Oil extractor

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Easy way to see if the extractor works for your car is to use it and then pull the drain plug ... if very little oil comes out you're good to go .
 
Originally Posted By: bruno
Easy way to see if the extractor works for your car is to use it and then pull the drain plug ... if very little oil comes out you're good to go .
If you're going to check the operation as you describe, why bother with the extractor?
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.


How do we know if it was or wasnt?

I am planning on buying an oil extractor for my GTI. With the extractor I would not have to go under my car at all. My car holds 5qts of oil, so I will just know if I get close to that out, then I am good.

Jeff
 
Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: bruno
Easy way to see if the extractor works for your car is to use it and then pull the drain plug ... if very little oil comes out you're good to go .
If you're going to check the operation as you describe, why bother with the extractor?
grin2.gif

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.

How do we know if it was or wasnt?

I am planning on buying an oil extractor for my GTI. With the extractor I would not have to go under my car at all. My car holds 5qts of oil, so I will just know if I get close to that out, then I am good.

Jeff

Do these 2 tests:

1. Drain old oil via drain plug, reinstall drain plug after finish, using oil extractor to see if you can siphon any more oil via dipstick tube.

2. Use oil extractor to siphon oil via dipstick tube until it's done, remove drain plug to see if any oil coming out of it.

If you get some oil with test 1 and no oil in test 2, then the engine is designed with an oil extractor in mind. Someone in a MB forum tested both methods in a 2000 E-Class and the result was oil extractor did better than drain plug.

I believe Mercedes-Benz dealers using oil extractor(much more expensive than average DIY can buy) to do oil change.
 
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.


How do we know if it was or wasnt?

I am planning on buying an oil extractor for my GTI. With the extractor I would not have to go under my car at all. My car holds 5qts of oil, so I will just know if I get close to that out, then I am good.

Jeff


Exactly right! I knew the Neon holds around 4 Qts without the filter and it was a quart low. Sure enough, the extractor sucked out 3 quarts as expected. If it leaves a little bit of the old oil the earth will not cease to rotate.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: bruno
Easy way to see if the extractor works for your car is to use it and then pull the drain plug ... if very little oil comes out you're good to go .
If you're going to check the operation as you describe, why bother with the extractor?
grin2.gif

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.

How do we know if it was or wasnt?

I am planning on buying an oil extractor for my GTI. With the extractor I would not have to go under my car at all. My car holds 5qts of oil, so I will just know if I get close to that out, then I am good.

Jeff

Do these 2 tests:

1. Drain old oil via drain plug, reinstall drain plug after finish, using oil extractor to see if you can siphon any more oil via dipstick tube.

2. Use oil extractor to siphon oil via dipstick tube until it's done, remove drain plug to see if any oil coming out of it.

If you get some oil with test 1 and no oil in test 2, then the engine is designed with an oil extractor in mind. Someone in a MB forum tested both methods in a 2000 E-Class and the result was oil extractor did better than drain plug.

I believe Mercedes-Benz dealers using oil extractor(much more expensive than average DIY can buy) to do oil change.


Actually there were some posts on a M-B forum describing local dealership using the MityVac. I use this same model (7201) to pull oil out of my E350, works excellent. If there's a few ounces left one way or another I'm not too worried to be honest. Looking at the stated oil capacity and allowing for some oil residual within the engine itself, it's an effective way of removing the oil.
 
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.


How do we know if it was or wasnt?

If you want to know in advance of buying the extractor, ask the guys on vwvortex.com - I'm sure some of them have already tried it and can share their experiences.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.


How do we know if it was or wasnt?

If you want to know in advance of buying the extractor, ask the guys on vwvortex.com - I'm sure some of them have already tried it and can share their experiences.


That is a good idea QP. Will do that. Worst case scenario I still I pull the drain plug. The VW is SO EASY to change oil on, even without the extractor. The extractor would just make an easy job, well easier.

