totita

Anybody changed the oil on a CLK 550 by vacuuming it using a pump? How long does the tube that goes into the dipstick tube needs to be? Any other tips?
Thanks. aid advance.

Yidney

Lots of people do it that way. There are a fair number of posts about it. For some reason I thought you put the tube in where the filter goes and not the dipstick, but I could be wrong.

Fatz

I evacuate through the dipstick tube. With the oil warm/hot, it only takes a few minutes to empty the pan (you have to pump a lot if the oil is cold). Generally, by the time I remove the filter the evacuation is done. I use a mityvac but haven't measured the tube. It is probably 4-5ft considering the mityvac is sitting on the floor next to the car.

beejAMG

ive been using an electric pump bought on ebay for less the AU$30 iirc with no issue. you insert the tube in the dipstick, push it all the way until you feel resistance. you dont have to worry about the length of the tube as all will be more than enough.

easiest way to change oil but imo, draining from the oil pan is best to clean out debris and gunk from inside the engine. i try to alternate sucking from the dipstick and draining from the pan every yr.

Rudeney

After almost 90K miles on my CLK550 with only sucking the oil out with a MityVac, I dropped the oil pan to reseal it. It was so clean, you could eat of of it (well, if you didn't mind a film of 0w40!). The only sludge or debris I found was in the pump pickup, and that was a bunch of broken o-ring material that my dumb-as-rocks local friendly dealer's shop left in the engine when they did my "balance shaft" repair.

insame1

Watch this and you will never drain from the pan again. The only way you are going to get more stuff out of the pan then the suction method is to drop the entire pan.

beejAMG

I dont disagree with both your experiences, I too use the suction method, but like I said, IMO, gravity is better than extraction.

the video is very informative although id like to think that car makers came up with better design to actually drain the engine oil to the last drip since the 80's. not to mention the extractor featured in the video is sold by his friend. could be a bit bias there.

not disproving any of your claims whatsover. but saying ill never drain from the pan again after watching the video is like saying ill never go into the water again after watching jaws.

ill be changing the engine oil in my W212 soon, just waiting for other parts to come in so i can do all at one go. ill drain from the plug till the last drip, change the oil filter then put the plug back and then ill extract from the dipstick and see if theres any oil left before I refill. again, not to prove or disprove anything or anybody but since im doin it, might as well find out for myself.

ALFAitalia

Main Merc dealers suck it out rather than use the drain plug (at least here in the UK).....which is why when I bought my wifes 99 R170 SLK a few years back the drain bolt was seized solid....never been out. It rounded off nicely!! lol....soft metal!

insame1

I think that is a great idea. Please report back I am interested to find out.

Also I personally use a mity vac.

beejAMG

Definitely.

I reckon Mityvac is better than the cheap ebay electric pulg-in-the-battery suction that I have. Spark plug is taking a while but I hope to get it today in the mail as thats the only part Im waiting for now. hope I can do it over the weekend.

beejAMG

UPDATE...

sorry took me a while but I finally found the time to do the oil change yesterday, and I couldnt be more wrong.

i put the car in about 20 degree incline, removed oil cap from engine and then removed the oil sump plug from underneath. drained till about 1 drop every 3 seconds. waited for a few minutes and I didnt see it slowing down so i started to use the suction from the dip stick thinking how much more can i get right? WRONG...i sucked prolly about 300-400ml more! (sorry forgot to take pics or video but i guess proving myself wrong is proof enough )

so there you go. if anybody asks is it better to drain or suck engine oil. this thread can be a good reference. i sure learned something yesterday. its so much easier, faster not to mention cleaner to use suction. needless to say, i ended up cleaning some drips on my driveway.

xsever

Thanks for sharing your experience. I did not want to post anything as I awaited your post, but I've seen my dad win a free oil change bet with the mechanic that services his E-class!

He bet him that after the draining from underneath is done, the pump will still pull some oil out and I stood there and watched the whole thing unfold.

I knew the outcome already, but to see my dad win the bet against the mechanic, yeah well that was priceless!

beejAMG

no worries. just took me some time as ive been busy given the season.

only consolation i can think of from goin under is i was able to clean the splash guards and sprayed degreaser under the engine bay to clean dirt and gunk.

dave2001auto

If the plug is on the rear, inclining will help drain the oil from the plug. If elsewhere, it will hinder a plug drain.

dave2001auto

What is the insertion tube size id and od? What type of plastic or rubber? Where to purchase them?

insame1

Thanks for reporting back. So may of these threads dead end with no resolution. Happy motoring

Fatz

The drain plug is on the drivers side of the pan. Whereas you would generally have the car inclined for DIY, the shops will have it on a lift or over a dugout and there would be no incline. If the drain plug was on the bottom of the pan it probably wouldn't make much of a difference.

Yidney

Well, this is interesting because I have always been a drain plug person. But I'm still confused - or at least curious. 300-400ml is basically the amount of a standard 12 oz can of soda. That's a lot. Having been under there many times and seeing how the pan is designed (from the outside) and where the plug is located, I can't see where that much would hide if the car is tipped slightly toward the drain plug. Can anybody explain how that much could still be in there? Is there like a lip or bulge in the casting inside the lower pan where the threaded hole is? That's the only thing that makes sense to me. That could allow like a quarter inch or so to stay in the pan, which is probably what you need to get 12 ounces.

Yidney

I just looked at some pics of pans for sale on ebay. I can see how some remains no matter what. It would also be important to have the car not just tipped back, but also to the side a bit. If your driveway tipped the car away from the plug - even a little - I can see how 12 oz might be possible. If tipped towards the drain, 12 oz seems impossible, but a few tablespoons would remain. But as a guy who is **** enough to clean out all the recesses in the filter housing, I guess I'll buy a pump.

megacrazy

I think you guys are getting a little crazy with getting all the oil out. Even if 400ml remain that's like 5% of the overall oil capacity. I don't think even the dealer gets all that out.

That being said, I've used a pump the last couple of times...it's much simpler. You're not getting all the oil out if you're draining from the bottom either or any of the "debris". I really don't see any minuses for using a pump.

Fatz

To tip the pan such that the drain side is lower than the other side of the pan you would have to jack the car from the passenger side only. That might make it a bit tight to get to the drain side, especially if the car is lowered. (Besides, if you do that using the side jack pad, you would be under the car without a jack stand. NOT a good idea.)

If you use the center jack point, with the drain being toward the front of the pan, my guess is that you would leave even more of the old oil in the pan, as it would pool to the rear. When I DIY (most of the time), I use a mityvac.

insame1

San the fact that you can get all the oil out I would think the suction would help get out derbies. Also I dont mind answering the nosy neighbors questions about what I am doing while I'm standing in front of my car drinking a beer.

Yidney

My driveway is mostly flat, but has a slight slope of maybe three inches. So I put my car on ramps with the car "sideways" in the driveway. That way I have both slopes I need and plenty of room to work.

beejAMG

like i mentioned earlier in this thread. I prefer draining over suction. but after i did my oil change on my car, I prolly wouldnt bother too much to go under again, unless i want to inspect for any leaks and clean it at the same time.

also, i didnt post my update to convince anybody to do the same, or to prove or disprove anything or anybody. you can do your own way, whatever floats your boat. i just have to post my findings as promised to insame1.

beejAMG

Hi Dave, sorry I missed your post. are you referring to the hose that goes into the dipstick tube? if you are, dont worry about the size as all are the same I reckon. it will go through all the way to the bottom. its made of plastic and I purchased it on ebay. very cheap but does the job. although a lot of members here recommend Mytivac and ive read good reviews about it.