DIY oil change
 

most of you might laugh, i never did my own oil change. i was looking to start doing my own, given i dont trust anyone to do it anymore (long story).

is there a thread already that discusses how to do it yourself? i know where everythings located like the oil pan and filter im just looking to see what the "correct" way of changing it is.

also and tips and tricks that you guys have learned along the way

thanks in advanced!

On these trucks, you dont need to jack it up to change it, which is nice, oil pan bolt should be 14-15mm I believe, dont over tighten it when putting it back on.
Its pretty straight forward though.
For the oil filter, dont over tighten that either, and put old motor oil on the rubber gasket for the oil filter.

i know you need about 4.5 gallons of oil, i think mines 5w20 (on cap).

i was told you could put some new oil in the new filter? that neccessary?

Some people fill the filter before they put it on. The filter on these is mounted sideways though so that would be difficult. I just put it on empty and put 5 quarts in. On mine that fills it to just below the max fill line.

The drain plug is 15mm

its between 4-4.5 quarts of oil (not gallons) Start off with 4 and check the level
I have never filled the filter, I dont really see a point to it.
The oil should be 5w30.

yea sorry didnt mean to say gallons, thatd be a little much haha. and yea it is 5w30. is anything needed after the oil has been filled? i heard you should let it sit after being filled to let all the oil reach the pan.

as for the old mechanic, he had always charged me for 4.5, i guess id benefit from just buying 5 single quarts then use the last to judge it from there. i believe im due for a change in 2 month or 2000 miles, so probably 2 months lol

and as for oil, i keep hearing the debate the high mileage oil is a waste of money. is that true?

Synthetic

not sure where your located but this time of year headed into warm weather I would be using 10W30
If you look at your owners manual there is a temperature guide explaining what oil grade to use regarding outdoor temperatures


BTW wally world usually has the best price on oil , at least around this neck of the woods


with synthetic they claim you can go farther between oil changes , I just use normal Castrol and change it every 5K km

Synthetic also doesnt break down. Lubricates better and yes, you can go longer between changes

I use synthetic and go 6-7-8k miles between changes. They say synthetic does not start to break down until about 11k miles.

I just get the 5 quart jugs instead of individual quarts, like 35 bucks for the Mobil 1 full synthetic, and then a WIX filter.