Changed my oil for the first time on Thursday

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

...Sorry for a long post...The first time by myself anyways. I have normally taken it to a quick lube place but after hearing some horror stories and paying $50 for them to change M1 oil it wasn't worth it. So I decided to do it myself to save some money and know what is going in the engine. I had bought all the neccesary tools and supplies to get this done. The oil is Mobil 1 5w30 for now until it warms. A Purolator oil filter and filter wrench which I did not use (will explain later). And a oil pan to drain into. Now for it being my first time changing oil on a car I was taking my time. Drained the oil, placed the drain plug and tightened it. And went to take the oil filter off with the filter wrench I bought but did not fit. It fit at the store on the purolator one but did not like the Valvoline (fram I assume???). So I'm thinking how the heck am I going to get this off. The oil is drained out of the truck, don't want to put the new oil in just to drive to the store to get a different tool. And my bike tires are flat. So I just grabbed it and starting twisting it. Very very easy to do. It came off and I let that part drain. Then put the new filter on and just hand tightened it without using the wrench. After putting the new oil in, and waiting to start. I checked everything. Started it, and there was a little leak out of the filter so I tightened that by hand...is this GOOD? Now a few days later all seems well, level is still at the top on dipstick. LOL, call me paranoid but I go somewhere and check the parking spot for oil. When I come out, I check for any new oil. Anyone else do this or is it just a newbie thing? When it warms up I am going to change to M1 10w30. And try a different filter after one more purolator I have since I heard they are too restrictive and I tow frequently??? BTW, its a '97 Tahoe with 94,xxx miles...now 3 changes later on M1 since 89,xxx, no leaks It isn't even broken in yet

 

[driven2services]

Hand tight is fine for the filter. You shouldn't need to use a wrench to get it off unless it was overtightened to begin with. I check for drips and my dipstick almost every day...

 

[moribundman]

"Hand-tight" various with people. Some people are real bears! I'd say hand-tight is as far as I can turn it without force. I then give the filter another 90 degree turn.

 

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

Ok, I will just continue to hand tight then on future changes. When the oil came out, it was kind of dark but didn't smell burnt. It was a 3,000 mile change. Could it be that it is still cleaning the engine since I just changed to M1 5,000 miles ago I will go for 4,000 miles the next time.

 

[Blue636]

I was wondering if my motorcycle oil filter wrench would work on my car. Anyhow, when I tighten my bike's oil filter I first do it by hand - then, I make another 1/8th turn with the filter wrench. It's just perfect for me. As for the drain plug, I tighten it very carefully with the socket wrench just enough to feel resistance. That's just good enough to keep oil from leaking and it's very snug (I've learned my lesson from a previously stripped oil pan). If you have problems with leaking or tightening you could always buy a new filter wrench or try a strap-wrench. The strap-wrench is very nice, but I don't use it since I already have the filter-wrench.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

I hope you put a film of oil on the filter gasket. I've seen strap wrences in the dollar store. For vertically mounted filters I like the plier type filter wrenches.

 

[Stabbin97Tahoe]

quote:

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Originally posted by GROUCHO MARX: I hope you put a film of oil on the filter gasket.

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Yes I did put a film of "New" oil on the filter gasket. Thanks

 

[mikemc]

Sounds like you're on the right track. I also hand tighten my oil filters as they can become tighter over the interval if the gasket swells. The only thing I do differently is to leave the drain pan plug off until after removing the old filter and replacing the new one, I notice a little more oil comes out of the pan when the old filter is removed. Good job!

 

[mikemc]

Oh, I forgot. I also pour some clean oil into the new filter before I install it (you obviously can't do this if it mounts sideways). I feel like this helps reduce the time it takes to fill the new filter with oil, reducing the few seconds of dry start from a new, empty filter.

 

[DEWFPO]

Sounds like your doing everything right, keep up the good work and enjoy!. DEWFPO

 

[TallPaul]

Always good to be aware of what fluids are on the ground under your vehicle. I hate when I inadvertently park over an oil stain and then wonder about it when I come out of the store. After a change I will check the filter and plug for drips the first few times I drive it.

