Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

xlr8nflorida · 11-15-2009

Titles says it all.

Typically I use a lift but this time around I'm going use floor jack.

When I do my 93 LT1 I just jack on the jacking point on driver side of car and call it a day.

What is the best procedure to get the most oil out? Do I need to just let it drain 2 hours or is overnight better?

If not driving the car, would 30 minutes of idling, be enough to get the oil temps nice and hot. I know it takes alot longer on LT-5 then my LT-1.

I believe I will be adding 9 quarts of oil. I'm not going mess with the oil cooler this time around, with my luck my oil cooler lines would start leaking. I'll just change out the oil in the Spring and at that point, all the oil should be pretty damn clean.

When removing the oil filter, if I have a decent oil filter, it shouldn't leak too much should it upon removal? I plan to fill the bosch oil filter and screw it back on. Is hand tightening ok or do you I need to put an oil wrench on it?

Finally, what size wrench do I need for the oil plug? My tools are locked up in another state and I only have a handful of wrenches in a 5 gallon bucket. If I know the size it would be helpful rather then trial and error.

Thanks.

tomtom72 · 11-16-2009

Usually I just get to it the first thing in the day. In theory the car has sat over night so all the oil in the motor is in the pan for sure. I have never changed the oil after getting it hot & circulated. There is an article by Marc in an issue of THOTB in 07(?) about drain times & amounts if the car has not sat over night.

I suppose it would take awhile after getting it hot though. Exactly how long I couldn't say. The oil filter, I've used M1 207 & 3401 Bosch, has never leaked a drop when spun off. A few rags around the base should do it for safety's sake, but they shouldn't leak.

If I'm just doing the oil, I just jack it up enough to slide my catch pan under. I don't want to go too high as the drain is on the left side of the pan near the rear corner. Too high and the oil runs away from that spot. If it sits over night I find that the drain is pretty quick, say 10 mins max to get it all out of the pan. 14mm on the pan drain plug. I never have had the pleasure of a lift, so I make sure that I just get it high enough to slide my catch pan under to the pan.

Tom

gbrtng · 11-16-2009

Pull the plug when hot and let it drain overnight. The vehicle should be level or slightly nose-up. Kind of difficult if you only have one jack, but you can improvise if you have a sloping driveway by jacking under the front crossmember.

xlr8nflorida · 11-16-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by gbrtng

Pull the plug when hot and let it drain overnight. The vehicle should be level or slightly nose-up. Kind of difficult if you only have one jack, but you can improvise if you have a sloping driveway by jacking under the front crossmember.

Thanks Everyone. Tom, you don't like to drop the oil hot?

I got the last 2 Bosche Filters today, had to drive about 50 miles to get them. Apparently only AutoZone carries them in my neck of the woods. O'Reilley and Advance Autoparts do not.

tomtom72 · 11-17-2009

Jim, in a word not really. The trouble with chevy sb's is that they used to hold about a qt in each head once running. I can't help but think that an LT5's head doesn't do just about the same thing? I mean they are huge, no? It takes too long to just sit there & wait. I'm not the saying it's not worth it, just not to me.

Remember that I'm good for between 5k and 7k every season. In light of that and the fact that I do mine at the mid point of the summer just for general principal's, how much do I gain by driving for 20 minutes to make everything hot? JMHO, as I use mine a good bit and start with a fresh change from the winter, 1/2 way through the summer another change, then another change at winter lay-up.....know what I mean. I change out the filter at 2500 miles or two months during the summer, between oil changes. Another factor that played into my decision is that when I got my car it only had 7400 miles, so I feel that even by now I have had to have cleaned up any mess with my schedule. Oh, also, my car don't ever come out and not have everything brought up to operating temp before a shut off.....yea, I tank up before it goes back in the barn at the end of an outing. Heck, if I wanted to be a cheap skate, I could use my LT5's drain oil in my DD...

...I don't

Tom

xlr8nflorida · 11-17-2009

[quote=tomtom72;74783]Jim, in a word not really. The trouble with chevy sb's is that they used to hold about a qt in each head once running. I can't help but think that an LT5's head doesn't do just about the same thing? I mean they are huge, no? It takes too long to just sit there & wait. I'm not the saying it's not worth it, just not to me.

Remember that I'm good for between 5k and 7k every season. In light of that and the fact that I do mine at the mid point of the summer just for general principal's, how much do I gain by driving for 20 minutes to make everything hot? JMHO, as I use mine a good bit and start with a fresh change from the winter, 1/2 way through the summer another change, then another change at winter lay-up.....know what I mean. I change out the filter at 2500 miles or two months during the summer, between oil changes. Another factor that played into my decision is that when I got my car it only had 7400 miles, so I feel that even by now I have had to have cleaned up any mess with my schedule. Oh, also, my car don't ever come out and not have everything brought up to operating temp before a shut off.....yea, I tank up before it goes back in the barn at the end of an outing. Heck, if I wanted to be a cheap skate, I could use my LT5's drain oil in my DD...

