If you are in a hurry and just want to find out what the best motor oil extractor is, then we recommend Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus as the best one.
We bet you dread your vehicle oil change.
And who could blame you! Changing the oil in the old fashioned way is a task so annoying that so many car owners are willing to handsomely pay a mechanic to do it.
But what if you didn’t have to crawl under the car? What if you could change your oil more quickly, more easily, and more conveniently? What if there was a better way?
A fluid extractor is the better way.
Read our review to discover the best oil extractor in our experience, to help you change the oil neatly and quickly on your own, without spending money on a mechanic.
Here are the best motor oil extractors we recommend:
- Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus
- Air Power America 5060TS Fluid Removing System
- OEMTOOLS 24937 Fluid Extractor
The Importance of Regular Oil Changes
Regularly changing the oil is easily one of the most important maintenance tasks for any vehicle.
Changing the oil by yourself, however, is not the easiest task. Draining the old oil from the oil sump is probably the worst part. You have to lift your car, get under it, unscrew the sump plug, and let the old oil pour out on a drain pan, all while desperately trying not to make a mess. So you end up dreading the oil change, and you delay it.
Or maybe you don’t change the oil by yourself. Maybe, like most drivers, you entrust the activity to a mechanic or a service station. But that takes money. And thus, guess what? You end up delaying it.
Delaying the oil change is one of the worst mistakes in vehicle maintenance.
Your vehicle engine and generally all engines rely on oil for operation. Oil lubricates components and prevents them from touching and rubbing together as the engine runs. It reduces friction, thus cooling the involved parts. And as it circulates, it cleans the engine, carrying away dust, dirt, and combustion residues to the oil filter to be captured.
Delaying the change, you force the engine to operate using old, ineffective, and probably even insufficient oil. This increases wear and soon leads to serious engine damage.
What is an Oil Extractor and Why should I Use One?
Alright, alright, you get it. Regularly changing the oil is very important. Great. But how does an oil extractor help you with that? And what’s an oil extractor anyway?
Great questions! An oil extractor is a device that greatly simplifies the extraction of old oil from the engine. You simply connect it to the oil dipstick hole, which is conveniently located just under the hood of the car, and you activate it. All the oil is safely and easily extracted from the vehicle in a matter of minutes. Completely hassle-free.
If your vehicle also has a top-mounted oil filter, you’ll be able to complete a full oil service maintenance without ever even kneeling.
Boom. Changing the oil just got a whole lot easier. And a whole lot faster and more convenient.
You’ll have no reason to dread it anymore. You won’t delay it. And both you and your vehicle will be happier for it.
Types of Oil Extractor
There are three main types of oil extractors. They all work by creating a vacuum that sucks out the oil. What differs is the energy source.
Manual
These extractors are manually operated. They don’t need any electricity, but just a tiny bit of elbow grease. To use this style of extractors, you’ll need to hand pump until you create a vacuum that siphons out the motor oil.
Don’t fret. It’s not like a bike pump. You don’t have to keep pumping. A couple of pumps are sufficient to create the vacuum, and then the pressure works on your behalf, siphoning out all the oil. No sweat involved.
A manual pump is a good choice for those who need a truly portable pump or have a tighter budget.
Pneumatic
This style of pump can be operated either using an air compressor or manually. You connect an air compressor to the extractor and it creates the pressure needed to get the necessary suction.
If you don’t have access to a compressor, then you can use the backup option and operate the pump manually.
Electrical
This style of pumps has a built-in compressor and thus requires an electrical power source to work. Most models will connect to your car battery for power; some come with their own internal battery.
This type of pump is most commonly used in emergencies or maritime applications, where connecting to the battery is the only option. Always check that the pump is compatible with your battery before purchasing one.
How to Choose the Best Oil Extractor
There are several aspects to consider when choosing the best fluid extractor for your needs.
Reservoir Capacity
Most extractors come with a reservoir to hold the oil you drain. Typical sizes range from 1.5 to 95 liters. The lower end of the spectrum is better suited for personal use. The higher-end is better suited for heavy-duty commercial or industrial use.
Look for a pump that has a reservoir big enough to hold all of the oil required by your vehicle, so that you won’t have to stop midway to pour the oil in a larger container. Consider that most passenger vehicles need anywhere between 4.5 to 7.5 liters of oil. Also keep in mind that the bigger the extractor’s capacity, the less portable it will be.
Convenience
Various features can increase the extractor’s convenience.
Look for a flow control valve and automatic shut-off that will stop the oil flow when the reservoir is full. This will prevent your reservoir from overflowing and give you the freedom to do something else while you wait.
Another good feature is a way to direct the oil from the reservoir to the oil disposal container so as to prevent accidental spills. The best models actually have a pumping action also for evacuating the fluids from the reservoir that make the process even easier.
