How to pump oil out of an engine through a dipstick

Let's start with the fact that not all car enthusiasts know that exceeding the oil level in the internal combustion engine is just as undesirable as underfilling the lubricant. The reason is quite obvious, since everyone knows about the consequences of oil starvation and running an engine without oil. As a result, many firmly believe that the more oil you pour into the engine, the better for the engine. Let us immediately note that this is not so.

Of course, the consequences of overflowing oil into the engine are not so critical for the internal combustion engine, and may not appear immediately. However, they still exist. In some cases, gaskets and seals begin to leak, in others the engine cokes more, excess lubricant gets into various systems, etc.

It should also be added that not all car owners also know how to properly add oil to the engine and check the lubricant level in the engine. For this reason, there are also many underfills and overfills. Next we will talk about what to do if the driver accidentally filled the oil above the level, as well as how to pump oil out of the engine.

Changing oil through a tube

How is the oil changed through the dipstick tube? The procedure itself is easy and takes about 15-20 minutes. Most of the time is spent waiting for the oil to flow from the pan into a special container. There are special installations for changing oil through a dipstick, the cost of which is low. One such installation costs about 1000 rubles.

It is worth noting that many car service centers use this device to change oil through a dipstick, but basically it is ideal for independent use when it is not possible to go to a service station.

Examination

To understand how effectively the electric pump coped with its task, lift the car on a lift and unscrew the drain plug in the pan. The oil flows out quite intensively. During our last experiment, when we used a vacuum installation for similar work, this did not happen.

We waited until the remaining oil in the system drained completely to assess its volume. Almost 200 ml has been collected!

The conclusion is obvious: you should not change the engine oil yourself using an electric pump. And although the device is interesting, it clearly needs improvement.

Device for changing oil through dipstick

This device is quite simple, and its operating principle is based on creating a pressure difference inside and outside the container. It consists of:

Main tank.
A pump for pumping air out of the tank and creating a pressure difference.
A hose through which oil will flow from the oil pan.

The process looks like this:

Combine all these elements. That is, connect the hose to the tank, insert the pump into it from above.
Insert the hose into the hole for the oil dipstick until it stops. That is, until the tip of the hose rests on the bottom of the pan. The hose itself is quite thin, so it easily penetrates the hole.
You pump out the air and create a pressure difference. You need to pump until it becomes hard.
Afterwards the pump can be removed. Due to the presence of a check valve in the main tank, the pressure inside will not go anywhere. Engine oil will begin to slowly flow into the main tank.

Depending on what viscosity of oil is used and what condition it is in, the process of changing the oil through the dipstick will last about 10-15 minutes. It rarely lasts 20 minutes if the replacement is carried out on a car with a large engine.

Draining oil with washer pump

This is the same budgetary, but labor-intensive and “dangerous” path. There are a lot of washer pumps - you want them from VAZ, you want them from GAZ, you want them from VAG. But remember - they are not designed for pumping oil, even when heated, which means they can fail at any time.

For example, let’s take the KALUGA ENTS2512 washer pump, which produces a power of 1.1 atmospheres and is powered by 12 Volts. Perfectly suits our conditions. You still need to buy tubes for it - you can take any, but it is better to choose oil- and gasoline-resistant ones, for obvious reasons. Another important parameter will be the internal diameter of the tube - it is 5 millimeters. In order not to deceive yourself, we take 4 meters of such a hose and cut it in half.

Then we need to somehow power this pump. On its body there are 2 male connectors - positive and negative. We buy (or get it by any other possible means) 2 female connectors, 2 wires and crocodiles. We also make sure to buy a syringe - any one, the main thing is that its nozzle fits the cross-section of the tube, it will be useful to us later. We put it all together and get a pump that can be powered from the battery. The main thing is not to confuse the polarity.

After you have decided through which fitting the pump draws liquid, connect the hoses, insert one into the dipstick body, and the other into a container for testing.

We turn it on and... nothing happens. Why? Because these pumps are unable to pick up oil and they need to be helped to take their first steps. This is where the syringe we bought earlier comes into play. When the pump is turned on, through the outlet tube (which goes into the drainage container), you need to pump out a little air from the pumping line - this way the pump will take the liquid and be able to work.

In addition to the materials required above, you should be patient - with this pump you will be pumping out oil for quite a long time, its performance is low. Well, of course, as we have already warned you, it can fail at any moment.

Oh yes, these VAZ crafts also love to leak, so don’t be surprised if something happens.

Advantages

The advantage of this method is that you do not need to unscrew the lower protection and bolts and drive the car into the pit. At a minimum, this will save money and time, because you won’t have to take the car to a service station to replace fuel and lubricants. All this will take about 5-10 minutes, no more. If you wish, you can even use an automatic pump (not a manual one), which drivers almost always have in case of tire inflation. With it, the oil is pumped out much faster. Actually, these are all the advantages of this method.

