Pela Pump Problem

[Coolhand]

Used my Pela Pump for the first time today. Apart from taking an age (over an hour to suck out 6 litres) which I am putting down to not having the oil warm enough, every thing well until I came to extract the tube. When I was slowly pulling it out it became stuck, so I pushed it back in and tried to pull it out again only for it to stick at the same point again. This time I gave it a sharp tug (I was starting to get visions of dropping the sump) and it came free.

On inspection of the tube I found a flap of the plastic coating was ripped but luckly still attached. Further down the tube there were abrasion marks which leads me to beleive that there must be something that the tube was snagging on.

Some questions:

1. Has anyone else had this problem
2. Does anyone sell spares for the Pela Pump i.e. the tube
3. If I cannot get a spare tube I may have to cut the tube down removing the damaged part, how much tube do you need to drain the Bongo (I am thinking that I probably had it inserted to far in the first place which may have caused the problem.

Thanks in advance for any help

Mike

[mikeonb4c]

I use a Pela but have not had this problem before. I lower it gently into the dipstick hole then feel for any resistance (there shouldn't be any until it 'hits bottom'). But I can imagine a situation where it hits the bottom at an angle and -because the tube is flexible - it slides off allowing you to continue to push the tube in. In that situation it will have a tendency to catch on whatever it curved round as it bent off. The fact it was so slow suggests (apart from oil being to cold, I make sure my engine is nice and warm before a Pela oil change) the tube end make have come to rest up against something, maybe the sump side wall. Again, I've not checked especially but I don't think the suction tube on mine has ever been more than 1/2 - 2/3 in before I could feel it tapping on the bottom of the sump. So gently does it I think. Sorry I can't help more.

Mike

PS - wait for all the jokers to start in on all the 'double entendres' above

[karen]

i've had exact same problem

it was fine for gear oil but when i did the engine oil - it stuck
and the heart did flutter as i fear the sump was going to be coming off

like yourself maybe gone to far as mine's was all the way in

so like yourself - need a new tube - when doing the engine anyway

[The Great Pretender]

BDC kindly lent me his pela pump, the tube looks like an outer cable from a push bike brake.
Now I have a bigger problem, how do I get his pela pump back to good as new. Looks like I will have to buy him a new one. I have never seen anything used to remove used oil arrive so clean.

[brorabongo]

I don't have a pela, instead I have a hand pump designed to remove oil. I found it very hard to pump to start with, this was because the end of the tube must of been flat to the bottom of the sump, so suckered to it? I lifted the tube a couple of mm's from the bottom and started again......job done, and in no time. I then remove the sump plug, just to see what was left behind, and only got a short drizzle of oil. The pela or hand pump makes the job alot easier/cleaner, especially if windy.

I left my blackened tubes hanging in the shed, after a few days the tubes were clear again.

[bigdaddycain]

BDC kindly lent me his pela pump, the tube looks like an outer cable from a push bike brake.
Now I have a bigger problem, how do I get his pela pump back to good as new. Looks like I will have to buy him a new one. I have never seen anything used to remove used oil arrive so clean.

Don't tell him TGP... Chances are he won't check the contents of the box anyway... Especially if you distract him with some car polish,a light emitting diode or something similar...

[bigdaddycain]

Used my Pela Pump for the first time today. Apart from taking an age (over an hour to suck out 6 litres) which I am putting down to not having the oil warm enough

Mike, could i suggest that you may be better off using it as the oil is cooling (i.e. 1/2 an hour after a good run) as opposed to warming the oil a little with a five minute tickover from cold,you'll have a job to get the oil properly up to temp from stone cold, you may as well just do the oil change after a run, when the oil is really thin and pi55y

Every thing well until I came to extract the tube. When I was slowly pulling it out it became stuck, so I pushed it back in and tried to pull it out again only for it to stick at the same point again. This time I gave it a sharp tug (I was starting to get visions of dropping the sump) and it came free

On inspection of the tube I found a flap of the plastic coating was ripped but luckly still attached. Further down the tube there were abrasion marks which leads me to beleive that there must be something that the tube was snagging on.

I wonder if you'd managed to get the tube of the pela caught under the shroud of the pick up pipe? Usually the lowest part of the scoop of the pick up pipe is almost touching the sump,then it flares out as the pick up pipe rises,but it's just possible that the tube bounced off the side of the sump, then somehow got stuck under the pick up pipe? I dunno if the sump is baffled with holes in it? May have entered one of the holes, then got snagged as you tried to lift it back out? I'd be tempted to push it further in,twist the tube 180 degrees, then wiggle it back out again,you could do without the insulation dropping off into the sump! It Kinda defeats the object of the convenience of the pela in the first place!

[Coolhand]

Thanks for all the feedback, I now realise that what I thought was a slight resistance of going round the bend in the dipstick tube was the pipe hiting the bottom of the sump.

Anyway I got some feedback from Pela, luckly for me they do spare the pipe so I will order a replacement for next time, details below if anyone else is looking for a replacement pipe

"Thank you for your enquiry. We do supply replacement tube sets for the Pela
6000 at a cost of £9.99 plus £2.00 for postage and packing.

If you wish to place an order, please telephone our Customer Services Team
on 01796 482119."

Mike

[mikeonb4c]

Lesson for all there I think - feel your way in carefully.

[alphabetter]

I used my Pela pump for the first time yesterday.

If you push the tube all the way in then it does seem to be possible to get the end to curl round the bottom of the sump and even to push up above the oil level again. I also managed to get a slight "catch" when pulling the tube out after doing this - but nothing serious fortunately.

My advice would be to use the dipstick to give you a lower bound on how far to push the tube and then feel carefully after that.

[Bob]

Used mine for the first time last week, just feed the first bit of the tube gently in until you feel/hear slight resistance, pull back 1/4" and suck away, you don't push all the tube in.

The length of the dipstick plus about an inch or 3 is about right, the tube should not be curling round.

[2sticks]

As has been said previously, push it in gently until you feel it touch the bottom.
I have done 3 oil changes using the Pela and I now change the oil at maximum
temperature. The Pela is quite capable of handling the high temperature oil.
If you give it extra pumps while extracting to maintain a good vacuum, it takes
about 15 minutes to extract 6 litres.

I have also changed 2 Auto gearbox oils. Wait for 20 minutes to allow the oil to
drain down and you should be able to suck out almost exactly 4 litres from the
dipstick tube. Of course you can't clean the filter doing it this way but it's much
better than not doing it at all. The last time the filter was taken out it was
perfectly clean.

To clean the Pela, poke the tube down your diesal - or petrol - tank, and suck
out enough fuel to clean the pipes and holding tank !!!.