godofthunder Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 OK, yeah, ive never done my own, but in a chance to save money, and do more for my car, I wanan start doing my own. Could someone give me a step by step on how to do this? And what are some recogmended products. I want to stay with normal oil (which thickness should I use now) and ill prob use NAPA gold or sliver filters, unless theres a beter recog. Thanks in advance jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPdriver1986 Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 It is good to have your car warm up before you do an oil change. 1)Get the car onto a hoist/ramps/jack and jackstands 2)Put a tarp under the car (to prevent oil stains on driveway) 3)Put an oil drain pan under the oil drain plug 4)Unscrew oil drain plug 5)Wait until all the oil comes out and put the oil drain plug back on 6)Put the oil drain pan under the oil filter and some rags on the frame 7)Unscrew the oil filter (sometimes you need a wrench) 8)Get the new oil filter and the fresh motor oil 9)Put some new oil on the oil filter gasket 10)Put the oil filter back on but only tighten it hand tight 11)Get everything out from underneath the car 12)Lower the car (if on ramps pour oil in first) 13)Pour oil into the engine 14)Wait a few minutes (check the level on the dipstick) 15)Turn on the car check level and check for leaks I use Castrol GTX oil 5W30 (winter), 10W30 (summer) and an AC Delco oil filter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 its pretty easy, but not always cheaper. my oil changes turn out to be about 39$ a pop. 5$/qt for mobil 1 synthetic, 6 qts makes about 30, plus i use a premium 8$ pure 1 filter, best there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godofthunder Posted August 11, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 for some reason, i thought you only had to remove the oil filter, not a drain plug. Hmm. Well, im goign to take it to JuffyLube anways tommrowo, and then start buying equipment etc for the next change what should I use for the sumer, and then for the winter? jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPaPooh Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 get a wix filter i feel its better than mobil 1 and after filter removal make sure the seal is on the old filter it not check the block for it if it is stuck remover it and make sure the seal lip is clean i usualy go a 1/4 turn tighter than hand tight to make sure the oil does not leak here is the link to wix read up on them if you like http://www.wixfilters.com/ and here is a link to read on the mobil 1 filters you choose the best one for your app. http://store.yahoo.com/rodi/mob1higefoil.html good luck i hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 what???! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaPaPooh Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 what???! what?? :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 hes just saying stuff like just in case this and such. dont worry about it. and also, if he ahd read my reply, i said i use Pure 1 filters nto mobil 1 filters, i just use mobil 1 oil. also, watch the guys at jiffy lube closely, that will help you see it done. even tho they do it really fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92turboLE Posted August 11, 2003 Report Share Posted August 11, 2003 ok, here is my method... first, get your car warm, but not hot - it hurts when hot. put your car where you are doing the change, and do all needed prep (tarp on ground, oil pan, ect) pull the filler cap (oil drains quicker this way) undo the drain bolt under the car and let the oil come out remove filter and let that drain fully - most likely you will have a mess when you do this - all kinds of things in the way. replace with new filter - rub small amount of oil on new filter gasket and then spin freely onto block until it stops - then force it 1/4 turn farther - that is a GM recamendation - has never failed me then put your drain bolt back in and fill up - 3.1 takes 5 quarts with filter change, 4 if you dont change your filter Personally i use mobil 1, but most synthetics have the same charectoristics. they dont breakdown from heat so they last longer, plus since it doesnt break down, there are no vapors to create a residue in your engine compartment and your engine will stay clean - mine has 224K on it and i have maybe taken a hose to it 2 time since i had it and the motor looks close to new still. as for filters... my brother has his ASE certification and from everything that he has, they all say that all filters are the same. They all do one thing - filter the oil. a HD is no different from a regular filter. the only difference is about $5.00. on a side note - i have been able to go almost 15K on the same oil as long as i kept up on filter changes frequently - finally changed it and oil was still golden brown and not burnt up. thats why i personally love Mobil 1, but you have to try and see what you like Although, it is not recamended to suddenly switch from conventional to synthetic, you have to gradually intorduce synthetic. some people think that this is bad, but it is nto and will not hurt the motor. the problem with switching on high milage engines is that since conventional breaks down, it sometimes clogs potential leaks - when switching, the synthetic may actually clean out those clogs and you may develope leaks so caution - use common sense. - Justin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannymik Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 I agree with redturbo...just want to add that you should fill your oil filter up a tad before installing it with the fresh oil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slade901 Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 Tools needed: Oil filter wrench (make sure you get a wrench with handle that swivels). Oil pan (can be used for draining transmission fluid as well). 15mm Wrench (to remove and install the oil drain plug). Mechanics creeper or just thick cardboard. 1. Make sure the car/engine was just recently driven. Let the car sit for a couple of minutes to let the oil cool down a bit but still warm. 2. Set the emergency brake. Jack up the front of the car. Use two jackstands for both sides. 