Jeff
 
I have been considering getting an extractor for changing transmission fluid. Does anybody have experience using one for this?
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: andyd
Originally Posted By: bruno
Easy way to see if the extractor works for your car is to use it and then pull the drain plug ... if very little oil comes out you're good to go .
If you're going to check the operation as you describe, why bother with the extractor?
grin2.gif

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yup. Oil extraction is great, if an engine was designed with it in mind.

How do we know if it was or wasnt?

I am planning on buying an oil extractor for my GTI. With the extractor I would not have to go under my car at all. My car holds 5qts of oil, so I will just know if I get close to that out, then I am good.

Jeff

Do these 2 tests:

1. Drain old oil via drain plug, reinstall drain plug after finish, using oil extractor to see if you can siphon any more oil via dipstick tube.

2. Use oil extractor to siphon oil via dipstick tube until it's done, remove drain plug to see if any oil coming out of it.

If you get some oil with test 1 and no oil in test 2, then the engine is designed with an oil extractor in mind. Someone in a MB forum tested both methods in a 2000 E-Class and the result was oil extractor did better than drain plug.

I believe Mercedes-Benz dealers using oil extractor(much more expensive than average DIY can buy) to do oil change.


Exactly. I did this test on my MB and pulled the drain pan. Extractors work well.

But pulling the plug, IME is just faster and easier. Sure, no lifting or ramping cars if the filter is topside, but I like to be able to look under the car too...
 
Originally Posted By: 67lemans
I have been considering getting an extractor for changing transmission fluid. Does anybody have experience using one for this?

I used my Mityvac 7201 to change transmission fluid in my E430, LS400, Volvo V70 ... too, it worked very well.

A fluid extractor is an ideal tool for transmission without drain plug.

I used my Mityvac to do several things: oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid ... for several cars. I got my money back long time ago.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Yes. And of course an engine needs to have an oil dipstick tube. Some new engines don't.


And some dipstick tubes don't accept the tubing.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Exactly. I did this test on my MB and pulled the drain pan. Extractors work well.

But pulling the plug, IME is just faster and easier. Sure, no lifting or ramping cars if the filter is topside, but I like to be able to look under the car too...

The main advantage of using an extractor is no lifting is needed. Since we don't have snow therefore no salt on the road, and we have very few rainy days a year the car underside is very clean and there is nothing to check/repair.

Of all the maintenance I perform in my garage the one thing I hate the most is lift the car. When I need to bleed the brake I have no other choice and I was cursing every minute of it.

I know that many DIY'ers like to inspect the underside once in a while, but not me.
 
Originally Posted By: 67lemans
I have been considering getting an extractor for changing transmission fluid. Does anybody have experience using one for this?

Some professional transmission fluid machines vacuum from the transmission dipstick. Other times I have used an extractor to correct the fluid level if the transmission machine overfilled the transmission.

However, I have never actually removed all the ATF with an extractor. I suspect that it would only work on certain transmissions, because not all dipstick tubes are routed the same way, and some transmission sumps have low spots where fluid will always accumulate.

One good idea is to vacuum out as much ATF as you can, then drop the transmission pan. There will be far less fluid to spill.
 
I have one I use for motor oil, it should work just fine for an auto transmission. If you want to change the filter and pull the pan, you won't have to deal with tranny oil spilling all over.
 
I got a idea for a power extractor without the $60+ price tag. Since it work on the principle of vacuum. I built this back in '05 IIRC.

Here's what I built. I had a clear/translucent bucket. It has a top that snaps on (also has a handle). I drilled a hole on the top and attached a 1.5'' PVC pipe fitting, on the opposite side of the top I drilled a small hole and attached 2 1/4'' barbed fitting with a connector, so that one is on the top and the other on the bottom. I also bought 10' of clear 1/4'' hose and cut a small piece to that the bottom barbed fitting to the bottom of the pail. Put the lid on and connect the top barbed in to what you want to suck/pump out. Insert your shop vacuum in the 1.5'' PVC connector and the fluid will be sucked through the hose and into the pail.


Total cost about $6. The shop vac never ingests anything since it's separted. I'll post more results as I use it, but I don't need a change for a while.
 
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