Yes - I saved everything except the credits -- __________________________________________________________ On 11/14/05, Jerry Herrman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Is there a set of specific instructions for making a "$2 oil sucker"? > -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [DIESEL] $2 Topsider I use my $2 sucker not because I'm cheap, but because I make conservate use of resources already on hand and because I like to stay clean and stand upright while changing oil. Here, again, are my instructions for building and using a very efficient sucker/topsider: HOMEMADE /$2 TOPSIDER EQUIPMENT/PARTS: 1. Vacuum cleaner (shop or domestic unit) with ITS hose 2. 5 gal plastic joint compound or detergent bucket (or appropriate size container strong enough not to collapse under vacuum cleaner suction) 3. ~ 5 feet of 5/8" OD plastic tubing with some fabric in the walls to help it resist collapsing due to suction and heat from the oil CONSTRUCTION: 1. Near the outer edge of the bucket's plastic top, cut a small hole slightly smaller than the 5/8" tube. Insert end of 5/8" tube snugly into this hole - NOT to the bottom of the bucket - only an inch or so into the top - enough to stay securely in place. (If the discharge end of the evacuation tube is below the oil level in the bucket, much bubbling and turbulence will occur in the oil when most of the oil has been removed from the engine, and the sucker sucks air. The turbulence may cause oil to be spattered near and drawn into the vac hose.) 2. Near the opposite edge of the bucket's top from the 5/8" tube, cut a hole slightly smaller than the suction end of the vac cleaner hose. Insert suction end of the vac cleaner hose snugly into this hole - NOT way down in the bucket - just past the top enough to stay securely in place. 3. Insert other end of 5/8" OD plastic tube snugly INTO TOP inch and a half or so of engine oil dipstick tube. (If you feel more comfortable by wrapping a bit of tape around the plastic tube to increase its size and make it fit more snugly INSIDE the dipstick tube, please do so.) 4. Attach other end of vac hose to the vac cleaner. UP-GRADED, FIRST CLASS UNIT: In lieu of plastic joint compound or detergent bucket, use 5 gal. kerosene, gasoline or other appropriate metal or plastic can with built-in pouring spout and filler opening. 1. Insert suction end of vac cleaner hose snugly into the can's pouring spout. 2. Insert/install end of 5/8" oil removal tube in the can's other opening. (I used PVC couplings/fittings of appropriate sizes to adapt filler opening for the 5/8" tube. I also used a short section of 1 1/2" dia. PVC, installed with slight downward slope inside the top of the can to discharge the oil across the can as far as possible from the suction/vac opening. The 1 1/2" PVC pipe inside the can also causes the air being removed from the engine after the siphoning action is broken to slow down enough to "release" small droplets of oil that may be suspended in it.) OIL REMOVAL: 1. Have engine at or near operating temp. 2. Loosen top of oil filter canister & lift it 1/2" or so to allow oil to run freely out of canister down into oil pan when vac starts. 3. Turn vac cleaner ON. 4. Change filter while oil flows into the receiver. (I can't get mine changed before the oil removal is finished.) 5. When satisfied that oil removal is complete/sufficient, lift end of 5/8" tube out of dipstick tube. (Turn end of tube upward and lift it upward to aid flow of any oil in the tube into the bucket.) 6. Turn vac cleaner OFF. 7. Don't forget to replenish oil in the engine! 8. Clean up - stow equipment. I have used this type sucker several times with excellent results. The difference between a "troubled" oil change and a very clean and quick oil change is the strength (resistance to collapse) of the oil evacuation tube. Collapse of this tube can prevent the flow of anything - air, oil, ANYTHING - into the bucket and can lead to the bucket's collapse if a "weak" container is used.. According to the instructions, which are also posted on http://oil.articles.mbz.org/oilsucker/, one should use a "joint compound or detergent bucket (or appropriate size container strong enough not to collapse under vacuum cleaner suction)" My upgraded, first class sucker uses a metal kerosene can as the oil receiver, but I have used a joint compound bucket as the oil receiver several times with equal success. Because of the permanently enclosed top and pouring spout, the kerosene can makes dumping the oil much cleaner and easier, though - never have to touch the oil, and don't have the trouble of removing the top from a plastic container. Instructions also recommend using "5/8" OD plastic tubing with some fabric in the walls to help it resist collapsing due to suction and heat from the oil." The clear, limber, plastic tubing is too weak. Instructions also recommend "Loosen top of oil filter canister & lift it a half inch or so to allow oil to run freely out of canister down into oil pan when vac starts." Using the sucker has several advantages for me. The typical ones: not having to crawl under the car to get to the pan plug, not having to remove the belly pan on the 350SDL, not getting oil on me nor anything else, removal of more oil than by draining, ease of used oil disposal Additionally, because of my peripheral neuropathy, leading to loss of feeling and function in hands and fingers, it is very hard for me to handle small items such as nuts, bolts, etc. It is especially hard for me to put the slippery pan plug back in place. So far, by using the sucker to remove the oil and wearing rubber gloves while changing the filter, I could change my oil while wearing a tux. To confirm the effectiveness of my homemade oil sucker, a couple of times, after the sucker has "finished", I have removed the drain plug from the oil pan to see how much more oil may still have been in the pan. NO oil came out of the drain hole - NOT A DROP. With the drain method of oil removal, I have NEVER re-installed the drain plug without oil continuing to drip from the drain hole. Conclusion: THE SUCKER REMOVES MORE OIL THAN THE DRAIN METHOD, unless the vehicle is tilted to cause oil to collect away from the dipstick tube. __________________________________________________ -- OK Don, KD5NRO Norman, OK '90 300D, '87 300SDL, '81 240D, '78 450SLC The FSM created the Diesel Benz http://www.venganza.org/
