oil extraction pumps -any good?

[bk.bas99]

Not wanting to keep crawling round in the drive in the cold and wet getting the undertray off my 130PD I was wondering if these Oil extraction pumps are any good. Seems I can buy a Silverline 4L for about £20 or a Pela for £40. Any experience of the cheaper ones, as the Silverline looks remarkably similar to the Pela for 1/2 price. Do they really get all the old crap out of the sump through the dipstick tube?

[Issac Hunt]

I use the Pela one and its been faultless. Gets all the oil out no problem. If you have 'old crap' in the bottom of your sump then your engine is falling apart! There is only ever oil in my sump!

[Toonmania]

i use one too, i can do an oil change in around 15 mins with one best tool i ever bought

[PeteK]

I can also vouch for the Pela 6000 having bought one last month for just under £40 delivered. Since owning my Passat I had always taken it to a local garage or specialist for any servicing, however in the past I had always serviced my own cars and with the mileage of mine approaching 170k I didn't see any value in keeping the service book fully stamped. I was also disappointed when the car was serviced last time to see that the engine had been slightly overfilled with oil, there were splatters of oil all over the engine bay components (don't know how this was done but it was immaculate when it went in) and a few of the engine cover retaining discs were missing; I knew if I did the job myself I would take extra time and care over it. The main issue for me was having to remove the engine belly pan each time and try and avoid spilling anything on the new block paved drive. The extractor pump eliminates both these factors and is simplicity to use. If I had just bought the car, I would probably recommend removing the sump plug and and draining the oil that way initially in case there was any sludge inside - the faster flow of oil exiting the sump is more likely to remove this. However I know the oil in my car is always spotlessly clean due to regular 10K oil changes every 4-5 months.

I did plenty of research before buying the Pela - many people have commented on how they have removed the sump plug after extracting the oil via the dipstick tube and nothing at all came out. I didn't try this myself but I managed to get a full 4 litres of old oil out - this had been in the sump for 10k miles and had never been topped up. With the pump you can also extract all the old oil from the oil cooler at the base of the filter housing which would remain in the system if draining via the sump plug (I would estimate this to be an extra 250ml). When refilling with fresh oil, it took 4.25 litres to get the level to the max mark on the dipstick - having witnessed the oil being changed in the past I know it has never taken over 4 litres to get to the same level which again suggests you do get more out the system using the pump. Some people will say that changing the oil via this method is bad for the engine as it leaves remains of sludge and swarf behind due to the low flow rate at which the oil is extracted - however as I mentioned above on a well serviced engine using the recommended grade of oil there should be no issues with sludge forming. As for swarf, I have never witnessed this inside an engine in over 20yrs unless there is a serious mechanical problem. I believe that many main dealers including Mercedes Benz now use the oil extraction method when servicing their vehicles.

[snapdragon]

http://www.piplers.co.uk/2245/Pela-O...rformer--.html
I got one of the cylindrical one from an online boat chandlers about 7-8 years ago (you often have no access under a boat engine). It's fantastic for all the above reasons. (Although I only paid about £40 IIRC.)
When sucking, it is MUCh quicker if the oil is hot, push the pipe all the way in until it hits the bottom, then pull it back out half an inch so it isn't blocked, when it starts to gurgle, push it down all the way to get out the ullage.

It also works on the power steering reservoir, and the tiptronic diff.

Many cars under 10 years old don't have a drain plug.

[yaman]

Or you could cut a 4 inch hole in the under-tray, just below
the drain plug. A sheet of cardboard should keep your
driveway clean.

Regards
Jim

[Chipped2]

Although I would never have cut a hole in my undertray and was sure it didn't have a cut-out when I bought it.....someone at a main dealers cut a hole in mine. It could have been one of only two dealers while under warranty but it was then too late to raise the issue.

But my annoyance was tempered by finding how convenient it has been since.

I wouldn't cut a new undertray though, if I badly damaged my present one. Would then buy a Pela as so many owners rate them.

[yaman]

I would never have cut a hole in my undertray

Why not, who's going to see it?

Anyway, the point is to encourage people to not skip oil changes.

In fact i would be more inclined to buy a car with a holed under-tray,
than one without. Its a mark of affection

Regards
Jim

[macc70]

As yaman said a nice hole in the tray. Fumoto make a drain valve which you might want to consider

[snapdragon]

My tray has so many cracks and splits, I think another hole and it would collapse