Engine Oil Extraction via dipstick tube ?

Flyinspanner

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
3,283
Reaction score
1,577
Location
Ruislip
Your Mercedes
CLK320-A209 (sold CL500 & W168)
We need this tested so...I volunteer you.

1 Use a pump to drain as much as you can, then,
2 Jack up car, undo sump plug and tell us what happens next.
I get that not much may drain out, but wondered if ‘heavy bits’ would remain in bottom not necessarily picked up by pump? :) just one of those idle ‘what if’ - I realise the only 100% way would be drain then drop sump pan to really look!
 

Naraic

Moderator
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
10,686
Reaction score
1,274
Your Mercedes
2005 CL500.
I get that not much may drain out, but wondered if ‘heavy bits’ would remain in bottom not necessarily picked up by pump? :) just one of those idle ‘what if’ - I realise the only 100% way would be drain then drop sump pan to really look!
A magnet would catch them...even if attached on the outside of the sump.
 

KeithJG

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2014
Messages
143
Reaction score
16
Location
Dover, Kent
Your Mercedes
C320CDI Sport Edition S203 2006 V6 7g
Me being "old school" i do not like ALL modern methods they are designed to trick or earn others money!

It has all been done before so i still prefer to take the sump nut out and let the oil woosh out with the force of 8 litres behind it and any sludge or crap that may come with it. The suction method by MB is too slow to do any good?

This was also an article i read about a problem OM642 engine that had problems with engine bearings etc. and it was due to heavy sludge in the sump due to over use of the oil or infrequent changes?.........so is crap left in there???

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/general-mercedes-benz/1663766-om642-v6-diesel-engine-failure.html
 

Submariner1

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
4,689
Reaction score
787
Location
Windsor Berkshire
Your Mercedes
CL500 2009 5.5
Yes, it's mainly how MB do it, you will get 95% of the oil out this way too.

My main dealer said they often Remove the drain plug, depends on the engine sump shape. And where the suction tube ends.
On the parts list used on a service for the 5.5L engine is a sump plug ... a few quid. And irrelevant to me, as I always get a pre agreed discount price on any service. Kinda price matched.

But tbh doing under 3000 miles per year. The oil still looks like golden syrup just before the service.
You can just about see the colour difference on the lower 5mm of the dipstick afterwards.
 

Submariner1

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
4,689
Reaction score
787
Location
Windsor Berkshire
Your Mercedes
CL500 2009 5.5
Here's my routine for oil changes on my 129 (8 litre sump, 6 litre pump).
1. Warm up oil to make it easier to extract.
2. Insert tube and pump up pressure.
3. Check oil flowing and go inside house.
4. Put kettle on.
5. Come back out and once 4 litres has been extracted stop pump. Empty reservoir into suitable container.
6. Re-insert tube and start extraction again.
7. Go inside, make cup of coffee and find biscuits.
8. Come back out and wait till pump stops suckingoil. Start to consume coffee and biscuits during this time.
9. Start pouring first 4 litres of new oil in.
10. Wait till all drained into sump.
11. Drink more coffee and eat another biscuit.
12. Pour in remaining oil till dipstick says it is nearly at maximum.
13. Finish coffee.
14. Change filter (do this after finishing biscuits - old engine oil isn't a good dunking replacement for tea or coffee)
15. Run engine briefly.
16. Check oil level and top up as required.
17. Clean up, empty pump into suitable container.
18. Go inside for celebratory beer.

Interested in the order of work.
Sounds like you put in the new oil before changing the filter.
Any reason why you don't you drain out the dirty oil, then remove the old filer , replace with a new one and then put in the clean oil?
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
Interested in the order of work.
Sounds like you put in the new oil before changing the filter.
Any reason why you don't you drain out the dirty oil, then remove the old filer , replace with a new one and then put in the clean oil?

Yep. You can fill through the filter housing as demonstrated by Cole today when he did the A service on our r230 (amongst other work).
I found out today it primes the oil pump that way too.
 

mioba

Senior Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2006
Messages
7,898
Reaction score
4,656
Location
Nottingham and Köln
Your Mercedes
W124/E200, W220/S320CDI, W205/C200, W251/R350CDI 4Matic
Have just bought another CLK this time a 2008 CDi220 .
I appreciate it doesnt have a dipstick fitted but does have the tube obviously .

