Oil Change

[kryten2001]

Hi Guys -

I posted this question deep in another thread, so I thought I'd rewrite it here...

How are you guys going about performing an oil change on your beloved cars? I bought the lowest gradient of car ramps I could find - and no way in hell could I get them even close to the front wheels without them scraping on the front bumper on my VY SS. They were a good 6 inches short of the front wheels when it hit the bumper.

Another kind forum member mentioned it's possible to squeeze under the car to do the change - but after I took a look, I could barely reach the rear bolts holding the oil catch pan on before my chest hit the bottom of the bumper....

And yeah I'm not a small dude, but I find it hard to see how even a skinny punk could fit under there - with a oil catchpan no less, whilst undoing bolts... I mean the clearance of the bumper is almost the same thickness as the catch pan I bought!

Other than rip the bumper off, are there any other alternatives available? What have you guys done in the past?.. I really don't want to have to take it to a mechanic just to have him put it on a hoist and charge me $50 to do something I could do (and would prefer) to do myself at home.

I had a ute with FE2 before, and it had HEAPS more clearance than the SS... What's the go?

Thanks....

[markone2]

Supercheap..$29.00 trolley Jack......2 axle stands...proceed with oil change ;)

[brock05]

i have made up some ramp extension boards. I got hold of a couple of old scaffold planks I use these all the time makes getting on and off the ramps alot easier aswell. They are fairly long but as I made them up for my Brock which is considerably lower than most cars.

Cheers Brad

[EXECJIM]

All i do is use 2 peices of wood about 2 foot long and place them on the ramps, that gives me a less steep gradiant to drive the car on the ramps without hitting the front bar ;)

Go to any hardware place and see what off cuts they have.

i hope this helps??

Jim

[brock05]

Marks method is a little better as you can let the car back down to make draining the oil easier and quicker. I use the ramps as I am unable to get my trolley car under either of my cars so I need to drive onto my ramps first.

[kryten2001]

Supercheap..$29.00 trolley Jack......2 axle stands...proceed with oil change ;)

OK great, so do you jack up each wheel and then replace the jack with the axle stands (so do it on both sides)... Reverse the procedure when you're done?

I don't remember the axle's being that obvious on either the front or the back (I'll need to look again), so obviously you jack the standard jacking point and then lower the cars axels onto the stands, right?

Geeze, I hope they're strong, otherwise I'll be pancake man...!

[Mongy]

I find a Molnar hoist very very handy, it saves on using ramps and I can actually walk under my car instead of crawling around on the ground :D

[kryten2001]

I find a Molnar hoist very very handy, it saves on using ramps and I can actually walk under my car instead of crawling around on the ground :D

Can you get one from Repco for under $100 and can I roll it away and put it in my garden shed?

:lol:

[bobg]

I find a Molnar hoist very very handy, it saves on using ramps and I can actually walk under my car instead of crawling around on the ground :D
Sarcastic bastard!!!!
Wouldn't we all die for a Molnar in our back yard!!!!! :mad: :mad: :lol: :lol:

[JA SV8]

With my old car (VR Calais 5L) i just drove it so the front wheels were just on the edge of a small drop off in my front yard, this made the motor hang over the drop off and i could just get under it to get to the bolt.
Maybe a curb or guttering may work? i dont know how low the SS is, but my SV8 is pretty low so it must be worse!
Good Luck

James

[VX2VESS]

i put the trolley jack under the passager side and jack it up just a bit enough to lay down slide the pan under and drain it. this side as the drain is on the other helps it run out. i can put it on stands but thats uneeded extra efford for me.i'm only under tha front bar with the wheels on

[Mongy]

Can you get one from Repco for under $100 and can I roll it away and put it in my garden shed?

:lol:
I WISH!! :lol:

[JBonDSS]

i put the trolley jack under the passager side and jack it up just a bit enough to lay down slide the pan under and drain it. this side as the drain is on the other helps it run out. i can put it on stands but thats uneeded extra efford for me.i'm only under tha front bar with the wheels on

This would NEVER be the recommend way to do an oil change, As all workshop manuals say DO NOT GET UNDER CAR SUPPORTED BY A JACK ALONE.

Or it could be a very long ly down under the car until someone notices you missing. or if your car is really low - good night irene, All that money you saved changing your own oil has all gone to waste.

