Oil Changes

i have had such a terrible experience with my extractor from griots. i'd send it back if it wasn't such a pain. just for the heck of it, after extraction once i unscrewed the drain plug and got a little less than a quart out. way too much for me. plus the thing won't hold suction anymore.
 
Until the rest of the dealers which give us a bad name I actually know a thing or two about oil.



Of all the people I've heard that has used the top side oil change devices you're like one of four that like it.
 
I bring it back to autozone, they'll recycle for free. Filters go to the trash, bottles get recycled.



Doing your own oil is easy and gives you a chance to get better acquainted with the undercarriage.
 
So as far as disposing of oil, just about all oil change places will take your oil free and you can talk them into taking the filter. Also like many other have said, changing oil is very easy as long as the engine is cold. I work at a quick lube so I can do it real fast. Oh ya and air hoses as long as they are the spiral yellow type wont scratch the paint, as long as it isn't dragged along.

I'm not sure if you answered this already, but what type of car do you have? If its a mercedes, BMW, auidi, VW, infinity, nissan p/u, toyota, and some other misc. cars/trucks, then it will be harder than just jacking it up, pulling the drain plug and pulling the filter. It will either require a lot of rags to soak up the oil and/or a lot of clean up, removal of a skid plate, or near impossible to get to filter locations. Also I would recomend a better than regular oil, like either a maxlife (over 75k) which is great for small leaks (it really works for sealing small leaks) or a full synthetic (under 100k or so with no leaks) which will extend the life of your engine while giving more hp (not much, but some). The reason for full synthetic for under 100K with no leaks is because it usually will make leaks worse or with really high mileage, the sudden change will cause leaks. And one of the most misuderstood thing guys that come in think is that a heavier weight of oil will last longer, it will not!! It will break down in roughly 3K, depending on driving cond. and driving around town vs driving on the highway, town is more harsh than highway. The best deciding factor to change oil is by pulling the dipstic and putting it on a paper towel, its obviouse whether or not it needs to be changed. And lastly when putting the new oil filter on first clean off the filter holder thing (not sure what you would call it) mainly the surface that the rubber part of the filter will touch. Then you wanna put new oil on the rubber seal of the new filter. And to drain it thouroghly after it is all drained leave the plug out and put about a half a quart or so through the engine.

I think thats pretty much everthing, sorry for the length and it being so unorganized.
 
Pontman43 said:
So as far as disposing of oil, just about all oil change places will take your oil free and you can talk them into taking the filter. Also like many other have said, changing oil is very easy as long as the engine is cold. I work at a quick lube so I can do it real fast. Oh ya and air hoses as long as they are the spiral yellow type wont scratch the paint, as long as it isn't dragged along.

I'm not sure if you answered this already, but what type of car do you have? If its a mercedes, BMW, auidi, VW, infinity, nissan p/u, toyota, and some other misc. cars/trucks, then it will be harder than just jacking it up, pulling the drain plug and pulling the filter. It will either require a lot of rags to soak up the oil and/or a lot of clean up, removal of a skid plate, or near impossible to get to filter locations. Also I would recomend a better than regular oil, like either a maxlife (over 75k) which is great for small leaks (it really works for sealing small leaks) or a full synthetic (under 100k or so with no leaks) which will extend the life of your engine while giving more hp (not much, but some). The reason for full synthetic for under 100K with no leaks is because it usually will make leaks worse or with really high mileage, the sudden change will cause leaks. And one of the most misuderstood thing guys that come in think is that a heavier weight of oil will last longer, it will not!! It will break down in roughly 3K, depending on driving cond. and driving around town vs driving on the highway, town is more harsh than highway. The best deciding factor to change oil is by pulling the dipstic and putting it on a paper towel, its obviouse whether or not it needs to be changed. And lastly when putting the new oil filter on first clean off the filter holder thing (not sure what you would call it) mainly the surface that the rubber part of the filter will touch. Then you wanna put new oil on the rubber seal of the new filter. And to drain it thouroghly after it is all drained leave the plug out and put about a half a quart or so through the engine.

I think thats pretty much everthing, sorry for the length and it being so unorganized.
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A lot of the difficulty varies by engine even in the same model. Mine goes skid plate, plug, filter drain, replace filter element cartridge, retorque everything then refill. Takes about 30 minutes. A bunch of paper towels would be a good idea to wipe things down to prevent dirt from getting inside the crankcase and to wipe up the inevitable spill. Warmer oil will drain faster but if it is too hot you can get burned.



Oil longevity is a product of driving habits, additive package the manufactuer puts in and engine condition. A good quality full synth lasts far longer than dinosaur juice, something to do with more uniform molecular structure. I switched to 0w40 Mobil 1 @ 80k then change every 7k per VW suggestions and I burn no oil. If you burn oil switching would clear out some of the sludge causing the engine to burn more, this can be bad if you never check the levels. This doesn't mean keeping the sludge is good either.



