Changing the engine oil on the go

 

TL;DR Pumping the oil out from the top

 

With the car reaching 5000km since the last service, I was contemplating options for an impromptu oil change during our family holidays in Normandy. 

 

The first thing that came to mind was to stop by some of those 'no-appointment-required' service stations like Midas or Speedy. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked the flat fee they would most likely have asked. Not unlike the disappointment about the 1 hour flat rate that was charged by House of Speed last time, to be honest. Come on, we're talking 2 liters of 5w30 oil. 

 

I could also have gone to any local car dealership for an appointment. Where would the fun have been? 

 

On the other hand, accessing the oil plug is a pain. It's rather close to the ground and I have to lift the whole car to drain the oil. That's just about OK at home, a chore really.

 

Wandering around the automotive aisle of a local grocery store gave me a better idea : Why not pump the oil out from the top rather than draining it from below? 

 

I checked out YouTube to confirm it was feasible. Cheap electric pumps are even cheaper than the manual ones I had seen at the store. Most of the demonstrations on YouTube aren't the best examples either... Those dudes should really warm up the engine and remove the filler cap before pumping the oil out. 

 

Anyway, I got a 19€ oil pump and 5 litres of 5w30 Motul 8100 X-Clean EFE from Amazon. 

I got the engine over 85 °C (coolant temp) with a short drive, and let it sit (turned off) for about 10 minutes before attempting anything. 

 

The hood was stored inside, the dipstick removed and cleaned, the filler cap set aside. 

 

As the hoses felt tight enough over barb fittings on the pump, I didn't use the provided metal clamps. I layed the pump on the engine cover, and connected its 12V clips straight to the battery. 

 

The inlet hose is only 6mm in diameter and slides through the dipstick tube easily. The larger output hose was directed to an empty water bottle. 

 

Securing the bottle between the wishbone and brake line was a good idea. Having it floating in the air rather than sitting on the ground was not something I would do again.

 

The pump was turned on with its power switch, I had to move the inlet tube up and down a bit, and, oh joy, the pump primed itself in just a few instants.

 

With lukewarm oil, it was rather efficient, not too slow and not too quick. Just manageable with the pair of water bottles to swap mid-course.

 

Once done, I blew the oil from the thinner tube with my mouth, and let the larger one drain naturally in the plastic bottle. The larger tube comes with a slanted connector on the output that can also be pushed back to the other side. It won't leak in the box. 

 

New oil was poured using a new funnel. As I didn't replace the oil filter, only 2.15 liters were required. Oil capacity is 2.3 liters with a new filter. I got 2 in there, got the cap and dipstick back on the engine and went for a short spin. I didn't bother fitting the hood back on, and drove hot-rod style.

 

The car was left sitting for about 10 minutes before a final top-up.

 

On the next day we dropped the used oil at the local collection point.