LiquiVac 2000 vs. Mityvac 7400 vs. Pela 6000

[01rangerxl]

I am thinking about buying an oil extractor. Primary purpose would be to remove fluid from my truck's transmission, so 4qt capacity is all I really need for the tank.

I have narrowed it down to three extractors that seem like they would work. I am open to other suggestions.

1. LiquiVac 2000 "for larger projects" 8 qt. About $50 at Northern Tool, in stock locally. I am not in a rush, but do not trust UPS, and would like to be able to return to a brick & mortar store if I have issues with it. Looks pretty compact. Some complaints online about lack of suction caused by the leather seal inside being dried out. The orientation of the pump looks a little awkward, but I probably won't ever use this for anything like gear oil, so maybe that's a non-issue. Looks small enough to sit somewhere under the hood, so I wouldn't need a ton of hose to reach down the dipstick tube.

2. Mityvac 7400 7.3L. About $70 on Amazon, free shipping. Sits on the ground, so I would probably have to use all of the hose extensions to reach down to the bottom of the dipstick tube. Probably less awkward to pump since it's an upright pump and has a foot brace. I did see some complaints online about leaks that Mityvac blames on synthetic oils.

3. Pela 6000 6.0L. About $65 on Amazon through a vendor (not Amazon direct). Good/bad reviews seem on par with other similarly priced/sized extractors, except for the fact that warranty/replacement part support may be lacking. Amazon does not sell it themselves, they only have it through vendors. If it has a problem, it may be a situation where I just have to throw out a $65 piece of plastic and try something else.

Possibly in the running if I can find some good reviews on it...MVP Topsider 2 gallon. This one is made of metal, and is actually the least expensive of the options. I can get it locally at Northern Tool for about $45. A couple concerns on this one...it's short, but the upright handle looks like it would be awkward to use with it sitting under the hood of the truck. Because of how short the tank is, it would probably need a lot of hose to reach down the dipstick tube if sitting on the ground. Also, I saw a couple reviews where people complained that the seal between the pump and tank would not hold a vacuum well or at all.

These are pretty much listed in order of my current interest in them. I'd like to hear from BITOGers who have used them on a car, especially the transmission via the dipstick tube. The vast majority of the reviews online are from people using them on power equipment or boats.

I am also open to suggestions for other products, or other places to buy them.

 

[Apollo14]

I purchased the larger Mityvac and it does it's job.

But in retrospect, I think I might have first tried an electric powered pump whose other end could have been routed directly into the disposal container (in my case the original oil jugs (my used oil gets picked up for free at home)).

The electric pumps are much cheaper and in the end take up less storage space, and the whole extraction and disposal process could be done in one step.

I know others use their Mityvac for many things eg brake bleeding, but I don't. I pressure bleed brakes, I use my sampling pump with a larger container attached for power steering, turkey baster for brake fluid reservoir.

 

[01rangerxl]

^ Good idea. I'll be looking into electric pumps as well.

This one at Northern looks interesting...
Northern Tool 12V electric oil pump

Nevermind on that one...maybe...two reviewers on Northern said they used it for transmission fluid without issues, but in the Q&A section, the manufacturer says it is not compatible with ATF.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
2. Mityvac 7400 7.3L. About $70 on Amazon, free shipping. Sits on the ground, so I would probably have to use all of the hose extensions to reach down to the bottom of the dipstick tube. Probably less awkward to pump since it's an upright pump and has a foot brace. I did see some complaints online about leaks that Mityvac blames on synthetic oils.

The leaks happen because the pump is inside the container, bathing in the oil, so if you don't immediately empty the oil after extraction, the seals will fail. I killed my 7400 this way.

My next extractor will have a pump on the outside to avoid this issue.

 

[01rangerxl]

Good to know. I did see other models of Mityvac for $30-40 more that had the pump mounted externally. I may look into those as well.

 

[Apollo14]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Nevermind on that one...maybe...two reviewers on Northern said they used it for transmission fluid without issues, but in the Q&A section, the manufacturer says it is not compatible with ATF.


http://www.amazon.com/Shoreline-Marine-O...ectric+oil+pump

This one has good reviews and a good price..

This one: http://www.amazon.com/Automobile-Truck-E...8V5NNCTPXWHNFYH

has slightly worse reviews but is widely available on ebay for $20 or less:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=12v+oil+extractor&_sop=15

 

[01rangerxl]

The Shoreline Marine one looks like it might work well.

