Anyone use this device to change their oil?
 

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10122

It looks like it would make oil changes very easy and quick to do but I don't know if it's capable of pulling out all the old oil. Anyone use this or a similar device?

wow! looks like a great product!

Good stuff man. That would def. make it 10X easier for me to change my oil, since it's so freakin hard to get underneath my car w/ the body kit and all... Oh and that's the same company that makes the super low profile jack, too. Good company...

Sidenote: poorboyracing, do you have any other pics of your car and your rims? Looks sweet! :bigthumb:

um, no.

doubt its any better and probably takes longer cause you have to wait for that stupid shit to make its way out or sit there pumping till it does.

Well Alberto, if you knew how long it takes for me to raise my car (gotta raise it w/ the stock jack in the rear first, to get enough clearance to raise it w/ the mechanic jack in the front), and how long it takes me to bring it back down (gotta bring it down halfway in the front w/ the mechanic jack, then hold it in the rear w/ the stock jack, so I can let out the mechanic jack in the front, w/o the skirts coming down and being crushed by the mechanic jack, then I can let down the stock jack in the rear), you'd know that just pumping, then leaving it to fill on it's own wouldn't be bad at ALL for someone like me. Hell, I could pump, leave it to drain, and go do something in the meantime. Plus, that way you can drain the oil w/ the car level, so you're more liable to drain all of the oil, then leaving a good amount in an angle of the pan, due to the car being raised on a jack.

Oh and I don't think you have to keep pumping for it to fill. You basically create negative pressure, and once the oil gets going, it'll continue to come out until there's no oil left.

Get ramps. There about $20. If you you need the car level you should have plenty of room to use your mechanical jack on the rear.

I got ramps, and returned 'em. I got the ones w/ the extensions, and first, my tires were def. wider than the whole ramp lol, which got me pretty paranoid (245s in the front). Also, I dunno how you guys do it, but I can't manage to keep the ramps from sliding back as I drive up on 'em...and I'm not gonna have someone stick their foot there in the unlikely event something bad happens... Lastly, the low-clearance/extension ramps are STILL hard to get onto...my front bumper has VERY little clearance in the front.

When I don't feel like dealing w/ this whole ordeal, I just drive up to Jiffy Lube, where I know a couple of guys. They let me drive into the bay the wrong way about halfway lol (so I won't have clearance issues) and do my thing :)

Rhino Ramps work pretty good. Only if you have 255 series or smaller up front. Also you may have to drive on some blocks first to get up the ramps if you have a kit or you car is really low. I use some of my old Accounting books. (best use I've ever had for a $100 book) Rhino Ramps can be found for $19-$25 at lots of auto stores or your local evil Wal*Mart.

my jack doesnt fit under my car even with the bumpers off. i have wooden ramps, they were free to make and are easy to use.

How do you keep them in place, ie not sliding back when you try and drive up on 'em? The other prob I have is, with you in the driver's seat, how do you know how far up to go, if the wheels are centered and straight, etc etc. It's not something you can do yourself safetly, ya know? That's why this pump thing seems more and more like a good product to me...

Nice product.I would like to know anyone has one.

As for piston motors they aren't good because they tend not to pick up the slight metal shavings that usually accumulate in the botttom of the oil pan. But i don't see why it wouldn't work since we have the apex seals on metal not metal on metal.

Ive been using this product for 2 years. This thing is the best thing since sliced bread. You might find it cheaper at a boating supply shop or site (it's actually a boating accessory) The manufacturer is Tempo Products and it is called an "oil boy". I change my oil every 1K simply because its so easy. You have no idea how neat and uncomplicated an oil change can be.

Um, what are apex seals made of?

this is ideal for the lazy man

I have one and it works great. The trick is to warm up the car to thin the oil and stir up any sludge in the bottom first. You shove the hose down the dipstick hole, pump it up until there is a good vacuum and after a few minutes all the oil will be drained. It beats having to jack up the car to drain the oil.

Its always a good idea to warm the car up before an oil change.

His point was that in a piston engine, the metal shavings will go directly to the oil pan underneith and collect at the bottom. In a rotary this wont happen because how would the metal to metal shavings from the apex seals re-enter the oiling system? Think about it! Ususally if you find metal in rotary engines oil is because of the oil scraper rings of the rotors slightly scraping away the chrome on the side housing...not the apex seals.

It's used by the boat owners, mostly, since they can't just open the drain plug and throw the oil out.
Not worth it,,,

Thank you :), there may have been confusion but the only oil that meets an apex seal in my mind is from pre-mix or the omp.

what i think is really good about it is you can get the oil from around the drain plug that never comes out since the hole the plud goes into is a little raised up. if your car is level or on a tilt it will never get that oil out,you'd have to drop the pan to get it properly. imo

mike

Man, if you feel your time is of such little value, you may come and change my oil and to really bring you joy I'll pay you less than minimum wage!

