Help please, pela pump stuck!

[adrel]

Bought a 6lt pela pump for oil change, stuck tube as far as could down dipstick hole and pumped 20 times started to get a dribble of oil out. I thought I would pull tube up and re insert but realised it is stuck, I can pull it up and down about 2inches. I've undone the container to release suction but still can't get it out.
Help please!

[adrel]

Ok, after much messing with tube I resorted to brute force and ignorance and yanked it out but ripped the plastic sheath. Could a kind person tell me how much length I need to reach bottom of sump, so i could chop damaged part off.
Thanks

[Northern Bongolow]

dipstick length plus 12 inches should do you fine.

[mikeonb4c]

Crikey - never heard of that happening before!!! I think you must have pushed it in too far and got it caught round a sharp bend (or in a sharp edged component)

The trick is to feel for when the Pela tube touches the sump bottom. If you move it up and down holding it between finger and thumb (bit like you hold a dart), you should be able to detect a soft clunk as one meets the other. Go no further.

[missfixit70]

As Mike said, you have to be quite gentle with your insertion, you can feel it touch the bottom, but is easy to push it further, which means it'll be in the wrong place, if you've ripped the sheath have you left any in the sump? if so it needs getting out really, by more traditional draining methods.

[adrel]

Thanks.
Yep, definitely pushed it in too far! Doesn't appear to be any of the plastic sheath missing just ripped.
It took about 2 and a half hours to pump out oil, is this noraml with the Pela pump? I ran the engine for around 10 minutes before starting.

[missfixit70]

No, should only take 5-10 minutes with a warm engine, usually do mine after a run, let it cool for 10 minutes (make a cuppa & get the seats up & kit out) so it's not too hot & to allow engine to cool uniformly a bit, you have to keep repumping the vacuum to keep it flowing. Not sure why it took you that long although the oil would be pretty much cold after an hour so it would then be really viscous. how many pumps/how often were you doing it?
I usually chuck half a litre of clean oil in once it's empty too, then pump that out, just to flush it through a bit.

[adrel]

Ended up pumping every minute once the oil started cooling! just noticed a small tear in rubber sheath which I missed when cutting damaged tube off so maybe it was letting air out and not creating a proper vacuum?. Looks like I'll have to get a new bit of tubing for next time.

[missfixit70]

Sounds like that's it, what about using a bit of heat shrink tubing to repair?

[Kincaid]

Sounds like that's it, what about using a bit of heat shrink tubing to repair?

I've done exactly this after an almost identical episode with the Pela pump first time round. I measured the heat shrink to the dipstick length + a bit so that I don't get it stuck again.

[adrel]

Thanks, good idea. I'd never heard of heat shrink tubing, will give it a go. I don't feel quite such an idiot now I know someone else has done the same thing!

[danboy99]

Interesting - I also did exactly this with a Pela - in fact in my case I had to use so much brute force to pull it out that the metal coil of the tube unravelled, effectively destroying it. So it's binned and I need to buy a new one, but this kind of put me off really.

[mikeonb4c]

As Mike said, you have to be quite gentle with your insertion, you can feel it touch the bottom, but is easy to push it further, which means it'll be in the wrong place, if you've ripped the sheath have you left any in the sump? if so it needs getting out really, by more traditional draining methods.

Kirsty - DO NOT feed a comedian like me any more stuff like that, or I won't be held wesponsible for my writings

Great shame some have had bad experiences with the Pela due to pushing the thingie in too far - it really is the best thing ever for drama free oil changes. One of my better Bongo related purchases

[missfixit70]

As Mike said, you have to be quite gentle with your insertion, you can feel it touch the bottom, but is easy to push it further, which means it'll be in the wrong place, if you've ripped the sheath have you left any in the sump? if so it needs getting out really, by more traditional draining methods.

Kirsty - DO NOT feed a comedian like me any more stuff like that, or I won't be held wesponsible for my writings

I don't know what you could possibly mean Mike

[mikeonb4c]

As Mike said, you have to be quite gentle with your insertion, you can feel it touch the bottom, but is easy to push it further, which means it'll be in the wrong place, if you've ripped the sheath have you left any in the sump? if so it needs getting out really, by more traditional draining methods.

Kirsty - DO NOT feed a comedian like me any more stuff like that, or I won't be held wesponsible for my writings

I don't know what you could possibly mean Mike

Yea right