Changing engine oil - pump it out, or let it drain?

MrRockliffe said:
A basic heavy duty car ramp, which is easier and less fiddly than a load of jacks, and safer, will cost about £35 if you have the place to store them. Makes the whole process significantly easier, as you can then see what you’re doing.
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I would tend to agree. I'd rather not have to buy/store/use them though if I can avoid it. I don't particularly relish climbing under a car when it's raining/freezing cold!
 
Terminal_Boy said:
Don’t forget a new crush seal washer if removing the drain plug and disposable gloves.
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You dont need to, unless there is some specific Jaguar thing.

I keep getting told this, but i either just use a regular washer that I re-use or none depending, I've services my own vehicles, 10 year old plus cars, my motorcycle is 17 years old. And guess what, no oil leaks, no threaded sump plugs.....
 
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The Running Man said:
If you drain through the sump cant you leave the sump open, pour a bit if new oil through the top and 'wash' the old residue through and out.

Also wouldnt you need the car to be level ?
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Yes don't see why that wouldn't work, not sure how much you'd achieve but certainly can't do harm.

I personally probably wouldn't bother though.
 
Draining when engine is hot just after a drive and leave for 30mins is the best way to get the most oil out. There will be a residual amount due to oil coating all the surfaces no matter what you do.

5-10% carry over from the old oil is normal
 
Finglonga said:
Old school people. Vacuum oil removers are great, I have done it for years and the first time I did it I dropped the sump plug out and got less than a teaspoon of oil out. Only reason not to choose to do it s on cars with the filter under the engine where you need to get under there anyway.
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Exactly this. I bought an electric pump for £20 online from Germany when the sump plug seized on her astra H. It connects to the car battery terminals. Oil filter housing is at the top of the engine and doing an oil change is a breeze.

I bought a 5 litre bottle of mineral water from tesco for about £1 which I use to pump the oil into, then pour it away at the recycling centre and save the bottle for next time.

I'd use the pump on the mx5 too but as mentioned I have to go underneath to replace the oil filter anyway so I drain oil at the sump.

This looks exactly like the pump I use but the price has gone up since I bought one 5 years ago:

https://www.micksgarage.com/d/oil-and-fluid-extractors/products/2357280/oil-extractor-pump-12v
 
i know nothing said:
I'm looking to change the engine oil and filter myself.

I don't really have the facilities to drain the oil (need to jack car up and remove under tray to gain access to sump drain plug). What of course would be easier, is to buy one of these manual pumps, remove the dispstick and pump it out.

I worry that if I pump it out I will be leaving contaminants behind at the bottom of the sump, whereas a drain would (potentially) flush these contaminants out. I suppose they might be pumped out, but you'd never really know. I guess the oil filter should really catch contaminants anyway.

This is something I would do twice yearly.

What are the pro's and con's?
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Do it right, I got a ramp (hydraulic actually) and changed my oil (and ever other fluid) - oil is one of the most important aspects of keeping a car happy - why skimp on a half arsed effort.?

Get a ramp, oil pan, oil filter, sump washer and the recommended oil - warm the engine up and drain it all completely. Put on a new filter and torque to about 14 or 15NM and the sump plug nice and hand tight without going to town. Refill and thats it...

if the car is not level on filling drop to a level surface and fill to the MAX mark - take for a spin and check again and check the next morning also.

I see so many horror stories about oil and fluids from garages and its such a relatively easy job and you get that satisfaction of doing it yourself.
 
Acme said:
What car is it? Surely there is an access hole, or a small removable panel, to give access to the sump plug? I find it hard to believe they would make you remove the entire undertray to drain the oil...

Also, its about the easiest job you can do to a car, I have read your username and all but, come on, gotta start somewhere! ;)

I've been temopted by the sucky sucky oil pumpy devices, but I've not bought one because I want the old oil to wash out any contaminents, debris, etc, that might be in the bottom of the sump pan.

I might convert though if the replies in this thread convince me.
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electronic pumps are useful for a few things

Sucking out PS fluid, brake fluid, clutch fluid and diff fluid - it can be sucked out and refilled a few times to get it replenished completely - well in the case of steering and brake fluid anyway as gear oil is a tough bugger to suck out in most cases but doable
 
Iamzod said:
Blocks of wood?

Just pick up from B&Q for a fiver, cut it down to size & run your car up it.

You don't need to jack it up, I don't with my car and it's way lower than an XJ.
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I wouldn't put my trust in a block of wood on a hefty Jag, I had to use some planks of wood to get access to a ramp and the car split one of the planks - it is about 1500kg of a car, the Jag probably more. You can get some access ramps that clip onto the main ramp which is what i will get for next time but my servicing is good till 2021

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Just watched a video about an oil extractor, it left a litre of dirty oil in the sump.

I'll stick to using gravity then.

I'm sure some cars are more suited to the method than others. I guess it depends how direct the route is from the bottom of the dipstick tube, to the bottom of the sump, and whether or not there are windage trays and other nonsense in the way.
 
$_3.JPG


I changed from metal ramps to plastic ones as per the above. Much better, more stable better for wider wheels.
 
I have used a pump to drain and change the oil on my work vehicle for 30,000 + miles. with no issues. Will it be as effective as fully draining the oil no. Should you be worried about muck in the bottom of the sump. Maybe, but if there is that much crap in there your engine is likely to have bigger problems.

Nothing wrong with pumping it out via the dipstick hole provided you can get most of it out.
 
I use one of those tall 7 litre vacuum pumps with ribbed sides/ It is brilliant. Upon getting a new car and changing the oil, I would suck the oil out and remove the drain plug to see what was left, just a few spoon fulls on most, an egg cup full on another. It helps to look where the dip stick is and angle the car so it drains towards that part of the sump and certainly not away from it. Machine Mart sell them but I think it was cheaper online. It comes with three semi-rigid inter-connectable nylon pipes of different diameters.
 
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