Oil Extractor Opinion

[xlr8nflorida]

I'm going to start a new thread so we can get an active discussion going.

I am looking at purchasing an oil extractor, particuarily this one: http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/mit7201.html although one that works off battery power would be nice too.

I like that specific version because it can work manually through the hand pump or automatically with a compressor. I don't have an air compressor but I do have a small air tank for pumping up tires. Not sure if that would suffice or not?

It would make our oil changes a snap especially since our filter is on top. I know the traditional methods however I don't keep my 3 Corvettes in the same spot and they do completely different mileage. I don't want to lug alot of **** around nor do I have a ton of space to store all this ****.

My ZR-1 does very little mileage anyway compared to my other cars. Would you use the oil extractor on a high mileage oil change, lightly used oil change etc? TomTom says he gets 9 quarts out with his which is excellent. At a regular garage, you would not get that unless they let your car sit on the lift for several hours.

I know there is talk of sludge in the pan etc and you won't get all the oil out but Tom says he gets the full 9 quarts out. These extractors have been used in boats forever because alot of times there is no choice. You don't see any ill effects from that and marine engines are run alot harder then a car engine. Also, I think sludge is from abusing your car and not doing regular maintenance particularily with the older style oils and extended oil intervals.

Upon review, I'm thinking its about as good as a regular oil change especially if you change your oil frequently.

It seems Mercedes changes all of their oil this way. Also other cars like BWM are removing their oil tubes completely.

Thoughts?

Also just for the sake of being bored. I know there is no easy way to get the 3 quarts in the oil cooler. If you really want to get it, you would have to do back to back oil changes. Does anyone know the minimum oil an LT-5 can run on without doing damage and how long it takes the oil cooler to start flowing oil? I was thinking I could add a few quarts, run it for a minute or too and then drain it again but I don't think it works that way.
I guess I'd just have to add 9 quarts and then drop it which seems like a waste of oil but I guess its what you have to do if you are picky and OCD like me :mrgreen:

[xlr8nflorida]

[QUOTE=Dynomite;80473]There is a couple quarts of oil in oil cooler. There is a quart of oil in the filter (unless it sits for a bit). Remaining oil in engine if you drain oil cooler and filter as well as oil pan is maybe a quart. I think there is prolly several quarts of oil below the baffle in the oil pan. Total oil in engine is prolly 11.5 quarts.

Total capacity for oil is 12 quarts. 9 Quarts come out during an oil change(if you let it sit overnight) + filter change
3 quarts stay in the oil cooler.

I'm told the extractor can get 9 quarts. I know others use an extractor here so maybe they can pipe in.

You pretty much have to come to terms with the 3 quarts in the oil cooler unless you want to put a drain plug on it or start sucking it out which is a messy job.

It's a shame nobody knows what the LT-5 can run on minimal oil wise without doing damage. For example, could the engine run on 6 quarts of oil for 10-15 minutes to mix it all up and then drain it again and then finally fill with 9 quarts of fresh. You would have pretty much all clean oil then. The way you have to do it now is add 9 new quarts and then waste them on the drain.

A large majority of that oil is sitting in the pan during use anyway. If there was less oil, the oil would just recirculate quicker, maybe get alittle hotter but honestly would it really matter if you were just idling?

[xlr8nflorida]

Being totally unfamiliar with an oil extractor, where do you extract the oil from? My oil extractor is gravity :sign10:

Dipstick tube

You will have to deal with the guys voice but the video gives you the idea.
If you hook it up to a compressor its sweet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JonsxuPcngc

[xlr8nflorida]

Is that slick or what :thumbsup: and I think he said 9L (2.35 gal) capacity.

I expect since you are sucking out of the dipstick tube you can get right down to bottom of oil pan below the baffle. Also, since our oil filter is sitting upside down and tends to drain over night, one can replace filter and drain oil without any mess at all :cheers: and without removing the oil drain plug (if you do not fire it up just before you change the oil).

With our Zs this is particularly nice since one has to almost jack the Z up to get enough room underneath to remove the drain plug and drain the oil :D

Sounds like a bit of a wuss :sign10:

You would run the car to get the oil hot, and pull out 6 quarts, then you would have to pull out the next 3 cold in the morning. Some do suck the oil out cold but I think its better to do it hot plus it will drain better.

You really need the right tools. I don't give a **** what I do on my LT1 or LS1, rhino ramps or whatever but even they are not perfect. The Race Ramps are perfect but they are not cheap but then you have to find a place to store them etc. This method is pretty easy to do and I don't see the negative side to it especially if you drain your oil frequently.

[xlr8nflorida]

The "guy" sounds like a bit of a wuss :sign10:[/QUOTE]

Me or the guy in the video? The guy in the video definitely walks light on his toes.

Some of the better known forum members on this board have this unit. It's great for oil changes, brakes, coolant etc and is a great tool to have.

