I'm preparing for a DIY oil change and considering purchasing one of those vacuum extractors to suck the oil out of the dipstick tube instead of crawling under the vehicle and removing the cover and drain plug for a gravity drain. From what I've read on the various car forums, extraction has become a mainstream method for some shops and DIYers.

Is anyone using this method with their LR2? If so, which extractor are you using (e.g., MityVac, OEMTools)? I will need a unit with a hand pump since I don't have compressed air.

 

Personally, I would not bother with that. It's easy enough to drain it from underneath.

 

It's more than the convenience of not getting under the car, it's also lower risk. No stripped drain plugs or mess on the floor.

I'm leaning towards getting the MityVac. I'll post back after I pull the trigger.

 

If you are going to do it anyway, I suggest the first time you use the device to extract the oil, when you think it is finished doing so, open the drain plug anyway to see how much oil comes out. If there is still any significant amount in the oil pan, this will be very bad for the engine over time. The deposits and sludge in that remaining oil can cause problems.

 

Yep, that's the common criticism for the extraction method. It leaves too much oil in the pan, and it's the dirtiest oil that sinks to the bottom which gets left behind. The counterpoint is that the oil left behind is minimal and it won't contain sludge if you have been changing the oil regularly. Based on all the Youtube videos I've watched, it varies by car model since it depends on the configuration of the oil pan relative to the contact point from the dipstick tube.

My objective is to avoid the under car experience, but if I feel ambitious I might check it as you suggested. Otherwise, it's a tradeoff I can live with. I'm more likely to change the oil more frequently if it's a simple task, and that will be good in the long run.

 

Changing the oil doesn't remove the sludge if you don't remove it in the first place. But hey, it's your engine to burn. Suit yourself.

 

I'll throw in my 2 cents, I am not a fan of this method but better than nothing.....given that and the commitment displayed, I'd make sure to drive the vehicle and then change the oil as viscous as possible especially with this technique. I take it you will also be changing the filter at the same time?

 

The recommended approach is to extract the oil while it's warm and flows easily, just as you described. I will also be changing the filter which is accessible from the topside of the engine.

I was thinking that a compromise solution might be to do a gravity drain every 3rd oil change.

 

I pulled the trigger on a Mityvac #7201 8.8L extractor ( ). I also considered buying a different unit, the OEMTools #24397 9.5L extractor, as it has a slightly larger tank. But I decided to go with the Mityvac since it's a more popular brand and I thought I'd have an easier time finding parts, if needed. The price on this Mityvac moves around on Amazon, so you can set an alert to try to catch a price level that works for you.

I used it this weekend to change my oil without any drama. There are several Youtube videos demonstrating how they work, so I won't repeat all those steps here. But I'll mention some points beyond what I read online:

- There are two clear vinyl hoses that connect to each other. One goes into the dipstick tube and the other goes into the extractor. They are each five feet long for a total of ten feet, which is plenty long. The larger dipstick hose provided is 6.6mm OD which fits into the LR2 dipstick tube perfectly. I could feel it bottom out on the floor of the oil pan.

- I discovered that the rubber union which connects the two hoses is not permanently attached to one of them, as I thought it was. It fell off but luckily not while I was extracting. So I just pushed it back in and secured it with some Gorrilla tape.

- It requires ten pumps for a strong vacuum to extract the warm oil. I had to pump again after 4 quarts filled the tank. I stepped away to do other things while it was extracting, so I did not time exactly how long it takes to capture all the oil. But I would estimate a total of 10 - 15 minutes including the additional pumping required.

- Based on the markings on the tank, it extracted a little over 8 quarts. Before extracting, I loosened the oil filter cap so it would drain into the pan. And I topped off the oil level to the full mark last week. So the extraction volume is in the ballpark for what I expected. The fact that the hose hits the bottom of the oil pan when I pushed it into the dipstick tube was reassuring.

- This unit has a feature where you can reverse the flow and dispense liquid from the tank. But I found it easier to simply pour the oil into my recycle jugs from the spout at the top.

PROS

- You don't have to raise the vehicle, change your clothes, and get under the car. You could do this wearing a tuxedo.
- No messing with the drain plug in an aluminum oil pan.

CONS

- There is cleanup time involved. At the end of the job, I ran a mixture of water and Dawn detergent through the hoses to clean them.
- This is another piece of equipment to store in your already cluttered garage or closet.

In summary, this works for me. I'm a renter and have assigned parking in a lot with limited space, so this is a convenient solution. But if I had a garage, I might be just as happy doing a gravity drain.

Also, this is not a time-saver. The cleanup time for the hoses offsets time saved not having to raise the vehicle and go underneath. So I would say that extraction and gravity drain methods take about the same amount of time if you consider the job from start to end.

The real PITA for most oil changes is changing the filter, which is always fun on the LR2 trying to snake the filter cartridge in and out. It's much easier if you remove both the Power Steering reservoir out of the way (to the right) and the Windshield Wiper Fluid neck filler (to the left, remove one 10mm bolt). Also, I wore a welder's sleeve to protect my arm from the hot components as I reached in.

I'll be changing my oil & filter more frequently now. I haven't decided yet if I'll go by mileage or the visible condition of the oil.

 

FWIW, you can change the oil without jacking the vehicle, barely, if you're not too big. I jack the front for convenience but I have a floor jack and jackstands handy so it's easy, and I also take the opportunity to inspect the chassis. Jacking the front also helps the oil flow out of the pan (drains at the rear).

If you do the extraction method, be sure to give the car a good run to get everything hot and suspended in the oil (not on the bottom of the pan). If you're running synthetic in a properly maintained engine, probably not going to be any sludge anyway.