HOMEMADE /$2 TOPSIDER/OIL SUCKER (This method of oil removal by suction works only if oil dipstick tube goes to lowest point in oil pan, as in a Mercedes. Oil below bottom of dipstick tube can't be removed by this method without sticking an oil evacuation tube down the dipstick tube to bottom of the oil pan. Mercedes engines since the 60's have been built with dipstick tubes to lowest point in the pan, specifically, to expedite removal of oil by suction. I don't know if dipstick tubes in other engines go to bottom of the pan.)
EQUIPMENT/PARTS: 1. Vacuum cleaner (shop or domestic unit) with ITS hose 2. 5 gal plastic joint compound or detergent bucket (or appropriate size container strong enough not to collapse under vacuum cleaner suction) 3. ~ 5 feet of 5/8 inch OD plastic tubing with some fabric in the walls to help it resist collapsing due to suction and heat from the oil CONSTRUCTION: 1. Near the outer edge of the bucket's plastic top, cut a small hole slightly smaller than the 5/8 inch tube. Insert end of 5/8 inch tube snugly into this hole - NOT to the bottom of the bucket - only an inch or so into the top - enough to stay securely in place. (If the discharge end of the evacuation tube is below the oil level in the bucket, much bubbling and turbulence will occur in the oil when most of the oil has been removed from the engine, and the sucker sucks air. The turbulence may cause oil to be spattered near and drawn into the vac hose.) 2. Near the opposite edge of the bucket's top from the 5/8 inch tube, cut a hole slightly smaller than the suction end of the vac cleaner hose. Insert suction end of the vac cleaner hose snugly into this hole - NOT way down in the bucket - just past the top enough to stay securely in place. 3. Insert other end of 5/8 inch OD plastic tube snugly INTO TOP inch and a half or so of engine oil dipstick tube. (If you feel more comfortable by wrapping a bit of tape around the plastic tube to increase its size and make it fit more snugly INSIDE the dipstick tube, please do so.) 4. Attach other end of vac hose to the vac cleaner. UP-GRADED, FIRST CLASS UNIT: In lieu of plastic joint compound or detergent bucket, use 5 gal. kerosene, gasoline or other appropriate metal or plastic can with built-in pouring spout and filler opening. 1. Insert suction end of vac cleaner hose snugly into the can's pouring spout. 2. Insert/install end of 5/8 inch oil removal tube in the can's other opening. (I used PVC couplings/fittings of appropriate sizes to adapt filler opening for the 5/8 inch tube. I also used a short section of 1½ inch dia. PVC, installed with slight downward slope inside the top of the can to discharge the oil across the can as far as possible from the suction/vac opening. The 1½ inch PVC pipe inside the can also causes the air being removed from the engine after the siphoning action is broken to slow down enough to "release" small droplets of oil that may be suspended in it.) Insert suction end of this tube into top of dipstick tube. OIL REMOVAL: 1. Have engine at or near operating temp. 2. Loosen top of oil filter canister & lift it ½ inch or so to allow oil to run freely out of canister down into oil pan when vac starts. 3. Turn vac cleaner ON. 4. Change filter while oil flows into the receiver. (I can't get mine changed before the oil removal is finished.) 5. When satisfied that oil removal is complete/sufficient, lift end of 5/8 inch tube out of dipstick tube. (Turn end of tube upward and lift it upward to aid flow of any oil in the tube into the bucket.) 6. Turn vac cleaner OFF. 7. Don't forget to replenish oil in the engine! 8. Clean up - stow equipment. I have used this type sucker several times with excellent results. The difference between a "troubled" oil change and a very clean and quick oil change is the strength (resistance to collapse) of the oil evacuation tube. Collapse of this tube can prevent the flow of anything - air, oil, ANYTHING - into the bucket and can lead to the bucket's collapse if a "weak" container is used. My upgraded, first class sucker uses a metal kerosene can as the oil receiver, but I have used a joint compound bucket as the oil receiver several times with equal success. Because of the permanently enclosed top and pouring spout, the kerosene can makes dumping the oil much cleaner and easier, though - never have to touch the oil, and don't have the trouble of removing the top from a plastic container. Use 5/8 inch OD plastic tubing with some fabric in the walls to help it resist collapsing due to suction and heat from the oil. The clear, limber, plastic tubing is too weak - collapses easily. Loosen top of oil filter canister & lift it a half inch or so to allow oil to run freely out of canister down into oil pan when vac starts. Using the sucker has several advantages for me. The typical ones: not having to crawl under the car to get to the pan plug, not having to remove the belly pan on the 350SDL, not getting oil on me nor anything else, removal of more oil than by draining, ease of used oil disposal Additionally, because of my peripheral neuropathy, leading to loss of feeling and function in hands and fingers, it is very hard for me to handle small items such as nuts, bolts, etc. It is especially hard for me to put the slippery pan plug back in place. So far, by using the sucker to remove the oil and wearing rubber gloves while changing the filter, I could change my oil while wearing a tux. To confirm the effectiveness of my homemade oil sucker, a couple of times, after the sucker has "finished", I have removed the drain plug from the oil pan to see how much more oil may still have been in the pan. NO oil came out of the drain hole - NOT A DROP. With the drain method of oil removal, I have NEVER re-installed the drain plug without oil continuing to drip from the drain hole. Conclusion: THE SUCKER REMOVES MORE OIL THAN THE DRAIN METHOD, unless the vehicle is tilted to cause oil to collect away from the dipstick tube. Build it, and use it at your OWN risk. Mine works fine for me - don't know about yours - I don't have control of it. Don't forget: atmospheric pressure = 14.7 PSI, and "physics will win every time." IF YOU BLOCK THE OIL EVACUATION TUBE SO THAT NOTHING CAN FLOW INTO THE RECEIVER CONTAINER AND YOU CONTINUE TO PULL A VACUUM ON THE CONTAINER, THE CONTAINER WILL COLLAPSE. You don't need to create a true VACUUM in the oil receiver container. The vacuum cleaner is used to merely REDUCE pressure in the container so that atmospheric pressure can push (SIPHON) the oil out of the engine into the container. The vacuum cleaner is not meant to create a VACUUM in the container. If you create a true VACUUM in the container, the 14.7 pounds of atmospheric pressure on every square inch of the container exterior WILL COLLAPSE the container unless, of course, it is strong enough to withstand that pressure. Such a pressure vessel is not really needed to safely and cleanly suck oil out of the engine. A plastic joint compound bucket CAN do it very nicely -- just don't create a true VACUUM in the bucket. Wilton _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/ For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED] To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
