[mike881881]

I am considering removing excess oil through the dipstick channel using a syringe and 1/4" tubing. My concern is that the tubing gets stuck and cannot be removed.

Has anyone done this successfully? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Genesis]

I have used an oil extractor for years. It can be done but there is some restriction in the tube. You have to use a stiff 1/4" O.D. tube but it will take some effort to get it down. Taking the tube out is easier...never felt it would get stuck. The CRV is the only car that I owned that gave me a problem

 

[jbeachy]

My concern would be that if the excess fluid is removed via the fill port, that doesn't restore the oil/gasoline mixture; in fact, if you have the problem, the proportion of gasoline will rise higher and higher as you repeat the process. It's not the excess fluid level that is most likely to be harmful to the engine, it's the gasoline mixed with the oil. In my mind you would be elevating, not lowering, the risk of damage or abnormal wear.

If you have concerns about fluid level, my opinion is that it's better to have it changed rather than removing the excess.

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[Dans15]

My concern would be that if the excess fluid is removed via the fill port, that doesn't restore the oil/gasoline mixture; in fact, if you have the problem, the proportion of gasoline will rise higher and higher as you repeat the process. It's not the excess fluid level that is most likely to be harmful to the engine, it's the gasoline mixed with the oil. In my mind you would be elevating, not lowering, the risk of damage or abnormal wear.

If you have concerns about fluid level, my opinion is that it's better to have it changed rather than removing the excess.

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Don’t think so. Oil and gasoline are miscible, creating a uniform mixture when mixed. So if you have 5% gasoline in your sump every quart you withdraw through the dipstick tube will contain 5% gasoline, too.

Water is a different issue and is not miscible, but as water is more dense than oil it will settle at the bottom of the sump and be withdrawn first. In any event, if done with a purpose-built extractor and used with a bit of care, virtually the same amount of fluid can be extracted through the dipstick tube as via the drain plug. If I remember correctly, extractors are used in some the high end German makes as standard procedure.

 

[mike881881]

My concern would be that if the excess fluid is removed via the fill port, that doesn't restore the oil/gasoline mixture; in fact, if you have the problem, the proportion of gasoline will rise higher and higher as you repeat the process. It's not the excess fluid level that is most likely to be harmful to the engine, it's the gasoline mixed with the oil. In my mind you would be elevating, not lowering, the risk of damage or abnormal wear.

If you have concerns about fluid level, my opinion is that it's better to have it changed rather than removing the excess.

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You bring up an excellent point.

In my case, I believe that the elevated oil level is due to overfilling at the dealer. Regardless, I plan to take the oil level down significantly and add some fresh oil to counteract any dilution that may exist.

 

[jbeachy]

Don’t think so. Oil and gasoline are miscible, creating a uniform mixture when mixed. So if you have 5% gasoline in your sump every quart you withdraw through the dipstick tube will contain 5% gasoline, too.
<snip>

Consider this: Remove x volume of miscible oil/gasoline mixture. Replace with that same volume of gasoline (the only thing that will raise the fluid level). Repeat. It's pretty clear that each cycle will have an increasingly higher percentage of gasoline.

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[calico]

I live in Missouri, so Honda says no fix for me. I bought a fluid extractor and plan to remove the oil every couple thousand miles. Maybe use it between dealer oil changes, letting them change the filter. Here is a link to the one I just purchased.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben-parts/65-liter-fluid-extractor/011885sch01a/

 

[Dans15]

Consider this: Remove x volume of miscible oil/gasoline mixture. Replace with that same volume of gasoline (the only thing that will raise the fluid level). Repeat. It's pretty clear that each cycle will have an increasingly higher percentage of gasoline.

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Right. I assumed the OP was extracting the whole of the sump, not just a quart or so.

 

[jbeachy]

Right. I assumed the OP was extracting the whole of the sump, not just a quart or so.

You're right, if all the oil is removed there's no issue. The OP said "excess oil". Further clarified that he thinks it was overfilled, so no issue in removing that either.

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[BobInPa]

Whenever I get the oil changed in any of my cars I check the oil level as soon as I get home. I gave up on DIY over 30 years ago.
After my second Honda dealer overfill I decided to siphon out the excess instead of going back to the dealer to have them fix it like I did the first time. So I took some 1/4” tubing and put some tape around it marking the length of the dip stick. Then I stuck it in no farther than the tape, I kind of remember some resistance. I then siphoned it out the old fashioned way, yep that way, nothing a cold beer can’t cure. I let nature do the work, it took a while so I did other chores (lying in my hammock and drinking beer) and checked every 15 minutes or so. After I siphoned out 18 liquid ounces I pulled out the tubing with very little resistance. This is where the tape comes in handy again, to make sure the tubing is the same length as it was when it went in. My oil level was now down 7/16” from the overfill and was now 1/16” below the MAX hole. Since this first ever below MAX oil level, the fluctuations due to gas dilution seem to have lessened.
The bottom line is: If Bob can do it, anyone can.

 

[fishycomics]

I am considering removing excess oil through the dipstick channel using a syringe and 1/4" tubing. My concern is that the tubing gets stuck and cannot be removed.

Has anyone done this successfully? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.

This may be a inexpensive way but I only grabbed the photo for this it has a pump and it should do the trick, all you need to do is fish hose

 

[dbier]

I live in Missouri, so Honda says no fix for me. I bought a fluid extractor and plan to remove the oil every couple thousand miles. Maybe use it between dealer oil changes, letting them change the filter. Here is a link to the one I just purchased.
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben-parts/65-liter-fluid-extractor/011885sch01a/

Thanks for the oil extractor link! However, I noticed that Hondas are NOT listed as fitting this extractor. Have you already tried it successfully on your new CRV? If so, I will definitely buy one.

