Oil Change Woes

[Anonymous 11]

I like to change my own oil in my vehicles. For one, I can let things drip for 2 or 3 hours plus I know it’s been done right. It also gives me a chance to inspect the underside of the vehicle for issues.

Well, you know you’re going to have a tough day when you have to use your longest breaker bar to free oil drain plug number 1. The second drain plug came out w/o drama. The oil was draining. I was happy. Next up was oil filter removal. This thing was put on so tightly I almost could not remove it. It took 3 trips to the auto parts store before I found a filter remover that would give me both grip and torque. I barely was able to remove the filter even with this super tool.

A guy briefly owned this Mustang between the guy who bought it new in 1988 and me. He had a new transmission installed and was responsible for the last oil change. I also noticed some transmission fluid around some of the automatic transmission fluid pan bolts while under the car. All of the bolts were severely undertorqued. I pulled out my shop manual and torqued the bolts to Ford specifications. That was listed as one of the things to check for transmission fluid leaks. I followed the procedure in the manual to tighten the bolts in sequence to torque specs. I think I bagged it probably.

I also did a UV light inspection and found where a water hose going into the water pump has a minor leak. I knew I smelled anti-freeze.

Two things here:

My dad always said if you want something done right you have to do it for yourself. The longer I live the more I realize he was spot on right.

How much would a stealership have charged a woman who brought that car in for that $20 oil change special? I spent $31 dollars including the super duper stuck oil filter removal tool. I also found a problem that will be remedied by a new water hose too maybe $15 and 1 hour of my time.

Oh well, time to pour in the new oil.

[Anonymous 24]

I am a bit of a home mechanic myself. As I sit and write this my best friend, who is an actual full on mechanic, is in the garage on the other side of the wall yelling like a madman at a car right now… Sometimes s~~~ just doesn’t go your way with these beasts.

[Anonymous 24]

Ha, just went and tightened the crankshaft bolt to 150lbs torque as he held a giant screwdriver in the flywheel teeth.

ROAR!!!!!!!! MAN STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Silverstone the SecondParticipant]

Been learning to do more work on cars and what not all by myself. The world will overcharge for their services to the people who don’t know how easy it is. Hell, all I had to do to get started was look on youtube and do a little bit of research on the subject and bam, I’m done. If you can’t be bothered to spend 10 minutes of your day to figure this s~~~ out, then you deserve to pay 50 bucks for an oil change.

Feminism is a movement where opinions are presented as facts and emotions are presented as evidence.

[Anonymous 11]

Anonymous wrote:

crankshaft bolt to 150lbs torque

You’d better torque that one to spec. My Miata was ruined by someone who owned it before me did a prior timing belt change and the “mechanic” failed to properly tighten the cranknose bolt. All hell let loose when it failed on me. The Mazda tech bulletin said that would only happen if bolt was not torqued properly.

Yeah, manly stuff. I love it. Even at 100F and cursing, it’s fun. My transmission fluid is OK so I did not lose much.

I learned how to work on cars as a poor college student 30 years ago. I’ve still got the Craftsman socket set my mom bought me in the 80s. Let me tell you, Craftsman has taken a major dive in quality since then.

[TuneoutParticipant]

LOl at least you still CAN work on those older models.

A few years back a buddy and I went to the local pick-a-part to see if we could get a windshield washer reservoir out of an older ’98 Corolla.

Well, they had the thing so well hidden under the power steering reservoir we had to jack the bloody car,take off the tire AND inner fender just to get it!

Still,for those of us with the know how and patience it’s well worth it rather than bringing it in.

That’s why I’ll never buy new,just baby my old vehicles.

Lifes a bitch,but you don't have to marry one!

[Anonymous 24]

Anonymous wrote:

JoeBauers wrote:

crankshaft bolt to 150lbs torque

You’d better torque that one to spec. My Miata was ruined by someone who owned it before me did a prior timing belt change and the “mechanic” failed to properly tighten the cranknose bolt. All hell let loose when it failed on me. The Mazda tech bulletin said that would only happen if bolt was not torqued properly.

Yeah, manly stuff. I love it. Even at 100F and cursing, it’s fun. My transmission fluid is OK so I did not lose much.