Also don't trust those drain plug catchers on the oil bucket, mine flips over dropping the bolt into burning hot oil. Trust me it isn't fun to fish it out. :shocked
 
Also don't trust those drain plug catchers on the oil bucket, mine flips over dropping the bolt into burning hot oil. Trust me it isn't fun to fish it out. :shocked[/QUOTE]







Aint that the truth........... Go for an extractor and be done with the drain plug all together :xyxthumbs
 
Get a drain bucket. It's a pan with a slope to it and a small screw on cap to seal after the oil is in it. That way you just screw on the cap and lug it over to Checker or Autozone. I used to have a universal slip on oil filter wrench but also have bought the plastic ones that custom fit a variety of filters and match up to those molded bulges.



I too think the extractors don't quite pull everything out.



Be careful when you install the new filter to not over tighten the filter. IT will be hell to remove the next time.
 
Get a drain bucket. It's a pan with a slope to it and a small screw on cap to seal after the oil is in it. That way you just screw on the cap and lug it over to Checker or Autozone. I used to have a universal slip on oil filter wrench but also have bought the plastic ones that custom fit a variety of filters and match up to those molded bulges.



I too think the extractors don't quite pull everything out.



Be careful when you install the new filter to not over tighten the filter. IT will be hell to remove the next time.
 
az57chevy said:
I too think the extractors don't quite pull everything out.
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Some may and some may not. :nixweiss. The easiest way to tell is to measure how much oil you extracted and compare it to the manual's listing for the capacity. If it's significantly close, allowing for some slight residue to still be clinging on the internal parts of the motor, then the extractor did as good of a job, if not better than the traditional unbolt the plug and drain method. Mine's been doing the job to my satisfaction provided I always warmed up the engine first.



Simple personal preference for which ever method is always the most important factor though.
 
az57chevy said:
I too think the extractors don't quite pull everything out.
Click to expand...





Some may and some may not. :nixweiss. The easiest way to tell is to measure how much oil you extracted and compare it to the manual's listing for the capacity. If it's significantly close, allowing for some slight residue to still be clinging on the internal parts of the motor, then the extractor did as good of a job, if not better than the traditional unbolt the plug and drain method. Mine's been doing the job to my satisfaction provided I always warmed up the engine first.



Simple personal preference for which ever method is always the most important factor though.
 
I am the biggest skeptic, I felt the same way about the extractor, until I tried it. Dropping the drain plug made me happy, no more than an ouce or two. Considering I can change my oil in a white shirt it makes me change my oil a hell of a lot more often now too. Even using the plug if you drain for 30 minutes and then put the plug back in you will get some out if you re open the plug ( as my little test did)



My oil filter is a cannister accessed from the top so its made my life so much easier. I have a lot of gadgets, too many in fact but the extractor is right up there as one of my favorites. I dumped my power steering fluid last weekend, made the job a 30 second deal.



Give it a shot
 
I am the biggest skeptic, I felt the same way about the extractor, until I tried it. Dropping the drain plug made me happy, no more than an ouce or two. Considering I can change my oil in a white shirt it makes me change my oil a hell of a lot more often now too. Even using the plug if you drain for 30 minutes and then put the plug back in you will get some out if you re open the plug ( as my little test did)



My oil filter is a cannister accessed from the top so its made my life so much easier. I have a lot of gadgets, too many in fact but the extractor is right up there as one of my favorites. I dumped my power steering fluid last weekend, made the job a 30 second deal.



Give it a shot
 
FalconGuy said:
Considering I can change my oil in a white shirt it makes me change my oil a hell of a lot more often now too.
Click to expand...



:D Yep, I've done that too.



I have a lot of gadgets, too many in fact but the extractor is right up there as one of my favorites. I dumped my power steering fluid last weekend, made the job a 30 second deal.
Click to expand...



I'll absolutely second that :2thumbs:. It's such a handy, handy gadget. Power steering fluid, brake fluid, ATF, a clogged up home AC pipe, fish tanks, etc. etc., there really are so many uses for the thing!
 
FalconGuy said:
Considering I can change my oil in a white shirt it makes me change my oil a hell of a lot more often now too.
Click to expand...



:D Yep, I've done that too.



I have a lot of gadgets, too many in fact but the extractor is right up there as one of my favorites. I dumped my power steering fluid last weekend, made the job a 30 second deal.
Click to expand...



I'll absolutely second that :2thumbs:. It's such a handy, handy gadget. Power steering fluid, brake fluid, ATF, a clogged up home AC pipe, fish tanks, etc. etc., there really are so many uses for the thing!
 
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