Engine Oil Change: oil extractors vs. traditional way - which do you like best?
 

I have come across a couple of articles online elsewhere advocating the benefits of using an oil extractor to perform an oil change. The extractors praised the most were the economical ones made by Pela (Pela 6000 @ $49 and Pela PL-650 @ $86).
I drive a '79 240D... How do you guys with a similar car feel about using such a device for routine maintenance work? It definitely would make the oil/fluid change experience less messy... but does it perform satisfactorily, in your opinion? Pros and cons?

Rino

Alot of the guys on the TDIclub love pela's mainly because they dont want to remove the engine covers underneath to drain the oil.

I have gas models. I have used the Topsider for 8 years or so and love it. I can't imagine why anyone would want to service their MB any other way.

I had a '79 300CD back in the day. I didn't know about oil extractors back then. If I had known I could have avoided a whole lot of mess changing that nasty black oil.

Steve

Here we go again...

My thinking is that gravity draining will not extend the useful life of the car for my purposes; that is, we're talking about a difference like 400K miles for extracting and 750K miles for gravity draining. Basically extracting is good enough for me even if in my heart I believe gravity draining to be more thorough.

Sixto
93 300SD 3.0

I use mine mostly during the winter months so I don't have to lie on my back on the cold ground removing the splash covers on my vehicles.
I think pulling the plug and letting all the hot oil and sludge drain down is a more thorough job when you can do it. I have magnetic drain plugs on some of my vehicles so I need to pull them once in a while for a conventional oil change to inspect and clean them.;)

well, you dont need to spend that kind of $$.

here's mine

Either method of evacuating oil from the engine is fine. I've used both, I just made the mistake of buying an extraction unit that was of low quality, I'll probably get another one in due time, from a better manufacturer. The talk about letting sludge drain out via the drain plug shouldn't be a problem if you change the oil often enough that sludge does not develop. If you've got sludge, you've got a serious maintainence problem. With the suction method, a few more mL of oil is removed than you'd get out with the drain plug. But, the way these engines were designed, there will always be about a quart of oil in all the crevices, nooks, crannies, and oil cooler, no matter what method you use. You shouldn't fret about trying to get every last single drop of the oil out, MB designed the engines like that. So, either way you take the oil out is fine, just change it out before the soot content gets too high (2%) and replace it with a good diesel rated oil and use a OE oil filter.

How about the fact that I already have a wrench that fits the drain plug and I DON'T have an $80 gadget.

I will continue to let gravity do the work, thank you very much.

So, all considered, it all seems to add up to the conclusion that the way to go is a combination of both methods, perhaps alternating between the two rather than sticking with one or the other... The drain method is messy but gets the sludge out of the engine, the use of the oil extractor gets half a quart more of the old oil out of the engine and it is a much easier and pleasant task to perform...
Just wondering, do you guys consider the economic Pela products cheapo oil extractors or do they actually do the job they are made for and represent a good value as those reviews I read claim? Should I go ahead and get one of those, or should I rather shoot for a more expensive one?

Rino

I have a Top-Sider, which is fairly decent. It's made of metal, which is nice. But the plastic Pella is probably fine too. Just make sure that it holds eight quarts.

It holds 6.5 quarts, but where is the problem? It shuts down automatically when the receiving container is full, at which time it can be conveniently emptied into an old oil jug for recycling and then reapplied to the engine in a matter on minutes...
And it goes for $49....

Rino

I have a 10qt drain pan, so I let gravity pull the oil out.

Larry, I think it's like nobody wants to work on cars anymore. Otherwise gimme a fumoto valve system and oil changes are a breeze.

I have a top-sider, have never used it on a car.

In theory, draining the oil hot, just after shutdown, with the fill cap loose, should keep contaminants suspended long enough to do the best reasonable job of removing oil and contaminants, and any "sludge" that is in the pan.

But, I have to agree with sixto and others who say change it, use good oil and filters, and you probably won't be able to measure the difference in engine life.

If you've been on top with the maintainence, and use an oil with a diesel engine rating, sludge isn't a problem.

AND

To say that the only reason people use suction to remove oil because it's the easy way out is wrong. Folks out there have back and joint problems, and can't get down under the cars like we can without extreme pain. To them, it's perfect, and pays for itself after a few oil changes (I usually see them for lower than $80).