Oil pumps that suck through the dipstick tube?

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I used Mityvac Fluid Evacuator MV7201 for about 6 years, it works very good on the E430 because the engine was design to suck the oil from the engine with such a device, someone in MB forums tested it with standard drain plug and found that it suck out more oil.

It works on the LS400 and S2000 but with several trials, I mean it does work but I had to adjust the suction tube several times to be able to get most(90-95% or more) oil out.

For newer European engines, Mityvac Fluid Evacuator MV7201 is the best tool to do oil change, it costs about $70-75 at Amazon and it worth every penny.
 
CAVEAT: Some engines have dipstick tubes that won't allow tubing to be inserted into the crankcase. (Usually because of sharp bends). If you have doubts about yours- I'd say go to your local hardware store and get a few feet of the white, semi-stiff small diameter(a bit less than 1/4" OD- eyeball your dipstick tube first) & try pushing it down the tube.

CAVEAT II: The model I have is *NOT* to be used for gasoline or other volatile fuels or liquids. I think this includes diesel fuel too, but not 100% sure. This holds for all the plastic Mityvac models, IIRC.

I recently bought a Mityvac 7400. Link: http://www.amazon.com/Mityvac-7400-Liter-Fluid-Evacuator/dp/B000JFJM14/ref=pd_sbs_sg_2

I had to buy some additional tubing, from my local Ace Hardware- the included tubes were too short for the unit to stand on the floor, reach up over the side & then go all the way down the dtrans fill/dipstick tube- but now I can pull fluid from my brakes, automatic transmission(reason I bought it), power steering, rear end, cooling system(radiator, expansion tank, could even push a hose down into a heater or radiator hose!), as well as engine oil(but will probably keep using the drain plug for that, gotta change the filter anyway).

Does it work? So far, I've used it for transmission, power steering, and brake fluid- yes sir, it's great!
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Is it worth it? I dunno- only you can answer that. Does your car present a difficult oil drain? How about lawn mowers, 4-wheelers, etc? These days, Mercedes shops don't drain oil from Mercedes cars, they draw it out through the dipstick tube! But like I said above- didn't buy it for motor oil.(but you know I'm gonna have to try it out!
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I answered it for myself like this- what could I get anyone to do to my auto trans for $54? Answer- pretty well nothing- and I *still* wouldn't be able to siphon out 3-4 qts of trans fluid at home, even after they had my $54! So I chose to spend my $$ toward auto maintenance independence. Your decision may vary.
 
i also have the Mityvac 7201 that both extracts and pumps in fluids. had it about 5 or mroe years also and love it. Good for any reservoir or in one case when the washing machine would not pump out the water it also worked fine.
 
There's no reason to believe that the dipstick tube would point to the lowest spot in the sump so draining the oil this way may leave more old oil in the system. Other than boats I find the drain plug to be much too easy to try to improve on it.

I use one of these pumps to pull the transmission fluid out before dropping the pan. Changing the ATF is a lot easier and cleaner when the risk of boiling oil on the troops is gone.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
I used Mityvac Fluid Evacuator MV7201 for about 6 years, it works very good on the E430 because the engine was design to suck the oil from the engine with such a device, someone in MB forums tested it with standard drain plug and found that it suck out more oil.

It works on the LS400 and S2000 but with several trials, I mean it does work but I had to adjust the suction tube several times to be able to get most(90-95% or more) oil out.

For newer European engines, Mityvac Fluid Evacuator MV7201 is the best tool to do oil change, it costs about $70-75 at Amazon and it worth every penny.


Re:
I heard it works well with German vehicles but terrible on Japanese Imports. I am not sure about Domestics. It works well on 2008 Mercedes S550 and just tested it out on my 2009 Honda Odyssey. It clears all 10qts in Mercedes with no problems. My Odyssey is a different story. It took in only 2.5qts out of 4.5qts.
 
Originally Posted By: severach
There's no reason to believe that the dipstick tube would point to the lowest spot in the sump so draining the oil this way may leave more old oil in the system. Other than boats I find the drain plug to be much too easy to try to improve on it.

I use one of these pumps to pull the transmission fluid out before dropping the pan. Changing the ATF is a lot easier and cleaner when the risk of boiling oil on the troops is gone.

Believe it, the oil dipstick tube would point to the lowest spot in the sump of most if not all Mercedes sine mid 1990's and many other German engines. Someone in a MB forum did the test, he first used the oil extractor to vacuum the oil via dipstick tube then removed the drain plug and found no oil dripped out of the drain hole.

Asian and American engines are different story.
 
walmart sells a "siphon pump" that has the "Pennzoil" name on it, but it's actually made by "another" company if you read the back of the package.....anyone tried anything like that?

My local WM actually sells 2, they have the "classic" bulb/siphon type, and a "Multi-Purpose" Siphon/Pump that says it can be used for siphoning "any" fluid, or even as a pump to pump up inflatables....

Actually, here's the one:
Pennzoil Multi-use Hand Pump @ Northern Tool

Frp, readiong the package, you prime it a couple times, and then the fluid will simply flow to the "lower" container (oil drain pan)

Then, next to that one at Walmart, they had the "regular"/classic bulb siphon siphon bulb cheapo thing

Only, with the Pennzoil name on it :p



Anyone tried something like these for siphoning OIL though? I could understand gas, coolant, etc.........but would think oil would likely be too "thick" to travel up the pump and down into the draining pan......?

