I just saw this new device advertised at Walmart. What do you know? Does it work? I’ve got an older model car and am trying to keep my oil changed more frequently. Live in a condo where changing my own oil is not really an option.
Automotive Oil Change System:
Remove oil without getting under your vehicle
Ideal for cars, trucks, boats, or lawn mowers
Pumps out oil and sludge through dip stick tube
Automotive Oil Change System includes 31.5" oil hose (2 piece)
Includes cigarette lighter adapter with 80" cable
I do not believe this would get the sludge as good as pulling the plug. You would also have to verify that you got out the full amount of oil. I would not use this. I would just pay to have it drained.
+1
The lowest point of the sump of the car’s oil pan is not necessarily in line with the dipstick tube through which you would insert the “probe” for this device. The net effect could be that you wound up leaving 1/2 qt (or perhaps even more) of the dirtiest, most sludge-laden oil in the crankcase. By contrast, the drain plug is at the lowest point of the sump, so conventional draining would remove that dirty, sludgy oil at the bottom of the pan.
I suggest that you just pay for conventional oil changes at a place OTHER than a quick lube joint. However–if it was a choice between a quick lube joint and your pump idea, I would probably go with the oil change pump, as it leaves fewer possibilities for a screw-up.
I’ve seen these systems sold for motorcycles. The systems sold for motorcycles have a disclaimer that says something like “won’t work on engines without a clear path to the bottom of the oil pan.” How could a car owner know if there is a clear path to the bottom of the oil pan through the dip stick hole?
If it has a 12 volt plug, does that mean you would need to have the engine running while you use it, like my compressor for airing up my tires (which doesn’t get enough power with the engine off)? That would mean running the engine with little or no oil, wouldn’t it? If I was going to use one of these systems, I would want one that plugs into a 120 volt household outlet.
I once had my oil changed at a place in which the oil was sucked out instead of being drained.
It seemed like a good idea but in order to believe its effectiveness I had to accept the idea that the oil suckage was thorough.
I don’t know how that could be verified.
Until car manufacturers recommend that idea I will continue to use the gravity method.
Nothing new about this concept. It can be very useful for boats where reaching the drain plug is very hard. I’d say it is better than no oil change at all, but not as effective draining the oil via a drain plug. For a handyman wanting to do oil changes at home with no mess and no crawling under the car it is likely OK.
Perhaps shortening the oil change interval a bit would compensate for not getting a complete drain of the old oil.
Four words: “But wait! There’s more!”
I wouldn’t trust it. Also, what would you do about the oil filter?
How frequently are you changing the oil? Changing the oil as recommended by the manufacturer really shouldn’t be a time or money issue to most people.