I doubt my car sits as low as FDNewbie's, but getting the car up on ramps (then stands) is still the biggest time consuming job for changing oil. I'm just not seeing the metal shavings thing as much of an issue. Use a good filter. And since the oil cooler(s) don't really drain anyway, possibly leaving behind a couple more ounces of oil is no big deal. It'd also be handy for draining the transmission and diff when it's time too. For those who tend to procrastinate, or who track their car and want/need to change more often, it could be a real plus.
Other than the cost, where's the downside?

Absolutely. I still haven't figured out how you guys get the car onto the ramps w/o having them slide back on you. You definitely need someone's help guiding you up the ramp, plus to hold the ramps in place (which is real difficult) etc. 99% of the time, me changing the oil on all the household cars is me doing it ALONE. No one's there to help out. So this product seems like a dream. While undoing the filter on one car, the other car is already draining, etc

Yeah and its not even that expensive, add up time spent putting the car up to get to do the change and after a few changes you will have spent more than enough time to spend the money.

1. Buy a 12-foot 2x12.
2. Cut it in half with a 45-degree angle. It doesn't have to be exact.
3. Cut a ~2-foot piece off of each of the halves, again with a 45-degree angle.
4. Take the short piece and nail it onto the top of the longer piece with the square ends flush and the far edge of the angled end down.
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There you have it. Two little ramps that you can put in front of the tires by yourself and then drive up on to get enough clearance to get a jack under the front. They won't slide out from in front of the tires because it's a very gradual transition.

Its ideal for tranny fluid, but for the oil hummmmm

Jim,

I LOVE the illustration :p: Actually, my body shop has this:

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He made it himself, looks like it'll only take a couple hours to make. It's not wide enough though, of course I can just make mine wider. But guess what? We STILL have to have someone (not me lol) hold the blocks w/ their feet so they don't slide backward, even though the edges are cut at at 45 degree angle. Go figure...

Jeez, I've never once had to have someone hold the boards for me, even doing all four wheels at once. Go figure... :)

If you drive up to the board and try to push your way up onto it, you're going to push it ahead of the tire. If you put it a few inches in front of the tire and get a short run at it, you'll pop right up onto the boards. If you wedge the front of it under the tire, you should also be able to get up on it without it moving.

The reason I only recommend a "double-decker" is because it gives you a good couple of feet to be able to stop on before going over the back of the ramp, and if you do go over the back of the ramp, it's low enough that it won't contact your floor pan.

I dunno what to say, Jim. I guess we're all not as talented as you are :p:

That's actually a real good point. Thanks :)

Apparently not. :)

LOL :shaking head: I knew you'd like that haha ;)

I made the 3-level one. At the time it was for leveling my pop-up trailer on an uneven campsite. (no, my FB doesn't tow it, my suburban does).

It works well for oil changes and any time you need to drain the coolant. It never slides when driving up on it either.

I had 2x12's screwed to my garage floor at FD width to get the car over the lift.

you can alway push your CAR. that what I alway do for ramp. and put anti slide paper under you ramp they kind da look like a sand paper.

Kindof back on topic...Herblenny and I use this to change the oil on our 7s. He also has another one dedicated to doing coolant flushes. This is great for someone who doesn't want to hassle with jacking the car up. You just put the hose in...give it some pumps to get the pressure going, and walk away. Come back every few minutes to give it a couple more pumps and you're done. It's kindof nice being able to just pop the hood and change the oil without worrying about jacks/jackstands/dripping oil/etc. I'm sure its not for everybody, but it is really nice.

Go to any hardware store and buy a couple of rubber mats. Put the ramps on them, and they won't slip.

Go to a boating supply store, like West Marine, and look the the "Top Sider".

I have one dedicated for oil-changes, and another for anti-freeze and water (like when you need to drain a stopped up sink or toilet).

They are about $39 or $49 and hold the same amount and can be transported much easier than Griot's to your nearest recycler.

:-) neil

Am I understanding that people are changing oil while the car is on a jack or ramps? With the drain plug not at the rear of the pan, how much extra undrained oil is being left in the pan? Considering that you can't get at up to 1.5 quarts (R1/R2), thats more unchanged oil being left unchanged for no reason.
These oil extractors are most likely getting more oil out with one quarter of the effort. I promise you these puppies work!

You mean like grip tape (the stuff that goes on the part of a skateboard you stand on?)

FDnewbie I've gone through the same crap as you with the stock jack then the regular jack. I also used to use the ramps with those extensions...boy was that scary. Like you said the tires were wider than the damn ramp. I stopped using the ramps when I finally drove off one with my altima...if that had been my FD it would have been hundreds of dollars worth of damage. This gizmo seems like a worth while investment. It won't work for all cars though since with many cars you can only take the oil filter off from underneath, so you'd need to jack the car up anyway.

Yeah most hardware stores sell it by the foot. Fairly cheap also. The rubber mat idea is good. I would cut squares of rubber and either bolt, rivet, nail it to whatever your using it on, makes it easier to take out/ put back.