And how would that "fare" with hot oil? I'm assuming you couldn't use either of these pumps with a "warmed up" engine....?

Any experience?

I got about 500 miles on my current OCI and was contemplating getting an oil sample, but don't really want to have to "change" (completely drain) the oil yet....and was thinking about trying one of these pumps (the "MultiPurpose" pump is 10$ at WM, the "siphon" is only 4$ so no real loss if it didn't work heh). On the flipside, these are a lot cheaper than the Blackstone pump....though I did notice the Blackstone pump is aluminum....the 10$ Pennzoil pump "appears" to just be plastic....and based on the construction, I can't tell if the oil would "reach" or otherwise "contaminate" the actual "pump"....
 
Originally Posted By: ahoier
walmart sells a "siphon pump" that has the "Pennzoil" name on it, but it's actually made by "another" company if you read the back of the package.....anyone tried anything like that?

My local WM actually sells 2, they have the "classic" bulb/siphon type, and a "Multi-Purpose" Siphon/Pump that says it can be used for siphoning "any" fluid, or even as a pump to pump up inflatables....

Actually, here's the one:
Pennzoil Multi-use Hand Pump @ Northern Tool

Frp, readiong the package, you prime it a couple times, and then the fluid will simply flow to the "lower" container (oil drain pan)

Then, next to that one at Walmart, they had the "regular"/classic bulb siphon siphon bulb cheapo thing

Only, with the Pennzoil name on it :p



Anyone tried something like these for siphoning OIL though? I could understand gas, coolant, etc.........but would think oil would likely be too "thick" to travel up the pump and down into the draining pan......?

And how would that "fare" with hot oil? I'm assuming you couldn't use either of these pumps with a "warmed up" engine....?

Any experience?

I got about 500 miles on my current OCI and was contemplating getting an oil sample, but don't really want to have to "change" (completely drain) the oil yet....and was thinking about trying one of these pumps (the "MultiPurpose" pump is 10$ at WM, the "siphon" is only 4$ so no real loss if it didn't work heh). On the flipside, these are a lot cheaper than the Blackstone pump....though I did notice the Blackstone pump is aluminum....the 10$ Pennzoil pump "appears" to just be plastic....and based on the construction, I can't tell if the oil would "reach" or otherwise "contaminate" the actual "pump"....


I think there must be at least two dozen versions of that identical pump, in the identical package, with only the cardboard insert varying to brand it by whoever is importing it.

I used it for my last OC, for two reasons: my base pan and plug were stripped by a quick lube, and I prefer to leave the self tapper in there now right where it is until I eventually replace the pan; and due to that, I wanted to see if it was feasible to use the dipstick hole for OCs without committing the money before hand to something like a Mityvac.

To that end, it served its purpose, and I know I can leave the pan as it is and do an effective OC through the dipstick hole on this car. That said, I won't be doing another oil change with that hand pump - next time it'll be with something like a Mityvac or equivalent.

It got the oil out, but it took forever to do it, and one of the hoses managed to separate part way through making a nice mess.

As proof of concept, to see if the dipstick hole is feasible in your car to do an OC through, it'll do. But once you've tried it once you won't want to use it again.

-Spyder
 
Originally Posted By: VicMatson
I know this is an old thread, but does anyone know if the Walmart pump will work with coolant by inserting the "dipstick" in the radiator?


Depending upon the radiator you may not be able to get the tube down much. Most radiators have a petcock?
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
I use one of these:
http://www.harborfreight.com/multi-use-transfer-pump-66418.html

But the dipstick tube isn't long enough (supplied one is 3'), so I got a much longer one at WalMart in their aquarium section for about $1. I pump stuff directly into empty 2 liter soda bottles. So far I have only used in on a transmission that didn't have a drain plug, and it makes the job a whole lot less messy.


Good luck using that on hot (or cold) oil. LOL.

Ive used a few. Have a cheapo 12V pump that seizes up despite being completely lubricated, when it sits too long. Junk.
Had a topsider, the pump went bad. Junk.

have heard great things about the SHURflo, which is a 12V pump on a 5 gal bucket, which is likely good but $$$$.

I have a LiquiVac, which is about $50 from Northern Tool, Tractor Supply, etc., and it has been by far the best. have had it for years.
 
I did my lawnmower oil change last week using the electric pump. I did have to get smaller diameter silicon tube. Usually, I used to tilt the mower in the the big oil drain pan but doing this way I was able to put the oil directly in to empty bottle rather than having to do the messy transfer.

The pump was from the oil re-locator kit which I picked up from the Summit Racing on clearance. One of the best $19.99 purchase!
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Good luck using that on hot (or cold) oil. LOL.

Ive used a few. Have a cheapo 12V pump that seizes up despite being completely lubricated, when it sits too long. Junk.
Had a topsider, the pump went bad. Junk.

have heard great things about the SHURflo, which is a 12V pump on a 5 gal bucket, which is likely good but $$$$.

I have a LiquiVac, which is about $50 from Northern Tool, Tractor Supply, etc., and it has been by far the best. have had it for years.

I had Liquivac Topsider too, it worked for a couple times then it stopped working all together.
 
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