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  #1  
Old 12-19-2001, 11:06 AM
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Which is best-Topsider or Liquivac?

Which oil change device is best and why? What are the trade offs? Griot's Garage sells one but does it hold enough for a 300E? Thanks.

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  #2  
Old 12-19-2001, 11:30 AM
pmizell's Avatar
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Liquivac

I bought this liquivac and it works great, and has plenty of resevoir space for any job. Retails for about $30.



Good luck!

~Paul

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  #3  
Old 12-19-2001, 11:40 AM
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$30 would be a terrific buy. The capacity is 8 quarts so for our diesels it is a push,

I used the other day to change the oil in the 1987 300TD and I pulled out a little over 8 quarts out of the engine and I saw some oil came out of the pump handle. At this point, I do not know if the pump seal has failed or it was due to over capacity.

Will try in water to see if it is damaged.
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  #4  
Old 12-19-2001, 03:01 PM
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Where did you get it?

The only place I saw one is cal products-$49+$10 shipping=$60 and not $30.

Thanks for your opinion. Have you ever used the topsider?
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  #5  
Old 12-19-2001, 04:27 PM
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Fastest oil change in the west!

I made my own. A long time ago, as a toy, I bought a small vane pump that went on a power drill but never found much use for it. Then I saw these top extration things here that gave me food for thought. I found a vinyl hose that would fit and used it just the other day. It worked great! It sucked the oil out in a couple of minutes, and never had to get under the car. It foamed up the oil coming out though, not that mattered
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  #6  
Old 12-19-2001, 08:58 PM
btw77
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Thumbs up

I got my Liquivac from Northerntool. It was 44.99 and included free UPS ground shipping. I have not had a chance to try it out yet as my first oil change was done from below. Also I am not sure if the free UPS ground shipping offer is still available or not but you can ask them.



http://www.northerntool.com
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  #7  
Old 12-19-2001, 10:47 PM
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I do not have Liquivac. I cannot say anything about it. But I bought six Topsiders within a 2 month period when it was on sale. It worked great for me but some of my friends had problem using it. The problem was the pump cylinder which will come loose or off if the operator is pumping in a wrong angle. The pump is mounted to the can at about 80 degree. For some people, it needs practice to get the job done right.

David
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  #8  
Old 12-20-2001, 07:37 AM
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I have a topsider. Been using it for about a year now, no problems yet. I got it a place that sells boat stuff, $40 I think. They said any boat place would cary them, as they use them allot on boats.

Just my .02

Thanks
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Just sold em all !! Curently driving a, 06.5 VW GTI

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  #9  
Old 12-20-2001, 09:14 AM
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I always wanted a Shurflo Oil Change system but it is expensive ($150). My LiquiVac is good but a litle slow.

I just ordered the Shurflo system today from http://www.c-mesales.com/ for $94.

See the picture.
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Which is best-Topsider or Liquivac?-shurflo.jpg  
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  #10  
Old 12-20-2001, 04:56 PM
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Just my 2 cents... I bought a Tempo from Travis Marine. It was about $35. Holds 5 quarts, so it does need to be emptied once during change. But, only takes 10 pumps to do that. AND unlike the other products, YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR OIL WHILE IT'S BLAZING HOT!!! I really went for a topsider and this is what they had instead - and I love it.
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  #11  
Old 12-20-2001, 08:17 PM
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Hey loubapache -- thanks for the electric oil changer link. I ordered one as soon as I saw it.

The original Topsider collapsed on me and the LiquiVac started leaking at the top seam.

I'll give a full report once I use the new device.
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Lance Allison
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Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

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  #12  
Old 12-20-2001, 08:20 PM
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Hey, Lance:

How did the intake cleaning go on your VW?
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  #13  
Old 12-20-2001, 08:36 PM
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Actually, we started tearing into it and realized the intake wasn't restricted at all. I think with the amount of highway driving I do (about 1000-1200 miles/wk), synthetic oil, and disconnected EGR, the intake hasn't had a chance to clog up.

Maybe I'll check out the MB intake once I'm moving around better. I'm currently having some knee issues resulting from surgery to repair a broken femur. Yuk!!
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Lance Allison
Lance@LanceAllison.com

Current:
11 MB S550 4Matic, 55k miles, Designo Black/Black
14 Ford F150 XLT Lariat Crew, 73k miles, 5.0
Coyote V8 4x4. Black/tan.
09 GMC Envoy Denali, 5.3 V8, 4x4 SWB. 38k miles,
Jewel Red/Med Gray.

Gone:
87 MB 300SDL, 320k miles, Astral Silver/Blue.
98 VW Jetta TDI, 488k miles, Classic Green/Gray.
85 Olds 98 Brougham FWD, 4.3 DIESEL V6, 80k
miles, 3x Gray.

MBCA Member, Chicago Region
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  #14  
Old 12-21-2001, 07:07 AM
LarryBible
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One of the reasons I still drain my oil the old fashioned way is that it gives me a regular look underneath the front of the car. I can see if there are any leaks, anything loose or falling off, etc.

I recommend that if you use one of the devices to draw your oil out the top, that you still raise the car and give it a good inspection underneath at that same interval.

Merry Christmas,
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  #15  
Old 12-21-2001, 09:18 AM
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Location: Western Michigan
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The problem with many of the cars we have is that they have the belly panel. It requires the removal of so many screws just for an oil change.

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