Boy, you guys having problems with the ramps must have little patience. Yes, my tires are larger than the ramp (275s), but as long as they're fairly centered, no drama. The ones I have are the same basic type you see at auto parts stores-- they're stamped steel, and have two plastic removeable lips to help the tire roll up the ramp by easing the angle of attack. I use mine on the smooth concrete floor of my garage, and have no problem with driving onto them, as long as I do it smoothly and slowly; yes, if you try to do it too quickly, they will slide, but take it easy and it's no drama (I'd like to see someone stop one that is sliding with just their foot or somehow "hold it"...). I also don't need to have someone guide me up the ramps; I basically sight it first, then drive up onto the ramps to determine where the tire is "landing"-- if I need to make any adjustments, I just roll back, adjust, and drive up again to check. It never takes me more than two tries. It's called "taking your time to do things carefully"....

I've used a small level on the bottom of the oil pan to determine how high the rear needs to be to get a decent drain.

For the record, I run the front end up on stands, then use a floor jack and stands at the rear to level the car out. I'm guessing that most do it that way.
Still, I'm liking the idea of this pump.

Tim...how are you and Phil gonna hide this from me ALL THIS TIME?! lol. Where'd you guys get yours from? And how much? (Any other neat gadgets you got that you aren't telling me about? lol)

Well the Camry's oil filter is top and center (such a beautiful easily accessible spot...I wish they were all like that!). The Maxima is in a funky spot... you gotta somehow construe your hand behind the fender lining to get to it, since it's between the lining and the tire. Funky. Most of these things were DEFINITELY designed to be removed from underneath (ie w/ the car on a lift). And I remember my old Honda...oh wow that was fun. The filter was ABOVE the axle or frame of the car (I forget which...it was a while back) Bottom line, you had to reach up through all this stuff, and I could BARELY reach it. That was a riot. Freakin PISSED me off. And of course, due to the position you were in, there was NO WAY to slide out in time w/o getting oil all over you since your hands were caught all up in between various bars of the car frame. Rediculous. The FB tho takes the cake. Oil filter mounted right on top of the oil cooler. A 2-year old could get to it. Simply wonderful. Too bad the oil cooler is leaking like a mofo... :p:

Kento, widebody2 said it for me. I'm NOT about to guess whether I'm lined up or not, or whether the car is far enough forward on the ramps w/o being able to see... EVERY SINGLE shop I've seen in my LIFE has someone to direct the driver (who's also employed at the shop) as to how far forward or back to go, and to move right or left, and that's for aligning the car for a LIFT - so there's MUCH more room for error.

Can you do it? Sure. Do I wanna risk it? HELL no...no thanks...not me.

Since this thread has been hijacked by ramps over original subject......I'll go ahead and add my $.02. First off the oil you guys are so worried about getting to (left in the pan around the drain) is such a small amount compared to all the oil left in the oil cooler and lines. You "NEVER" get all the old oil out of the system, so wether you use the pump or the gravity method you'll only get most of what's in the pan any way. Jack

Heh...there's not a whole lot of GUESSING involved. You roll the car PARTIALLY up the ramp (by that, I mean six INCHES or SO), STOP and CHECK to SEE where the TIRE is POSITIONED, roll BACK and MAKE ADJUSTMENTS as NECESSARY, then roll carefully forward a bit, STOP and CHECK to see how those adjustments worked, and go from there. You're only rolling forward about three feet total, so there's no STEERING necessary, like you would with EVERY SINGLE shop's lift I've seen in my LIFE. (no offense Ramy :p: just poking fun at your caps usage... :) )

I'll veer back on topic a bit. While the convenience factor of this pump deal is nice, one of the reasons I don't mind the "hassle" of either jacking up the car or rolling it up on ramps is that getting underneath the car also allows you to periodically check out portions of the chassis and engine that you'd never be able to see otherwise (suspension components, sway bar mounts, transmission, possible oil pan leaks, etc.), thus ensuring that you'll be heading off any potential problems before they get any worse. My $0.04....

does the hose fit in the oil dip stick holder? i was thinking the holder was real small. also our drain plugs are magentic so you still need to take it off manually to clean any metal pieces that have stuck to it, because tehre are some every so often.

I been using that for my FD's and my other cars for past 2.5 years.. You could also use it to drain your cooling system and much more.. I also have the one man brake bleeder from Griot's.. Awesome products and worth the money.

LOL I was wondering...I'm like this doesn't look like Kento's normal posts...LOL. I dunno...I just sometimes see emphasis on certain words as necessary. Force of habit since that's how I speak (public speaking). And no offense taken. It was actually entertaining lol :)

That's definitely a good point. But you gotta admit making sure you roll up the ramps right, just as you described is cumbersome...getting in and out a bunch of times, making sure it's all aligned etc etc. Lots of work and patience, as evidenced by all your capitalization :p:

Phil, didja get yours from Griot's too?