Engine oil syphoning - Yay or nay?

[Lowtimer]

Dog Star said:

My thoughts exactly; if there is dwarf in your sump then your engine has had it anyway.

I'd say that holds true for giants, gnomes, vampires, hobgoblins and fairies too.

[B'stard Child]

Lowtimer said:

Dog Star said:

My thoughts exactly; if there is dwarf in your sump then your engine has had it anyway.

I'd say that holds true for giants, gnomes, vampires, hobgoblins and fairies too.

Excellent spot - here have one of these you've earned it

[chris182]

mybrainhurts said:

I use one of these, as I sometimes need to change the oil every two months. Half a dozen pumps with the handle and it sucks out five to six litres. The body is calibrated, so you can see how much has come out. Perfectly clean for storage, you just need to wrap the tube ends in a Tesco bag or something so it doesn't drip.

I have one of these but branded as a Sealey product, it's awesome! It makes an oil and filter change so easy and fast and reduces mess. The only problem with it so far is that the engine in my Landcruiser is so tall that the pipes are too short to reach all the way down to the sump bottom so that one has to be done the old fashioned way. As others said, if it fills up then empty it into a big plastic container and carry on.

[GTRmad]

I use the same extractor on my car and van. They do get all the oil out as this is a very powerful pump
Makes oil changes simple. Not having to undo under tray bolts, which can become awkward..

[Dog Star]

Dog Star said:

My thoughts exactly; if there is dwarf in your sump then your engine has had it anyway.

Damn you, iPhone!!
That's too good to correct!

[Pesty]

sawman said:

Pesty said:

Where do you stick the end of the tube?

down the dipstick tube - measure the tube against dipstick so that you know where the bottom of the sump is

Hmm might get one the mrs car had some hard to remove covers underneath. My car is no problem I don't use jack I ave some wide ramps.

Any thoughts on the brake fluid idea?


Just looking the price difference between the 650 and the pro is not much he pro holds 14l so if I do decide to do mine (I chane oil in between services) I won't have to stop half way to empty the thing.

Edited by Pesty on Saturday 3rd August 13:22

[T16OLE]

Which is the best one? I need a circa 7 litre capacity?

[TheAngryDog]

Someone I know uses one. It's good, but he reckons it leaves around 1 litre of oil in the sump.

So mines getting the sump bolt treatment tomorrow

[HustleRussell]

Pesty said:

wondering if that could be used to suck throug new brake fluid from the nipple

I have access to a similar device that runs using compressed air to create the vacuum, it is specifically for replacing brake fluid / bleeding brakes. It works very well, makes bleeding brakes a one-man job. Whether a Pela sucky thing with a length of rubber tube would work as well, I don't see why not...

[Robert Elise]

there's an electric pump circa £25 on Amazon. no mess. after use just wrap in a bin liner until next use.
The 'crap' that's been referred to above isn't so much solid metal but the stuff in suspension that makes the oil black. Black oil is oil doing its job!
i just feel better refreshing it with clean golden stuff to clean further for a few more thousand miles until next service.

[Pesty]

HustleRussell said:

Pesty said:

wondering if that could be used to suck throug new brake fluid from the nipple

I have access to a similar device that runs using compressed air to create the vacuum, it is specifically for replacing brake fluid / bleeding brakes. It works very well, makes bleeding brakes a one-man job. Whether a Pela sucky thing with a length of rubber tube would work as well, I don't see why not...

Thanks that's what made me think of it. I've seen those before.

[Chainguy]

TheAngryDog said:

Someone I know uses one. It's good, but he reckons it leaves around 1 litre of oil in the sump.

So mines getting the sump bolt treatment tomorrow

Then he is as wrong as my old schoolmate who reckons we never landed on the moon either.

If there is ANYTHING left in the sump, he is doing it wrong. I've known them to be used in the marine industry for years, long before they came onto the home auto scene, and if it can take every drop out of a marine diesel that way, then a car will be no different. I have done the oil extractor then sump plug off test for personal curiousity value, and not a drop came out.

Anyone who moans about old oil being left in, has obviously never thought of such things as oilways and galleries in an engine also. Or, why not go and take of the oil cooler pipes on an engine, and watch a good 200ml run out of those.

Any engine will always have some lube left in it somewhere. It's completely unavoidable, but that doesn't mean you'll find it in the sump.

Pelas are great stuff, they really are.

[HustleRussell]

Pesty said:

HustleRussell said:

Pesty said:

wondering if that could be used to suck throug new brake fluid from the nipple

I have access to a similar device that runs using compressed air to create the vacuum, it is specifically for replacing brake fluid / bleeding brakes. It works very well, makes bleeding brakes a one-man job. Whether a Pela sucky thing with a length of rubber tube would work as well, I don't see why not...

Thanks that's what made me think of it. I've seen those before.

Thinking about it, brake fluid is far less viscous than engine oil so if you can get a good seal over the bleed nipple it should work pretty well.

[TheAngryDog]

Chainguy said:

Then he is as wrong as my old schoolmate who reckons we never landed on the moon either.

If there is ANYTHING left in the sump, he is doing it wrong. I've known them to be used in the marine industry for years, long before they came onto the home auto scene, and if it can take every drop out of a marine diesel that way, then a car will be no different. I have done the oil extractor then sump plug off test for personal curiousity value, and not a drop came out.

Anyone who moans about old oil being left in, has obviously never thought of such things as oilways and galleries in an engine also. Or, why not go and take of the oil cooler pipes on an engine, and watch a good 200ml run out of those.

Any engine will always have some lube left in it somewhere. It's completely unavoidable, but that doesn't mean you'll find it in the sump.

Pelas are great stuff, they really are.

In theory I agree. I will be getting one at some point as I am petrified about cross threading the sump plug etc, so if I can get one that does a decent job then I'll be happy.

Of course you're going to get some oil left, its unavoidable as you say. i just know that tomorrow, at least, I'll be happier with the sump plug off option.