My oil change disaster.

[Chris142]

I rounded up a new oil filter. I then managed to get 11 gallons of 15w40 at A-Zone for under $50 using a gift card

Went home and warmed up the Peterbilt. Drained the external Luberfiner into a bucket......About 3 gallons.

Pulled the old filter out and dumped dirty oil all over the side of the truck. What a mess! No way not to make a mess pullin the old filter up and out.

Slid another 5-gallon bucket under the truck sideways then stood it up to drain the oil. Once it was full I had to put the plug back in so I could dump the bucket into some empty bottles.

Unable to get the 5-gallon bucket out from under the truck since I had to tip it to get it under the truck.

Slid a drain pan under there and 1/2 drained the bucket into that. Poured the full drain pan into the empty gallon jugs 2 times to get the 5-gallon bucket empty. Had to dump the 5-gallon bucket into the drain pan all over again.

Finished draining the pan and put the plug back in. Put the new oil filter in and put the luberfiner back together.

Opened the hood and removed the oil fill plug. Stepped down from the fender directly into the 3 gallons of oil in the 1st bucket.

Nice! Nasty diesel oil up to my knee, Oil on the side of the truck, Oil on the ground, old oil filter about 18 inches tall and 12 inches across rolling down the driveway.

Got it all done anyway. I'm more comfortable knowing that it has new stuff in it even if it's Coastal oil...........Gotta be better than what was in it.

 

[Al]

Well the first oil and filter change on a car takes a given amount of time. Next time it's probably cut in half. You'll never make those mistaks next time.

 

[Pablo]

Better to have tried and succeeded than giving up and paying up the yangse for someone else to do it.

Why not use a bit better oil and go a little longer OCI? Even DELO 400 would be a step up.

EDIT - Never mind, I didn't know this was the classic rig pictured. May as well go with the cheap stuff for a bit.

 

[kanling]

Yeah, first time on any vehicle is always messy and a pain in the rear. Must be 10x worse when the thing holds that much oil!

 

[Kestas]

Sounds like a scene from a Charlie Chaplin film!

I'm sure you'll be smarter about it next time. But if you can't get the right pan or system for the next change, you may want to consider getting a Topsider to suck the fluid out from the top, in combination with draining... or a Fumoto drain valve... or a kiddie wading pool for the drain pan.

 

[PandaBear]

11 gallon oil change, wow, that's quite something. Maybe next time you can have an external electric pump that goes down from the filler (or any near by access) to the pan and pump out 2/3 of it before you use the drain plug method.

 

[eljefino]

now that you know the tools you'll need the next time will be easier.

I'd have a spare drain plug handy in case you drop that first one in the bucket.

Straddle a ditch or something too so you can get the buckets in and out easier, maybe you could get enough room to "hot swap" buckets without spillage or recorking the pan.

 

[michaelc80]

I have found a couple of "shorty" 5 gallon buckets that I use for my tractor. They are a little shorter but bigger in diameter. Often a regular 5 gallon bucket is a little too tall for the oil and/or hydraulic-transmission. But the short ones work great.

 

[Drew]

You need one of these: http://www.jerrybleach.com/pelapumps.html

This all I use on my cars and I actually get more oil out than a conventional gravity drain.

 

[theguru]

First of all would jacking the truck up get the 5 gallon pale out?

Had a similar disaster 2 weeks ago changing the oil on my father Massey Ferguson 35 diesel tractor.

Drained the oil. Then said tomy father to put the plug back on whilst I got the oil filter canister off. Noticed that the new drop in filter came with a new rubber "O" however on disassembling the one on the tractor it did not. Wondered how it managed to seal metal to metal (canister to adapter). Anyways, I put it back togther with the new O ring. We then proceeded to fill the tractor with oil. Our first container had about 6 litres which we duly poured in. No idea of the actual capacity of the sump.

I then noticed, after the rather tricky pouring of this oil, that their was a shiny liquid on the ground. My father had forgotton to put the plug back in!

So, with plug in place we then fill it up again. This time from a new 20litre oil drum. Finally got it all in.

Started her up and checked for leaks, particulary around the oil filter. There was a bit so tightened it some more. Checked again, seemed fine.

So with all complete my father takes it out the do so tilling. I hear him stop the tractor to say that the filter was leaking (not his eact words). Sure enough there was a trail of oil up and down the paddock and upon checking the sump it was pretty much empty.

We pulled the oil canister apart and removed the O ring and retighened. Filled up with oil, again and it been fine since.

 

[Chris142]

Ya Jacking the truck up about a ft would have helped. Right now I don't own a jack big enough to pick up the truck though.

 

[Chris142]

I tried to lift just one corner of the truck with my 3-ton jack today..........Nope! LOL

 

[Rob Taggs]

I know the feeling. I do my own lube and oil change at work on my dumptruck. Its a mess everytime. Have to drain the oil into a metal tub and carry the 7.5 gallons to the oil recycling bin about 75 feet away. Spill oil all over myself and boots. Usually drop the drain plug into the old oil and have to fish for it up to my elbow in oil. Did get smart on the filter and knock a hole in the bottom of it with a nail and hammer. Makes it alot easier when the filter holds aleast a gallon of oil itself.

Just stock up on a good supply of citrus based hand scrubber. It works miracles.

 

[Gary Allan]

quote:

---

Noticed that the new drop in filter came with a new rubber "O" however on disassembling the one on the tractor it did not. Wondered how it managed to seal metal to metal (canister to adapter). Anyways, I put it back togther with the new O ring.

---

Same thing happened to me with my older SBC. Never integrated that the old O ring didn't fall out when I took the canister down ..put the new one in anyway. Never leak tested it and a friend needed to go somewhere (I was a youngster). Got a call about an hour later. Then I noticed the trail of oil going down the road.

I sure missed that car. I was 18

(I'm waiting to hear this suggestion ..or at least someone trying this techinque)

Why don't you just do like they do with the transmission fluid swaps? Just open the drain to your bypass filter and when the flow stops ..add more to the sump until it comes out clear?

 

[Tosh]

Can you contact a GM service department for the proper method for an oil change?

 

[TheTanSedan]

Let's see: the typical 4" deep concrete residential driveway might have a leetle trouble handling a 10-ton service jack. Even an 8" deep service area.

http://www.wescotools.com/pc-4805-234-10-ton-capacity-airhydraulic-service-jack.aspx

Not to mention that price tag. It'll take three men just to pick it up it to a truck bed. I generally stayed away when the service guys did tire work on the Freightshaker; used air/hydraulic jacks to lift an axle or [gulp] the front end.

I'll bet the thread originator finds some of the recommended "lo-boy" 5-gl pails.

 

[Racerjk]

I've had several o-rings come off filters, but I caught them every time except once. Oil all over the driveway buddy!

My uncle had the same thing happen on his race-car tow rig. Ran out of oil in a small town in the middle of the night!! Thank *** for pay phones as this was the middle of the night before cell phones.

 

[Chris142]

"Let's see: the typical 4" deep concrete residential driveway might have a leetle trouble handling a 10-ton service jack. Even an 8" deep service area."

No concrete here. I get to work on the dirt, tumbleweeds and rocks.