Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Is suction or gravity better to change your oil?

Changing your oil seems like it should be relatively simple. Empty the engine of oil, then replace the filter and oil. It's becoming more popular to change your oil with a suction or siphon method, though. Is the suction method as good as the traditional oil change?

Article Source: Suction vs. gravity – What is the best way to change your oil? By Car Deal Expert

A standard oil change

Most oil changes, since the earliest autos, have relied on gravity to get the oil out of the engine. There is a drain plug at the bottom of the engine that could be removed. The engine drains oil when the plug is removed. Mechanics will probably use this process to change oil, depending on where you go. In theory, the sludge and gunk that settles within the oil pan is a lot more likely to get drained out with this system.

Using suction oil changes

Within the SkyMall catalog and in some quick-change lube shops, siphoning oil machines are making an appearance. The dipstick tube is used to suck or siphon all the oil out of the engine with these machines. As long as the oil filter is nevertheless changed each and every time, these machines supposedly work also as gravity oil changes. Some claim that these oil changes even get a lot more oil out of the engine and make it cleaner. Others, though, worry that the suction method of changing the oil might miss some of one of the most important parts of an oil change.

Should you use a suction oil change?

As long as you regularly change your oil, suction and gravity will probably work equally well. You should always make certain that an oil change involves a filter change. Check with your mechanic or quick-lube shop to find out what method they use to change the oil – or even ask to look at, if you'd like. Essentially, unless you're looking for incredibly high performance, just make sure to change your oil.



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