Pela Pump

[Puddenchucker]

Rick101 said:

Can anybody recommend a particular Pela type pump?

Saw this at half the price of the Pela one. Any good?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-104616-Fluid-Ex...

Thanks

The only comment I'd make on that one is that the hose appears to be an entirely plastic item, which it could go soft and collapse under suction when immersed in hot oil in the sump.
On the Pela items the metre or so that goes into the engine is a flexible metal reinforced tube.

[Mr2Mike]

Rick101 said:

Went for the 5L for £16.50 posted above in the end.
Very cheap compared to the others.

You're welcome.

[Ken Figenus]

Used this for the first time after disaster No1 that the 120i doesnt have a disptick! So tried it on the 535d today. Definitely hit the bottom of the sump (I thought) when the pipe went in and hit a definite end stop. Could hear it finishing the job as it was sucking air after 15 mins and clean unused canister seemed pretty full - few more pumps and a pipe re-seat and yes only sucking air. Disconnected and filled car up with lovely new oil and a new filter. Then empty device and find it only managed to get half the actual sump capacity out. Ever so slightly exceedingly annoyed!

Did I do anything wrong or is the cars dipstick routing just unsuitable for this kind of device? I am bl00dy fuming as it wasted a lot of new oil and time.

[wemorgan]

You use the ribs on the side of the pump to measure how much oil you have extracted.
Was the car parked on the flat?
Maybe you had also pushed the tube in too far?
But the first posing is key. Know much you should expect to extract before stopping.
Sorry.

[Ken Figenus]

Car was on flat. It was always one very definite end stop when putting the tube in. No curling back up type feeling. Pot had had a kick so looked black to the top - but it wasnt . Ho hum - will see if anyone with this engine has had similar.

Expensive Castrol Edge flush is my positive!!!

[GC8]

J4CKO said:

I tried one, no difference in size, waste of money.

A shame that no one else appreciated this.

[Drive Blind]

Ken Figenus said:

Did I do anything wrong or is the cars dipstick routing just unsuitable for this kind of device? I am bl00dy fuming as it wasted a lot of new oil and time.

I'm guessing some engines may not be suitable.

The first time using the Pela on a new car I'll also remove the sump plug just to see how much the Pela is missing - if any. On both my engines - VW 1.9 and 2l TDi's - I doubt even a tablespoons worth came out.

I advise searching youtube and owners forums to see if anybody else has used the Pela on your engine. When I bought my Pela i first found several vids on youtube of people successfully using it on the same engine.

[Rick101]

Ken Figenus said:

Used this for the first time after disaster No1 that the 120i doesnt have a disptick! So tried it on the 535d today. Definitely hit the bottom of the sump (I thought) when the pipe went in and hit a definite end stop. Could hear it finishing the job as it was sucking air after 15 mins and clean unused canister seemed pretty full - few more pumps and a pipe re-seat and yes only sucking air. Disconnected and filled car up with lovely new oil and a new filter. Then empty device and find it only managed to get half the actual sump capacity out. Ever so slightly exceedingly annoyed!

Did I do anything wrong or is the cars dipstick routing just unsuitable for this kind of device? I am bl00dy fuming as it wasted a lot of new oil and time.

Is the filter top?
Mine is at the bottom. Prob had 200ml of oil tops left when removing the filter.

[Ken Figenus]

Yes top filter - making the Pela theoretically even more attractive as no need to get a wet back and chippings in my hair !

[untakenname]

One tip I've come across which speeds up the draining is to unscrew the oil filler cap as well, it drains the oil much quicker than just shoving it down the dipstick and not removing the cap.

Also finding that the Pela is useful not just for oil changes but also bleeding brakes as well, instead of taking two people half an hour you can so just suck out the old fluid from the reservoir using the punmp, fill with new fluid to the top then attach to the bleed nipple and pump a few times then go back to the reservoir and top up so it doesn't run dry and suck air in. Whole process takes ten minutes and the pedal feel is firm from the off.

[Hainey]

Drive Blind said:

Ken Figenus said:

Did I do anything wrong or is the cars dipstick routing just unsuitable for this kind of device? I am bl00dy fuming as it wasted a lot of new oil and time.

I'm guessing some engines may not be suitable.

The first time using the Pela on a new car I'll also remove the sump plug just to see how much the Pela is missing - if any. On both my engines - VW 1.9 and 2l TDi's - I doubt even a tablespoons worth came out.

I advise searching youtube and owners forums to see if anybody else has used the Pela on your engine. When I bought my Pela i first found several vids on youtube of people successfully using it on the same engine.

Exactly this. A lot of people underestimate quite badly how much oil lives in the galleries and top end of an engine when the sump is empty, and if the car has an oil cooler then there is easily 300ml to 500ml left in there as well.

The first time you strip an engine down to component parts you get a good idea of the above and it surprises most people.

