well- i finally made my own unit-
i used a pressure tank from an under sink RO water purifier system, and use my veggy sucker /window A/C unit to pull vac. it works great, but is kinda slow. I am using 1/4" vinyl from icemaker for a pickup tube. all free parts.

i pulled the bladder out of tank, and removed the schrader valve. i will install a needle valve, to keep things clean if it gets knocked over. i thought of using a 20 lb propane tank, that would be easy, but i stumbled opun this, and it works great.

what is the OD on a real topsider tube?

well, no more getting under the car in the middle of winter to do an oil change

__________________
1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

all i can say is LAZY

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

I still prefer to crawl under my car and get ALL the oil out of the pan.

It's been argued till blue in the face that using either method, topsider or drain plug, will NOT get all of the oil out of the engine. Some tests have shown that the topsider, the method which the MB dealers have used since 1972 when MB designed the engine's oil dipstick tube to go all the way to the bottom of the sump with this oil change method in mind, gets 200-500ml more oil out of a level oil pan than the drain plug method.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Even still. I have my pride. I would get laughed out of the shop if I were to use one of those for something as simple as an oil change.

Window A/C unit to pull vac.?? How does that work?

I use a topsider for the generator oil changes, the plug is nearly on the floor. Same goes for small engine with hard to reach or messy output plugs.

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1986 190D, 2.5L, 5-speed swap, 180,000 Miles (60K by me).
Jeep CJ-7 with Cummins 4BT/NV4500/AtlastII 4.3.
Grand Wagoneer 4BT project in progress!

Just bought a multi use pump (including oil and gas) from Big Lots for only $5.99.
Just wanted to pass this along to anyone who might be thinking of buying one.

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Gary
85 300D Ivory, 202,000
Beatus exsisto Jesu, verus et Deus verus Vir

I'm switching over on the SD. Topsiders rule! No need to get under a dirty oily car, priceless.


They get enough oil out, did it on the S320. Manual said took almost 8 quarts, thats what came out and thats what went back in.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

well, it took a little more oil to get the mark up where it usually is when i change the oil, so i must be getting more out. i do not think it is worth the danger of loosening the cooler lines to get that oil out.


when you need to lay on sub zero concrete to change your oil, you may tend to put it off... not me anymore.

the first pic is my wvo sucker







next, the tube down the dipstick hole(wifes car, its raining outside on the benz)




this is the AC compressor- one line sucks, the other blows


heres the topsider- easy build. i can attach the other line from the compressor to the schrader valve and push the oil out. right now i need to turn it upsidedown to empty it, but i plan on adding a draw tube to the bottom. an old gas grill tank would work as well.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

Does the AC compressor need oil added periodically? Just thought there was normally oil in the system. That is what stopped me from trying to use a frig compressor.

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Joe Myers

'83 300D (light blue)
'82 300TD (off white - parked)
'87 300SDL (silver)

'75 300D (black - sold)
'76 300D (beige - totaled by pizza delivery car)
'82 300D (metalic blue) sold

who cares- they are free.

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1984 123.193 372,xxx miles, room for Seven.

1999 Dodge Durango Cummins 4BTAA 47RE 5k lb 4x4 getting 25+mpgs, room for Seven.

The idea is appealing, but for me I just gotta drain the oil. If nothing else it gets me under the car to check other things......and I have found other things.

Why in the world would anyone risk loosening the oil cooler lines just to change the bloody oil?

Wow. There is maintenance, over-maintenance, and obsession!

I don't see getting a few extra ounces of oil out of there as worth the trouble or risk. Even if there's some oil left in there (of course, there is) it's soon to be diluted with eight quarts of fresh stuff.

Very cool!

I had wanted to buy a pela (http://www.pelaproducts.com/) when i read about tdiclub memebers using it. Because it isnt easy changing oil in the passat

Plus these things are more efficent in draining more oil then letting it drip out from the drain in the oil pan.

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Current:
05 E320 CDI
07 GL320 CDI
08 Sprinter
05 Dodge Cummins
01 Dodge Cummins

Previous
2004 E55 AMG
2002 C32 AMG (#2)
1995 E300
1978 300D
1987 300D
2002 C32 AMG(blown motor :[
1981 300SD
1983 300SD
1987 300SDL
2002 Jetta TDI
1996 S420
1995 S500
1993 190E 2.6
1992 190E 2.3
1985 190E 2.3 5-Speed

I use a topsider myself, but I have a hard time believing they actually get more (unless by 'efficient' you're just talking about the time it takes) oil out than using the drain plug would. I've always figured it's the same, or that at worst the topsider would get about 100 ml less out.

How would they get more? I guess I could picture a very thin layer of oil that maybe wouldn't drain, but it would have to be a pretty miniscule amount, I would think.

I typically guesstimate that I have about 400 ml left in the oil cooler lines (based on the dipstick reading), which seems consistent with what others have said they think they have.

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Ralph

1985 300D Turbo, CA model
248,650 miles and counting...