[Speedy Gonzales]

I do the same, dont bother using a stand or extra jack since I am clear of vehicle when servicing.

If you are paranoid about a car falling on you, slide a tyre under the side or use the jack that came with the car as extra support.

Take note of the load on the jack and how high, I usually raise the car so that it is high enough to reach under and work comfortably.

[VX2VESS]

I do the same, dont bother using a stand or extra jack since I am clear of vehicle when servicing.

If you are paranoid about a car falling on you, slide a tyre under the side or use the jack that came with the car as extra support.

Take note of the load on the jack and how high, I usually raise the car so that it is high enough to reach under and work comfortably.

same.... like i said just under the front bar just high enough. i can actiually look under with out the jack just a little hard to get the plate off and plug, so it goes up what another 12 cm. that isn't going to fall and crush me. may get a bump on the head from the front plastic bar.

not that i've ever had a jack fail in many years. if i'm gettting under the car, under any metal chassis parts i take extra precautions.

for a oil change no chance of any real harm unless you get right under and jack it up high and the jack fails.

[JBonDSS]

Cool just wanted it to be clear(get all the info) about getting under the car when giving someone advise,

[clixanup]

I have also used planks to 'extend' my ramps. Makes 'em much easier to drive up.

I've often wondered about those stands (which look like one massive ramp) that car dealers use which lift the whole car a couple of feet off the ground. They use them for displaying cars. It looks like the whole thing rocks forward with the weight of the car. Can someone from a car dealership explain how they work??

One thing's for sure - me next house is going to have a pit in the garage.

[kryten2001]

I have also used planks to 'extend' my ramps. Makes 'em much easier to drive up.

I've often wondered about those stands (which look like one massive ramp) that car dealers use which lift the whole car a couple of feet off the ground. It looks like the whole thing rocks forward with the weight of the car. Can someone from a car dealership explain how they work??

One thing's for sure - me next house is going to have a pit in the garage.

Yeah they're a bit of an oddity those things, I've wondered myself. They don't appear to crush the exhaust systems of older cars that didn't have recessed cavities for the mufflers etc...

But I do know that my poor old VR Ute back in '94 got slightly bent after it was put on one (maybe the operator didn't know what he was doing)... Had slight kinks underneath the doors on the frame... Was not happy, Jan...

[amckiwi]

I would not use a cheap jack on my car (again)
Have buggered 2 jacking cars up now have big 2.5 ton job its heavy as, but takes all the abuse I throw at it and if surface is slightly uneven it does not bend

Those short hydraulic jacks are dangerous!

I have driven on bits of 4 X 2 in the past with low cars to get jacks / ramps underneath

Axle stands are not infalible I chat to a guy in the US who had a car hop of stands during an earthquake it landed on his head 2 luckily it was only a Honda Civic!

Cheers
Stu

[Phido]

Ive heard stories of people who have jacked up a car and then the jack went through the concrete floor in a garage.. Turned out the builders (new house too) stinged on the concrete, air bubble below the surface cause maybe by rain or something, and the concrete couldn't support the cars weight on the small surface area on the small jack footprint so bang, right through and trapped the guy.

Guy who told me this story is a tiler, his garage floor is measured in feet thick.

A place i have moved in has a odd sort of driveway, with a steep angle going up to the shed. But its perfect for oil changes, i use some bricks as wheel chocks and jump under on a peice of carboard. Wonderful. It even makes getting in and out of the car easier.. Sort of drop your legs out and your standing up.

There is definately something to be said for a pit in your garage. Makes servicing and inspecting almost fun.

[VX2VESS]

Axle stands are not infalible I chat to a guy in the US who had a car hop of stands during an earthquake it landed on his head 2 luckily it was only a Honda Civic!

