MitiVac Fluid Evacuator vs. Topsider
 

I just changed my oil using the MitiVac Fluid Evacuator Plus, 8.8 liter model. This unit made changing the oil so much easier than with the metal Topsider unit I used previously. The Topsider never sealed properly due to the flimsy tin cap for the pump. I would have to pump the Topsider many extra times throughout the oil change process just to get it to work. The MitiVac unit is a much superior design in my opinion. I ordered mine from The Tool Warehouse based on prior info posted here. The price of $56.05 is the best I've found. (I have no ties to MitiVac or The Tool Warehouse but am one happy camper now that I can convert my Topsider to a rather expensive gas can.)

MitiVac link

I second that. I ordered the Mityvac after my Liquivac bought the dust. The Mityvac is a much superior product.

Can this Mityvac be used to get a small amount of oil (sample) for analysis? Is it very easy to avoid contamination - like are the tubes designed so they don't get a bunch of dirt on the ends between oil changes ?

Never used one of these before but it has to be better than the 6 ft. of vinyl hose that I've sucked on to get a syphon started before.

My Mityvac 8.8 broke. I think mine was labeled with the brand name 'Tempo', but it is the same device.

Fell only about 2 feet onto pavement while in its box off the back of my boat. Cracked wide open near base. Obviously my fault for dropping it, but I was surprised it was so fragile.
I was mostly happy with it up until that point. The pumping mechanism was very powerful and efficient. The 3 tube sizes came in handy, but were cumbersome to store and transport. Clear canister was nice for seeing where you were at.
I was a little disappointed with the container, in that it could not be capped (just an open spout). Transporting it with residual waste oil in there could get very messy, and its tall profile made it prone to tipping. Design is such that opening it up for cleaning would have been a big challenge. I just put it in a big plastic bag, but it was always a big mess pulling it out again. Oily tube assembly needed its own messy bag.

No plug in my boat, so I bought a Topsider last week.
The vacuum mechanism is not nearly as good.
Vacuum is on the pull instead of the push, which makes for harder work. Needs to be held down with your 3rd hand while you pull. Short stroke. Tedious operation. Got quite a workout sucking just 5 quarts.
Only has 1 tube size. Cheapos did not include a can spout for pouring, though it takes a standard off-the-shelf spout. Seals tight- much neater to transport and store, and will not tip over.

Hey, and the metal can is not going to shatter...

Cressida:

I think it would be very easy to suck a small amount of oil out with the MitiVac. To avoid contamination you would need to clean the tubes and container out after each use. This could be done by sucking a parts cleaner or other solution through the unit that would dissolve the old oil. Keeping the tubes and unit clean between uses would depend on how and where you store it.


csnow:

MitiVac must have changed the design because mine has an expanding plug to seal the pouring hole on the top. I agree that the container can be top heavy when full so I just empty mine into a cheap plastic gas can for disposal. Did you ask the company to replace the unit because it cracked?

How many pumps does it take the Mityvac to empty a crankcase?

Jerry

How Many Pumps
 

My MitiVac was able to empty the crank case of my '97 E320 with a first round of 10 pumps followed by a second round of 8 or so.

My oil was 5w-30 and it was very hot.

First time I used it and it seems to be a great gadget.