Oil Change Techniques

Bad idea! You keep from 1-pint t 1-quat o dirty oil in the system in addition to all the oil that has not drained down into the pan. So, you start out with dirty oil already in the engine.

This is almost as bad as the toilet paper oil filters that people used back in the 1960's and 1970's. With those, they bought a special adapter and used a roll of toilet paper as the filtering medium - it didn't work well. You changed the "filter" every 3,000 miles and added a quart of clean oil. You could usually hear one of those cars coming long before it got to you because the lifters were so noisy.

I've changed oil in loads of things (heavy equipment, trucks, buses, cars, planes) and we always changed the filter with every oil change. It's not just a good idea, it's an economically sound practice (saves on costly repairs).

SUNOCO introduced graphite oil in the late '70's or early 80's - it flopped. One of the reasons was because the oil was already black when it came out of the can (the other one was that the graphite accumulated in the engine-bad idea). Add to that the psychological effect of seeing black oil in the engine al the time and you have a total loser.

But, it's your vehicle and if you want to save a few pennies now and spend major bucks later, then do it. After all, it's a free country (I'm assuming that you live in a free country and not a dictatorship like Cuba, etc.)

Ah, yes, obvious point. I should have realized that.

OK, at least I understood that part correctly.

Thanks!

Rick

What is the advantage of doing this? What difference does it make if the engine is turning over due to the starter motor or combustion? The parts are still moving and if they don't have an ideal amount of oil yet, it matters not what is actually turning the engine over. At least that's what I'm thinking. Where am I going wrong?

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Re: Oil Change Techniques

You're not going wrong. If you really wanted to get anal about this, you could yank the distributor and use an old distributor shaft in a drill to drive the oil pump without rotating the engine. Pre-filling the filter cuts the time it takes to build pressure down to about one second and that's sufficient.

Do you want hammer like blows pushing down on the pistons forcing the oil out from inbetween the bearings with no oil to replace them? Normal drag should keep enough oil in place and prevent scuffing of the bearings until oil pressure is built. Yeah it may be anal but hey if you dont plan on keeping your car past a 100k then why would you care? Cold starts alone are said to be the biggest wear factors on a well maintained engine. So after an oil change or long periods between running my car I like to get oil flowing first before actually fire up my engine. The idea of bearings rubbing against the crank journals isnt a happy thought. This is just what I practice with my cars when I perform oil changes.

I used to change oil for a living ..

If you can do it without making a mess (most of the GM 3.1/2.8 series it's messy) filling the filter even 1/2 full before installing it, and making sure to wipe off the filter mounting plate, and putting a fresh coat on oil on the filter seal is an excellent way to change your oil. That way, the filter is already primed, and you have fresh oil being pushed about a split second before you would normally (without oil in the filter). I've done it both ways. Just remember, your engine without oil is simply a block to recycle at the scrap yard.

When I change my oil, I jack up the front of the car, and drop the oil pan plug. I make sure the oil is draining into my drain pan, and not all over my driveway, and let it drip for a bit (with the filler cap off). Then I pour about 1/2 a quart into the engine to help retrieve any old oil sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.. and then I let it continue to drain for about 30 minutes. I then change the filter (dry filter, since it makes a damn mess on my car) plug the oil pan, filler her up, and start her up .. check for leaks .. and I'm done. (Now before you call me crazy, my Olds has over 220,000 miles, and my Pontiac has 158,000 miles on it).

That's how I do it :) When I used to change oil for a living, I would use an exacuation system to remove the old oil from the oil pans of car .. it worked like a charm.

Any good oil will survive on engine surfaces long enough to prevent damage. I have never had an engine in one of my vehicles go less than

200,000 miles and I only pre-fill the filter. If you want to do more, then put on a costume, call the local Sha-man and do a dance around the campfire to ask the spirits to save your engine.

-crap sniped-

If you can prefill a filter that lays sideways like in a fwd blazer then good for you! Dont be an ahole and mock people who do things differently than you. Someone asked about how to do a clear flood and I answered it.

Then I pour about 1/2 a quart into the engine to help retrieve any old oil sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.........

------ Does that oil actually go all the way thru the engine down into and thru the oil pan ?? Wow !

If that does go all the way thru, why not use some kind of " cleaner " to put in the top so it goes thru, and cleans on the way down ??

Also, I like the idea of putting some oil in the filter right b4 installing...I have put some around the rubber filter ring-gasket each time....countless times on a 87 Nissan Pick-up I had with over 240,000 on it before someone else bought for a few hunred, to fix up....

My thoughts exactly on the S-10 and Blazer sideways-mounted filter. I can see mine making a mess when removing the filter, and the new will have to get installed dry...

Those design wizards at GM did the same thing on my 94 Deville with the 4.9.

Wir welle bleiwe wat mir sin (Letzebuergesch)

What I was saying (in a rather circuitous route) was that some people engage in rituals that may or may not be beneficial. My daughter's 1987 S10 Blazer 2,8L V6 has the filter installed dry every time and it has

210,000+ miles on it and is still going strong. The engine has only been touched once and that was to replace the broken nylon timing gears. Most people will agree with me when I say that the 2,8L is not noted for its dependability or longevity (and I can guarantee you that the vehicle sees very little maintenance other than regular oil changes and lubes). To sum up my assholean comments, sometimes less is more.

If you really wanted to see a strange setup, look for an old AMC product with the filter mounted upside down on top of the engine. I've never changed one of those so I don't know how messy it would be.

I simply just make sure the engine is warm, then let the oil drain for a quite a while, change the filter, (I lube the ring as well) and pour in new and I'm done.

I have a '95 Quad Four, in which the filter is mounted sideways. I like the idea of prefilling, but as mentioned, it's not always possible.

Anyway, the nylon gears wore out. But that's expected no matter what. Otherwise, I haven't ever experienced an oil related problem on any car.

Rich reminded me of a friends car. I can't remember the name for the life of me. It stared with an "F" I believe. Anyway, it's a '63 with a straight six, and the filter is right at the top, facing straight down.

Tony

Oh, one last thing. I could be very wrong, but I do beleive that AMC owned this company or the other way around. Anyway, I believe there was a connection between the two.

I'm wracking my brain to remember if it was thus on my old 72 Ambassador with the 360. Man that car was a good'n!!!!!

Wir welle bleiwe wat mir sin (Letzebuergesch)

"Rich B" wrote

Heh heh....I like it. And I agree with you.

Ian

"Bon·ne·ville" wrote

Bonny...relax. Give your advice...and let it go at that. Really....all this stuff about special techniques when changing oil amounts to nothing more then stuff that will make "you"....the oil changer....more comfortable. Rich is right, the oil film on the parts will easily protect the components until you get oil pressure. I've been doing this for years, and most if not all vehicles will get full oil pressure (even with an unfilled oil filter, as I don't prefill oil filters) within 2-3 seconds. The guys that talk about all the wear happening when you start the engine are probably right, but I think they overstate their case. They are the same ones that want to sell you a prelubing kit. It's ridiculous. I've had engine apart at well over 150,000 miles that have had "no" special procedures done at oil change...and their bearings are "fine".

Ian

Umm yeah, the oil goes straight down into the oil pan. I've got to many miles to put a cleaner in my engine. I want to keep all that sludge that is holding my engine together :)