Vacuum Oil Extraction

The A dipstick hole is too small to be efficient.
I have used that method a lot on Mercedes because they were designed for it and most had the oil filter accessible from the top
the dipstick tube is about 3/8 on the benz and would suck out the 8 quarts in about 5 minutes when hot.
sucking out transmission fluid or engine oil with a 1/8 inside diameter tube could take more than 30 minutes with a air powered pump
 
I know several guys who use an oil extractor on their Model A through the dipstick hole. They like not having to lay down on the ground and mess with the drain plug. When the oil is hot, it does not take that long to extract it.

I had an extractor like the one shown here to remove the oil from my generator. I used it once on my Model A. After it acted like it had all the oil out that it could get, I pulled the oil pan drain plug and collected what came out. It was about 1/2 quart. I felt like that was a lot of dirty oil left in the pan, so I've not used it on my A again.
 

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I went to Valvoline for a quick oil change using their vacuum tube. They are very friendly and check battery and filters - to get you to buy other things. They used to drain the oil from the underneath bay. All of the oil was drained and nothing left in the pan. I have read of them forgetting to replace the drain plug. This cost some of the shops to replace engines. Cars do not have oil pressure gauges now, some have red lights. I checked the oil appearance after a mile or so and it looked half dirty. Never again at Valvoline.


I have a 2017 Ford Escape and the transmission was not right. I brought it to my regular oil and tire shop. They showed me that there was no trans dip stick and no drain. I took it to the transmission repair shop and they said that they could drop the pan and check the fluid for $150 to determine the condition. The condition was bad and the next step was an almost $5000 repair bill with a 12 month guarantee at 69,000 miles. If I am stupid enough to look at a replacement Ford, I should take a trip to the mental health center. I do not know what the other suppliers are doing but this is a way for them to save money.


If you cannot find a vehicle with the necessary drain plugs you are not trying hard enough.


Vic
 
It’s quicker and more thorough draining from the plug, and just as easy. Throw an old blanket to lay on. Now changing oil on a modern Mini Cooper is another story.

Anyone dump a little gas down the oil fill neck to help wash off the dipper tray and help drain out sludge build up?
 
I have a Burtz block so no scoops on the rods. I drilled small holes in the bottom of the dipper tray so that all the oil would be drained. With a stock engine the trays should remain full so that on startup the rods get oiled.

Putting gasoline in the trays to wash them out would not be a good idea as gasoline has no lubricant properties. In years past, before the era of Model A's, the crankcase was filled with kerosene and the engine run for a little bit to wash out the engine. The kerosene was then drained and the crankcase filled with the normal oil. I do not recommend this because modern detergent oils keep the engine fairly clean.

I think a stock engine is stuck with the little bit of oil left in the dipper trays. Unless you can suck it out with the vacuum oil changer. There is probably not much sludge there because of the washing action of the scoops on the trays. Plus, modern detergent oil keeps the sludge in suspension. Any old engine that was run with non detergent oil should be disassembled to clean out any sludge.
 
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Another gimmick that replaces a simple solution with something complicated. The drain plug is right there- you barely need to get under the car to reach it. Just like adding timing marks and using timing lights when the timing pin is fool proof.
 
If there is any way possible to get contaminants out of a crankcase or oil pan then that will always be the best way to drain the crud. A person should pull the oil pan every 10-years or so just to clean the hard sludge that accumulates in there and the crud on the oil pump screen.

Modern cars are made to throw away after they wear out. Automatic transmissions and even some manuals are set up to have life time lubricant in there but we all know there is no such thing. God forbid if you end up with a variable ratio steel belt operated transmission. When they crap out at 100K miles, you throw them in the junk yard and buy a new one. They're not worth the $4K price tag. You cant even buy parts for them.
 
Thanks all for weighing in. You just saved me from buying a tool that will give worse results.
The extractor idea might have come in handy many years ago when I had a Canadian model Austin Mini 1000. I wanted to drain the coolant but the petcock shown in the Haynes manual wasn’t present on my car. The under hood clearances were so tight I couldn’t get a tool in there to loosen the lower radiator hose, either. I figured there must be a “trick” the Mini world knows but I never did figure it out. To this day I wonder how people change that hose. Maybe move the engine…?
 
rotorwrench said:
If there is any way possible to get contaminants out of a crankcase or oil pan then that will always be the best way to drain the crud. A person should pull the oil pan every 10-years or so just to clean the hard sludge that accumulates in there and the crud on the oil pump screen.
Click to expand...
If an additive-treated engine oil of API class SC (or slightly higher, max. SH for modern bearing shells) is used, the entire engine will remain clean and sludge-free inside, even for years.




AKJurnee
Anyone dump a little gas down the oil fill neck to help wash off the dipper tray and help drain out sludge build up?
Click to expand...
This also applies to the oil inlet hose fitting on the downpipe. However, this sludge may be caused by short trips or an engine that is too cold.
 
I started using Ester based synthetic oils as soon as I started working on turbine shaft engines many years ago. They only get contamination if there is internal combustion with less than efficient fuel systems, like a carburetor. Turbines don't contaminate their oil very much and neither do computer controlled piston engines. Synthetic oils are good but they are harder to keep in the engine as it wears. Modern seals do a pretty good job of containment for synthetics but old technology types can be problematic.

I use modern mineral based oils in my A engine but I still pull the pan every ten years to check the bottom end out. If it's got old sludge & oil soaps in there then I clean it too. I don't use any synthetics. I'm just hard headed that way. It was good enough for Grandfather so it's good enough for me.
 
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