New initiate to OIL CHANGE CLUB

On May 18, 10:28 pm, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B <Tru...@ae86.GTS> wrote:
> On Mon, 19 May 2008 01:27:19 +0000, Jeff wrote:
> > Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B wrote:
> >> On Sun, 18 May 2008 15:20:23 -0700, John S. wrote:
>
> >>>> PS: After working under the chassis with oil spilling down my arm, I
> >>>> quickly learned the importance of safety goggles and latex gloves. I
> >>>> bought some at Walmart the very next day :-)
> >>> I don't know if performing an oil change at home (or at the garage) is
> >>> ever something that I would equate with pleasure.
>
> >> I think *maybe* he was being a bit sarcastic...
>
> >>> It certainly is a way to save some money.
>
> >> It costs me as much or more than Jiffy Lube, et al, but I know it's done
> >> correctly!
>
> > When you compare the cost to Jiffy Lube, do you include the things that
> > Jiffy Lube is going to mess up?
>
> Jiffy Lube=$19.95
> 4 Qts oil=$12.75
> Filter=$5.65
>
> Save ~$2 and get peace of mind...- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

And you have been gone along time Hachiroku

"Pszemol" <Pszemol@PolBox.com> wrote in message
news:g0rq7v.e6k.0@poczta.onet.pl...
> "mack" <mackerel@dslextreme.com> wrote in message
> news:i31Yj.995$qQ5.54@fe091.usenetserver.com...
>>
>> "Built_Well" <Built_Well_Toyota@m> wrote in>
>>> I hope everyone has been great, and stay safe under the chassis.
>>>
>>> PS: After working under the chassis with oil spilling down
>>> my arm, I quickly learned the importance of safety goggles
>>> and latex gloves. I bought some at Walmart the very next day :-)
>>
>> Staying safe under the chassis is the main idea. You'll wish for
>> something as minor as oil running down your arm if your jackstands or
>> ramps ever decide to collapse.
>> I quit changing my own oil (although I've enjoyed the knowledge that the
>> drain plug is indeed in place and tight when I'm done) simply because the
>> additional seven or eight bucks spent at the oil change place is worth
>> not risking being crushed under your vehicle. There's nothing like the
>> feeling of having your car removed from your cold, dead chest. : - )
>> If you continue changing your own oil, please never do it without someone
>> else in your household being present so that they can call 911. Because
>> you won't be able to.
>
> I own 1995 camry with 4-cyl engine and there is no need to rise vehicle
> for this job. The oil pan fits under the car with plenty of room for
> your hand to remove the drain plug. I loosen it with a wrench then
> put the pan underneath and complete remove the plug.
> The oil filter is right there looking at you when you open the hood.
> Very easy to do and rising vehicle would add unnecesary hassle to the job.

I don't know how you can get far enough under the car to unscrew the drain
plug, unless your arms are about five feet long....and the oil receptacle
must be pretty shallow to fit underneath the car.
Another reason for not changing your own oil is that, unless you want to
pour a gallon of used oil on your back yard, just taking the used oil back
to an auto parts store to a recycling vat will cost you at least a half
gallon of gas for the round trip, which at today's gasoline price will add
another two bucks to your total expense.
As for getting suckered into changing other fluids at an oil change place, I
find that it's very effective to simply smile at the mechanic who offers
these services and use the time-honored phrase "No, thanks."

..
>
> I don't know how you can get far enough under the car to unscrew the drain
> plug, unless your arms are about five feet long....and the oil receptacle
> must be pretty shallow to fit underneath the car.
> Another reason for not changing your own oil is that, unless you want to
> pour a gallon of used oil on your back yard, just taking the used oil back
> to an auto parts store to a recycling vat will cost you at least a half
> gallon of gas for the round trip, which at today's gasoline price will add
> another two bucks to your total expense.

I bring my used oil in when purchasing oil and filter for my next change.
There is no particular hurry to recycle it.
Steve


> As for getting suckered into changing other fluids at an oil change place,
> I find that it's very effective to simply smile at the mechanic who offers
> these services and use the time-honored phrase "No, thanks."
>

On Mon, 19 May 2008 06:32:15 -0700, ransley wrote:

> On May 18, 10:28 pm, Hachiroku ��ロク <Tru...@ae86.GTS> wrote:
>> On Mon, 19 May 2008 01:27:19 +0000, Jeff wrote:
>> > Hachiroku ��ロク wrote:
>> >> On Sun, 18 May 2008 15:20:23 -0700, John S. wrote:
>>
>> >>>> PS: After working under the chassis with oil spilling down my arm,
>> >>>> I quickly learned the importance of safety goggles and latex
>> >>>> gloves. I bought some at Walmart the very next day :-)
>> >>> I don't know if performing an oil change at home (or at the garage)
>> >>> is ever something that I would equate with pleasure.
>>
>> >> I think *maybe* he was being a bit sarcastic...
>>
>> >>> It certainly is a way to save some money.
>>
>> >> It costs me as much or more than Jiffy Lube, et al, but I know it's
>> >> done correctly!
>>
>> > When you compare the cost to Jiffy Lube, do you include the things
>> > that Jiffy Lube is going to mess up?
>>
>> Jiffy Lube=$19.95
>> 4 Qts oil=$12.75
>> Filter=$5.65
>>
>> Save ~$2 and get peace of mind...- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> And you have been gone along time Hachiroku

Oh, I see...you are in the Camry group?

I'm stuck over here in Toyota. My Mom's Camry rarely has a problem! ;)

One thing I noticed when the oil had finished dripping into the
15-quart drain pan is a lot of grit in the oil.

