I recently purchased an oil evacuation device and just did my first oil change using it. It's a ridiculously painless process, but I did find one 'gotcha' spot that others might benefit from hearing about.

Here's the step by step:

1. Warm up the engine for a bit and then allow it to settle for about 5 minutes. You don't want it flaming hot, but you want it to flow nicely. Warm oil is easier to suck than cold.
2. Remove the oil cap (to allow air pressure to release) and put it somewhere clean where it won't get lost
3. Remove the dipstick and put it somewhere clean where it won't get lost
4. Insert the tubing from your oil sucking device down the dipstick tube as far as it will go.
5. Begin pumping the oil. My device is a manual pump to build up pressure, but there are powered devices also.
6. Loosen the oil filter cover to release the oil from it. You'll hear it leak down when it is loose enough. Don't pull it all the way up yet.
7. Wait while all the oil drains. I got almost 8.5 quarts out of mine.
8. Once it is drained, remove the oil filter carriage. Have something handy to put under it when you take it out, like an oil drain pan or something.
9. Remove the oil filter from the filter carriage by pulling straight down.
10. Remove the rubber o-ring gaskets from the oil filter carriage using a small screwdriver or similar device.
11. Install your new cloth oil filter
12. Grease up your new rubber o-rings with the oil just a bit and install them in the same places as you removed the old ones from. Be careful with the top one. If you push it up too high (there's a groove it goes in), you'll spray oil all over your engine and have to redo this part. Voice of experience. Man, I thought the car was on fire. lol
13. Reinstall the oil filter carriage. Make sure you tighten it down. It will seem to be tight before it actually is once that top o-ring connects. You'll have to work a little harder to get it all the way down.
14. Remove the sucking device tube from the dip stick tube and reinstall the dip stick.
15. Pour in 8 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40.
16. Reinstall the oil filler cap.
17. Start the car and let it warm up. Watch the oil filter to make sure that it's not spraying oil everywhere once it heats up. Man, that's messy.
18. Dispose of your used oil in your chosen fashion. Some oil sucking devices make it very easy to pour into the old bottles. Some don't. Mine doesn't. Autozone and most other auto parts stores recycle used oil. Bring it to them and dump it in.

All in all, it takes about 10 -15 minutes to do the whole process and is the easiest oil change I've ever done. I highly recommend the oil sucking devices.

 

I have a topsider also and love it. I also use it on my caddy which also has a cartridge filter on it. Saves lots a time and you don;t have to crawl under the car.

 

I have one also. Works great on boats (2), snowblower, tractors, etc. Anything where you don't have to crawl under it to get to the filter. If you crawl under it, you may as well drain the oil while you're there. Love it on my SRT.

 

thanks for the write up... I also recently adopted this method... with great results...

 

what is the dipstick hole size ?


i have an marine electric pump seems that the hose was too big didn't get all
they way down to the pan got 5 qt out though .
so i bought one of these..

Re: Topsider Oil Vacuum - Where Can I Purchase One? - 08-30-2007 , 01:26 PM

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Harbor Freight has their oil change pump on sale right now for $19.99 in case anyone is interested. Regular price is $25.99. Their website still shows the regular price, but if you select "order from printed catalog" and use part number 45403-1CMH it will give you the discount.

 

love to see it in pictures.

 

here are some pictures. http://slk32.com/pages/oilchange/oilchange.html

 

what ((size tube)) on the topsider that goes in the dipstick hole.?

i guess i'll try a topsider nextime, lol.

i canceled the order@ harnor freight due to reviews...

Harbor Freight has their oil change pump on sale right now for $19.99 in case anyone is interested. Regular price is $25.99. Their website still shows the regular price, but if you select "order from printed catalog" and use part number 45403-1CMH it will give you the discount.

 

I dunno what size tube it is. It looks to me like it's slightly fatter outside diameter than normal fish tank tube is.

 

It's about 1/4" and connects to about a1/2" tube that that runs to the topsider.

 

well i guess the tube to the electric marine pump must have too big. i could only pull 5 Qts out...

i looked at some other brands and a MOELLER and RULE INDUSTRIES and SHURFLO
have different size tubes ... but cost more they also have a top sider Lokks like this is a proven product ...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...key=SiteSearch

 

I found that you can usually only get 5 qts out of it without loosening the filter. Just turn the filter enought to allow air in and you'll hear it go glug-glug-glug as it drops into the pan. Then pump out and you'll get 8+ qts. That's how I do it anyway.

 

wow the filter was out and the oil filler cap was off,
maybe the tube went too far and turned upwards ... the tube was stiff though.
these pumps i looked at today have a wire to hold the tube straight.

 

Strange... yeah, try the old fashioned 'jiggle' method and see if you can find your remaining oil. Are you sure your oil sucking device didn't run out of pressure and just need a few more pumps to get the remaining out?

 

ya never know might have been the electric marine pump, that petered out ...

any ways i did the old fashion way and jacked up the car and drained the last bit of oil in it out with the drain plug ...
dont want to drive the car up on ramps, will scuff up the spoiler not high enough set's too low ...

i guess for the hassle i'll pay someone to do it ... LOL.

 

I went and looked at my electric marine pump for my inboard. The line on mine is significantly larger in diameter than the one on my Topsider and is flexible. The Topsider is very stiff but goes quite a way into the crankcase. I wonder if your marine pump is getting down inside far enough?

If that's not it, I am stumped.

 

wow the filter was out and the oil filler cap was off,
maybe the tube went too far and turned upwards ... the tube was stiff though
these pumps i looked at today have a wire to hold the tube straight...

haven't seen a Topsider yet to compair tube sizes. thanks.

 

I purchased the larger topsider and it came with 3 different sizes of tubes. If anyone is interested I'll try and find the Part Number.

 

sure , as long as it works.. nevermind
got one of these, works fine

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/366982973.htm

 

Has anyone tried one of these from Harbor Frieght Tools? It is a pneumatic oil extractor.

ITEM 46149-3VGA

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=46149