Dipstick tube

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renault12ts

MB Club Veteran
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
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16,671
Car
2005 W215 CL500.
Does anyone know whether the dipstick tube reaches the very bottom of the sump, in mine or any other MB? TIA.
 
No it doesn't and it is also a very specific length depending on the engine model.
 
Never seen a dipstick tube in any motor that went right to the bottom of the sump. Normally a couple or three inches of the bottom I would think,if it went to the bottom you wouldn't be able to read it.
 
Never seen a dipstick tube in any motor that went right to the bottom of the sump. Normally a couple or three inches of the bottom I would think,if it went to the bottom you wouldn't be able to read it.

Which is what I thought, but a guy on one of the US MB forums reckons for the past 30 years MB tubes have gone to the bottom, so the oil could be sucked out.
 
it can be sucked out, if you insert a tube into the dipping tube
 
it can be sucked out, if you insert a tube into the dipping tube

Correct, and I have a pump for just that.

But this guy said the US garages attach a tube to the top of the dipstick tube, relying on the fact it goes to the bottom.
 
I've heard the dipstick tube goes right to the bottom to facilitate vacuum extraction as described. There would be an advantage in using the dipstick tube as with less restriction it would flow significantly faster especially if the oil wasn't really hot. I currently use another internal tube so would want to test it both ways to see if there is any difference in the amount of oil left behind.
 
Well I am assuming you are using your pump here hence the question? What I do is (I am sure what you do) get the oil up to running temp then with the car sitting "nose up" if the dipstick tube is at the firewall end. Then push the extractor tube in till it hits the bottom of the sump, then suck away. When it is empty in the extractor pipes. I wait 5 minutes then have another go. This hopefully catches any oil that has drained down through the galleries. If the dip stick tube is at the nose end then I park nose down, then suck.

I just did both my AMG and my C240 this way and both yielded almost the book amount in a measured container. I also check with the new oil in, using the onboard computer when hot and and an ebay dipstick when cold. Never failed.
 
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I do it the same way including the wait and another try until it's pulling a mixture of air and oil. I actually got a little more than my book 5.5 litres out which was a surprise as the old oil hadn't even been at the full mark, just a little over half way. Putting the book 5.5 litres back in only took it to half way again on the dipstick but I was happy with that as per above philosophy.

Who knows if you get absolutely all the oil out with vacuum extraction or pump but on the above evidence I concluded that I did OK and that it's a sound method of changing oil.
 
My next service is due in 2k so will try this if there is no definitive answer before then, but I do think the pump may struggle as it will need more sucking power due to the larger volume of oil being drawn up the outer tube.
 
Well I am assuming you are using your pump here hence the question? What I do is (I am sure what you do) get the oil up to running temp then with the car sitting "nose up" if the dipstick tube is at the firewall end. Then push the extractor tube in till it hits the bottom of the sump, then suck away. When it is empty in the extractor pipes. I wait 5 minutes then have another go. This hopefully catches any oil that has drained down through the galleries. If the dip stick tube is at the nose end then I park nose down, then suck.

I just did both my AMG and my C240 this way and both yielded almost the book amount in a measured container. I also check with the new oil in, using the onboard computer when hot and and an ebay dipstick when cold. Never failed.

Yep, this is what I do...I was just curious as to whether the dipstick tube went right to the bottom. It seems it does.
 
Yep, this is what I do...I was just curious as to whether the dipstick tube went right to the bottom. It seems it does.


Maybe borrow a fiber optic camera and poke that down there.

I removed a sump of an old ford once and noticed that the scavenge pump was lower than the dip stick tube. I also think that on some engines you can pull the tube out. Not sure I would go that far though.
 
Am I missing some advantage to the suction method, other than time.?

Fwiw, when changing oil I like to get my engine nice & warm (ideally having been thrown around on my drive home from work) then add an engine flush additive for a few minutes, before stopping the engine & draining the oil from the sump plug.
I leave the drain pan under for a good long time with the oil filter removed & the vehicle orientated to ensure that the sump drain point is at the very lowest point.

My thinking is that I want as much as possible of the detritus created by internal frictions etc removed from my lubrication system.
I would have expected that the suction approach would leave the largest proportion of the contaminants, as being heavier than oil they will have readily settled to the bottom of the sump & out of the reach of the suction pump.???
 
StMarks said:
Am I missing some advantage to the suction method, other than time.? Fwiw, when changing oil I like to get my engine nice & warm (ideally having been thrown around on my drive home from work) then add an engine flush additive for a few minutes, before stopping the engine & draining the oil from the sump plug. I leave the drain pan under for a good long time with the oil filter removed & the vehicle orientated to ensure that the sump drain point is at the very lowest point. My thinking is that I want as much as possible of the detritus created by internal frictions etc removed from my lubrication system. I would have expected that the suction approach would leave the largest proportion of the contaminants, as being heavier than oil they will have readily settled to the bottom of the sump & out of the reach of the suction pump.???
A constant debate. However most garages now suck it out and some new cars have no sump plug. The belief is that regular scheduled changes using the correct fluids will happily be sucked without leaving any deposits either more or less than draining. You also stay clean and upright. Sent from my iPhone using MBClub UK
 
Am I missing some advantage to the suction method, other than time.?

Fwiw, when changing oil I like to get my engine nice & warm (ideally having been thrown around on my drive home from work) then add an engine flush additive for a few minutes, before stopping the engine & draining the oil from the sump plug.
I leave the drain pan under for a good long time with the oil filter removed & the vehicle orientated to ensure that the sump drain point is at the very lowest point.

My thinking is that I want as much as possible of the detritus created by internal frictions etc removed from my lubrication system.
I would have expected that the suction approach would leave the largest proportion of the contaminants, as being heavier than oil they will have readily settled to the bottom of the sump & out of the reach of the suction pump.???

You don't have to take off ( in my case very heavy metal) under tray, remove sump plug, drain, replace (in my case very heavy metal) under tray. No crawling about under the car on dirty, damp driveway.

Get engine nice and warm, put in flush if you deem it necessary, pump out oil and crud from lowest point of sump...because that's where the flexxible plastic tube ends up.

If there's any metal in there...the sump magnet will hold it and no amount of pumping or draining will remove it. There shouldn't be crud if the oil is changed on schedule. Pumping the oil out is really a no brainer.
 
My thinking is that I want as much as possible of the detritus created by internal frictions etc removed from my lubrication system.
I would have expected that the suction approach would leave the largest proportion of the contaminants, as being heavier than oil they will have readily settled to the bottom of the sump & out of the reach of the suction pump.???

For the big stuff there's the filter, the dirt the detergency of the oil, and having had to take an angle grinder through the floor of a sump previously emptied with a Pela to remove it, I can assure you no oil will be remaining.
Sump internally was spotlessly clean after 65000 miles of only suction draining. There is no reason not to employ this method.
 
On Recent cars the suck or drain debate has been moved in favour of suck by MB not providing access to the drain plug without dropping the under tray. Earlier cars even those with an under tray provided easy access. On discovering that on my current car I drew the line and after 40 odd years of draining I've moved on to suck and won't be going back. It's just so much easier and cleaner.
 
Correct, and I have a pump for just that.

But this guy said the US garages attach a tube to the top of the dipstick tube, relying on the fact it goes to the bottom.

Carried out my service at the weekend. I did try the above and only got a spattering of oil so it definitely does not go right to the bottom.
 
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