...I don't

Makes sense Tom, its more important on nasty dirty oil because it flows better when hot. With as religious as you are, the difference would be negligible, you won't burn yourself and it takes you less time.

11-15-2009	#1
xlr8nflorida Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Posts: 1,093	Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks Titles says it all. Typically I use a lift but this time around I'm going use floor jack. When I do my 93 LT1 I just jack on the jacking point on driver side of car and call it a day. What is the best procedure to get the most oil out? Do I need to just let it drain 2 hours or is overnight better? If not driving the car, would 30 minutes of idling, be enough to get the oil temps nice and hot. I know it takes alot longer on LT-5 then my LT-1. I believe I will be adding 9 quarts of oil. I'm not going mess with the oil cooler this time around, with my luck my oil cooler lines would start leaking. I'll just change out the oil in the Spring and at that point, all the oil should be pretty damn clean. When removing the oil filter, if I have a decent oil filter, it shouldn't leak too much should it upon removal? I plan to fill the bosch oil filter and screw it back on. Is hand tightening ok or do you I need to put an oil wrench on it? Finally, what size wrench do I need for the oil plug? My tools are locked up in another state and I only have a handful of wrenches in a 5 gallon bucket. If I know the size it would be helpful rather then trial and error. Thanks.

11-16-2009	#2
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,609	Re: Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks Usually I just get to it the first thing in the day. In theory the car has sat over night so all the oil in the motor is in the pan for sure. I have never changed the oil after getting it hot & circulated. There is an article by Marc in an issue of THOTB in 07(?) about drain times & amounts if the car has not sat over night. I suppose it would take awhile after getting it hot though. Exactly how long I couldn't say. The oil filter, I've used M1 207 & 3401 Bosch, has never leaked a drop when spun off. A few rags around the base should do it for safety's sake, but they shouldn't leak. If I'm just doing the oil, I just jack it up enough to slide my catch pan under. I don't want to go too high as the drain is on the left side of the pan near the rear corner. Too high and the oil runs away from that spot. If it sits over night I find that the drain is pretty quick, say 10 mins max to get it all out of the pan. 14mm on the pan drain plug. I never have had the pleasure of a lift, so I make sure that I just get it high enough to slide my catch pan under to the pan. Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

11-16-2009	#3
gbrtng Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Antonio area Posts: 1,177	Re: Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks Pull the plug when hot and let it drain overnight. The vehicle should be level or slightly nose-up. Kind of difficult if you only have one jack, but you can improvise if you have a sloping driveway by jacking under the front crossmember. __________________ “Buy the best example of what you want, and pay whatever it takes. That way, you cry only once.” ~ Bruce Meyer

11-17-2009	#5
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,609	Re: Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks Jim, in a word not really. The trouble with chevy sb's is that they used to hold about a qt in each head once running. I can't help but think that an LT5's head doesn't do just about the same thing? I mean they are huge, no? It takes too long to just sit there & wait. I'm not the saying it's not worth it, just not to me. Remember that I'm good for between 5k and 7k every season. In light of that and the fact that I do mine at the mid point of the summer just for general principal's, how much do I gain by driving for 20 minutes to make everything hot? JMHO, as I use mine a good bit and start with a fresh change from the winter, 1/2 way through the summer another change, then another change at winter lay-up.....know what I mean. I change out the filter at 2500 miles or two months during the summer, between oil changes. Another factor that played into my decision is that when I got my car it only had 7400 miles, so I feel that even by now I have had to have cleaned up any mess with my schedule. Oh, also, my car don't ever come out and not have everything brought up to operating temp before a shut off.....yea, I tank up before it goes back in the barn at the end of an outing. Heck, if I wanted to be a cheap skate, I could use my LT5's drain oil in my DD......I don't Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

11-17-2009	#6
xlr8nflorida Join Date: May 2008 Location: USA Posts: 1,093	Re: Best Way to Change Oil with Floor Jacks [quote=tomtom72;74783]Jim, in a word not really. The trouble with chevy sb's is that they used to hold about a qt in each head once running. I can't help but think that an LT5's head doesn't do just about the same thing? I mean they are huge, no? It takes too long to just sit there & wait. I'm not the saying it's not worth it, just not to me. Remember that I'm good for between 5k and 7k every season. In light of that and the fact that I do mine at the mid point of the summer just for general principal's, how much do I gain by driving for 20 minutes to make everything hot? JMHO, as I use mine a good bit and start with a fresh change from the winter, 1/2 way through the summer another change, then another change at winter lay-up.....know what I mean. I change out the filter at 2500 miles or two months during the summer, between oil changes. Another factor that played into my decision is that when I got my car it only had 7400 miles, so I feel that even by now I have had to have cleaned up any mess with my schedule. Oh, also, my car don't ever come out and not have everything brought up to operating temp before a shut off.....yea, I tank up before it goes back in the barn at the end of an outing. Heck, if I wanted to be a cheap skate, I could use my LT5's drain oil in my DD......I don't Makes sense Tom, its more important on nasty dirty oil because it flows better when hot. With as religious as you are, the difference would be negligible, you won't burn yourself and it takes you less time.