C5 Oil Changing

[Remo]

It's been about 72 hours since the last post on C5 oil changes. I love reading about all the complex procedures C5 owners have come up with just so they can say "I always change my own oil - that way I know it gets done right". Come on folks join in - let's hear about your special cost effective, easy to do at home process for changing that C5 oil.

Remo:cool

 

[Gorgon]

If I drove my care 3000 miles a year and only had the oil changed once a year, I , too, would drive to the dealer to have them overcharge me to change my oil. That way I could sit in the dealer coffee shop and BS with people who should be doing work while on the clock.

Since the car is a daily driver and requires more frequent changing, I will spend the 15 minutes under my car to change my own oil. Besides, the service shop isn't open on the weekend and since I'm not retired and can't afford the luxory of burning an entire afternoon waiting for an oil change, I'll do it myself.

 

[Edmond]

How much are dealerships charging for C5 oil changes? $50?

 

[Guy]

If I drove my care 3000 miles a year and only had the oil changed once a year, I , too, would drive to the dealer to have them overcharge me to change my oil. That way I could sit in the dealer coffee shop and BS with people who should be doing work while on the clock.

Since the car is a daily driver and requires more frequent changing, I will spend the 15 minutes under my car to change my own oil. Besides, the service shop isn't open on the weekend and since I'm not retired and can't afford the luxory of burning an entire afternoon waiting for an oil change, I'll do it myself.

Leon - You can't dump the stuff in the Indian River anymore .


Guy

 

[Remo]

If I drove my care 3000 miles a year and only had the oil changed once a year, I , too, would drive to the dealer to have them overcharge me to change my oil. That way I could sit in the dealer coffee shop and BS with people who should be doing work while on the clock.

Since the car is a daily driver and requires more frequent changing, I will spend the 15 minutes under my car to change my own oil. Besides, the service shop isn't open on the weekend and since I'm not retired and can't afford the luxory of burning an entire afternoon waiting for an oil change, I'll do it myself.

Leon - did I catch you on a bad day? Besides I don't mind spending a couple hours with owner of the dealership - he's my cousin. By the time he pays for lunch - we're just about even.

Remo:cool

 

[Gorgon]

Remo, not at all. I just figured I hadn't seen any posts giving you a hard time lately.

 

[Guy]

Leon - did I catch you on a bad day? Besides I don't mind spending a couple hours with owner of the dealership - he's my cousin. By the time he pays for lunch - we're just about even.

Remo:cool

Well your cousin thinks fine dining is at the Golden Arches .


Guy

 

[Edmond]

Well your cousin thinks fine dining is at the Golden Arches .


Guy

When is someone going to start with the momma jokes? :L

 

[Gorgon]

Well your cousin thinks fine dining is at the Golden Arches .

So let me get this straight. Remo thinks that the cost of a sythetic oil change in a C5 is equivalent to a Happy Meal?

 

[Bob25thTA]

My dealership will do it for free. But I still do it myself and spend $30. Now how stupid is that?

 

[Imachad]

My dealership will do it for free. But I still do it myself and spend $30. Now how stupid is that?

No comment...

 

[Roadfrog]

I've got a very different method to post on the subject but you'll have to find it....when I get around to posting it.....

It's been about 72 hours since the last post on C5 oil changes. I love reading about all the complex procedures C5 owners have come up with just so they can say "I always change my own oil - that way I know it gets done right". Come on folks join in - let's hear about your special cost effective, easy to do at home process for changing that C5 oil.

Remo:cool

 

[Remo]

My dealership will do it for free. But I still do it myself and spend $30. Now how stupid is that?

Now this is one of the best deals ever - free is hard to beat. And getting 6 quarts of Mobil 1 plus a filter for $30.00 is also a pretty good deal.

But come on folks - I'm looking for the guys who have the scary stories on how they get their C5's jacked up in their garages. You know - special ramps to get the car onto the regular ramps. And let's not forget some of the clever methods used to get the rear end up in the air. I know you guys are out there - so let's get those stories on record.

Remo:cool

 

[Guy]

So let me get this straight. Remo thinks that the cost of a sythetic oil change in a C5 is equivalent to a Happy Meal?

Na, just the toy .


Guy

 

[MsSchroder]

You don't want to know

My method involves boards, bathmats, rhino ramps, jackstands, and floorjacks. Plus a creeper, an adjustable wrench, a one-size-fits-all-oil filter wrench, a magnetic drain plug, and a large-capacity oil-catch-pan.
Plus a trip to wal-mart for the oil... which must NOT be undertaken in the vette:nono . And then a trip to the local jiffy-lube to dump my used oil -again, not to be undertaken in the vette (who wants to put a full oil catch pan in the car??).
I would post pics but I would be laughed out of the CAC.
Silly, you say? Anal retentive? yes.
But by God, I can do it by myself and when I'm done, I know it was done right. And it didn't cost the $80+ that the dealer charges, plus at least an hour of my valuable time sitting around at the dealership :Silly .

