Oil Change

[csavaglio]

I know this has been covered ad nauseum, but after searching and doing a ton of reading, I've got more questions than answers. After doing 99% of my own car work for my adult life, I never, ever thought I'd be asking questions about an oil change, but here we are.

I'm pretty up and up about what oil and filter to use.

I plan to use a Mityvac to extract the oil. LT5 guys give some contradictory information though. First, guys seem to agree that the oil should be warm before extracting, which on a normal motor, I agree since it drains faster. This requires running the car. They also agree that quite a bit of oil stays in the motor for extended periods of time and the motor needs to sit for hours before all of the oil is in the pan. By the time the oil drains down to the pan, it will have cooled.

I could leave it up on jack stands overnight draining it out of the drain plug, but I have a small 2 car garage and I'm not about to leave my '69 outside overnight, so that's not really a viable option due to space. Besides that, I can't imagine for the life of me that when these cars were new, Chevrolet gave new Z owners a loaner car since a simple oil change take's overnight to accomplish.

So, what's the consensus here? Run the car to heat the oil up and leave a quart+ in the motor (along with the 1.5q in the cooler that everyone's ok with) or pump the cold oil out of the pan after the car's been sitting? I'm not even sure how the mityvac is going to work with cold oil, since I've always done it the old fashioned way and I've heard mixed about whether it's got the guts to pull cold oil.

It seems the goal is to get 9 to 9.5 quarts out of the thing including what's in the filter. Of course, checking the level is done after the motor's been sitting several hours or more.

So, guys using Mityvac's or similar, do you run the car to heat up and thin the oil first, or do you pump it when it's cold, thick, and mostly in the pan?

Thanks, guys.

Chris

[Dynomite]

For Engine Oil Change, Let it sit overnight....drain oil in morning including filter change without starting engine. Sitting overnight should make oil filter change easy with no spilled oil (Drain....not Extract). Draining is better than extracting for the simple reason any unreasonable contaminants sit in the bottom of the oil pan where extraction is impossible....also.....water is heavier than oil.

When the oil draining starts to drip vice run you are done

See LT5/ZR-1 Fluids

Add about 9 quarts of AMSOIL 10W-40



25% of the oil you do not get this time you will get 75% of that next time......which is just fine.

For those that have not done so......change ALL fluids when you get the ZR-1 (Engine, Transmission, Differential.....extracting Brake/Clutch Fluid) and then change Oil as well as Transmisison fluid on schedule (see Notes in LT5/ZR-1 Fluids).
Wipe clean Brake Fluid reservoirs and Clutch Fluid reservoir under ECM (replace with Dot 4).

[efnfast]

I agree, so much oil gets left in the engine via what's stuck in the motor and whats in the cooler and lines, are we really worried about those last couple drops??? I do change my oil hot, my thought process is that more of the dirt is in suspention(sp) and flows out easier. Not sitting like sludge on the bottom of the pan.

[Dynomite]

Originally Posted by efnfast

I agree, so much oil gets left in the engine via what's stuck in the motor and whats in the cooler and lines, are we really worried about those last couple drops??? I do change my oil hot, my thought process is that more of the dirt is in suspention(sp) and flows out easier. Not sitting like sludge on the bottom of the pan.

Actually that last couple drops of oil is several quarts of oil (which you will get 75% of that (several quarts of old old oil next oil change). Do you think when you start your engine that "sludge" is actually picked up and recirculated

If it can be recirculated it can be drained by gravity without recirculation

[csavaglio]

I cancelled the order for the extractor thing.

I figure I'll crawl under, pull the plug, and go to bed....I'm finishing up my 12 hour mid shift in about 45 minutes. I should be asleep for 3 or 4 hours and that should give plenty of time for everything to drain out that's going to. After I get up, I'll go pick up the oil and hopefully the filters I ordered will show up by the time I'm filling it back up.

I want to flush out and bleed the clutch hydraulics too while I'm at it. I already did the trans fluid. I make a habit out of changing everything when I get a car, but I only have about 24 hours off after this set.

Chris

[PhillipsLT5]

Mighty Vac is the way to go

[Kevin]

i've never let my oil drain for more the 45 minutes, I wait till it starts to drip out vs flow out on all cars, and I drain ~10 quarts of oil.

[mike100]

Oh man- it's really just another engine. If you change the oil on a reasonable interval, a little bit of old oil in the cooler won't matter.

Drain for 10 minutes- having sat for a couple of hours so the filter doesn't make a mess on removal. I go 5 qts Mobil1 with 4 qts Z-rod Amsoil with the zddp additive. No need for full strength, I'm attempting to duplicate early 90's additive content. This is the only exotic part of my oil change.

If you want to flush the engine and lines out cheaply, get some walmart 10w-30 and run it for 5 miles and then drain it all out.

[csavaglio]

Yeah, I just read all the stories about running the motor and only getting 6 quarts out. I had left the car sitting a few days, so when I got home from work this morning, I opened the drain screw and went to bed. I finished it up after I got up, got oil and the filters came in the mail.

I waited a few hours, added oil, then drove it around the block. I'll check it in the morning before work tomorrow.

I flushed the clutch hydraulics too. It needed it bad. I'd be surprised if it had ever been done before. It does shift much better now....3rd gear would resist a little bit before, but seems a lot better after the clutch stuff and tranny fluid.

Thanks for the help guys. Hopefully it's not over filled when I check it in the morning.

Chris

[WVZR-1]

You didn't mention the quarts used for the fill. How many did you use for the fill?