Sucking oil through a straw?

[dilbert]

I noticed on the Audi workshop manuals that for an oil change they describe using some sort of vacuum tube device down the dipstick tube rather than the usual method of using good ol' fashioned gravity to shove the oil through the sump plug hole.

Has anybody tried this with a home-made device? Sounds better than removing lots of fixings on the undertray.

 

[spike]

Hi Dilbert
With these 'suction' systems its virtually impossible to completely drain the last few CC's from the sump so your left with any metal particles and sludge etc - the very stuff which is most important to get rid of. This 'crud' mixes with the fresh oil and probably reduces the useful life of both the new oil and filter by a few %.
I know its tedious to remove the undertray but in addition to doing a propper job of draining the oil it gives you chance to have a good look for oil leaks etc and check steering components and driveshaft boots etc, normally hidden from view.

Cheers Spike

 

[Skipton01]

It's quite a commonplace practise to usefluid extraction these days, as it saves a lot of labour time. There's no real need to build yourself a Heath Robinson version, when a good 'un only costs £40:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/products/203129/fluid_extractors.html

Cheers,

Mike

 

[steve hughes]

In my last company one of the guys had one of the original SMART cars. As a keen DIY er when he advised he needed to aquire equipment or pay £X he improvised. Got the car on the drive, 3 big cushions (dont know from which room) then just push the car on its side. Oil comes out through the filler cap?

While he is telling me this I'm thinking battery acid ? Petrol, Brake fluids . But he claimed it worked.
Dont try it at home.

Steve

 

[alanm]

Pela 6000

The Screwfix one Mike refers to is manufactured by Pela. The ideal size is the Pela 6000. I got one for use on my Smart a few years back and confirm it works a treat.

Best price I've found is on ebaY - see the link below:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Engine-Oil-Ex...ryZ15271QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[dilbert]

In my last company one of the guys had one of the original SMART cars. As a keen DIY er when he advised he needed to aquire equipment or pay £X he improvised. Got the car on the drive, 3 big cushions (dont know from which room) then just push the car on its side. Oil comes out through the filler cap?

While he is telling me this I'm thinking battery acid ? Petrol, Brake fluids . But he claimed it worked.
Dont try it at home.

Steve

Here's one I tried earlier...

Possible caption photo in the humour section?

 

[dilbert]

Thanks, skipton and spike - great info as usual.

And BTW, thanks for all your input and work on these forums - it is most appreciated!