Just think Remo. If I had taken it to the dealer, I wouldn't have had time to mail your the photos! (did you get them?)

Tammy

 

[Rob]

It's not a C5, but my Vette is just about as low and probably as difficult to change the oil on as the C5....so here's what I do:

1. Jack the car up on the driver's side just behind the wheel.

2. Slide the oil pan under and snap my tools together with long enough extensions to reach the drain bolt.

3. Do the best I can to wedge myself in under the car because - the jack is in my way in relation to where the damn oil pan is.

4. In the process of wedging myself under the car, I immediately and accidentally bang my head off the rocker panel which results in a rebound motion towards the cement floor underneath. Head bangs off floor - really mean and nasty slurs are suddenly heard reverberating off the garage walls.

5. Once the wrench is secured on the bolt, I try to get the best leverage possible to loosen the bolt.

6. As I'm straining to the loosen the bolt, it suddenly snaps loose. My left hand goes flying into the bottom of the catalytic converter. Blood begins to drip on the floor as the pain shoots up my arm. More mean and nasty slurs are heard reverberating off the garage walls.

7. Take bolt off, lower car and try to not crush the oil pan in the process. After about 10 minutes, raise car, tighten bolt. Remove pan. Remove jack. Open hood, and remove oil filter. (Oil filter is right on top of the passenger side of the LT5 engine. - at least they made this part easy!) Replace oil filter.

8. Refill crankcase. Clean tools. Go inside and wash blood and oil off hands.

So....there's my procedure. :L

Now on my truck - that's a WHOLE different ball game and much easier I might add. The truck sits high enough up off the ground that I can almost sit under it. It takes me about 5 minutes to drain the oil. The oil filter is located just inside the driver's side front fender (a dumb location in my opinion), and it takes 2-3 minutes to change that. All in all, I can change oil on my truck and be done within 15 minutes.

 

[Remo]

MsSchroder Hits a Homerun

Tammy,

Now that's the kind of story I'm looking for - you are priceless. But beleive me there are worse ones. I think I heard about a guy in Elkview, WV that made up some slings he would use after he got the rear end up off the floor. I believe he called it a safety de-vice.

Yes I did get the photos and they too were priceless. Guy Wright could be easily "black mailed" if you get my drift.

Remo:cool

 

[FirstVette]

How much are dealerships charging for C5 oil changes? $50?

I had my oil changed today on my 03 vette, at the dealers and it cost me $78.

Vic

 

[Dave C. '04 Z06]

My complicated procedure

Here is my complicated procedure:

1. Chock the right (passenger) rear tire and put the jack under the frame behind the front left tire.

2. Jack the car up until I can slide my drain tub under the oil pan where the drain plug is.

3. Reach under with a wrench and loosen the plug, then remove it and allow the oil to drain into it.

4. While the oil's draining, I remove the filter and let it drain into the tub.

5. Fill the new filter with oil and install (oiling the rubber gasket).

6. When the oil is just dribbling (by this time) I clean the drain plug and re-install.

7. Fill the engine with new synthetic oil.

8. Remove the tub, lower the car, remove the chock.

9. Start engine to make sure oil pressure comes up within a second or two.

That's it. The whole process takes about 20 minutes.

-Dave C. '04 Z06

 

[SleepieAce]

Alright, I might as well give someone some amusement. I change my own oil mainly because I change the supercharger oil at the same time and I haven't found anyone willing to mess with the supercharger. Here goes:

1. Run the car up on ramps. I've got some eight foot 2x6s with 4x4 blocks in the middle to keep them from breaking. That's what I use to get it up on the ramps.

2. Oil plug is now easily accessible, but the plug is in the front of the pan so the back end has to go up.ad I slide a jack under the back cross member from the side and jack it up until it's level and I can get jack stands under there.

3. Now changing the oil and filter is easy...and done in about five minutes.

4. However, the s/c still needs changing. This is a tricky part. You can change the oil by removing the head unit altogether, but I don't have the tools to do that properly. Besides, I'd rather not mess with a unit that has been functioning perfectly. So I go at the plug from the bottom. Using a couple very long extensions I can reach the plug, but holding the socket on it is another story. If I worm a hand up around the radiator and take off a layer of skin I can reach the socket to hold it. I pop the plug loose. This sprays oil down the front side of the engine, and is mostly caught by a strategically placed and very large pan.

5. Replace the plug in the s/c and put the oil in.

6. Now I spend about the same amount of time as I have spent up til now trying to clean the front of the engine before I realize it's a lost cause.

7. Button everything up and take the car down.

8. Drive the car to the local detailing place and pay them twenty bucks to clean the engine. They do a very good job, btw. They put it up on a lift and everything.

9. Drive home and get drunk, all while vowing that next time I'm going to get the stupid tools and just take the head unit off. But next time's another 5K away. That's at least a year...and by then I'll have probably forgotten it all and just do it the hard way again.

Yes I am an idiot...:crazy