Hence why when I come across people getting concerned about finding a cupful of old oil in the sump after using a Pela I wonder if they have ever done any mechanical work past oil and filer and brake pads.

[Rick101]

What are your thoughts on filter life?

I know most folk always say change the filter every time but I figure it's not actually contaminated, it is simply a filter. If you change oil regularly it's doing less work too so surely it's life will increase.

I would usually change filter but if for whatever reason I didn't have one at the time, I'd happy do an oil change without replacing it.

Note I am talking about additional oil changes well over the requirements of basic servicing.

[GC8]

With a good quality filter I'd happily change the oil around it. If the schedule suggest an oil change every 12,000 miles and you're changing every 6,000, for example.

[Hainey]

GC8 said:

With a good quality filter I'd happily change the oil around it. If the schedule suggest an oil change every 12,000 miles and you're changing every 6,000, for example.

Same as me then.

[one eyed mick]

Why put clean oil through a dirty filter?,it really does beggar belief !!!!

[Hainey]

one eyed mick said:

Why put clean oil through a dirty filter?,it really does beggar belief !!!!

Think about what you just said. Dirty filter. It's designed to hold the dirt in the filter and not pass it onto the oil. I can check my oil a week/500 miles after a change and it's still honey coloured and that's in a diesel.

The filter blocks solid matter measured in microns, usually down to around 12 microns using it's beta rating or ISO 16889 test standard. In a modern filter installation no oil is left in it when you drain the system.

The carbon that the filter cant stop is trapped in the oil - that's what oil is supposed to do. This you are removing with the oil and it's carbon that does the real damage. That's why we are seeing problems with sludge in long life service diesels (I'm looking at you VW) because while the oil is still serviceable and hasn't broken down, it's loaded with carbon which is cooking itself onto the engine and blocking it.

If you want rid of that carbon you either install a bypass filter down to 3 microns like the Americans do in on highway engines and get 100k+ out of the oil, or you change it. That's it. That's your options.

I've mentioned before I've taken a car to over 500k using this method of oilchange and it was still running fine when I gave it away so I'm happy to continue as is based on that experience. Your thoughts and experiences may differ.

Edited as I put a digit to much in my ISO

Edited by Hainey on Sunday 3rd July 11:50

[Ken Figenus]

Thats good info Hainey. The oil that lasts 17,000 in the turbo Diesel is the exact same as the one that is 'unnecessarily' changed at 5000 miles in the petrol V12. The Diesel is a keeper (what with the costs of running a V12!) so I'm going to scratch my back on the deck and do it annually from now on. Cheers.

[Hainey]

Ken Figenus said:

Thats good info Hainey. The oil that lasts 17,000 in the turbo Diesel is the exact same as the one that is 'unnecessarily' changed at 5000 miles in the petrol V12. The Diesel is a keeper (what with the costs of running a V12!) so I'm going to scratch my back on the deck and do it annually from now on. Cheers.

Thanks buddy, hope it helps. Oh and V12 anything is

Edited to add, if you double the surface area of a filter then under the ISO testing you fully treble it's service life. OEM manufacture spec filters already have a filtration reserve built in for cheapskates who skip services, so as long as you continue to purchase a good quality filter you are well in the clear with the regime stated above.

I use Bosch as the part numbers printed on the filter correspond to what was in my car when it was built, and when you open them out you see the excess material in them compared to the cheaper brands.

Thought I'd chuck that part in in case people didn't know and weren't bored enough already. I'll shut up now

Edited by Hainey on Monday 4th July 19:55

[one eyed mick]

Hainey said:

Think about what you just said. Dirty filter. It's designed to hold the dirt in the filter and not pass it onto the oil. I can check my oil a week/500 miles after a change and it's still honey coloured and that's in a diesel.

The filter blocks solid matter measured in microns, usually down to around 12 microns using it's beta rating or ISO 16889 test standard. In a modern filter installation no oil is left in it when you drain the system.

The carbon that the filter cant stop is trapped in the oil - that's what oil is supposed to do. This you are removing with the oil and it's carbon that does the real damage. That's why we are seeing problems with sludge in long life service diesels (I'm looking at you VW) because while the oil is still serviceable and hasn't broken down, it's loaded with carbon which is cooking itself onto the engine and blocking it.

If you want rid of that carbon you either install a bypass filter down to 3 microns like the Americans do in on highway engines and get 100k+ out of the oil, or you change it. That's it. That's your options.

I've mentioned before I've taken a car to over 500k using this method of oilchange and it was still running fine when I gave it away so I'm happy to continue as is based on that experience. Your thoughts and experiences may differ.

Edited as I put a digit to much in my ISO

Edited by Hainey on Sunday 3rd July 11:50

All I base my comment on is 50 +years experience on cars in competion ,race rally etc ,heavy plant [ big diesels ] small plant [ lawnmowers etc ] build and service and have never had an engine go down other than blocked filters ! ,to me an oil change means a filter change !

[GC8]

See your point.