The drain pan is the kind that is round and covered with
a permanently closed lid that has a small hole in the lid's
middle where the oil can fall into the pan. The lid has
a downwardly sloping surface that leads to the hole.

Almost all of the oil went down the hole, but a thin layer
remained on the round lid. Within the thin layer of oil was
something that kind of felt like grit. Each particle was probably
about the size of a grain of sand, or smaller. I'd say there were
about 4 particles of grit per square inch. What do you think that
was?

On Mon, 19 May 2008 19:42:25 -0700, Built_Well wrote:

>
> One thing I noticed when the oil had finished dripping into the 15-quart
> drain pan is a lot of grit in the oil.
>
> The drain pan is the kind that is round and covered with a permanently
> closed lid that has a small hole in the lid's middle where the oil can
> fall into the pan. The lid has a downwardly sloping surface that leads to
> the hole.
>
> Almost all of the oil went down the hole, but a thin layer remained on the
> round lid. Within the thin layer of oil was something that kind of felt
> like grit. Each particle was probably about the size of a grain of sand,
> or smaller. I'd say there were about 4 particles of grit per square inch.
> What do you think that was?

See if it sticks to a magnet...

Ray O wrote:
>
> The next time you change your oil, check to see if the grit is
> there after you have drained the oil but before you remove the
> oil filter. My guess is that the grit will not be there until
> after you have removed the oil filter.

Okay Ray O, you bet I'll be extra watchful next time I change the
oil :-)

Ransley, thanks for the suggestions, but I'm on it. My car has
always used OEM Toyota filters, and the oil is about the best
synthetic you can get: Pennzoil Platinum (PP). The oil change
interval
was only 4,000 miles, which is 1,000 less than the 5,000
recommended. I did stretch the time to 7 months, instead of 6,
but I don't think that made much of a difference. Thanks for the
ideas, though.

Ray O, dunno if this is surprising, but I got much more oil on me
when I removed the oil filter than the drain plug.

I think my next oil will be Amsoil ASL 5w-30. It's suppose to be
even better than PP, and I want to hear how my engine sounds with it.
I noticed a marked difference in engine sound when I switched from
dino to Mobil 1 synthetic. Here's something new: It looks like the
Amsoil
web site now ships oil directly to your door instead of requiring
you to contact a local distributor.

On May 19, 9:34 pm, SMS <scharf.ste...@geemail.com> wrote:
> Pszemol wrote:
> > I own 1995 camry with 4-cyl engine and there is no need to rise vehicle
> > for this job. The oil pan fits under the car with plenty of room for
> > your hand to remove the drain plug. I loosen it with a wrench then
> > put the pan underneath and complete remove the plug.
> > The oil filter is right there looking at you when you open the hood.
> > Very easy to do and rising vehicle would add unnecesary hassle to the job.
>
> Yeah, I have the same generation Camry. Could there be any easier
> vehicle on which to perform an oil change? I can do the oil change
> faster than driving the vehicle to an oil change place. The city I live
> in has curbside oil recycling so all I have to do is to pour the used
> oil into a milk jug.

May be easy for some, but I'm 6 foot 1 and I need to put the car on
Rhino ramps to reach back that far. (Plus ramps make it easier to
drain the transmission fluid too.)

Ditto that for curbside oil recycling!

Man, the Honda Accords put the oil filter in the toughest places to
reach...

Michael

On Fri, 23 May 2008 14:10:04 -0700, mrdarrett wrote:

>>
>> PS: After working under the chassis with oil spilling down my arm, I
>> quickly learned the importance of safety goggles and latex gloves. I
>> bought some at Walmart the very next day :-)
>
>
> One thing that works really well when you need an extra funnel, quick and
> cheap: an empty 2L soda bottle. With scissors, cut into the middle of
> the bottle (pinching the bottle a bit helps), then cut your way up to the
> cap part, cutting round until you have a nice little funnel. Careful not
> to cut yourself on the sharp plastic (it IS sharp)

I use an X-Acto or a box cutter. Again, SHARP! But works quite well.

So on Friday night just after I started the car, the "Maintenance
Required" light comes on and blinks 6 times, then turns off. It
happened every time I started the car. 6 blinks, then off. I'm
thinking I musta broke my 'yoter somehow when I changed the oil a
week ago, and it took 7 days to show up. Unfortunately there's
no 'puter around to search the newsgroups since I'm at a gas
station in St. Louis 125 miles from home.

All the fluids look fine, so I ask a fella what it could mean.
He says the "Maintenance Required" light came on because the
oxygen sensor probably broke its porcelain piece when I hit a
bump or something. Couple hundred dollars in labor and parts,
he says. Luckily the '06 is still under factory warranty.

The next day, while still in St. Louis, I take the car to
Seeger Toyota, the dealership that sold me the car 2 years
ago. When I explain what's been happening, the friendly and
very helpful Chad in the service department says the
"Maintenance Required" light only comes on when it's time
for an oil change--only then and never else.

I tell'em I changed the oil myself a week ago--my first time
doing it myself. He said I just needed to reset the Camry's
5,000-mile oil interval count back to zero by holding the
odometer button in, then turning the key to the
on position (not start), and waiting a few seconds until
the ODO display turns to dashes, then zeroes. Then release
the odometer button.

Well, that was easy enough! I didn't break my 'yoter after
all!

My only thought is the warning light should say something like
"Change Oil," not "Maintenance Required" since maintenance
could mean anything from low coolant, break fluid, transmission
problem, etc. Chad says "Maintenance Required" only comes on
for one reason and one reason only: It's close to 5,000 miles
since your last oil change, so change it again. (I had changed
the oil after 4,000.)

Can't wait to rotate and torque the wheels soon with my trusty
Craftsman torque wrench!