I learned how to work on cars as a poor college student 30 years ago. I’ve still got the Craftsman socket set my mom bought me in the 80s. Let me tell you, Craftsman has taken a major dive in quality since then.

Ha, so true about Craftsman. I got some old tools that are pretty cool recently, Merlin. They are decent, found them at some country back woods garage sale…

And, yea, to spec on the torque, we are not new to this game. My friend has been rebuilding engines since he was 16, we are in our 40’s now…

We also prefer cars from the 70’s and 80’s. We both feel this is the pinnacle of car design when one takes into account ease of maintenance as well.

[Anonymous 11]

This one is a 1988 LX 5.0. I can get to EVERYTHING with ease.

Ease of maintenance is not designed into new cars by fiat. I rather keep my old stuff going than be slaves to the stealerships. I don’t see a modern car even being operable 28 years from now. That little board you really need is no longer produced. Sorry, we suggest a new car.

Older MGTOWs remember being able to customize and actually perform sophisticated work on vehicles. Now, one needs a specialized dealer tool to access anything.

I’d only lease a new car.

[Anonymous 54]

One nice thing about working on your own stuff is that the bolts won’t be over tightened next time. I hate apes with air wrenches that over tighten s~~~.

[Anonymous 54]

Hey kids ,next Fathersday…Tools. That’s what the old Man wants. I know mom says he wants a tie. That ain’t it. Craftsman. Ratchet wrenches. That’s what he wants !

[hmskl’dParticipant 6441]

I’m driving through Dallas and I need an oil change before heading north. I go to a dealership for my brand of vehicle in Richardson and as they are changing oil the service writer comes up to me and says I need an alignment. I told him the wheels were very recently aligned when new tires were installed. I said that I’ll skip the alignment and check when I get home .. and just go with oil. The next morning just out of habit check my oil level. The oil is way high on the dip stick .. I mean they overfilled far above the desired high point. I go to a service station at truck stop in north Texas and have them take a look. They tell me that they should probably drain some off as it’s not good to leave it that far over filled.
I get home and have the dealership where I bought the vehicle check the alignment situation .. the alignment is just fine.

[Anonymous 11]

Depending on the engine design, too much oil can be very, very bad.

A dealership tried to sell my mother a new engine for her car. The service scum said her cylinder compression was low. Little did he know her brother worked at that same dealership. He got the service writer fired.

I’m getting ready to order some new tires for this car. I can drive 30 miles over to their distribution center saving on shipping and pick them up myself. There is another shop that will rotate, mount, and balance them for $10 a wheel. I’ll then drop in at this place down the road to get the alignment checked. It’ll probably come in at about 50% savings.

I never take my vehicles for those shop oil changes for that very same reason of yours. The last time I went to a stealership it cost me $600 to get a clutch slave cylinder replaced on my F150. It is buried in the transmission and requires a special tool to remove. The clutch slave cylinder went out on my Miata. I replaced both it and the master for $52 in parts. I had a friend assist me with bleeding so I threw in some beer and dinner too.

[Anonymous 42]

Anonymous wrote:

Now, one needs a specialized dealer tool to access anything.

You said it! I spend good money for good tools, each maintenance job overlaps and intertwines with other parts and systems, having all the specialty tools is absolutely essential, otherwise it becomes break-apart, not take-apart. Just doing a brake job needs special tools to reset the calipers, I’ve even had to make my own tools like my special distributor reach-around-wrench to loosen or lock down the distributor, I also made a 3/4 drive 6 foot extension for loosening bell housing bolts from far behind the transmission instead of doing the knuckle crunch with a wrench between the engine and firewall. I know a million tricks, I’m the king of mastering sheered off, seized, and rusted bolts, some of the parts I’ve restored are not replaceable, they had to be disassembled destroying all the fasteners in the process, all to save the precious casting, NERVE RACKING! I’ve spent sometimes hours finessing rusty bolts or slowly back and forth with a brass hammer tapping and removing seized tarnished and rusting shafts.

I have so much respect for people that restore things back to original pristine condition, museum show pieces. I look at the sq.in when judging a restoration, you can easily tell when it’s been stripped down to nothing, every part disassembled and totally restored.

