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I recently used some siphon tubing to remove some oil from my engine. This worked great until I realized I wasn't sure how I could clean the tube for reuse as I don't want to use a siphon tube that has old oil in it, just in case.

I was thinking of spraying brakes cleaner down the tube to remove the oil, but then I wasn't sure how I could remove the brakes cleaner from the tube after that without just rinsing it with water?

I've heard it's okay to use brakes cleaner to clean out oil filter housings, but accidently mixing brake cleaner with oil doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

Can anyone give me some suggestions or advice as to wether I am thinking too much into this or what is best to use?

Thanks

Sean Chapman
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As @Zaid stated in his comment, brake cleaner is volatile and leaves little to no residue behind ... it's how it's designed to work. The only fear I'd have is if the brake cleaner might degrade the siphon tube over time, but then oil itself may have a caustic affect on the tube as well, depending on what it's made out of. In my approximation, if you have no fear of using it for oil, brake cleaning fluid would be a great way of getting it clean between uses.

Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2
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Not that it helps you now, but...

I'm assuming you did this because the oil was over-full. An easier way to fix this in the future is to remove the oil filler cap and place the hose of a running vacuum cleaner or shop vac over it. This creates lower pressure in the crankcase, allowing you to remove the drain plug and have little/no oil come out. Then remove the vacuum and allow some oil to flow out. After you think enough has drained out, put the vacuum hose back in place to stop the flow and reinstall the drain plug. No mess and simple to do.

Nick G
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