3. Place the oil pan directly underneath the oil drain plug. Place the creeper or cardboard underneath and then use the 15mm wrench to loosen the oil drain plug. Be careful when you completely remove the oil drain plug as the oil may still be very hot. 4. Once the oil is almost completely drained out, use the oil filter wrench to loosen the oil filter. Now, get your new oil filter and put oil inside the oil filter and put a coat of oil on the rubber lip/gasket. Put the new oil filter and hand tight it. 5. Put back the oil drain plug with a 15mm wrench. If your car requires 5 quarts of oil, then put 4 quarts of oil at this time. 6. Start the car and let it idle for a couple of minutes and check for oil leaks around the oil filter and around the oil drain plug. If there is a leak then just tighten them more. Once you are sure that there are no more leaks then remove the oil pan and creeper/cardboard and then lower the car. 7. Check oil level and add more oil to it until it is between the min and max level mark. Newer cars/engine usually use 5w30. 5w30 and 10w30 are both year round oil. If your car has a long mileage then use 10w30. You can use 5w30 for winter if you live in a very cold climate. If you don't carry heavy loads or not towing with your car then 5w30 or 10w30 should be fine, but if carrying heavy loads or towing then you need a higher weight oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aaron Posted August 12, 2003 Report Share Posted August 12, 2003 Tools needed:Oil filter wrench (make sure you get a wrench with handle that swivels). i doubt he will need that, normally your hand with a good position wont have a problem, especially if it gets changed on a regular basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godofthunder Posted August 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 wow, thanks yall. I plan to get some drive-on-ramps this weekend, i just like them a little bit beter. More than likely, ill be using NAPA gold or silver filters (since i get em for cheap, and my dads recomendation), which are made by Wix. as for oil, ill prob go with 10w30, just b/c of milaage etc. Any more comments/tech. please add jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandprix104 Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 I use the K&N oil filters @ $10 and Valv Maxlife - a good non-synth oil that is nice for older cars and helps quiet them up a bit I myself am not a fan of synth oil. It costs alot more and the "benefits" if any arent worth the price IMO. Valvoline stays cleaner and the K&N oil filters work as good as thier air filters do. For ramps that are easy to drive up on go down to checker and pick up some of thier $19 plastic/rubber ones. They are VERY sturdy and dont slide down the driveway when you try to drive up on them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp90se Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 dear god please do not use jiffy lube. not saying that because i work at valvoline instant oil change, but because, the take 2 long, do not double check there work, and do a shitty job. the filters they use are frams, which are by far, the worst oil filter on the market, they use cardboard where it should be metal. ive personally seen fram filters expand and explode under normal opperationg conditions. watch them when they drive your car, you will notice tire marks around the station....and it normally isnt there cars there beating. if you are going to, head to the parts store and pickup either a delco or pureone filter and give it to them. also, pensoil uses 5% more wax in their oil which will burn off which is not a good thing. -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godofthunder Posted August 13, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 Again, thanks more. Yeah, they didnt go wild at JL, but im not going back there again. We even know the owner where we usually go (Grease Monkey), but again, id rather do it myself. Personally, im not high on Syth either. I think ill just stay with the NAPA premium or whatever my dad/stepmom recomends. I may look at that Valv. MaxLife, Seems kinda nice. I have 121,500 miles, so im getting up there. When you say quiet up, are you talking about that nice rocker rattle that many of the 3100s and 3.1s have? We dont have a checker here in Richmond that I know of. These are big bright yellow ones at WalMart. I may look to see if they have any plastic (seems like it would get more grip). Also, ill be doing this all in the street (since we have a $4000+ agragate driveway, thats not sealed yet). I watched this idiot that used to live accross from my GF, he tried to get on some in the gravel driveway, and slid all the way to his backyard Thanks yall jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandprix104 Posted August 13, 2003 Report Share Posted August 13, 2003 doh! i didnt see you were from VA cecker stores are only out west. The problem with many of the metal ramps is the catch on the underside of the bumper and scratch it all to heck when you drive up on em. By quiteing up i did mean the rocker rattle/ticking. It doesnt stop it completely but it makes it a little less noticible and usualy only makes the noise in the early morning now after sitting all night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godofthunder Posted August 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2003 What would the difference be, the plastic ones give away a little easier? I would rather pay for a set thats not going to mess up my car, rather than take the cheap dirty way out. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Power-Glide Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 A couple more pointers if I may..... Before I losen the filter, I always take an awl, punch or pointy object to puncture the lowest point on the filter and let it drain into my catch pan, this way no oil will get on the K-member etc. when taking the filter off. Secondly I am apalled at how many of you remember to lube the o-ring the filter, but don't fill the filter up three-quarters of the way.... You actually causing you motor to run dry for the first second of start-up, although a fraction of time isn't alot, IMO it adds up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.