A "Topsider" you can use with Hot oil
 

For all you folks who want to take your oil out the top instead of taking it out the bottom AND you want to drain it hot, there is a heavy duty evacuation system available at www.ontool.com.

Thought there might be some of you interested.

Me, I'll continue to drain it out the bottom and look around underneath to see what might be leaking or falling off while I'm under there.

Good luck,

Larry, just wondering how you go about getting under your vehicle to change the oil. Do you put it up on those platforms that are available, or do you crawl under the car without 'em? My car would be very difficult to get under, but I would like to do it myself if I could figure out a handy way. TIA

Mike
'90 300CE

Actually I use the standard plastic topsider on operating temp oil. I have an infrared thermometer, so I can measure the temp of the oil that comes out. Usually my oil is around 160 F or so when I use the topsider and I have not had any problems at all so far.

I do not, however, pump it fifty times and then use it on hot oil. I pump it 5-10 times at a time so that there is less pressure on the container while the hot oil is in it in order to avoid the possibility of a meltdown.

Works so far.

I use my LiquiVac with hot oil, and no problems so far. (touching zebrano wood)

Larry,

Thanks for the post!

Regards

If ground clearance is an issue and your going to drain in the traditional fashion, ramps are the way to go if you're a diyer working at home.

The tubing always collapses on mine!! And then oil barely seeps through! I always wind up pumping atleast 300 times to get all of the oil out... and that's with no leaks. And I even wait about 20 minutes after driving it.

300 times David!! You must be getting some serious muscles!!

Mike,

I most often run it onto a couple of 2X12's which allow me to work myself under for inspection without raising it up so much that some of the oil gets caught in the rear of the upper portion of the oil pan. But, you can drain the oil by simply sliding a drain pan underneath without raising the car and reach under to take out the drain plug. You will have to lay on your side to do this, so put on your old clothes first.

Ali,

160 degrees F is not operating temperature for your oil. Full operating temperature is a little over 200. You will need to drive the car about 17 miles to get the oil to full temp. The coolant temp will come up in just a few miles, but oil temp lags by quite a bit.

Good luck,

Which unit are you referring to and which category can I find it?

Larry:

You're absolutely correct in the case of an MB, especially the 103 motors where the oil drain plug is more to the front. I'll keep the 2X12 thing in the back of my mind. Might also work for a tranny fluid change. I have a 103 motor in a 126 chassis and actually manage to drain oil from the bottom as you do w/o lifting the vehicle. I simply pull the large shroud from underneath to gain access to the oil drain plug. In my case, ramps come in handy when you want to do a thorough under-carriage review - look for leaks, etc.

The ramp approach has been good for alot of Asian models that have the drain plug placed more to the rear.

Larry,

You're turning this into a black art of sorts! OK I did not know that. Very interesting.

I was wondering if anyone has ever replaced the topsider plastic drain tube with one made of silicone? Seems to me that it'd be the ticket.

Kuan

Larry,

I know that you have to run the car for at least 17 miles to get the oil fully hot. I usually drive it more than that before I change the oil.

However, regarding temp, I find that it takes a large amount of prolonged idling on a hot day in order for the oil temp to reach as high as 200F.

I checked the temp after a 300 mile drive in 75F weather and found the oil to be around 170F.

Larry,

Thanks very much. I hate to beat this subject to death, but I want to confirm that you are saying that only the slightly under 2 inch thickness of the 2X12s provides enough clearance to get you under the car to change the oil and check stuff out under the car? If you can please confirm this, I will get some 2X12s myself, and adopt your method. Thanks again.

Mike
'90 300CE

Hehehehe, Larry's built like a rail. He could probably slide under the "C" without ramps :eek: .