I've had my ZR-1 for about 10 years and keep it in immaculate shape.

Several members on this board have been to my garage in West Palm Beach & Atlanta where I have a ton of Ramps and tools. All of that stuff is in a warehouse right now in a 18 wheeler. I don't feel like pulling that **** out nor do I feel like storing it in my already overcrowded garage.

I'm also trying to brainstorm how to get the extra 3 quarts out without sacrificing 9 quarts of synthetic oil. To my knowledge nobody knows how to do that yet without pulling the cooler/tapping the cooler or the lines.

This unit probably makes the most sense for me right now unless I can borrow my neighbors lift.

[SharkPilot]

[QUOTE=xlr8nflorida;80474][QUOTE=Dynomite;80473]
It's a shame nobody knows what the LT-5 can run on minimal oil wise without doing damage. For example, could the engine run on 6 quarts of oil for 10-15 minutes to mix it all up and then drain it again and then finally fill with 9 quarts of fresh. You would have pretty much all clean oil then. The way you have to do it now is add 9 new quarts and then waste them on the drain.


An unfortunate and scary incident gave me a pretty good idea. Just prior to Christmas 2008 I was on the freeway returning from lunch with a friend. The traffic was heavy but still scooting along and out from under the car in front of me appeared a large folded up tripod. I had no where to go and took it right under the center. As it passed under the was a BANG and the front jumped up a little bit. Needless to say it scarred the #&%$ out of me but all the gauges were good and the car seemed fine. I decided to head for home which was close by just for an inspection. Turned out to be a good choice.
Once I exited the freeway I saw smoke but thought it was another car. Next red light I saw smoke again and realized it was me. The pucker factor went much higher at that point. Still had normal readings on the gauges. It was one more mile home which was done at low RPM and as smoothly as possible. Drove into the garage and shut it down. Jumped out and saw a trail of oil on the ground and the rear fascia covered with oil. Looked underneath and a pool of oil was spreading from a dribble on the lower front edge of the pan. By the time the car was jacked high enough for the drain pan the pool was nearly as big as the car. I collected about four quarts in the pan plus probably one or two off of the floor. It was a huge mess and the whole incident was most upsetting. The oil presssure was normal through the whole deal.
Long story short... I removed the pan and my Brother in Law performed one of his trademark miracle welding jobs on it. The engine looked fine. No metal in the pan or other signs of distress. Reinstalled the pan with a new Jerry's gasket and it's been fine ever since.
So the answer is someplace between four and six quarts is the minimum, at least for low RPM operations.

That's not a test I want to repeat or recommend.

Oh, and when I change the oil and filter I have to put nine quarts in to reach the full mark. I drain it cold so that it's all in the pan.

SharkPilot

[Corvette95]

I use an air compressor powered extractor, even a small compressor will work well as it only need to be pressurized once. Its a slower process than you think but it works well. The battery powered extractors I tried were junk. Went throught 3 of them.

[tomtom72]

http://www.jegs.com/i/Motive+Products/715/1708/10002/-1

This is the one I just bought. It does the job, but it will take quite a bit of time to extract all 8.5 qts.

:cheers:

[Dynomite]

It's a shame nobody knows what the LT-5 can run on minimal oil wise without doing damage. For example, could the engine run on 6 quarts of oil for 10-15 minutes to mix it all up and then drain it again and then finally fill with 9 quarts of fresh. You would have pretty much all clean oil then. The way you have to do it now is add 9 new quarts and then waste them on the drain.


I hope you will not take this wrong....but I just do not understand your theory of running on 6 quarts of oil and thinking you will get all that oil drained and end up with "pretty much clean oil".

As long as the oil pick up screen is submerged in oil in the oil pan you are good to go. The pick up screen housing is about an inch from the bottom of the oil pan. So with a couple quarts in the bottom of the oil pan, a couple quarts in the oil cooler, a quart in the oil filter and maybe a quart or bit more in the engine (total 6 quarts more or less) you should be able to idle just fine.

Now if you are running at high rpm there is more oil in the engine since oil is pumped at high speed but returns by the same ole gravity as it does when idling. In that case you will need a bit more oil to assure the oil pickup does not suck air.

On a cold engine with minimal cold oil, a lot of cold oil will get caught in the engine by the slow gravity return since it is of high viscosity and in that case you will need a bit more oil also to assure the oil pickup does not suck air.

[xlr8nflorida]

An oil change basically breaks down like this:

12 quarts = 9 clean 3 dirty or 75% clean oil 25% dirty oil

If you added 3, 6, 9 quarts it would decrease the amount of dirty oil.

It really does not make sense to just add 3 or 6 etc as the math works out the same.

If you add 9 and drop it, you are then down to 3/4 quart of dirty oil.

If you refilled it again you would be alittle over 1/3 of a quart of dirty oil.

Overkill for most but I don't like running around with 25% dirty oil even if its not really that dirty.

