THE NEATEST top sider oil extraction system!
 

Last time I used this extractor, I sucked the oil out of the oil filter housing first before sucking out the dipstick. This time, I sucked the dipstick first but with the oil filter housing lid loose (to let air in) and the oil filler cap closed (to keep air from coming in). After the oil was totally evacuated from the oil pan, the oil filter housing was totally empty as was the filter element which lifted out into the catch pan without spilling a drop.


CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_104926.mp4



Here's the home made evacuator. Helium balloon tank holds 5 gallons. 12V vacuum pump running off a battery charger (leads not long enough to run off battery). Any vacuum pump will do (refrig compressor, AC refrig evacuator etc). Video is self explanatory.

CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO! The sound in the background is a leaf blower running across the street, not my vacuum pump.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_104451.mp4


Drains itself by gravity. Not one drop was spilled in the process! This has to be the neatest oil extractor system for the 617. I have a Mityvac oil extractor brand new that a forum member gave me when he moved to Europe but I have never used it because my DIY extractor is better and much neater. The key to it's success is the 3/4" i.d 1/8" wall thickness vinyl hose which stretches over the dipstick tube.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_120059.jpg

Sometimes Harbor Freight puts this on a good sale...
Pneumatic Oil Extractor
It is very well made and might suit someone who does not want to weld or braze to one of those types of containers...

VStech tried that with a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket and an old refrigerant recovery machine he had handy. It completely collapsed the bucket. This looks a lot more promising. I bet John has an empty refrigerant jug handy...

I hate when that happens......

The HF unit may very well be well made but it operates very differently (in a negative way) than my DIY extractor. Mine goes over the dipstick tube. The HF unit goes inside the dipstick tube with a long skinny tube, which takes longer to extract the oil and makes it more messy to use and clean. The biggest negative is that it won't extract the oil filter and its housing. You may be able to modify the HF unit to work the same as my design by adding a larger hose that fits over the dipstick tube.

That is correct. MB has designed their dipstick tube to be sealed to the pan and extend all the way to the bottom for this purpose. If you put the hose at the top of the tube you will have all the oil out in no time.

If I knew he was going to do that, I woulda told him to not waste his time. A bucket is the wrong shape with straigh/ flat unsupported sides. Even a steel 55 gal drum will collapse with 2" HG of vacuum.

How long does your setup take and does it get all the oil? I use the topsider and it's ok so far, but takes about 15 min with a dbl pump and never quite gets all the oil out: about 1.5 qts short. Yes, the hose does tend to fling oil too :mad: I figure I will have to drain it normally every 4-5th time.

With a tight seal to the top of the dipstick tube, practically every drop of oil will come out into the extractor. If you are not pulling all the oil out then you are not getting a tight seal.

Drilling or brazing or welding to sealed containers can be fatal....
people really need to research this before attempting it.....
That really looks like a non reusable type of AC refrigerant container....
my helium is in a regular heavy welding type of tank... not that thin walled portable container....

Jeez - I have been using the topsider for about 10 years and I pump it about 20+ times and it still takes 20+ minutes to drain 8 qts. Plenty of time to go fetch a beer while you wait. It can be messy if you don't clean out the dip stick tube well enough too.

I gravity drained the oil into the gallon jug just to show how it works. Normally I take the tank to the town recycling facility. All I need is a horizontal plank so the tank can stand upright and let it rip. Here's also where the 3/4 i.d. hose size comes in handy (as opposed to 3/8 i.d.), it gravity drains pretty fast without adding pressure (who wants extra complexity?). I estimate with cold oil it will gravity drain 4 gallons in a few minutes. The vacuum fitting is a gutted Schrader valve silver soldered to the tank with a metal stem cap to keep oil from spilling during storage/transport as well as an air inlet while draining.

Here's a really nice DIY funnel. I made it for the VW where the valve cover has a plastic guard under the filler hole which prevents use a regular funnel without having to holding it in place with one hand which makes the job very clumpsy. This one is made from a Simply Orange container and fits tight in the filler hole. The mouth is slightly too big but a file will reduce it in diameter so it fits tight (make it a taper when you file). It fits just as well in the Mercedes valve cover.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_114326.jpg

Don't throw the other half out! It serves as a funnel storage.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_114926.jpg

It takes a few seconds to suck all the oil out. I.e. I crimp the 3/4" hose with vise grips, let the vac build for about 2 minutes and undo vise grip and it's sucked dry in a few seconds. I repeat that a few times as the oil is still dripping down from up top into the pan. Afterwards, if I take the drain plug out, not one drop will come out. Is that good enough for ya lol?

Off course, use common sense in whatever you do. Let out the pressure and make sure there is no flammables left when you braze. This Helium balloon tank has the same size/ shape/ weight/ construction as freon tanks and will hold 28" HG with no problem. The only difference is the output fitting. The Helium balloon tank has a hand squeezed nipple valve to fill balloons with.

This is the o-ring kit that has the right size o-rings for the oil filter cap stem.Dorman 799-450 I bought from Autozone. I have 4 other o-ring kits both metric and sae but none have the size that fits as well as the Dorman kit.

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_115448.jpg

The red wire nuts marks the 2 that are the right size.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c3...201_115442.jpg