I'm considering purchasing a vacuum to remove the crankcase oil instead of the drain plug method. I currently have a 92 300E. Are there any particular MB models that are not recommended for this method of oil change. What are some of the better vacuums currently on the market? Thanks....

tarheel75

They're pretty much all the same. I use the Tempo "Oil Boy" and it works great. Has a 5 qt capacity, like most of them do.

What I do after I fill it is pour the first 5 qts of old oil into an empty bottle I saved from my previous change, then siphon the remaining 2 qts into the empty 5qt container from the current change, after the new oil is added to the engine.

A quirky thing I do, because I have 3 qts to spare in one container, is siphon 3 qts of transmission fluid and replace with 3 fresh. As I said, quirky, but probably cheap insurance for a well-behaving transmission.

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2008 E350 4matic / Black/Anthracite

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Gone but not Forgotten:
2001 E430 4matic, 206,xxx miles, Black/Charcoal
1995 E320, 252,xxx miles, Black/Grey
1989 260E, 223,00 miles, Black/Black

I have a Top Sider, and I hate pumping the thing. I'm about to buy a compressed-air powered unit.

I am a real fan of sucking out the top. On my 606, I get more oil out of the dipstick tube than I can get out of the sump drain.

And in my case, I'm not ignoring a good time to do an under-car inspection. Doing an inspection means putting the car on stands. You can hardly reach under the car at its normal (factory) height, and you certainly can't see anything. You would need to put the car on four stands to also change the oil, since the car must be level.

just use the drain plug like real guys do...there is a drain plug you know...

Mitey Vac makes a good unit. It's available at Sears. Get the 8L version, about $80.

I use it a lot. I do fleet maintenance and I have several remote locations. I can change the oil and filters in my units with just a couple of small spots of oil left on the ground. Easy to clean and the old oil is in a sealed container ready to be taken to any store which accepts old oil. Much easier and neater than draining the 10qts in a pan, replacing the drain plug every 4th or 5th time (I'm a little pedantic at times), messing with trying to drain the oil into a sealable container and then having to clean and store the drain pan.

The first one I did I pulled the drain plug just to see how well it did. After 2 or 3 minutes I got maybe three small drops of oil from the pan.

Yep, it doesn't cost anything for equipment and gives you a chance to look underneath and see what's falling off. For those times in bad weather or for other times that come up where you just need to do a quick change and let the under car inspection wait until next time, I have YET to find a Mercedes that I could not drain the oil into a shallow pan with the car setting flat on a level floor.

If you think you can't get the drain plug out without raising the car, you must be trying to change oil while wearing your wedding tuxedo. Get some old clothes that you use specifically for the purpose and crawl under the car by the method that I call "walking on my shoulders."

what guy keeps a rented tux lol.

I can't even get the pan under the car without raising it up. It is much too close to the ground. Older models, sure, no problem.

I've had two hand pumpers(too slow or too small) then I got small 12v jabsco unit. Still not satisfied with speed. I you want to change piping hot oil think metal tank. The two I've been looking at for some time now (I'm a lazy, cheap SOB) are 6-1/4 Gallon Oil Extractor http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=46149
and Jabsco Porta Quick Oil Changer
http://www.jthelectronics.com/product/31416.html

Spend the money from the get go it's a great tool. Many uses, lawn mowers, snow blowers, rear ends, brake res. etc.....

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2006 CLK 500 coupe Capri Blue on Grey (zoom,zoom)
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04 VW TDI Passat 80,000mi
(Techno)

How to eliminate oil dependency through market-driven approaches.
“We could cut oil use in half by 2025, and by 2040, oil use could be zero,”
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Ode to MB

Yep, ramps are the way to go.

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Question Authority before it Questions you.

Those ramps are the best investment I have ever made, along with a floor jack. I remember back in the '60s seeing in the JC Whitney catalogue a quick-release drain plug with a cable that went to the dash. The idea was to pull the cable, drain the oil, and return the cable to closed when finished. Anyone know if this thing fizzled or not?

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Don't Chrome them; polish them

I don't know what kind of drain pan you're using or how much trouble you have with a half dozen or so little screws with an 8MM head.

I have removed the hush panel underneath 210 cars and 203 cars which are some of the newest with no trouble at all. A 1/4" ratchet, a short extension and an 8mm socket plus about three minutes and that thing is out of there. Takes no longer to put it back in place.

I have a couple of drain pans that will slide under any MB that I've tried. If you're driving an SL or an SLK, maybe they won't, but I expect that they will.

Come on folks, life is not a bowlful of Cherries at every turn. Put a just a little bit of effort in your work!

I'll bet it fizzled due to the difficulty and mess changing most cars' filters, under and/or behind the engines, not worth the cable installation to save draining.

I use an older TopSider, it's a 10-quart metal container, works great. Pulls as much oil as going under and getting to the plug, I've removed the pan from one car after sucking the oil out and it was empty.

I'll never go back to the under-the-car method, no advantage and lots more work. The topsider method is quick enough I can do a filter and oil while my wife changes for dinner (and I'm still clean).

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

"work smarter, not harder" cover it?

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

Hard to find fault in that statement.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff