Vacuum Extractor/Oil Scavenge Pump

mjd · 6 Jul 2011 at 19:26

Just wondering what peoples experiences are of vacuum extractors and/or the 12v Oil scavenge pumps? Do they do an adequate enough job for regular oil changes?

jon.bda · 6 Jul 2011 at 19:45

Got one of these at work. Does the job well for its price, bloody handy when you get something in that doesn't have a sump plug or somebodys overfilled something with oil.

mjd · 6 Jul 2011 at 19:54

Apart from perhaps whats inside the filter, does it seemingly draw most of the oil out?

jon.bda · 6 Jul 2011 at 21:01

mjd said:
Apart from perhaps whats inside the filter, does it seemingly draw most of the oil out?

Pretty much i'd say mate. Obviously its not an ideal way to drain oil, but i'd like to think it doesn't leave a huge amount in...

dalin80 · 6 Jul 2011 at 22:22

Even on cars with a sump plug you can leave up to 1/5th of the old oil behind as it wells up in various spots.

DirtyJester · 6 Jul 2011 at 22:29

dalin80 said:
Even on cars with a sump plug you can leave up to 1/5th of the old oil behind as it wells up in various spots.

Hence flushing

Dr Who · 6 Jul 2011 at 23:22

In med countries they do the regular changes at garages using vacuum extraction through the dipstick.

It varies on different models how effective it is.

NathanE · 7 Jul 2011 at 08:34

Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

s0ck · 7 Jul 2011 at 09:11

mjd said:
Just wondering what peoples experiences are of vacuum extractors and/or the 12v Oil scavenge pumps? Do they do an adequate enough job for regular oil changes?

If you mean the one from 247 spares I would hold off for the moment. I ordered one a week ago and it still hasn't come. I also spent over an hour on hold to query it and then gave up. Got a 550 bounce when trying to reply to my order confirmation too...

s0ck · 7 Jul 2011 at 09:12

NathanE said:
Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

Oil filter is on top of the engine for many VAG engines.

Suction pump is a cracking idea imo, it is near impossible to get all of the used oil out of the sump and this black crap then makes the fresh oil all yucky

Dr Who · 7 Jul 2011 at 09:17

NathanE said:
Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

Oil Filters are attached to the high pressure oilway so are never drained after running an engine to warm it up., even if you use the sump plug. A vacuum pump drains the oil from the sump, the same place as removing a sump plug (give or take a few cm's)

When you do lots of short journeys it is worth changing the oil twice for each filter change due to the acids and unburnt fuel building up in the oil.

lordrobs · 7 Jul 2011 at 10:39

I use a Pela 6000.

Does the job but I found I had to do more pumps than was recommended to get enough vacuum and regularly do a few extra pumps otherwise the thing stopped flowing. The seal between pump and cannister on my one was shocking but that just meant I had to push the pump down as I pumped it. I'll probably run some PTFE tape or something round to create a better seal before I next use it.

I think it took about 15 to 20 minutes to get all the oil out though, probably due to me being a bit cautious with the amount of vacuum I created. I think it will be a 10 to 15 minute process next time.

Bat · 7 Jul 2011 at 12:14

They are really handy for extracting fuel as well. I have a hand pump one and took nearly a whole tank of diesel out of a car I was selling in no time and with no mouth full of diesel!

bledd · 7 Jul 2011 at 12:17

Dr Who said:
Oil Filters are attached to the high pressure oilway so are never drained after running an engine to warm it up., even if you use the sump plug. A vacuum pump drains the oil from the sump, the same place as removing a sump plug (give or take a few cm's)

When you do lots of short journeys it is worth changing the oil twice for each filter change due to the acids and unburnt fuel building up in the oil.

For the cost of a filter, I just do it with every oil change. £41 delivered for Motul 5w40, honda filter & washer = win

Dr Who · 7 Jul 2011 at 12:21

bledd. said:
For the cost of a filter, I just do it with every oil change. £41 delivered for Motul 5w40, honda filter & washer = win

Yeah I am only talking about when you change the oil due to adverse driving conditions or weather.

Dogbreath · 7 Jul 2011 at 12:55

NathanE said:
Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

In addition to Dr Who's points, on some cars it's possible to remove the filter without going underneath the car. I am a big convert with the vacuum extractors now; it doesn't necessarily make changing the oil any faster but it involves far less faffing around and definitely less mess. Ever tried draining oil outside in windy conditions?

Dogbreath · 7 Jul 2011 at 12:56

lordrobs said:
I use a Pela 6000.

Does the job but I found I had to do more pumps than was recommended to get enough vacuum and regularly do a few extra pumps otherwise the thing stopped flowing. The seal between pump and cannister on my one was shocking but that just meant I had to push the pump down as I pumped it. I'll probably run some PTFE tape or something round to create a better seal before I next use it.

I think it took about 15 to 20 minutes to get all the oil out though, probably due to me being a bit cautious with the amount of vacuum I created. I think it will be a 10 to 15 minute process next time.

Same as mine, just pump it until you can pump no more and make sure the oil is hot prior to changing otherwise it takes ages.

jon.bda · 7 Jul 2011 at 20:06

NathanE said:
Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

As mentioned, the filter will still be full of oil regardless of if you've drained the oil or not, many vehicles (especially with cartridge filters) have the filter accessible from the top of the engine bay so a vac extractor is ideal for the sunday mechanic who wants to do the basics himself or also, what if the op's car doesn't have a sump plug?

mjd · 7 Jul 2011 at 22:31

Thanks for the wave of new replies.

We have a Mini Cooper and a Fiesta so the cooper would probably be the main candidate for vacuum extraction having the filter up top.
My dear old Dad rightly pointed out that the time saved probably isnt that much, but for me its more about not really feeling 100% comfortable when I'm under a car. I tend to go a bit OTT when it comes to getting a car up in the air and supported. I have no idea why I have so little faith in just a jack and axle stands. It would seem that something like the Pela 6000 is a relatively cheap investment which will pay for itself fairly quickly. Also,I am fairly confident that the aforementioned dear old dad will be the first to want to borrow it!

Fuzz · 7 Jul 2011 at 22:58

NathanE said:
Seems pointless. You've still got to get under the car to change the oil filter anyway. And as soon as you unscrew that, if you've not drained the oil properly, then you'll get covered in the stuff.

You'll get covered in the stuff whether you have drained it or not.

The oil in the filter is not draining from the sump when you unscrew it, it is draining from the oil gallery in the block. This is not something that will drain away by simply dropping the sump plug