New initiate to OIL CHANGE CLUB

Are you removing the oil filter from under the car? If so, it is not surprising.

Try removing the oil filter from above - you will get a lot less oil on you.

The catch with them is that they were designed so that the extractor can be used. Take a look at the interior of the pan when you have one off. They designed in a pocket for the extractor tube to enter so it gets to the bottom of the pan. Most other makers don't do that. They have oil baffles in the way that prevent you from getting all the way to the bottom of the pan.

My 1997 is just as easy as the 1994 I had to change oil.

Ditto that. I just changed my wife's oil ('99) last week.

Does anyone have recommendations re: changing the oil FILTER without the oil dripping all over the place? Should I change it LAST, when the car has cooled down a bit? Or is there a better way?

Michael

Sez you. I still get it all down my arm, then back up the glove when I pull the arm out from under the car.

I wonder if the transmission in the Escort holds more than 4 qts, though.

Is the filter in '99 located in the front sticking up on an angle? It is like this in my '95. So the oil filter drains itself... Yes, the filter is the last item I remove before refilling the engine.

Remove the drain plug first and go back home for a coffe break :-) When you come back the oil will be gone from the engine and filter.

If you are really concerned with a single drop of oil you can always put some paper towel right under the filter and tilt the filter with its hole up very fast when you unscrew it.

This is the way I do it:

1. Drive up onto ramps.
2. Put drain pan below drain.
3. Open oil filler on top of engine and remove dipstick. (This allows air to replace oil and oil pours out easier.
4. Open drain plug and let oil drain for 15-20 minutes.
5. Stuff rags below oil filter and adjust oil pan below filter to catch residual oil as filter is removed.
6. Wipe up any spills and put new oil filter back on after wiping gasket with a bit of oil.
7. Replace oil plug and dipstick then pour new oil into engine.
8. Fire up car long enough to drive off ramps.
9. Put everything away and check oil level before driving vehicle.

Very true! A friend of mine some years ago had a brand new Hyundai Accent that he used for work, and after his first oil change, on the freeway on the way to work noticed his oil pressure light go on. He stopped, found there was no oil on his dipstick, and so walked to an auto parts store for another gallon of oil. As he poured it in, he began to notice that his feet were in a pool of ....clean oil. Yep, the drain plug had vibrated out, and all t he oil he poured in came promptly out. It ended up that he got a new engine out of the dealer for their mistake. He was lucky.

Yes, and there again, I simply say "thanks, but I have a replacement at home, thanks for mentioning it."

I am not sure that all cars besides Mercedes/BMW have baffles in the way that prevent you from getting all the way to the bottom of the pan. I had success with my 98 Camry the few times I tried it. But it may take some trial and error moving the tube around to get it all out.

I'm not sure about the entire transmission, but it only took about 3 quarts to refill the pan.

How will you know you have it all the way in? How will you know you sucked all oil out?

I know Robert Byrd isn't a racist any more because my racist ex-KKK uncle (ex only because he married a woman who hates the KKK) hates Byrd and calls him a race traitor.

Your garbage truck company will accept the used motor oil in a plastic contaniner??? I'm kinda surprised to hear that. What city are you in?

Here in Columbia, MO, and in much of the country, it's against the law to dispose of used car oil in the regular household trash. Here you have to take the used oil to a used oil disposal site, a place that has a very large metal tank where you can dump your oil into.

Places like Autozone, Walmart, some mechanics garages, etc. have these tanks and let you use them for free. Walmart even has a big tank to hold used oil filters in addition to used motor oil. Autozone, however, does not accept used filters. The Autozone guy just told me to drain the filter for 24 hours, then throw it away. He said 24-hour draining of the filter is OSHA's rule.

Try a different angle!

What car are you changing the oil on?

You can feel when the tube hits the bottom. But just as a double check, you can easily measure the amount of oil extracted.

Measuring is the ONLY way to be sure when using an extractor. You cannot tell if your hitting the bottom of the pan OR a baffle or even the oil pick-up.

Can you get lucky and have a vehicle that the baffles are out of the way or have a cut in the correct spot? Yes. Should you rely on that luck with every vehicle? Nope

In NY it the law that ANY place that a garage that sells over 500 gallons of oil or any retailer that sells over 1000 gallons of oil must accept up to 5 gallons per person per day of used motor oil for recycling FREE of charge. Tossing it in the trash, down the drain, or on the ground will get you a BIG fine and possibly jail time.

The Mityvac extractors are made of translucent plastic with measuring marks on the outside, so it is fairly easy to see how much oil has been extracted.