I salute my brothers that turn rusty gold to gleaming highly polished chrome and paint!

HEY C-P, the next time you wanna f~~~ an oil filter back, drive a large screwdriver through it’s heart and twist its soul out! Just as fast as a Puerto Rican with a hammer and screwdriver attacking an ignition, smack, twist, start, that fast!

[Anonymous 11]

Anonymous wrote:

next time you wanna f~~~ an oil filter back, drive a large screwdriver through it’s heart and twist its soul out!

I’ve done that before, and it works really well. I did think about it, but was worried I’d mangle it. This one was so seized I barely got it off. The new one is hand tight plus a 1/3 turn. They then don’t come off under use and come off easily. My dad took his car in for an oil change back in the 70s, and the assholes did not bother putting the drain plug back in the pan.

[Anonymous 42]

Anonymous wrote:

the assholes did not bother putting the drain plug back in the pan.

They never bothered to put the oil in, otherwise there would have been HUGE oil spot!

There’s no room for error in mechanics, error gets people injured or killed. Knock on wood and check things twice!

The reason I said screwdriver? I bought the worlds best cam lock oil filter wrench to remove a gorilla tightened oil filter without the screwdriver trick, I was gonna be a gentleman. I twisted and turned the cam lock steel fingers until I extruded the entire end of the oil filter, I became mangled, longer, and skinnier, then with a F~~~ THIS I went and got the screwdriver and bent that too, the f~~~ing tire iron kicked its ass!

The morrow of this story? F~~~ being a gentleman, get the job done!

[Anonymous 11]

Anonymous wrote:

I went and got the screwdriver and bent that too,

Damn Gorillas!

This tool isn’t cam locked, but it was long and has a Gorilla grip. I’ll be doing the F150 next week and won’t have that issue, because I did it myself.

The worst one I ever had to do was on a 1974 Mustang II with the V6. I actually had to improvise a tool to remove the filter as there was no room. 1974 sucks.

[MGTOWmonkey aka No More Fucks To GiveParticipant 6635]

Had a oil change done at a shop and got back to my garage and noticed oil on the floor. Went to Pep Boys bought a jack/jack stands,oil filter,synthetic oil,oil filter wrench,and shop towels and have been doing it myself ever since. If you want it done right do it yourself! Drinking vodka and listening to MGTOW youtube content while the oil drained drip by drip.

Never lose sight of what brought you here.

[Anonymous 42]

Anonymous wrote:

I actually had to improvise a tool to remove the filter as there was no room. 1974 sucks.

I usually WELD a lever to something like that but not gas and oil containers!

I think GOD even hates 1974! That was the year women picked the lock to the gates of hell! Been getting hotter ever since! Global warming my f~~~in ass!

[FrankOneParticipant 1443]

I only recently started changing my own oil, kind of strange really, as I’m in my mid 4o’s. I used to think, it just isn’t worth it, just pay $20 to the jokers in the shop, but last time, they wouldn’t put the synthetic I BROUGHT to the shop into my car, without extra fees. So I bought the ramps (my Saturn is too low), creeper, bucket, filters, rags , etc. I may try to tackle brakes and more complicated work in the future, who knows? My answer to the oil filter was a gigantic pair of channel locks I had left over from working on a toilet, instead of a more conventional strap wrench, which I don’t have. They worked great. I’m still building my tool collection as I’m a late bloomer. A huge pipe wrench also comes in handy for different plumbing work. I love my cordless drill! I like the punctured filter method, haha.

[RhinoParticipant 3477]

This is more of a hobby for me but I love working on cars it just makes the time go by and you are one with the machine. She will take a lot of blood, sweat and tears from you when things go wrong but once you set everything right she will treat you like gold. If you skimp on the maintenance, let others work on your car eventually she will turn to s~~~. I did this for my daily piece of crap Honda Civic driver and the head gasket blew on her. I started to take it apart after dealer wanted $2000 to fix it but I still need to get specialty tools to get the job done right. I have two mechanic friends tell me to just junk it and I probably should but I want to learn how to work on bigger projects so I intend to fix it I don’t look at it as throwing money away but investing in a learning experience.

[Author]

Posts