Cheers
Stu

they are safe enough. eathquake? remote chance over here. even then the garage may fall on you anyway instead. :lol:

pit would be good.
only ever seen one pit that used thick wood as a cover when not being used. what sorta covers are used these days

[BRISVX]

Timely that the topic should be raised. I was changing my oil last week, and was doing some checking of how safe the standard jack is. I've always been pretty careful, using wheel chocks and lumps of wood once the car was up on the jack (just in case the unlikely should happen), but sometimes you need to change a tyre on the side of the road, in less than perfect conditions. When I was doing the oil last week, I carefully looked at how stable the jack was, and was surprised at how bad it became the higher it went. Even on level concrete it tended to raise on one corner as it got extended. I repeated it a couple of times in different spots just to make sure. In the event that the car got jolted (such as when you are trying to loosen a tight wheel nut) it could have easily toppled.....you simply can't trust them, regardless of how many years you have used them safely before. I think if you are doing any work under a vehicle, you should go overboard in making it safe. Remember too, that if the vehicle did come off the jack or stands, it would tend to initially bounce lower than normal (even with a spare wheel under there), and that would be enough to wipe you out. It could also move sideways and pin you against a wall. Best to play it safe, so that you get to drive another day.

[clixanup]

... but sometimes you need to change a tyre on the side of the road, in less than perfect conditions. When I was doing the oil last week, I carefully looked at how stable the jack was, and was surprised at how bad it became the higher it went. Even on level concrete it tended to raise on one corner as it got extended. I repeated it a couple of times in different spots just to make sure.

And therein lies my biggest complaint. How can they put that cheap Chaiwanese scissor jack in there and get away with it? They might work OK under a Corolla or Hyundai, but a 1700kg Commodore? Come on Holden, lift your game.

[karter42]

Guys,

You could always try this.....
http://www.onestopgroup.com.au/pix/safety_first_kids.jpg

[Phido]

Wait a sec, is that a fuel tank hes welding right next too?

Pits are the go, you can get heavy duty steel sheet (1/2" thick) in short segments for a cover if you wish, or something lighter like strong grating thats strong enough to drive on.. Bolt it down so it can't move either.

Have a built in fridge down there, tool box, lights etc.. Rig up all sorts of stuff so you can drop a gearbox or diff etc. Your going to need a jack for changing wheels, discs, etc, but not if your getting under the car, and if you do get under the car on a jack, you are much safer, and don't have to jack up very high.

No more bare back on pebblecrete in 45 degree heat. When not in use looks clean and doesn't cost the earth. Safe, quick, easy, not overly expensive.. While you have your pit, you can extend it so you can install a dyno in the back of it..

Do a oil change, full inspection and dyno tune every 5000 km..

All you need to do is demolish your garage and rebuild!.. or build a 2nd one. Gives you a chance to make it properly, 3 phase power, lots of outlets, lots of storeage, place to put your heavy machinery, airlines, raw material storage, beer, skylight, spray booth etc.

Seriously..

I don't trust regular car jacks, I use axel stands as much as possible. Jacks aren't hugely strong, they have small footprints (some are almost 1"x1") aren't very stable, most are terrible to use and don't give enough space. Plus everytime you use one, theres a chance you might get lazy(or its just awkward) and not jack it up in the right spot and damage your car. Useless on sand, unlevel ground, slow etc.

Most people don't care until they *HAVE* to use one, in suboptimal conditions. Pissing down in rain, at night, at the side of a busy road etc..

[VX2VESS]

even better v8 type jacking sytem, all 4 wheels up in 1 sec and they have safety thingos to lock them down so you can get under..

[Bitza's Bro]

I don't have an LSI but i can't even driver my VT ACCLAIM WAGON onto ramps to change the oil ,after buying some ramps for the job lastweek .
Nothing special about our car has a rear muffler of a VX SS has the nice crome tip maybe this is the cause what do you think ,or was my grade of oil to heavy or maybe the 17 inch wheels and tyres i bought lastweek have heavy air in them so that keeps the nose down ,or maybe it may not have standard springs .ohwell not to worry i am good at inventing ways around these things. :lol:

[kryten2001]

Hi All -

Well I took the ramps back, and purchased a decent trolley jack (2 ton job), and lifted it up onto the axel stands, no worries. Stable as a rock (When I figured out how to let the jack down slooooowly rather than just twist the valve)...

For those who have done it - 2 questions :

1) Is directly underneath the axel (on the lower point of the suspension) the best place to rest the stands?.. It's the only part of the suspension that's "flat", all the rest is angular, so I'd hate to rest a stand on it.

