Bonneville Club :: Detailed engine oil/filter change procedure

I braved the cold weather and decided it was time to change the oil in my car. Even though the oil life monitor showed 57% life left, it hadn't been done since October and was the first after the oil change from doing the UIM/LIM gaskets. After I started, I remembered we wanted to write up procedures for this stuff...so...if you guys wanna critique this for the "Care & Feeding" section of techinfo, I'd appreciate it.

One of the most important ways to see that your engine enjoys a long life is to change the oil on a regular basis. Follow the maintenance schedule that is listed in your owner’s manual. If you are using synthetic oil, tests have indicated that the life of the oil could be at least doubled from that listed in the manual. The recommended viscosity (10w-30, 5w30, etc) is also listed in the manual, and often on the oil cap.

The oil used here was Valvoline MaxLife. A Purolator Pure One Filter was installed, but any good quality oil and filter will do nicely. The only caveat is that there may be some quality issues with the Fram filters.

This change was done on a 2000 SSEi, but the basic procedures are the same for virtually any car. There will be differences in wrench size, drain plug and oil filter locations, as well as the oil life monitor.

What was used to complete this job:
A 15mm wrench - your choice of type (Socket, box end, open end, etc.)
5 quarts of oil
An oil filter.
An oil drain pan

To make the job a bit easier, an oil filter wrench and oil spout was used. Some use a funnel in place of the oil spout. If your aim is good, or you don't mind a bit of a mess (not to mention smoke if it falls on the exhaust manifold) you can pour it right out of the bottle.

There is little clearance between the oil pan drain plug and the transmission pan, so it can be hard to get a socket wrench onto the drain plug. A 15 mm ratcheting end wrench makes the job easier than just a box or open end wrench.

This set was purchased from Sears, and costs in the area of $90 - $100. Less expensive sets are available at some auto parts stores.

Driving the car up on ramps, or putting on jack stands is pretty much required to give enough clearance to do the job. You will be working under the car, so safety first. Make sure the car is supported safely on jack stands or with other means designed for the purpose. Set the parking brake and chock the wheels as needed to ensure that the car cannot move or roll BEFORE you get under it. NEVER GET UNDER A CAR SUPPORTED ONLY BY A JACK.

Once the vehicle is raised and secured, place the drain pan under the car. I like to use this pan, as it has a place to set the filter to drain, and the oil is easy to pour out of the spout into a container for recycling.

The drain plug is located on the back end of the oil pan, which is on the bottom center of the engine. Put the wrench onto the drain plug. If you are working from the front of the car, you'll be turning the wrench in a clockwise direction as the plug will be facing away from you. If working from the side where the plug is facing you, the usual "lefty-loosy" applies.

Once the plug is loose, remove it the rest of the way by hand. The oil will drain out several inches back from where the drain plug is, so make sure you have the drain pan positioned properly. Try to keep your hand and arm above the stream of oil. Especially if you're using a standard drain pan, try not to let the plug slip out of your fingers so you don't have to do a search and rescue mission in the oil to get it back.

Eventually, the oil will slow to a small stream

If you have the time, let it continue to drain until you have just a small trickle, or just some occasional drips. Depending on the temperature of the oil, that could take a while. Warming the engine before changing the oil is a good idea.

If you have a wide enough drain pan to where you can catch the oil coming out of the pan, as well as what will start to drain when you loosen the filter, you could start changing out the filter while the oil finishes draining out of the pan. Due to the small amount of room, it can be tough to get a good enough grip on the filter to loosen it, so you may want to consider using a filter wrench. The oil filter is on the passenger side of the engine, directly in from the passenger tire. Looking at it from the closed end, it is spun off in a counter-clockwise direction. The 2000+ engines have the oil filter in an almost horizontal (on its side) orientation, while the earlier engines were closer to vertical (up & down).

Once the gasket for the filter separates from the mating surface on the engine, oil will start to drain here also. Once again, try to keep your arm out of the way.

When the filter is totally removed, more oil will come pouring out of it, so be prepared for that. Turn the filter upside down to finish draining the oil out of the filter.

Once the oil is done draining out of the pan, clean the drain plug

as well as the surface around the oil pan where the drain plug goes.

This will get any dirt out of the way that could prevent a good seal. Put the drain plug back in, and snug it up with the wrench.

Now, clean the mating surface around where the filter will be installed.

A larger filter was used, rather than the direct replacement. The one used is the same as for the 4.3 liter V6. It provides for a larger filtering area, and allows you to use the full 5 quarts of oil, rather than about 4 ½ quarts.

The larger filter fits well on the 2000+ engines, without having it extend too far below the oil pan and surrounding areas. The angle required to take the picture shows it lower than it actually is.

Those who have a concern (especially the more vertically mounted filters) that it may extend down too far may wish to stay with the regular filter.

Spread a little fresh oil around the filter gasket. This allows for a good seal by preventing the gasket from sticking and creating gaps. (Some like to preload the filter with oil, by putting oil in it before installing. If the filter on your car is in a more vertical position, you may want to do that. With this one being almost horizontal, very little can be put into it without losing most of it during installation.)

Install the filter, and tighten by hand. Once the gasket touches the mating surface, turn it about another ¾ to full turn. Do not over-tighten!

You’re done under the car for now. On your way out from underneath, may as well grab your tools, the drain pan, and old filter. Now it’s time to work up top.

If you are using a funnel, you can just remove the oil cap. The yellow handled thing on the left is the dipstick for checking the oil level.

If you have a spout, it is easier to remove both the cap, and the extender.

If there is any dirt around the opening, clean that up so it is not pushed into the engine. Try to get it by starting on the inside, and wiping out.

I like to use the spout to cut down on spills.

When the upper part is twisted, one way closes the opening so you the oil won’t come out until you want it to. Once it is in the valve cover opening, it can be twisted the other way to allow the oil in.

The size of the spout is just right for getting it in, and having it stay there.

Check the appearance of the oil cap and extender. If it looks like someone ordered "coffee - heavy cream" that would indicate that moisture is getting into the coolant. A “normal” one should look a lot like this.

After all the oil is poured in, clean the O-ring around the extender and put it back on.

Start the car, and watch for the oil pressure to come up to normal.

Check for any leaks, in particular around the oil filter. If all is normal, back the car off from the ramps (if you used ramps) or take it down from the jack stands.

After shutting off the engine, let it sit for a few minutes to allow the oil to drain back into the pan. Then pull out the oil dipstick

Wipe the oil off

Then put the dipstick back in, leave it for a second or two, pull it out, and check the oil level. It should be at the full mark.

This section is for those with the DIC and oil life monitor.

Turn the ignition on, or start the car. Use the select button on the DIC

until the percent of oil life remaining comes up. (You may have to have other “warnings” like doors open, or parking brake set off.) Press and hold the reset button until the numbers change to 3 Xs.

Then release the button, and it should show as 100%

Note the mileage, and copy that for your service records. Dispose of your oil, properly by taking it to a recycling center, or many oil change companies will take in your drain oil. Most have a limit of 5 gallons at a time, however.

This is a good time to inspect your fluid levels, tire pressure, belts and pulleys, and do a thorough under hood and under car inspection.