Sometimes the gaskets sticks - curious if you'd reuse that? some guys would other wouldn't.
Oil Extractor
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Sometimes the gaskets sticks - curious if you'd reuse that? some guys would other wouldn't.
I'm not sure where you would even find a replacement gasket? If it sticks, why do you think it can't be removed and reused? It's not a head gasket, just a simple piece of synthetic rubber material. Unless it's hard and brittle, it should seal just fine.
I wouldnt bother to drain and reuse a filter if I were bothering take one off - just curious how far you'd go...
On the other hand, if I'm changing the oil on a car driven 500 miles since the last change 2 years ago, I wouldn't feel good about contaminating the new oil with the half quart of old oil in the filter. If I'm doing an oil change only, I want to start fresh with new oil in the entire system. And yes, there maybe a tablespoon or two left in the filter. I'm OK with THAT.
But then you would have to drive a Subaru.
What he ^ said.
Except who wants to buy and drive a Subaru? So get you a VW, Audi, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, or Jaaaag
But then you would have to drive a Subaru.
these are the people you have to share the planet’s resources with every day
Quality. Thanks for sharing!
I use the Mityvac manual pumper type, I think it holds around 6 gallons and was about $100 on Amazon. I'm very pleased with it.
It does oil okay on some of my vehicles but not on others. I'm a "low mileage" oil change guy, doing it on time and not miles. Generally between 6-12 months depending on some variables. Anyway, on a short OCI, I typically leave the filter on. The Mityvac allows me to avoid ramps/jacks and associated risks, risk/cost of drain plug and gasket removal and reinstallation, and I can just top-side remove the oil and replace it with exactly the amount that came out. Some vehicles won't extract the oil very well, so it's a mixed bag. On others, it removes as much as a plug drop.
Where this tool REALLY shines however is the other fluids like the transmission, power steering, etc. Wow it makes messy jobs often very easy. Rather than ramps, jacks, removing drain pans, etc. I can suck out the ATF thru the dipstick in 15 minutes, and replace exactly what was removed. It's not a substitute for the 50-100k pan drop and filter replacement, but it sure makes the fluid swaps a breeze. On the vehicles with ATF dipsticks it has extracted the fluid quite well.
You'd just have to research and experiment to see how much your vehicles will allow to be extracted.
One caveat. When you reverse pump to dump the fluid, be very careful. I've had the hose pop off and fluid go EVERYWHERE like an uncontrolledly firehose of fluid! A big mess and lesson learned. Monitor it carefully and don't get distracted.
I think EVERY modern vehicle should have top side dipsticks that allow extractors to work. The costs of maintenance would plummet.
It does oil okay on some of my vehicles but not on others. I'm a "low mileage" oil change guy, doing it on time and not miles. Generally between 6-12 months depending on some variables. Anyway, on a short OCI, I typically leave the filter on. The Mityvac allows me to avoid ramps/jacks and associated risks, risk/cost of drain plug and gasket removal and reinstallation, and I can just top-side remove the oil and replace it with exactly the amount that came out. Some vehicles won't extract the oil very well, so it's a mixed bag. On others, it removes as much as a plug drop.
Where this tool REALLY shines however is the other fluids like the transmission, power steering, etc. Wow it makes messy jobs often very easy. Rather than ramps, jacks, removing drain pans, etc. I can suck out the ATF thru the dipstick in 15 minutes, and replace exactly what was removed. It's not a substitute for the 50-100k pan drop and filter replacement, but it sure makes the fluid swaps a breeze. On the vehicles with ATF dipsticks it has extracted the fluid quite well.
You'd just have to research and experiment to see how much your vehicles will allow to be extracted.
One caveat. When you reverse pump to dump the fluid, be very careful. I've had the hose pop off and fluid go EVERYWHERE like an uncontrolledly firehose of fluid! A big mess and lesson learned. Monitor it carefully and don't get distracted.
I think EVERY modern vehicle should have top side dipsticks that allow extractors to work. The costs of maintenance would plummet.