I haven't totally ruled out the one from Northern Tool yet...not sure if they say it's not compatible with ATF simply because they haven't tested it with ATF, or if there is an actual seal compatibility issue or something. For $30, I may try it anyway. I won't lose sleep over ruining it at that price.

 

[Bud_One]

I purchased the Liquivac 2000 and it works great. Cheaper on Amazon
http://tinyurl.com/kpywa3f

 

[raytseng]

yea, if you're going to get a mityvac, get the 7201 which has the pump external, as well as dispense feature.

If you don't need those features, then the mityvac is in the same boat as the other options.

 

[Apollo14]

OP, here is another option for you. I just used my Mityvac for an ATF change but my UOA got me thinking and I'll be following a different path going forward.

Ford's can really benefit from a better transmission filter. So why not install a Magnefine and while installing it, use the opportunity to do a full fluid exchange using the cooler line method.

Then your fluid is more likely to go the distance. You can then change the fluid and filter every 30k miles, each time doing a full cooler line exchange when you remove and replace the filter.

 

[typ901]

I like my Mityvac, but it does not work on all cars, due to pan/dipstick design. My LR3 barely got 3 quarts out of it, and 8.1 is the capacity.

 

[T-Bone]

I've had the Pella 6000 for about five years. I use it for lots of things: Oil changes, power steering changes, transmission & differential oil changes, brake fluid changes, even radiator draining.

One thing I especially like about it: It's got about a 3-foot section of super stiff tubing on the end, which helps shove it down some dipstick holes and get past obstacles. Those others look pretty good too, especially if you need the capacity.

 

[Doog]

I have a Motive brand. Its expensive but built well. I have had it 10+ years and it still works great. I use it on everything. Cars motorcycles, boats, OPE, generator, power washer, fuel tanks, you name it.

I used it originally to change the engine oil and trans oil on my searay twin 7.4L boat engines. It will change antifreeze, power steering reservoirs, bleed brakes, no more turning over the lawnmower to get the plug. Plus it is graduated so you can see exactly how much oil you removed and replace the same amount.

http://www.amazon.com/Motive-Products-1708-Vehicle-Extractor/dp/B000AAJSOE

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Apollo14
OP, here is another option for you. I just used my Mityvac for an ATF change but my UOA got me thinking and I'll be following a different path going forward.

Ford's can really benefit from a better transmission filter. So why not install a Magnefine and while installing it, use the opportunity to do a full fluid exchange using the cooler line method.

Then your fluid is more likely to go the distance. You can then change the fluid and filter every 30k miles, each time doing a full cooler line exchange when you remove and replace the filter.



The reason I'm thinking fluid extraction may be a good route to go is that this truck doesn't seem to be very hard on its fluid.

It has had the fluid flushed every 25K-30K miles since new. At 147K or so, I took the pan off for the first time in the truck's life. The bottom of the pan was spotless. The magnet did have some accumulation on it, but not much. The fluid was perfect transparent red. Even the old filter, which is the one the truck left the assembly line with, didn't look bad at all. I was really surprised to see it that clean.

It has me thinking that just doing partial changes through the dipstick every six months to a year may be an easy way to keep it maintained with no mess.

 

[01rangerxl]

I ended up getting the Liquivac 2000. Overall the reviews were good, and I figured if I ran into the issue with it not pulling vacuum, it would be simple enough to fix.

So far, I am very happy with it. It has paid for itself already. No problems to report.

I have used it to change the ATF and PS in my 2002 a couple times now, and I used it this past weekend to change both differentials and the t-case fluid in my 1994.

Great product for the price and availability.

 

[tadc]

I realize this is an ancient topic, but I just have to add:

For anyone considering buying an electric pump extractor rather than pneumatic... don't.

I tried that first and it was nothing but trouble. Constantly losing prime (and difficult to get it back), slow, noisy, and eventually the [censored] plastic fitting cracked and sprayed oil all over me and my engine compartment, leaving me with the oil half changed.

Then I got a Pela 6000 which has performed flawlessly for many years. The only real complaint I have is that the pump section is not fixed to the reservoir, so you have to use both hands to pump (one to hold the pump in place). Would be better if it threaded or latched on, that way you could hold the unit down with your foot.

 

[Rand]

HF has a nice one for around 115$

6gal capacity and uses compressed air to build vacuum.