Pure experiment

Insert the tube into the hole for the dipstick and connect it to the pump. On the other side we fix the second tube - to drain the oil. We lower its second end into a 5-liter plastic drinking water bottle (a transparent container allows you to control the volume of drained working fluid). We make sure that the pump is turned off, then connect the terminals of the device to the car battery, observing the polarity.

We place the pump in the engine compartment so that it does not fall during operation. It can be noted that the device operates quite quietly.

Turn on the pump and start pumping. The oil rises through a tube inserted into the dipstick hole, passes through the device and flows out of the second tube into a plastic container.

After a few minutes, the sound made by the oil pump motor changed as the engine became easier to operate. This means the oil has run out. Let's verify this by moving the tube inserted into the probe hole. If the sound of the pump does not change, turn off the device.

Flaws

It is worth noting that changing oil through a dipstick is not perceived in the best way on various forums. Many car owners insist that this cannot be done, although in many service stations technicians resort to this method.

The most basic argument against changing engine oil through a dipstick is that when the engine is running, the oil wears out, and many of its additives, which are necessarily included in the composition, precipitate. All this sediment, including dirt and combustion products of additives, remains at the bottom. When changing the oil through the dipstick with your own hands, it is impossible to get all this sediment from the bottom, and even after the change it will lie there. By pouring in new oil, the old sediment will mix with the new one, and this will lead to the fact that the efficiency of the new oil will be reduced. It is quite logical that with each new pumping through the dipstick, the sediment will remain large, and ultimately this will seriously reduce the service life of the motor. Therefore, the conclusion is this: you can change the oil through the dipstick yourself, but you shouldn’t get carried away with it. At a minimum, it is necessary to make a replacement in the usual way (draining oil from the bottom through the drain bolts) after each fuel and lubricants change through the dipstick, but for what?

Symptoms of overflow

The overflow will be clearly visible to overly caring owners who will consider that excess oil will benefit the engine. The first thing they will notice is that the level will quickly return to normal, using up the overflow much earlier than with the previously used normal fill.

Inattentive drivers will most likely notice the sudden onset of oil waste, as well as contamination of the engine outside. The loss in performance is less obvious, unless the owner clearly monitors current fuel consumption.

The growth of this indicator will become inexplicable. Until other symptoms are noted, mainly smoking and fogging of external surfaces.

Experts' opinion

It is fair to note that some experts do not agree with the opinion that combustion products may precipitate. If you use good oil and change it at least every 10 thousand kilometers, then there can be no sediment. This completely negates the disadvantages of this method. Indirect confirmation of this is the fact that many car service stations have such devices for pumping out oil without the need to remove protection and drain bolts. And since masters resort to this method, this indicates its harmlessness. Also, in some engine models (for example, in boat engines), the oil can only be changed in this way. Structurally, boat engines are not much different from car engines, because they “eat” the same gasoline and use the same oil for lubrication. And since the manufacturer himself provides for changing the oil by pumping it out using a pump, then this can also be done in a car.

Why change the oil in your car engine?

The operating principle of a car engine is based on the rotation of many different parts. Motor oil is designed to minimize the friction that occurs. Among other things, it removes heat from the elements of the power unit and protects them from corrosion.

Naturally, during operation, the lubricating fluid becomes contaminated with fuel combustion products, oxidizes and loses its original properties. This is why the oil needs to be changed regularly.

Engine oil change intervals are determined by the manufacturer; they also depend on the operating conditions of the vehicle, its “age,” the degree of engine wear and many other factors. On average, oil lasts about 10 thousand kilometers.

Why is it not advisable to fill the engine with oil above normal?

Many car owners are confident that a large amount of oil will not harm the engine, therefore, when filling in lubricant, they do not monitor its level. This is fundamentally wrong.

The consequences of oil overflow are not immediately noticeable, but may appear after a while. Sometimes 200-250 g of excess liquid is enough for its level to exceed the maximum mark.

Excess oil can lead to foaming, increasing the load on seals and seals. While in summer the problem may go unnoticed, in winter, when the oil becomes thicker, the pressure on the sealing elements increases to critical levels. As a result, the seals are “squeezed out” and the seals begin to leak.

Excess oil enters various engine systems, causing coking and other undesirable processes.

To quickly pump out some of the oil, you can use a special pump or use the traditional method of draining through a hole in the crankcase. The same methods are used for a full oil change. Let's take a closer look at them.