Is it possible to draw the engine oil from the dipstick tube or do I have to get my shorts dirty and get under the car .

Thanks in advance.

Without reading all the replies it's been covered to death.
 

Lord_Lucan

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2015
Messages
930
Reaction score
147
Location
Bedfordshire, UK
Your Mercedes
No longer own a Mercedes Benz
Yep. You can fill through the filter housing as demonstrated by Cole today when he did the A service on our r230 (amongst other work).
I found out today it primes the oil pump that way too.

It might be reading this with a headache but you remove the old oil, pour in the new oil, then remove the old filter. But then I don't get the comment about filling through the filter housing if it's still in place as you've not removed the old filter. Did I mention my head is hurting?
 

noonboots

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2018
Messages
311
Reaction score
366
Your Mercedes
R230 SL 500 2003 M113 5.0l
Not necessarily true on a new vehicle, and in that instance not necessarily terminal. :)
Not necessarily true on a new vehicle, and in that instance not necessarily terminal. :)
I wouldn't expect to be seeing machining debris or metal particles coming out of modern engines.Thats why the first service is at 12 months or 10000 miles. The days of running gently to bed in the engine are long gone. In the old handbooks it would say avoid hard acceleration and keep below 50mph for the first 500miles and then change the oil. It did indeed come out with metal particles in it.
 

LostKiwi

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2006
Messages
31,328
Reaction score
21,575
Location
Midlands / Charente-Maritime
Your Mercedes
'93 500SL-32, '01 W210 Estate E240 (RIP), 02 R230 SL500, 04 Smart Roadster Coupe, 11 R350CDi
It might be reading this with a headache but you remove the old oil, pour in the new oil, then remove the old filter. But then I don't get the comment about filling through the filter housing if it's still in place as you've not removed the old filter. Did I mention my head is hurting?
Something found out yesterday. Before refilling remove filter, then refill half through oil filler cap then half through filter housing then refit filter
 

Pathfinder

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2011
Messages
814
Reaction score
18
Age
63
Location
Gourock
Your Mercedes
CLC 220 CDi Sport Diesel Year 2008
You should remove the filter before completing the draining/ sucking out of the old oil, as some will remain in there, held by vacuum until the lid is loosened. We always bath the new paper elements with new oil before fitting as this reduces the time for the filter to be primed on start up.
 
Last edited:

Msb

Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
19
Reaction score
8
Your Mercedes
Clk500
We need this tested so...I volunteer you.

1 Use a pump to drain as much as you can, then,
2 Jack up car, undo sump plug and tell us what happens next.
Did exactly that on a friends car at mates garage, got as much out as poss by sucking oil out via dipstick tube and oil filter housing, when we dropped the sump plug out there was still a good half pint or so came out, this in my eyes is doing a shoddy job just sucking the oil out from the top, the sump plug needs to come out to do it properly
 

EmilysDad

Senior Member
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
12,120
Reaction score
5,664
Location
Bury Lancs
Your Mercedes
ML350
Did exactly that on a friends car at mates garage, got as much out as poss by sucking oil out via dipstick tube and oil filter housing, when we dropped the sump plug out there was still a good half pint or so came out, this in my eyes is doing a shoddy job just sucking the oil out from the top, the sump plug needs to come out to do it properly

Conversely, I removed the sump pan from my Smart after I'd sucked the oil out with a Pela and there was was next to nothing left in there ..... Smart Roadsters don't have a sump plug.
 

grahamcol

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2009
Messages
1,855
Reaction score
631
Location
West Midlands
Your Mercedes
2001 SLK230, 2007 CLK220 CDI
B
Did exactly that on a friends car at mates garage, got as much out as poss by sucking oil out via dipstick tube and oil filter housing, when we dropped the sump plug out there was still a good half pint or so came out, this in my eyes is doing a shoddy job just sucking the oil out from the top, the sump plug needs to come out to do it properly
But I suppose there would have been a few mins delay after using the pump - enough to allow more draining from the engine innards. I've managed to suck up more oil after initially sucking it dry, just by waiting a while. Ultimately I suppose it depends upon the shape of the sump and whether the suction pipe can really get to the bottom.
 