 

[AV8R]

Stabbin, "tightening" the filter is really not the main objective; what is important in the engineering sense is getting the right amount of compression on the filter gasket to seal the way it was designed to. So angle of rotation after the seal contacts the filter base on the engine is really a better variable to control than degree of "tightness", or torque, which is not a very consistent measure. The right way to do it is to first coat the filter gasket with a little silicone grease, like spark plug boot lubricant from the auto store. This keeps heat and age from sticking the gasket to the metal contact surface, which can make the filter extremely hard to remove. Do not use oil or grease, as they can bake on and harden like glue. Then screw the filter on until the gsaket makes contact all around, just finger snug. Then tighten with a wrench if necessary for an additional 3/4 to one full turn. That gives the right compression and requires no special judgement of tightness. It's that easy.

 

[moontan]

no,no,no! the way to do it is to use an impact driver,better yet a torque wrench with about 200 ft/lbs on the dial.of course leaving the gasket dry.

 

[Jeffrey Behr]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman: "Hand-tight" various with people. Some people are real bears! I'd say hand-tight is as far as I can turn it without force. I then give the filter another 90 degree turn.

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...and you ALWAYS need a wrench to get it off. Right?

 

[cousincletus]

I follow the instructions on the filter. They tell you to screw the filter on until it contacts the base, then another 3/4-1 turn. If I have a tight area to work in, then I sometimes will use a filter wrench to tighten. It's helpful to use a sharpie or paint a reference mark on the filter. Use a cap wrench or one that won't damage the filter can if you have to use a wrench to tighten. BTW, I have seen filters come loose from not tightening enough. I'd rather have to use the wrench to loosen every time than take a chance of not having the filter on tight enough.

 

[Rick in PA]

3/4 to 1 turn is a good way of ensuring the filter gasket is compressed the way the manufacturer intended. I usually put the drain plug back in finger-tight after draining the oil, move the pan, then remove the filter. After installing the filter, move the drain pan back under the oil drain, remove the plug and get a little more oil to drain out. Last, put the drain plug back on with the wrench. Here's an important part: put the wrench back in the tool kit only AFTER re-tightening the oil plug (wouldn't want to skip that drain plug tightening step). P.S. save your driveway, put down a big piece of cardboard to catch those inevitable spills. Enjoy your new found skill. I always look forward to doing my own oil changes. [ February 29, 2004, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Rick in PA ]

 

[moribundman]

Jeffrey wrote:

quote:

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quote:Originally posted by moribundman: "Hand-tight" various with people. Some people are real bears! [Big Grin] I'd say hand-tight is as far as I can turn it without force. I then give the filter another 90 degree turn. ...and you ALWAYS need a wrench to get it off. Right?

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No, I'm a bear. I can take the filter off with my hands, but I choose not to. Actually, I do use a strap wrench for the 90 degree turn and for losening the filter, because it's easier! No need to exercise more than absolutely neccessary while spending quality time under the car. PS: Was your Cayenne recalled? I heard a few thousand had some sort of electric problem. [ February 29, 2004, 09:47 AM: Message edited by: moribundman ]

 

[eljefino]

How on earth do any of you guys keep clean enough hands for monkeying with the filter? I'm usually an oily mess by then, and need the wrench. Not going inside for the gojo before I'm done with the job... And congrats to the original poster; pretty soon you'll be doing other stuff to your wheels with the same meticulousness and it'll run better for it.

 

[moribundman]

I wear disposable gloves. If you need more grip, you should wipe the filter with a rag (you can use brake or carb cleaner to degrease the filter), or you could wrap some really coarse sandpaper around the filter.

 

[GSV]

quote:

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The only thing I do differently is to leave the drain pan plug off until after removing the old filter and replacing the new one, I notice a little more oil comes out of the pan when the old filter is removed. Good job!

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I also do this and recommend it. I cannot recall an engine that didn't dribble out some more oil from the drain plug after removing the filter.