Oil extractor pump - a warning
Discussion
Only 1? thats nothing.
Old Lancia Beta VX's or IE's had a vacuum operated oil level gauge on the dashboard which worked by having a hollow tube plastic tube heading down the hole normally occupied by the traditional dipstick.
Add in a couple of years of heat cycles, brittle plastic and removal to check the oil level (would you trust the gauge on that sort of thing?) and they invariably snapped at a curve in the dipstick tube. Not uncommon to find 2 or 3 lengths of the pipe in the sump!
Old Lancia Beta VX's or IE's had a vacuum operated oil level gauge on the dashboard which worked by having a hollow tube plastic tube heading down the hole normally occupied by the traditional dipstick.
Add in a couple of years of heat cycles, brittle plastic and removal to check the oil level (would you trust the gauge on that sort of thing?) and they invariably snapped at a curve in the dipstick tube. Not uncommon to find 2 or 3 lengths of the pipe in the sump!
shouldbworking said:
Only 1? thats nothing.
Old Lancia Beta VX's or IE's had a vacuum operated oil level gauge on the dashboard which worked by having a hollow tube plastic tube heading down the hole normally occupied by the traditional dipstick.
Add in a couple of years of heat cycles, brittle plastic and removal to check the oil level (would you trust the gauge on that sort of thing?) and they invariably snapped at a curve in the dipstick tube. Not uncommon to find 2 or 3 lengths of the pipe in the sump!
Maybe, but to be fair, I would imagine owners were more concerned about the quality of the steel body, rather than the plastic tube.Old Lancia Beta VX's or IE's had a vacuum operated oil level gauge on the dashboard which worked by having a hollow tube plastic tube heading down the hole normally occupied by the traditional dipstick.
Add in a couple of years of heat cycles, brittle plastic and removal to check the oil level (would you trust the gauge on that sort of thing?) and they invariably snapped at a curve in the dipstick tube. Not uncommon to find 2 or 3 lengths of the pipe in the sump!
. I liked them though, funnily enough.Changed my oil this afternoon the old fashioned way. My car has no undertray, and you can undo the sump plug without jacking up the car, yet I'd still like an oil extractor. Just more dignified than crawling about on the drive!
Besides, the last time I had my sump off, here's what was left after draining the oil using the drain plug:
Besides, the last time I had my sump off, here's what was left after draining the oil using the drain plug:
What's with the 'if you don't take the sump plug out, you're not doing it right' brigade?
I'm not saying it's something I'd do, but some cars only have this option - Smart, Mercs etc
When you drop the sump plug, you're still not draining all of the oil - want proof?
All manufacturers list different oil quantities for their cars:
New engine
Replacement only
Replacement with filter
For the record, there's normally about a litre difference between options 1 and 3
As for, all the rubbish comes out when you take out the sump plug, dream on
Try dropping the oil out of a broken engine, then remove the sump - the amount of debris that doesn't drain has to be seen to be believed
I'm not saying it's something I'd do, but some cars only have this option - Smart, Mercs etc
When you drop the sump plug, you're still not draining all of the oil - want proof?
All manufacturers list different oil quantities for their cars:
New engine
Replacement only
Replacement with filter
For the record, there's normally about a litre difference between options 1 and 3
As for, all the rubbish comes out when you take out the sump plug, dream on
Try dropping the oil out of a broken engine, then remove the sump - the amount of debris that doesn't drain has to be seen to be believed
I'm not feeling the love for oil extractors here
At the end of the day I'm just a bloke with a 130k A3 who thought he'd try and save a bit if cash by doing some stuff himself. By buying £30 of filters and £30 of tools I figured I'd have a bit of fun for an hour and save a few quid too, instead I'm sitting here feeling a bit down as I now have a bigger problem than before I started!
The car does about 5k a year and at 10 years old isn't worth a great deal. I'm sure it's mostly my fault it went wrong but hey, it's a learning experience.
As for changing brakes, after this experience I'll leave that job to someone else.
At the end of the day I'm just a bloke with a 130k A3 who thought he'd try and save a bit if cash by doing some stuff himself. By buying £30 of filters and £30 of tools I figured I'd have a bit of fun for an hour and save a few quid too, instead I'm sitting here feeling a bit down as I now have a bigger problem than before I started!
The car does about 5k a year and at 10 years old isn't worth a great deal. I'm sure it's mostly my fault it went wrong but hey, it's a learning experience.
As for changing brakes, after this experience I'll leave that job to someone else.
thinfourth2 said:
How is the dipstick tube attached to this engine?
As i bet the pipe is still in the tube
Sadly not, first thing I did when I realised the error was to get an old clothes hanger, bend it straight with a little loop at the end, and try to fish the thing out. If it was in the pipe all I achieved was to really push it into the sump As i bet the pipe is still in the tube
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