DIY oil change on 2.0 tdi using vacuum pump problem

[Adman]

Just attempted to do oil change on my 2013 A6 2.0 tdi. Half success. I only managed to get 3 litres of oil out with the pump. I can't beothered to take off all of the underbody to drain the sump so thought the pump would be quicker and easier. Clearly not. Has anyone attempted oil change on this engine with a pump? Its like the suction pipe reaches the bottom but can't suck as the end is somehow covered so nothing can get through. I tried a few angles but only managed about 3 litres, so annoyingly theres 2 litres of dirty oil in with my new filter and oil.

I'll have to do it again soon, but has anyone got any tips... preferably with taking the underside of the car apart.

Thanks in advance

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[zollaf]

did you do it with a hot engine ? did you suck the rest out from the oil cooler.

[bbrown1664]

Why do half a job?
I understand that it is clean and quick but it doesn't get the crap out of the sump the way draining the oil properly does.

[Gazwould]

Vacuum is usually superior as there is sub 500ml in the oil cooler .

Some engines may have a baffle in the way .

The correct oil and regular changes there shouldn't be any sludge at all .

What diameter is the pipe sucking out ?

[zollaf]

also the pipe can go right to the bottom of the sump and get out the 1/4 litre or so that never comes out the sump plug because the sump plug is not the lowest point of the sump.

[Gazwould]

Got pics that demonstrate that mate ?

[zollaf]

no, just know how much oil comes out of a sump when you have to remove one after draining it via the plug. some cars are worse that others. some are great, some french things where the plug is actually in the bottom of the sump, but where its in the side it cant be the lowest point because some metal is required to be around the plug, so its a few mm up from the very bottom. also depends if you lift the car up as well, and where the plug is, you can make it quite a bit higher and leave even more oil behind. all depends on the car and how you do it.

[Gazwould]

Yes , know what you mean , if the plug is on the side just jack the car up the other side , probably never states that in a handbook , but that's VAG for ya !

[ninjabob]

On the 2.0litre suck all the oil out including the filter housing and measure it in a five litre container. Replace with five litres of fresh oil and run the engine and allow to cool. Purchase one of these Laser 4807 Oil Gauge/dipstick Audi: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Laser-4807-Gauge-dipstick-Audi/dp/B003AN1QYS) and set the guage up to 70 on the scale nearest the oil level end. Remove the blank on the right hand side of the engine (only seen with top cover off) and check the oil. Remove temporary dip stick and replace blank.

The onboard guage is at best useless - mine constantly said I had too much oil despite removing two litres. I finally removed the rest and found exactly five litres in total.

I believe the AUDI dealers pump the oil out anyway and use a special (to them) dip stick when servicing our cars.

[Adman]

Thanks bob. Tool ordered. I do hope there is more oil than 3 litres in there.

The engine was warm and I did suck out what i could from the oil cooler but i didn't get much, maybe half a cup. The pipe is what came with the Peal 450 which is about 5mm diameter. Is it worth trying it with a smaller diameter suction pipe?

[Gazwould]

5mm is fine .

[Adman]

So the dipstick turned up today and the instructions said set to 46 which I did and it shows the level as bang on. However, Bob, you said set it to 70. If this is the case, the level is way too low. Think I might drop the sump plug out and measure the oil in there and do it the old fashioned way. At least i'll know if there's only 3 litres in there.

[ninjabob]

So the dipstick turned up today and the instructions said set to 46 which I did and it shows the level as bang on. However, Bob, you said set it to 70. If this is the case, the level is way too low. Think I might drop the sump plug out and measure the oil in there and do it the old fashioned way. At least i'll know if there's only 3 litres in there.

46 is for 2009 onwards which is not our engine.

Using my vacuum system I drained all the oil, drained what I could from the filter housing which amounted to 5 litres of waste oil. I then replaced the filter, added 5litres of oil, started the engine and ran it briefly, waited for the oil to settle then set the dipstick up to read Max on the level. Hence my setting of 70.

I would be really interested to see how much oil you get out by the conventional method.

My problem was that I just did not believe the MMI guage that kept telling me I had too much oil, despite removing two litres!

Why the hell they do not fit or supply as an option a dipstick I will never know. Technology for the sake of technology.

[wildbore]

I believe the AUDI dealers pump the oil out anyway and use a special (to them) dip stick when servicing our cars.

My understanding is that VAG procedures require that all oil changes are done through the sump plug, not vacuum pump. Whether dealers follow those is another matter.

[geoff4e]

Sorry to jump on here but can anyone tell me if the Sealyoil dipstick will be ok to use on my car it’s a MY 2017 4GC 2.0tdi Ultra, engine code DDDA and if so whatsetting to use.
I don’t trust the MMIas yesterday it told me to remove some oil, yet the level is ok today.
I am old school and Imuch prefer a visual check, 6 months in with this car and loving it.
Thanks for any help Geoff

[Demessiah]

Had this exact problem. I pulled the oil and only half came out.

There is a trick to it. Put the extractor tube down and it will probably stop on something that feels like the bottom. It's not the bottom but some small obstruction stopping the tube going all the way in.

To get past this just keep fiddling with the tube. Pull it up and down a mm or two and start rotating it around. It will find its way past this obstruction and drop down another few inches. I then marked my extractor tube so I know if it's at the bottom or not next time.

Once you get the tube right down it will pull a full 5l out.