Using a vacuum pump to change the oil.
Discussion
This sounds like a good idea. I've always paid for a service because I live in a flat so not exactly practical to do this sort of thing, and I don't have the tools or inclination either. I would always generally prefer to do it myself, just to know its done properly, and it doesn't seem to have many downsides - I'm sold.
Jimboka said:
AdeTuono said:
Actually, I have. Fully retired years ahead of my time, dedicate my spare hours, of which there are many, to burning up the Earth's resources via a selection of V8's and winding up w
kers on internet forums. Life just doesn't get any better. 
I guess getting banned from Internet forums will be another hobby?kers on internet forums. Life just doesn't get any better. 
DuraAce said:
SuperchargedVR6 said:
There's always some fine metal & plastic particles in the bottom of the pan afterwards, no doubt bearing & chain tensioner crumbs.
Really? What car? I've never found any 'bits' of anything in my sump. I've used the Pela for a few years. I was wary at first and dropped the sump plug after using the pump, no more than a teaspoon or two of oil comes out. there are certainly no bits in there.Again, how much is left in the sump after Pela job, varies form car to car, but on all my VWs there's at least 1/4 litre left behind. It depends if the dipstick hole sits above an raked part of the sump, therefore stopping the nozzle getting right to the bottom.
Nooooooooooo! 
How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
Arnage14 said:
Nooooooooooo!
How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
How does the dipstick go past the baffles in the sump there is a cut out thats how . If there are any baffles that is How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
Never owned a car with a magnetic sump plug from the manufacturer myself not on the engine at least.
So maybe for those that down own Talbots with tupperware sumps then they are just fine but then to know that there was a tupperware item in there you would have had to remove the sump , and to know how much crud can lie at the bottom of the sump you need to remove it as well , if using the sump plug was such a perfect method then there would be no crud at the bottom of a sump , would there ?
Arnage14 said:
Nooooooooooo!
How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Genuine question - have you seen any of this crud in the sump of something even slightly modern (that wasn't quite obviously fHow is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
ked)? Have you seen metal shards on a sump plug of anything made in the last 15 years or so?Times change, cars aren't absolute s
t anymore and the only time you'll find anything other than oil in the sump there is something quite wrong or the car has suffered terrible abuse and the oil filter has come to bits.Arnage14 said:
Nooooooooooo!
How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
This is absolutely typical of the risks that some perceive with using a pump, but which rarely materialise in practice. If your car has some kind of baffle plate that prevents a suction pipe reaching the bottom of the sump, (but magically lets the dipstick through) then it's obviously a non-starter. If a magnetic sump plug is covered in swarf at every oil change and the engine and gearbox don't share the same oil then the engine has a problem.How is the pipe going to get past the baffles etc in the sump? I've personally seen all sorts of crud in sumps, and manufacturers don't install magnetic sump plugs for no reason, sometimes they are covered in metal shards.
Once had a Talbot Alpine in which ACTUALLY had a tupperware lunch box minus its lid, in the sump but that's a different story....
A proper oil change takes no time, the pumps are not good news why do something half measures when you can spend 10 minutes more and do it properly. Oil is vital.
As for a "proper" oil change taking "no time", I guess we can assume you don't have a modern car that requires an undertray to be removed to gain access to the sump?
Mr2Mike said:
As for a "proper" oil change taking "no time", I guess we can assume you don't have a modern car that requires an undertray to be removed to gain access to the sump?
This is exactly it. ALl of the "no no, bits in the sump" arguments are based on either old wives tales or at best experience of 30+ year old cars that filled their sumps with swarf in the 3000 miles between oil changes. If there are any bits that are too big to be sucked up through the tube then your engine is probably scrap.At no point has anyone distinguished between older and newer cars. I would never touch an engine with a toy pump and if I was the sort to even think about it I doubt I would understand what to look for in the oil I took out to indicate a problem. If you need to save that much time over undoing one nut then there's a problem to start with!
Arnage14 said:
At no point has anyone distinguished between older and newer cars. I would never touch an engine with a toy pump and if I was the sort to even think about it I doubt I would understand what to look for in the oil I took out to indicate a problem. If you need to save that much time over undoing one nut then there's a problem to start with!
As I suspected, you haven't tried changing the oil on a modern car. If only it were one nut!Are you used to engines that regularly destroy themselves?
How would you change the oil on a Smart car out of interest? Don't tell me; only ignorant people can own them since they don't have a sump plug
Edited by Mr2Mike on Monday 23 February 19:11
Arnage14 said:
At no point has anyone distinguished between older and newer cars. I would never touch an engine with a toy pump and if I was the sort to even think about it I doubt I would understand what to look for in the oil I took out to indicate a problem. If you need to save that much time over undoing one nut then there's a problem to start with!
a few years ago I'd have been on your side - I'd been used to manufacturers who fit cowlings under engines with inspection hatches and yes it's a bit more work but not unbearable but you weren't faced with this the first time you tried to do an oil change
Secured by 4 hefty bolts on cross braces across the engine bay I got a real surprise when with the car on wheel ramps at the front I dropped it on my chest.....
So I ran without it for a while till I repaired and refurbished it
Then I fitted it back and it took 4 hands and I only have 2 - there was no way I could have got it back on my own
So I bought an oil extractor and I was a skeptic so I've done a few comparisons and in every case the extractor has left nothing more than a few drops of oil in the sumps where I've dropped the sump plug out to see what's left
Modern cars it's a bit more than one bolt.
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