26 November, 2016

Performing a safe, and clean oil change in your driveway.


How to perform a safe, and clean driveway oil change. For our demonstration we use our 2006 Chevrolet Malibu LS 3.5L V6 with over 125K on the odometer.

Tools, and equipment needed for the oil change are.

Jack stands. Make sure you use good quality, safe jack stands that are sufficiently rated for the vehicle in question. For our Malibu we are using a pair of Pittsburgh 3 ton jack stands from Harbor Freight Tools. A comparable set on Amazon would be the Torin 3 ton set. The lifted F150 4x4 uses the taller, heavier duty 6 ton models. And like the 3 tons, the 6 ton Torns are the Amazon equivalents.
    

While the factory jack will do in a pinch, a good quality floor jack makes the job safer and MUCH easier. We use a Pittsburgh Automotive 4 ton floor jack. The Amazon does have the Pittsburgh jack listed through third parties, but the mark up is too much in my opinion. The Pro Lift G737 3.5 ton model will do the job on both the car, and the truck without breaking a sweat.



You will need filter wrenches. I highly recommend band type wrenches. I have the Lisle type spring loaded ones, they slip, a LOT, and are very hard to use in tight spaces. I have had my band wrenches so long I don't recall when, or where I got them...



The drain pan I use is the Flo Tool 16 QT unit. I have yet to have a leak, and it is set up well to allow filters to drain out etc....The regular price on Amazon is easily half what you would pay at an auto parts store, or Walmart...



The price difference between the Harbor Freight models, and the models Amazon carries, makes the Harbor Freight flex head ratcheting combination wrench sets a VERY appealing alternative. I have had mine now for over 3 years, and while I won't pretend like they are equal to my Snap On flank drive combination wrenches, they do exactly what I need with zero problems at a price I can afford easily... I own them, I own high end wrenches, and I can honestly recommend them. I'd give you links to the specific sets, but sadly, Harbor Freight's IT department decided to bring down their site for maintenance work on Black Friday / Cyber Monday weekend. Keep your eyes peeled here, I will update the links once they get the site back up.

Like I mentioned in the video, I highly recommend using your vehicle MFG branded oil filters. Contrary to some nay sayers, I do use, and stand by permanent oiled air filters (K&N) which might be a mistake, but I have had zero related problems with any vehicle fitted with them and I do end up with LOTS of miles on my vehicles.

For oil, I have used all sorts of fancy pants race synthetics, and I have settled on Mobil 1 Full Synthetic. With the exception of the F150 5.4L 3V engine that has had the cam phaser failure, that I Have traced back solidly to failed Fram filters that were bypassing allowing crud to build up in the oil. I have had no oiling related issues, and to the contrary, I have had great success with engine longevity using this product.

Lastly, if you somehow manage to miss the pan and make a mess, you will need Oil Dri to clean up, as well as a broom, dawn dish washing detergent, and water to clean up the mess. It is best by a LONG shot to double, and triple check your oil catch pan placement under the vehicle and watch the flow of oil into it to keep it situated under the stream of oil at all times.