silestanix

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2013
Messages
894
Reaction score
282
Location
London!
Your Mercedes
97' C250TD Sport
Here's my routine for oil changes on my 129 (8 litre sump, 6 litre pump).
1. Warm up oil to make it easier to extract.
2. Insert tube and pump up pressure.
3. Check oil flowing and go inside house.
4. Put kettle on.
5. Come back out and once 4 litres has been extracted stop pump. Empty reservoir into suitable container.
6. Re-insert tube and start extraction again.
7. Go inside, make cup of coffee and find biscuits.
8. Come back out and wait till pump stops suckingoil. Start to consume coffee and biscuits during this time.
9. Start pouring first 4 litres of new oil in.
10. Wait till all drained into sump.
11. Drink more coffee and eat another biscuit.
12. Pour in remaining oil till dipstick says it is nearly at maximum.
13. Finish coffee.
14. Change filter (do this after finishing biscuits - old engine oil isn't a good dunking replacement for tea or coffee)
15. Run engine briefly.
16. Check oil level and top up as required.
17. Clean up, empty pump into suitable container.
18. Go inside for celebratory beer.
LOL this is Exactly my oil change routine haha
 

Msb

Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
19
Reaction score
8
Your Mercedes
Clk500
B

But I suppose there would have been a few mins delay after using the pump - enough to allow more draining from the engine innards. I've managed to suck up more oil after initially sucking it dry, just by waiting a while. Ultimately I suppose it depends upon the shape of the sump and whether the suction pipe can really get to the bottom.
Agreed but in my experience from what i saw sump plug will be always getting dropped to ensure removal of as much oil as possible
 

Westheath

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
1,487
Reaction score
490
Location
South London
Your Mercedes
Empty garage, awaiting new toy :)
Well ...........

Take off the cam covers and remove all the oil left in the top galley ways as well :)


If the vehicles regularly serviced then its not a problem imho
A lot of cars are "over serviced" to be honest,
unless the drained oil looks feels and smells like its in poor condition
i use the suction method, if I have any doubts about it I remove the sump plug
inspect anything remaining there suck out the filter housing, remove the cam covers and breather system,
turbo pipes and then if a problem with sludge or crusty burnt oil residue etc
I use an oil flush with new oil for an hour running and drain and refill with fresh oil again.
Its rare for me to find an engine crudded up due to lack of oil servicing or cheap oil usage, if i do its usually terminal because the owner/driver bought it in due to noises from engine.

:)
 
Last edited:

Jim2

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2018
Messages
1,978
Reaction score
1,679
Your Mercedes
1st Merc 2010 E Class W212 2.1 CDI. 2nd Merc 2014 E Class W212 220 CDI
Something found out yesterday. Before refilling remove filter, then refill half through oil filler cap then half through filter housing then refit filter

That's make sense.....in the days of cartridge filters, while the oil was draining from the sump, I would put some oil in the cartridge and let it soak through filter fabric. Never took long for the oil pressure light to go out on the dash. So next oil change after removing the filter from it's housing, I will put half a litre or so into it before dropping in the new filter. Rest of the oil will go in through the normal filler tube.
 

Westheath

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
1,487
Reaction score
490
Location
South London
Your Mercedes
Empty garage, awaiting new toy :)
You might be amused by some Smart Car oil and filter change procedures.

I've seen some done by removing the oil filter and running the engine till no flow from the filter then refilling the oil and replacing the filter and called standard procedure

Time to walk away.
 

Submariner1

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2016
Messages
4,689
Reaction score
787
Location
Windsor Berkshire
Your Mercedes
CL500 2009 5.5
You might be amused by some Smart Car oil and filter change procedures.

I've seen some done by removing the oil filter and running the engine till no flow from the filter then refilling the oil and replacing the filter and called standard procedure

Time to walk away.
So you are saying they drain the old oil out using the engine oil pump?
Definitely time to walk away from that garage. :(

I guess they can also save a bit more time, by running it until it stalls; hey then you dont even have to bother walking around to switch the engine off. :(
 


Welwyn Merx Limited is a family run business with genuine passion, dedication and 25 years of experience dealing with Mercedes-Benz and AMG passenger cars.
Tel: 01707 395999www.welwynmerx.uk
Top Bottom