Quality
As always, look for high-quality materials that will stand the test of time. In particular, look for an anti-rust and anti-corrosion finish for the reservoir. Also, make sure that the tank is heat resistant so that it is able to sustain the possibly high-temperature oil coming from your vehicle.
These are the Best Oil Extractors
Alright. Now you know how incredibly convenient oil extractors are and how to choose the best one for your needs. The last thing left to do is to actually buy one!
Here are the best oil extractors on the market, based on our experience and extensive analysis.
Best Overall: Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus
The Mityvac 7201 is a manual oil extractor featuring an 8.8-liter (2.3-gallon) capacity. Just a few pumps will let you handle practically all passenger vehicles.
Its reservoir is made from durable polyethylene material able to withstand rust and corrosion.
It comes with multiple long dipsticks of various diameters to guarantee the right fit. And an automatic shut off valve that stops the tank from overfilling.
Here’s the icing on the cake: at the push of a button, this extractor changes from suction to pumping for evacuating or dispensing the extracted fluids. This functionality makes the disposal as easy and clean as possible.
It is, in our experience, the most reliable, durable, and easy to use extractor unit on the market.
Budget Pick: Air Power America 5060TS Fluid Removing System
The 5060TS is a manual fluid extractor by Air Power America.
It has a sufficiently large 8-quart (7.5-liter) reservoir to handle most passenger vehicles.
We love its portable design, with a small form factor and a removable pump to enable safe and stress-free storage.
It doesn’t have all the premium features of our top pick, like the various diameter dipsticks, the auto shut-off valve, or the suction/pumping switch. But it is a solid, no-frills choice for an oil extractor.
Honorable Mention: OEMTOOLS 24937 Fluid Extractor
This efficient oil extractor by OEMTOOLS has both pneumatic and manual modes. If you have access to an air compressor you can connect it to the extractor and let it do its work without even moving a finger. If you don’t, you can simply fall back on it’s manual mode and hand-pump the oil out.
It comes with multiple width hoses so you’ll have no problem getting the right fit. There is also a safety cap and an auto shut-off valve to ensure safe operation.
The reservoir is made from high-quality, anti-rust, and heat-resistant materials.
There are few aspects, however, that we don’t like about this unit. Probably the biggest annoyance is the tubes not being long enough to handle most vehicles. Then there’s the somewhat awkward 6-liter capacity of the reservoir, falling in-between the usual range of oil capacity of most vehicles.
Both of these problems, however, are solved on the larger, 9.5-liter model.
Still, the lack of the suction/pumping switch (found on our top pick) leaves OEMTOOLS’s extractors in a secondary position. Consider it, however, if you absolutely want an air-compressor-operated solution.
FAQs about Motor Oil Extractors
There’s quite a bit of controversy and diffidence around using fluid extractors for changing your vehicle motor oil. Most of it, in our opinion, is caused by an incorrect understanding of how the extractor actually works. And some of it, unfortunately, is generated by some mechanics that evidently have more than a vested interest on the matter.
So let’s set the record straight once and for all.
Is using a motor oil extractor as good as draining?
Yes, it absolutely is.
According to DriveTribe it is actually even better.
According to our experience, when we used an oil extractor and then also drained through the usual plug, there was never more than 100 ml of oil left in the reservoir. Most of the time it was actually completely empty.
Will an oil extractor damage my vehicle engine?
No, it won’t. When used correctly, a fluid extractor is perfectly identical to sucking the oil out of the reservoir with a drinking straw. And we’re pretty sure you can’t really damage anything with a drinking straw.
How long does it take to extract motor oil with a fluid extractor?
Though it depends on the size of the vehicle oil reservoir and the particular type and model of the extractor, for most vehicles and extractors the process takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Be aware though that for you that will be idle time. After the first few pumps, the extractor will get the fluid out on its own. You will not be pumping or otherwise managing the extractor in any way.
You give it a few pumps, you leave it, and then you come back after 10 minutes to find the job done. All without getting under the vehicle or managing spills.
Is a fluid extractor the best way to change your oil?
Look, what is really beneficial for your vehicle engine is frequent oil changes. And a fluid extractor significantly lowers the barrier and effort to do that.
Maybe manual draining will get that couple more milliliters out. Or maybe it won’t. But that doesn’t really matter in the end. What matters is that you regularly and frequently change your vehicle oil.
And that’s why, independently of its supposed efficiency when compared to manual draining, a fluid extractor is the way we recommend to perform a DIY oil change.
You won’t dread the oil change as much, so you will do it more frequently, and your vehicle will benefit from it.
Conclusion
A good oil extractor can free you of the mess and stress of spending minutes under the car to change your vehicle oil.
The best oil extractor in our experience is the Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus. Buy it now. You won’t look back.
