like the harder intake tubing for easier cleaning and storage.

Zero time spent jacking car up, or spent on back on cold garage floor.

Happy camper.

View attachment 129859

Nice.

The downside of the hard intake tube is that it doesnt follow complex curved dipstick paths well at all and outright fails on more things.

 

[PF52]

I'd be worried that plastic tube would get too hot and melt or otherwise stick permanently in the dipstick tube.

Sure, I could change the oil cold.... Or wait a couple hours after driving to let it cool.