In an effort to save some $$$, I'm going to be changing the oil in our cars myself. I'm looking for a clean, easy way to capture the used oil and take it to the recycling center and a Google search turn up this:

Oil Extractor

Would this thing be as effective as draining the oil through the drain plug or would it likely leave more sludge behind? Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing? What is the best way to capture and transport the used oil?

Thanks!

 

The only time I have ever used one of those was when a customers drainplug was so fucked up the only option was to fix it. Since he did want to fix it we had to break out the old oil extractor. Wouldnt rec. it if you are able to get under the car, its easier and you know you are getting everything.

 

I think that is a bad idea. When the oil is hot, it suspends contaminants. When the oil cools, some of those contaminants deposit back on the walls of the sump. This is why oil should be drained when hot. The only way to get all the crud out is to do a pan drain. You might find out if one of those Fram quick drains, or a Fumoto valve will fit your car. I do not find the extra few seconds it takes to put a 17mm box wrench on the drain plug is a bother, but to each his own. Besides, emptying my oil pan into the oil tank is no hassle - wouldn't you have to clean up you extractor pretty well after each use, just to keep it functioning?

 

Pep boys has those weeled under car dollies for about thirtie bucks. You are more likely to get everything from underneeth. You can pick these up for not too much at pep boys http://www.torinjacks.com/Product_Ca...hock/index.htm too. It would probably end up coting around 100 bucks give or take a little, but you can use it for all your cars. Make sure you have a flat drive way and no the lift points of the car. I have an auto shop at my school and they let students(who take the class) do repairs. So when my dad gets his car im sure he will let me borrow it once in a while for the oil and alignment(permit in under a year!!!). But safety, check the manual if you do end up doing this.(you can also charge neighbors 20 bucks to do it for them, good way to make a little petty cash. For removing the oil filter its good to have a strap wrench.

 

These are good points and I appreciate your thoughts. As it happens, I went ahead and picked one of these up today at a local shop, but I haven't opened the box yet. After I posted here, I did more searching and found lots of praise among the members of a MB forum as well as a few friends who use these things. They tell me to do the change when the engine is warm, not cold or hot. In other words, not so hot that the hose will melt, but warm enough to capture the contaminants. Everyone tells me this thing is quite effective, such that opening the drain plug afterwards yields little to no additional oil.

Regarding cleaning the thing, it seems I just dump it at the oil recycling center. I don't need to clean it any further, unless I want to use it for some other kind of fluid. An example of this is draining a clogged sink of trapped water.

If this turns out to be a crummy way to deal with my oil changes, I'll ditch the thing and go traditional.

 

Unless you have physical problems why bother recreating the wheel?
Pep boys and similar DIY stores sell a container the can collect the oil and them be sealed, this is failry tidy. Most of these places as well as some service stations will take the old oil off your hands, perhaps for a small fee.

 

Did you min SureDRAIN Fast Access Oil Change System http://www.autobarn.net/frasdseries.html

 

I use an oil extractor from Griotts Garage. It works really well. The first time I used it on my wife's Accord, I opened the drain plug to see how much oil was left. Not one drop came out! They work very well, and create some serious vacuum - I would guess they suck out everything that is not bolted together.

Don

 

Interesting. How big of a deal is it to clean this pump up? Is it necessary to clean it out after use? The manual seems to indicate it should be cleaned. If that's the case, it would certainly be a bigger hassle than the more conventional method of draining the oil.

Speaking of conventional methods, it looks like I would need to either jack up or ramp the front end so I can get underneath to the plug. If the car's front end is up in the air and the back isn't, is the engine now at too steep an angle for proper drainage? I'm assuming the drain is designed for a level engine, but does tipping the engine back cause a few spots in the pan to be lower than the drain hole, thereby leaving some oil behind? Is it worth raising the back end, too, on a couple of jack stands?

What ramps do you folks recommend? I haven't checked the approach angle on the front end to make sure nothing drags on the ramp as I approach it.

Thanks for all the great info, folks.

 

This reminds me of something else I heard about these oil extractors. Someone at my shop was talking about the new mercedes and how they have made it so the oil is either supposed to be removed with one of those extractors, or there is a special adapter to the oil plug (cannot remove it, just attatches onto it) and then the oil drains as so. I figured this was to ensure that the mercedes would return to the dealer for the 150 dollar oil change, but ive heard other rumors about efficiency. Does anyone else know anything about this or is this just some myth?