Oil change with oil extractor - used oil amount?

TDI-NC

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2002
Location
NC
TDI
2000 VW Golf TDI
I used an oil extractor for my first oil (and filter) change this weekend. My oil level was a little on the low side. I was only able to extract 3/4 gal of used oil out of the car ('00 Golf TDI). I poured a gallon of Delvac 1 in and my oil level is at the top mark.

Using the extractor is this amount of used oil typical? I figured there would be more.

What are the opinions concerning the use of oil extractors?

TDI-NC
 

volmaniac

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2003
Location
McFadden's Ford, Stones River NMP M'boro, TN
TDI
02 Golf GLS
i used the pela to extract the oil from the pan as well as the to suck most of the oil out of the filter housing. i got over a gallon of old oil out of mine at the 10k change, and put back a little over 1 gallon (the full gallon plus a little more, 1/4 to 1/2 quart.

the obvious way to make sure you get it all out would be to open the drain plug after the extraction and see if any more comes out. but i did not bother as it seemed i pulled over a gallon anyways.

i think most tdi'ers with extractors like them.
 

debensey

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2002
Location
Houston, Texas
If you got a gallon of new oil in there without overfilling, then I can only conclude that you got all the old oil out, or so close to it that it didn't matter. Remember, with the Pela, or any other suction device, you can get the oil out of the filter housing and oil cooler. I am confident that with the top side oil change I'm leaving no more than a film of oil in the pan.
 

ruking

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 27, 2003
Location
San Jose area, CA
TDI
2003 VW Jetta, 5 M, Reflex Silver: 09 Jetta, 6 Sp DSG, Candy White: 12 VW Touareg, 8 Sp A/T, Flint Gray
Four things make the extractor makes sense 1. topside oil filter chartridge change 2. can extract the oil and change oil filter without going under the vehicle 3 More than one nut to undo from the bottom. 4 Time and mess savings

So if I still had to go under the car to change the oil filter it would not make as much sense to buy and maintain an extractor.
 

RichC

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 14, 2002
Location
Cincinnati, OH
TDI
Others: 82 MB 300D Turbodiesel & 2010 BMW X5 35D
I respect anyone wanted to still drain their oil because getting a good look under your car is probably not a bad idea ... but for me it is a no-brainer. The oil extraction (Anything similar to the Pela 6000) just makes too much sense. It can be done standing up and seems to remove more used oil than a drain. (oil in oil filter housing) The 20 - 30 minute extraction is so easy that I can't imagine wanting to stress out about cracking the 'dust cover' under the car or cross threading the steel drain plug in the cast aluminum oil pan.

Although the extraction is not without its comical 'quirks;' read about Neel's Pela Change is just too funny.
 

VDubVerruckt

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2003
Location
Scottsdale, Arizona
TDI
2003 Golf GL, Reflex Silver
I did my 10,000-mile oil change 2 weeks ago with my new Pela extractor. Excellent. I loved the fact that I could suck the old oil out of the filter housing. I added a gallon of Delvac 1 and topped it off to the specified level with a quart of the Mobil 1 Truck/SUV oil. My father-in-law, who was visiting from Germany, thought it was the coolest thing he's seen. (He's getting one for his birthday.)
 

Dorado

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2001
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
New Beetle TDI, 2002, Cool White
The Pela reads in liters so that's how I measure: we get 4.5 liters out (about 4 liters out of the dipstick hole, plus about a half liter from the oil filter housing and oil cooler below). Using a measure funnel, we add a full gallon of Delvac-1 plus .7 liters, which adds up to the same 4.5 we took out. The oil level before and after is exactly the same. /images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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