Oil Extractor - Good or Bad Idea?

I have been using this Oil Extractor during my maintenance for Oil/Filter change about 3 or 4 times. What opinion do you all have about using this pump vs draining the oil?



Thanks
Frank

 

NEVER heard of it. What does it do? Call me stupid or what ever. Does it suck the oil out instead of draining the oil?

 

It works in a pinch, like if you're on a real long road trip and want to change your own oil, or it's really handy if the crankcase is overfilled and you need to take a little out.

Other than that, I'd stick with normal drains because it flushes the pan out. This is also the main reason why people say to drain your oil when the engine is warm, it breaks free that heavier crud that settles in the pan around your oil pickup and pushes it out. That little tube down the dipstick hole won't do that.

So basically, not a bad idea, but save it for special times.

 

Ahh, I see. I wouldn't think that it would be a bad idea then. But does it get all the oil out?

 

Superx2 - Yes, it works like a charm. It uses vacuum to pull up all the oil via the dipstick access. I live in a very tight environmentally apartment complex that does not allow draining oil and I have to use this pump to avoid spilling. I do the work inside a garage with the door down and smuggle the oil.

Frank

 

I'd think that if you could snake the hose down the dipstick and position it in the very lowest part of the pan it would do a decent job. The question is how do you know the hose is positioned in the lowest spot in the pan?

 

Very good...very good fella! I don't see what it would hurt then. Im actually kinda blown away by it. It makes sense and if it seems to work for ya, then keep on doing it!!

 

By how much oil comes out. You'll never get as much oil out of a typical engine with an extractor as you would by draining via drain plug, though.

That said, I've heard that some OEMs use these at the dealership. Don't remember which manufacturer (not Toyota), and don't have any idea if it's true.

Dan

 

You ever bottomed YOUR dipstick out? Im sure if you "did it" enough, you could prolly get a feel for it.

 

That would work if you knew how much oil was in the truck before starting (could be a little high or low). If you end up sucking a half a quart too little what do you do? Pull and push the hose to try to suck it all out?

 

So it really isn't all that bad. Id prolly use it if I was in a bind. But I still prefer to drain it.

 

Every time I have use the pump all of the oil is extracted. Each section in the pump represents a Full Qt. I get 5 sections plus a bit more up to the bottom of the letters in the top. I assume the last part of the Half Qt is contained in the filter and residue in the bottom of the oil pan.

It takes about 15-20 minutes to extract (Hot) or 35-40 min (Cold).

Frank

 

Well if I couldn't change my own oil at my apartment complex I would go somewhere I could (walmart parking lot?) or just pay $20 for Jiffy Lube or whatever to do it. Just my opinion but you need to drain the junk out of the oil pan.

 

i can change my oil in like 10 mins by just pulling that drain plug

 

I have one of these as well that I use at work. But I only use it to drain fluids that don't have a drain plug. I.E. Power steering fluid ,coolant and brake fluid. I also use it to level out engine oil and transmission fluid when I over fill them. It's definetly not a good idea to use this for every single oil change. But as stated before, in a pinch it's a great idea and environmentally friendly.

 

I've got one that I used to use a lot, but mostly for extracting oil if I put too much. It feels more complete to just drop the drain plug.

 

I think this is a great idea considering it uses vacume pressure to extract oil. Not for the full drain though. I'd use the drain plug, empty it out, THEN use this little tool. I bet it'd suck .1-.2 quarts of oil out after your typical drain. That doesn't sound like much, but It'd bring peace of mind knowing I got ALL of the old oil out. Will look into this tool. Thanks OP.

 

Never used one on a truck, but we use them on jet skies all the time. Really its the only way, well I guess you could pull the motor and pull the plug......

 

I fail to see how this is more environmentally friendly than draining into an oil pan?

One method utilizes gravity, the other a vacuum. Both result in the used oil in a container that requires proper disposal. How is a plastic vacuum vessel more environmentally friendly than a plastic drain pan?? Both are pieces of plastic containing used oil...