My thought is to extract about 1-1/4 quarts of diluted oil between oil changes and replace with enough (1 quart?) new 0-20W oil to bring the level back to just below the full mark. I figure adding the fresh oil will increase the overall viscosity of the remaining oil without having to replace all the oil too frequently. Of course, if this extractor works well and quickly maybe I'll just bite the bullet and extract/replace the majority of oil between "official oil changes".

 

[Genesis]

Thanks for the oil extractor link! However, I noticed that Hondas are NOT listed as fitting this extractor. Have you already tried it successfully on your new CRV? If so, I will definitely buy one.

My thought is to extract about 1-1/4 quarts of diluted oil between oil changes and replace with enough (1 quart?) new 0-20W oil to bring the level back to just below the full mark. I figure adding the fresh oil will increase the overall viscosity of the remaining oil without having to replace all the oil too frequently. Of course, if this extractor works well and quickly maybe I'll just bite the bullet and extract/replace the majority of oil between "official oil changes".

The outside diameter of the hose must be 1/4 inch or smaller. The hose must be stiff but somewhat flexible. It will take several attempts but it will go through. The dip stick tube has some sort of a restriction about half way down the tube.

 

[EX-CRV_Touring_Owner]

One possibility

Here’s what worked for me.
I wanted to extract a small sample to send for analysis well before I thought I needed to change it. I bought a pump from Amsoil.

Google Amsoil G1206 - I can't post links

It comes with a hose that’s supposed to fit down the dipstick tube and allow you to suck oil out of the crankcase reservoir.

When you purchase an oil analysis kit, you get a bottle that fits the pump which allows the pump to create a vacuum to suck the oil out.

I’m not certain if it’s easy to find a bottle to fit the pump if you’re not going to buy an oil analysis kit, but I’d have to think that it’s got to be possible.

“Easyvac” sells all of that stuff, but you’ll have to buy more bottles than you’ll probably want.

I tried in vain to get the hose down the tube, and at one point, just like one other post indicated, thought that I had managed to jam the hose in such a way that it wasn’t going to come out without breaking apart. But it did come out with the remains of a “kink” where it had obviously doubled up in the dipstick tube.

So I was forced to improvise. I noticed that if I turned the dipstick ¼ of a turn, it did not go down the tube very far, leading me to believe there was some sort of constriction that was similar in shape to the orange tip of the dipstick (i.e. rectangular, and not round or square). I went to the hardware store and got a 1/8” brass tube that with a little effort, got past the constriction. It fit nicely on the hose and I tie-wrapped it in place. I was not able to draw any oil, as there was no suction, because I still wasn’t reaching the oil.

Back to the hardware store. This time I purchased an aluminum tube that was smaller (3/32” I think – I lost the label). Aluminum seemed to flex more which was important because I believe there’s a bend below the constriction. The smaller aluminum tube did get “lower”, just trying it by itself than the brass tube had, but again I had to “work” it down the dipstick tube to get it there. It fit the hose very loosely, so I used 3 tie wraps in hopes that would be enough to allow a vacuum to be created. That did the trick for me.

The aluminum tube was much longer than the dipstick, and I did not shorten it, partly so that it was ONLY the tube (and not the hose and tie wrap) that went down the dipstick tube.

If you end up with a small bottle (relative to the amount of fluid you want to remove), you can break the vacuum by simply lifting the tube up slightly until the end of the tube is above the level of the oil, then you can unscrew the bottle to empty it and repeat the process as many times as you need to. The pump has a ”screw top” that tightens around the hose that you can use to accomplish the same thing.

A 1/8” aluminum tube may work also in that the key may only be the amount of flex it provides versus the brass instead of the diameter being key, I don’t know. It fit the hose much more snuggly, meaning that there was less worry of a vacuum leak at that juncture.

By this time, you may have found something that works for you. But regardless, best of luck.

 

[dbier]

Here’s what worked for me.

By this time, you may have found something that works for you. But regardless, best of luck.

Thanks for the detailed info! I haven't bought a suction pump yet so this info will come in very handy!!

 

[Zip1]

I have successfully used the tubing and pump from Amsoil on 3 different occasions (sample submissions).

Yes, there is a definite restriction in the dipstick tube. Per instructions from Amsoil, they recommend cutting the tubing at a 45 degree angle. I try to use this angled cut to my advantage when feeding it down the dipstick tube. When I reach the (very noticeable) obstruction, pull it back slightly (maybe half an inch) rotate (maybe 90 degrees) and re-try. It takes me about 3 tries to get past the obstruction, then to the pre-marked (per instructions) depth to retrieve the sample.

 

[EX-CRV_Touring_Owner]

Well Zip1, I'm certainly impressed! I made the cut like they suggested, but given that the hose / tubing was all curled up from how it was shipped and it was RELATIVELY cold (though not as cold as recently) when I did this, I would have never guessed that it was possible.

I'll bet you'd be good with a cardiac catheter. You might want to consider it, they make a LOT of money....

 

[Derek87]

i bought this pump from Blackstone to take my samples:

https://www.blackstone-labs.com/products/vacuum-pump/

and it and the supplied tubing worked very well and without any difficulty. (i marked the location of how far i wanted to put it in based on the dipstick length as noted by someone else earlier.

according to the video on the website, it is common 1/4" refrigerating tubing you can buy at a hardware store.

 

[tomshen2010]

I have used a syringe and a tubing to remove extra oil through the dipstick channel more than 10 years. When you meet a resist to put it down, you could rotate the tubing a little and try to put it down. Just try several times. You should get it.