C5 oil change special procedure??

[claprood]

The owners manual for my 98 C5 says there is a special procedure to change the engine oil. Anyone know what needs to be done oother than removing the drain plug and filter?

 

[Tuna]

Well, you're supposed to lift the car level or have the rear slightly higher than the front then drain the oil. This is supposed to get the oil out of the rear of the pan.

I never let it bother me when I owned C5s. I just rolled them up on ramps and changed the oil and filter. Sure, it leaves a little old oil on the pan but not enough to make a little bitty bit of difference.

 

[claprood]

thanks Tuna

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

You should also wait 5-10 minutes after pouring the new oil in before you start the engine - this delay allows the oil to fully reach the pan due to the baffles in it.

I also pre-fill the oil filter before installing it.

Good luck.

 

[jrose7004]

It's certainly quality time spent with your car!

 

[robs817_c5]

You should also wait 5-10 minutes after pouring the new oil in before you start the engine - this delay allows the oil to fully reach the pan due to the baffles in it.

I also pre-fill the oil filter before installing it.

Good luck.

I agree thats good advice about the pre-fill. Most guys over look it.
robs817_c5

 

[RocketJ]

I've been changing my own oil on my 03 coupe since new and have it down to a science.
Using a low profile jack I lift the car from the front drivers side lift point. I place a jack stand under the front suspension, in case jack fails while I'm under the car.
Remove drain plug and start draining the oil. I remove the jack stand and lower the car down to level leaving the jack engaged.
I wait usually around 15 minutes for the oil to completely drain.
Then I jack up the car replace the jack stand and replace the drain plug. When replacing the filter I agree with the above reply's to fill it with fresh oil before replacing.
I then remove the jack stand, lower the car and fill with EXACTLY 6 1/2 quarts of Mobil 1 (remember to keep track of the oil that went into the filter, usually around a 1/4 quart).
This sounds time consuming but it really only takes around 30-40 minutes.
I also switched over to 10w-40 which is allowed by the owners manual for warmer temperatures which is when I use my Vette.

Hope this helps.

RocketJ

 

[5thgeneration]

This has always worked for me.

 

[warren s]

My take on it.

 

[zagger]

I love the little pre ramp ramp (that didn't sound wright), makes ordinary ramps work with a Corvette. Great idea, can you post some dimensions or how you made them, I'm sure lots of members who work on their cars would like to make them .

 

[Mr. Lucky]

That is not safe. :eek

Once you lift the rear wheels off the ground, the only thing keeping your car from rolling is the little lip at the end of those ramps. Setting the parking brake or leaving it in gear only locks the rear wheels.

Since it appears you have a sloping driveway, a much safer (and easier) method would be to back into the garage and then drive forward onto the ramps. Placed correctly, the rear wheels will rest on the high spot and the front will be elevated on the ramps. Since the ramps are on the low side of the drive, the net result is that the car ends up level... with all four wheels firmly planted.

 

[warren s]

Good catch

The picture exaggerates the angle some what, and I also usually don’t jack it up that high in the back – I raised the rear extra high to remove the jackstands.

Thank you

 

[warren s]

I love the little pre ramp ramp (that didn't sound wright), makes ordinary ramps work with a Corvette. Great idea, can you post some dimensions or how you made them, I'm sure lots of members who work on their cars would like to make them .

 

[Junkman2008]

That is not safe. :eek

Once you lift the rear wheels off the ground, the only thing keeping your car from rolling is the little lip at the end of those ramps. Setting the parking brake or leaving it in gear only locks the rear wheels.

Since it appears you have a sloping driveway, a much safer (and easier) method would be to back into the garage and then drive forward onto the ramps. Placed correctly, the rear wheels will rest on the high spot and the front will be elevated on the ramps. Since the ramps are on the low side of the drive, the net result is that the car ends up level... with all four wheels firmly planted.

Good observation.

 

[Deluxe]

2 things:

The "special procedure" may be a reference to resetting the oil life monitor. Turn the key on run but don't start the engine, then depress the accelerator peddle 4 times to reset the monitor. Alternately, scroll to the oil life display and hold the reset until it goes to 100%.

A caution about tipping the car a little to run all the oil out of that flat oil pan. One time I did that, then leveled the car back out with the drain plug still out. Good thing I still had the catch pan there because nearly another pint or so of dirty oil proceeded to drain. I presume there are some areas in the upper engine that like level to drain, not tipped up. I always go with level and give it time.

Safety tip: if you use rhino ramps to change your oil, back the real wheels up on those and jack the front (use jack stands once up). The reason; you can set the brake-gears-park and totally eliminate any possibility the car could roll. Much harder to do with the front wheels. Once the rear wheels are off the ground, you're at the mercy of physics that may exceed your preparations!

 

[Deluxe]

One other note about using Rhino Ramps. The front wheels will often slide the ramps forward, especially if your car is an automatic. The reason is because you are riding the brakes. Some of the remedies above work fine, but if you trust your parking brake to get halfway up the ramps... they won't slip once you get some weight on them. Guys with a clutch seldom have this problem.

 

[zagger]

Thanks for the picture Warren, I really like your idea especially the pin which will prevent the smaller pre ramp from sliding out.

OK guys give the man some slack, if you look at the picture you can see jack stands under rear cradle. E-brake is better than nothing but it's a most under maintained part of the car. When was the last time anyone checked their linkage or the components. They can fail without notice, the jack stand is the safest way to keep any car from failing on you.

 

[Cessna 182]

Torqueing the oil drain plug

I can't figure out how to torque the oil drain plug. The frame sets so close to the plug I cannot get a socket and torque wrench on the oil drain bolt. The oil pan has a warning cast in to see owners manuel for specs.

I just use a short end wrench and try to tighen enought to stay in plach and not enought to damage the aluminum threads in the oil pan.

Anyone have a solution to this?
Jim

 

[Junkman2008]

Here's what I did. I placed my torque wrench on a loose bolt that I could easily get to at set it for the torque required. I then cranked on it a couple of time just to get a feel for how tight I needed to get the drain bolt. I then took a wrench of equal weight (of my torque wrench) that would fit on the drain bolt. I tightened it down until it felt the same as that practice bolt.

Hey, it ain't exact but it was good enough for government work.

Here's an interesting solution that would work...

 

[vett boy]

All great advice But remember it's only a Chevrolet.I don't do anymore "special " things than when I change the oil in my wifes Ford Escape .Except resets.