I was wondering if any of you guys knew anything about oil extractors and how effective they are. I just read a article about in the paper just recently and thinking about getting one. The one in the paper I read about was from autosports oil extractor (www.autosportcatalog.com).
People use them for houseboats and they are ok for that, but they don’t get all the oil out. I wouldn’t use in a car, there’s no reason to.
Skip
They work just fine, so I’ve heard. I’ve never used one.
I change my own oil and it doesn’t bother me a bit to reach underneath and open the drain twice a year. If you do many oil changes and think the normal method is too inconvenient or messy to do yourself, or if you are tired of paying Jiffy Lube, then by all means get yourself the gadget.
As soon as you shut off engine any crud in oil settles to the bottom witch would not be picked up,also most driveways and garages are not perfictly level so some oil will remain.
Most cars have magnetic drain plugs that need to be cleaned at each oil change.
I can go to toyota dealer get good oil aand CORRECT filter for $24 and if it takes longer than 30 minutes I get a free wash, plus get free coffee!!
I have read alot of stories about aftermarket filter not being up to standards, no check values when they are needed.
If you add up the cost of oil,filter,rags is it really worth spending $65???
Not perfectly level is why my driveway works so well. It keeps my truck at about a 15-20 degree angle, which helps the oil drain. But, I am using the regular plug method, I think it works quite well and I don’t need a gadget to improve it. My main concern for someone who is using one of these extractors is: If draining the oil the regular way is too much of a chore, what are you doing about the oil filter? Those are usually harder to get too and get off on most new cars than the drain plug.
What I have used is a simple siphon pump. I am disabled and getting under the car is a bit of a problem. I run a small tube down the dipstick hole and use the siphon ($ 12.00 at Autozone) to start the flow into an old milk bottle. I leave it all night. The next morning I check to see if I got the 4 quarts out. The same thing for my automatic transmission. Then when I remove the plug or the pan to clear the residual there is very little mess. I think it is fantastic. Just replaced my trans filter this way and saved about $ 80. It’s not a lot, but that goes into the other maintenance items.
I use a Pella brand extractor. I really like it. In my car I have a cartridge type oil filter so I can also extract the oil from the bottom of that housing so I get even more oil out that draining would. In my case there is only an ounce or two of oil left in there (I pulled the plug after sucking the oil out) so I am getting more oil out with it, I stay cleaner and it is easier.
Thanks for the advice. The reason why I posted this is because I just wanted an easier way to change oil. Of course I would need to change the filter. But it seems it would be easier to drain the oil with the extractor. I guess I’m a little lazy.
I actually get more oil out than by bottom draining. Your mileage may vary depending on the car you have. In my case that sucker gets to the very bottom of the sump and gets it dry, I also use it to get some additional oil out of the sump under the oil filter (maybe 4 oz.)
In my case I have a belly pan under the engine that has to be removed to get to the oil drain. Without a lift this is a real pain. So it saves me trouble and does a better job.
Yeah I also prefer doing things the easy way.
Heres another option: http://fumotovalve.com
I’ve used this very handy gadget on my last 8 cars & trucks.
Drive up on my ramps/flip the lever on the drain valve & while thats draining I remove the filter. Very simple.
I use a valve like that made by Fram. I have valves like these on my car’s oil pan, my car’s manual transmission, and my motorcycle.
A siphon pump would work as well as an extractor for 1/8 the price. Save your money.
If you’re asking about the extractors that work through the dipstick tube, I recommend against them. In addition to their leaving the setting crud in the bottom of the pan, realize that your dipstick tube may not be aimed where it can get to the low spot. The bottoms of pans are not flat, and the dipstick only needs to reach about 1-1/2" below the oil’s surface. There is no need for the designers to place the tube to aim at the low spot. In short, it may leave too much of the oil.
I can’t speak for all cars or users, but in my case I have verified that it gets the sump dry. In fact since I can also suck out the bottom of the oil filter (like 4- oz on my car) I get more than I would with bottom draining.
I would suggest it may not be the best choice for everyone. However if you want to check, try one, and after using it, pull the plug and see what, if anytyhing, it did not get.
As noted above, there are a number of answers for different cars, drivers and situations. Extractors are just one possible solution.
I’m using a Pella extractor and it works well . I’ve pulled the drain plug and gotten no oil out after using the extractor .
The pump style vacuum extractors work well. In fact, extracting oil this way is the preferred method for Mercedes shops. Tests have shown they get out nearly all the oil, particularly if the car is parked at a slight downhill angle. Clip a corner off the bottom of the tube that goes into the dipstick pipe do that it doesn’t suck itself to the bottom of the pan.