DP
If you're referring to Mityvac 7201, it holds about 8 quarts, works great.
Agreed. Also it helps to have top side cartridge filter makes oil & filter change a breeze.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
I've used an extractor on all 3 Mercedes I've owned and my daughter's Beemer.
When the Topsider died, I switched to a cheap Amazon fluid pump.
I couldn't get the smallest tube down the dipstick tube to use it on my Blazer 4.3 (too curved) V-6, Jetta 2.5 (hit something, Windage tray?), or Wrangler 4.0 (dipstick not at low point of pan). So it depends on the design of the dipstick tube.
Convenient, fast and clean when the filter is on top and you don't have to remove the bottom cover.
When the Topsider died, I switched to a cheap Amazon fluid pump.
I couldn't get the smallest tube down the dipstick tube to use it on my Blazer 4.3 (too curved) V-6, Jetta 2.5 (hit something, Windage tray?), or Wrangler 4.0 (dipstick not at low point of pan). So it depends on the design of the dipstick tube.
Convenient, fast and clean when the filter is on top and you don't have to remove the bottom cover.
Sorry, yes, you're correct. I meant around 6 quarts, but you're probably right about 8 quarts or 2 gallons, approximately.
My new Jaguar F Type is designed for top extraction and the cannister filter is also on top. While you can still pull the drain plug and drain from the bottom, that requires removing a bunch of underbody aerodynamic panels.
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I'll be buying a Mityvac 7201 soon plus the special filter wrench and doing my own changes in between the free changes that are covered for the first five years. The factory recommended OCI is 16,000 miles or one year but I want to change out the factory fill at around 2500 miles. It will be nice not to have to pull up on ramps and crawl around under the car for a change. Also I understand that it is very easy to reverse the flow from the Mityvac once it is full and pump the oil into containers for recycling.
No matter how careful I have always been and have always worked over a steel drip pan, there is always some mess to clean up, wipe down funnels and all that related stuff that goes along with traditional methods. I think the extraction method is going to be much less of a chore and more like a surgical technique.
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I'll be buying a Mityvac 7201 soon plus the special filter wrench and doing my own changes in between the free changes that are covered for the first five years. The factory recommended OCI is 16,000 miles or one year but I want to change out the factory fill at around 2500 miles. It will be nice not to have to pull up on ramps and crawl around under the car for a change. Also I understand that it is very easy to reverse the flow from the Mityvac once it is full and pump the oil into containers for recycling.
No matter how careful I have always been and have always worked over a steel drip pan, there is always some mess to clean up, wipe down funnels and all that related stuff that goes along with traditional methods. I think the extraction method is going to be much less of a chore and more like a surgical technique.
As I mentioned, the Mityvac is a great tool for extracting and dispensing the used fluids. But I offer 1 caveat. The worst TWO messes I've made in my life occurred with a Mityvac. The MV has a main hose, and smaller diameter extended hoses. Do not try to dispense with the smaller diameter hoses attached. I tried it, twice. Both times, the air pressure shot the smaller hoses off, causing a geiser of fluid that went everywhere. At least a quart of oil spilled both times, making a large mess. Lesson learned. Take the smaller hose off before dispensing. Or make darn sure you're holding both firmly together to prevent this (but with a pump style you'd need a 2nd set of hands).
I have the Mityvac 7201 and it works great on the Jeep and Honda. I changed the AT fluid in the Honda too. It will not work in my Corvette or F-150 Ford. The unit works well and is very clean and fast. I also used it on my son's 2020 Jeep Cherokee and he was impressed with it too. I also used it to change oil on my gas pressure washer and it worked well. I want to try it on my Corvette rear differential and see how good it works. The Mityvac definitely is useful in some applications and worthless in others. It certainly beats getting all dirty laying on the ground underneath a vehicle. I really wished it would have worked on the Corvette because that vehicle is the most difficult in the fleet to service since its so low to the ground and you must be very carefull jacking it up in order not to damage anything.
I agree an invaluable tool in many applications try doing a front diff fluid change on a F150 without one.
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