It's like taking a shower and not changing your underwear. :mrgreen:

[Dynomite]

An oil change basically breaks down like this:

12 quarts = 9 clean 3 dirty or 75% clean oil 25% dirty oil
If you added 3, 6, 9 quarts it would decrease the amount of dirty oil.
It really does not make sense to just add 3 or 6 etc as the math works out the same. If you add 9 and drop it, you are then down to 3/4 quart of dirty oil. If you refilled it again you would be alittle over 1/3 of a quart of dirty oil. Overkill for most but I don't like running around with 25% dirty oil even if its not really that dirty. It's like taking a shower and not changing your underwear. :mrgreen:

I concur :cheers: If you add 9 quarts of clean oil and drain 9 quarts of mixed oil, you end up with 3/4 quart of the original dirty oil remaining.

But....doing it your way by adding 3 quarts of clean oil and draining the mixed dirty oil leaves 1.5 quarts of the original dirty oil the first time and leaves 3/4 quarts of the original dirty oil the second time.

You got the same result with just 6 quarts of clean oil vice using 9 quarts of clean oil all at once :thumbsup:

Your method saved 3 quarts of clean oil :worship:

[xlr8nflorida]

Your method saved 3 quarts of clean oil :worship:[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure its legit to run engine on 6 quarts though but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It would only save you $10-15 if using a gallon jug of Mobil and nobody knows if its legit. Haibeck would be able to tell ya. The oil pickup can't be too high, as to be fairly low on the pan.

Regardless better probably just to do 9 quart oil change. Run around for a month or months and then do another 9 quart oil change.

I put so low mileage on my oil even with the 3 dirty, they really are not dirty.
I worry more about moisture in the garage etc which is why I change my oil out at least every year.

[tomtom72]

A thought just occurred to me about this dirty oil left in the cooler thing. I know I made a tongue in cheek comment about driving the car and circulating all the oil thru the cooler....but that isn't so far fetched. That said, for those of us that don't get the chances to use our cars at least 5k a yr with fairly long weekend sessions, say at least an hour running time on an out bound leg, the question of oil remaining in the cooler is legit.

But, we all use some brand of synthetic oil, no? I distinctly remember back in the early seventies that Mobil said one of the specific benefits of a synthetic oil was it's ability to prevent moisture causing sludge formation. Do I recall their assertions correctly? If yes, then I can't see how we are forming sludge by the percentage of moisture trapped in the cooler. I mean we are assuming that the oil in the cooler has a large amount of water bound up with the oil in that spot? I just don't see that the oil in the cooler has that much moisture trapped in it? Even if there is a good deal of moisture because the car sits more than it's used; how much moisture could the oil have between changes? If it was dino oil I could get concerned because that old stuff needed an additive package to combat the effects of moisture, and even at that to complete the reaction to sludge you needed just the right amount of heat. Too much heat and even with dino oil you will burn off the water, and not form much sludge.

Okay, maybe I'm out in left field with these thoughts? Maybe I'm putting too much faith in what the ad copy says for these synthetic oils? I just think that between the advantages of synthetic oil and the fact that none of us would even contemplate a change interval longer than a yr of sitting, let alone about 5k miles of driving, that we have a real worry here, no? JMHO:redface:

[xlr8nflorida]

I am in agreement Tom. For most of us, the old 3 quarts of oil are not even old- at most they are probably at 50% of their life expectancy if that.

Almost all of us maintain our cars at a minimum. I run mine for 60 minutes and then take it for a quick spin to exercise secondaries, and coat the 2nd set of injectors since I'm running 90's injectors. There is no ethanol in my fuel, just a small amount of additives.

To me sludge is abuse and neglect. I don't see sludge build up anymore with synthetics - maybe I'm wrong? When I got rid of my first Vette it had 130,000 miles and it ran a dead heat with my new Vette that had 30,000 miles. It was also clean as a whistle using Mobil 1.

You know its funny. After we talked, I got with my mechanic. He made the statement that synthetics don't hold up. He happened to have another mechanic from another shop who said the same exact thing.

I was like :dontknow: do you mean in gear oil, tranny, motor oil? The mechanic said in EVERYTHING.

Makes no sense to me, synthetics are here to stay and are the best.

I'm going to be doing my own work even though I didn't want to get involved with it this month. I just have to figure out the ramps. I've read some bad things on Rhino Ramps breaking and they also slide a ton. I hear the race ramps are very good but they are very expensive. Of course I'm also debating that Extractor. The only problem is my LT1 and LS1 have oil filters on bottom of pan so it looks like I'll be crawling under there anyway.

[Jason 91]

I purchased this one awhile back and just used it this past weekend.

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/mit7300.html

It works well in my opinion with the only down side being that it is difficult to clean. It's a very handy tool to have, with that said.

I think I might get a second one for coolant as was suggested in another thread.

Thanks,

Jason