The effectiveness of this method

Many owners doubt the effectiveness of changing oil using this method. This is fair, because there is a possibility that not all the oil will be pumped out through the dipstick hole. However, many people carried out a test and first pumped out the oil using a pump through the dipstick, and only then unscrewed the plug at the bottom. It was impossible to collect a single drop of oil from the bottom, so we can confidently confirm the effectiveness of using such installations. Every last drop of oil is pumped out, but sediment may remain at the bottom.

We remove excess through the drain hole

The easiest way is to remove excess oil through the drain hole. In this case, it is necessary to unscrew the plug in the crankcase of the power unit, drain the required amount of liquid and close the hole.

But this method has a number of disadvantages that encourage the car owner to look for other options:

Engine protection installed. If such a structure exists, it will have to be removed, and this takes time.
The flow from the hole is very large, so it is very difficult to close the lid in time. As a result, you and everything around you will be oiled.
If you pour it into a dirty container, you will not be able to reuse the liquid. It is better to immediately find a clean container and then drain the lubricant from it into the container. Remember that any ingress of debris, sand or other particles is harmful to the engine and can damage it.

That is, a seemingly simple method has significant drawbacks.

Secrets of correct replacement

The most important thing when replacing is to warm up the engine to operating temperature and wait 5 minutes until the oil completely drains down. Heated oil is more mobile, so pumping it through the oil change tube through the dipstick will be faster. And if there are any oil production products and additives left at the bottom, they will also mix with fuel and lubricants and easily come out along with the used oil.

The second important point is that the machine must stand on a perfectly flat surface. If it stands at even a slight slope, then it will be impossible to pump out all the oil from the engine, and some of it will certainly remain.

Possible problems

Sometimes it is not possible to use the dipstick to change the oil. Or rather, you can use it, but you still have to drive the car into a pit. In some car models, the oil filter is located near the guard or in a place that cannot be reached from under the hood. And changing the oil without replacing the oil filter is a useless process. Therefore, some car owners may not even think about which replacement method is better, because they will still have to drive the car into a pit, remove the protection and drain bolts from below. Perhaps this is for the best, given the possible sedimentation of oil combustion products.

Optimal dimensions of length, width and weight of a trailer for a passenger car

Low price for services provided. Using the express method to pump out oil is not only quick, but also quite cheap. Although there may be additional costs involved;
Save time. Despite the need to visit a service station where the appropriate equipment is available, draining and changing the fluid takes a minimum of time;
No need to crawl under the car. Simply lift the hood, remove the dipstick, and pumping begins. Filling is done traditionally through the filler hole;
The oil does not spill anywhere, does not spill onto your clothes or onto the floor;
A professional method that involves the participation of experienced specialists in the process;
There is no need to get rid of working off yourself.

That's all with the advantages. If you know any other strengths, write in the comments.

Pros and cons of changing oil through the dipstick

The advantages of this method are obvious to everyone:

It's easy to do. There is no need to unscrew the engine protection, remove the drain bolts and first drive the car into the pit. Of course, this does not apply to those cars where you have to crawl under the car to change the oil filter.
It's free. Once you have purchased such a device, you can use it for a very long time. In this case, you do not need to spend 250-300 rubles for a replacement.

As for the disadvantages:

There is a possibility that combustion products of additives and oil remain at the bottom. This is not certain, so it cannot be confirmed. The opinions of experts on this matter are contradictory.
Sometimes it is not possible to pump out all the oil. This is possible if it is very viscous (dense) or the car is on a slope.
No benefit for cars where the filter is replaced in a pit.

Briefly about the essence of the procedure

I don’t see any point in describing in detail what express replacement is and how it is performed using certain devices of different professional levels.

I will try to briefly describe what a quick replacement is, how it differs and why this service is so often used by, let me say, lazy car owners who do not have the time or desire to fully remove old used motor oil. This is, of course, easier when at least 10 points work next to me. To be honest, I once thought about express replacement as a business idea. But soon he quickly said goodbye to her. This is an illiquid service that costs 300-500 rubles. Earnings come from others. Moreover, you will learn about this in the section about the disadvantages of this method.

Well, let's take a look at the essence of express replacement. The liquid in the form of old motor oil does not drain through a special hole, which is provided on the bottom of the crankcase on all machines.

A different approach is used for draining. Namely through the dipstick. In fact, the oil is not drained, but rather sucked out of the engine. First, the probe is simply removed and a tube is inserted into the hole formed. At the other end of this tube there is a pump and a container in which all the sucked liquid is collected. If the tube reaches the bottom of the engine crankcase, there are no particular complaints about the hardware replacement, since under such conditions it is possible to efficiently remove the old oil sediment. But the design of many engines does not allow for express replacement to reach the place where dangerous mining deposits accumulate.