2) The "jacking point" seems to be rather badly built for a hydraulic jack.. It looks like a weld point (1" cutout, pointing straight down), and looks as if it should bend backwards if too much weight is placed on it... It jacked up fine, no movement or bends, but I can't help but think a flatter surface, rather than a fold, would be a better place to jack the car up. I know it's the case with my honda Accord that the scissor jack goes on the fold, but the best place for a flat jack is on a flat piece of subframe just a bit further up from the jacking point..

Anyway, Mobil 1 is in, so I'm happy..

Thanks all

[Drewie]

[QUOTE=kryten2001]Hi All -
2) The "jacking point" seems to be rather badly built for a hydraulic jack.. It looks like a weld point (1" cutout, pointing straight down), and looks as if it should bend backwards if too much weight is placed on it... It jacked up fine, no movement or bends, but I can't help but think a flatter surface, rather than a fold, would be a better place to jack the car up. I know it's the case with my honda Accord that the scissor jack goes on the fold, but the best place for a flat jack is on a flat piece of subframe just a bit further up from the jacking point..


Where is the best point to put a trolley jack under the late model Commodores
the points that look to be trolley jack points look as though the would eventually bend up with a bit of use.

[kryten2001]

Where is the best point to put a trolley jack under the late model Commodores
the points that look to be trolley jack points look as though the would eventually bend up with a bit of use.

Yeah that's where I put it.. Seems silly to put so much weight on a few mm thick piece of metal though.. A flat "pad" would work so much better.

That's OK, thought I was doing something wrong!...

What about the stands?.. The lowest/flattest point of the suspension OK?

(I should have taken a pic!)...

[8throttlebodies]

Im about to do my oil change, and just a quick question about the oil filter tightness.

The manual says ...
"V6 Engine, screw filter into place until seal contacts the mating surface of the adaptor, the tighten a further 2/3 of a turn "

BUT, for the Gen 3... it says..
"Tighten oil Filter to the correct spec .. 30nm".

I dont think my oil filter tool has torque ratings... so can anyone suggest/or knows how many turns after it contacts the mating surface for a Gen 3 oil filter ?

thanks.
8tb

[Mongy]

Im about to do my oil change, and just a quick question about the oil filter tightness.

The manual says ...
"V6 Engine, screw filter into place until seal contacts the mating surface of the adaptor, the tighten a further 2/3 of a turn "

BUT, for the Gen 3... it says..
"Tighten oil Filter to the correct spec .. 30nm".

I dont think my oil filter tool has torque ratings... so can anyone suggest/or knows how many turns after it contacts the mating surface for a Gen 3 oil filter ?

thanks.
8tb
Everybody has a different idea on this one. I am assuming you are not "Sampson" here :lol: How I do it is by hand. I do not use the filter tool for tightening, that way I ensure it is not too tight. I just do it by hand until I can't turn it any more, and I get it reasonably tight. I've never had one leak, stick or fall off using this method. It is a bit tighter than 2/3 of a turn but I personally think that is a bit too loose, and so did my Tech teacher because this is how I was taught to do it at tech 34 years ago and I've done it that way ever since. Make sure you put a smear of oil around the rubber as well.

[seldo]

Make sure you put a smear of oil around the rubber as well.
And do the same when fitting the oil filter...:lol:

[vx11r8]

i have a vxr8 and found the best ramp extentions were 2metre long planks of hardwood picked up at the tip for $20. gives me the room to move up to the gradient rather easily and heaps of clearance to boot.

and being solid hardwood you can put the full car weight on it. although not everyone has the room in there garage for them.

[Space Pope]

All i do is use 2 peices of wood about 2 foot long and place them on the ramps, that gives me a less steep gradiant to drive the car on the ramps without hitting the front bar ;)

Go to any hardware place and see what off cuts they have.

i hope this helps??

Jim

Correct for you, Jim. A time honoured way to get a low car onto a ramp or hoist. works a treat. Still need to go easy getting on and off but it's a very effective and simple aid.

[HRT]

I got ramps as well but have not performed any services with it as yet...
One thing i couldn't figure out is how to move the car off the ramps without starting the car. Afterall starting the car without engine oil is never going to be healthy for the engine itself. People have told me to release the handbrake to roll the car off the ramps. Whilst this may sound like a foolproof idea, the brakes have limited effectiveness when the car is not powered. I don't want to end up rolling down my driveway into someones house. Do any of you guys have trouble filling the car with engine oil after the car is on ramps?

I don't really want to get under the car when its held up by jack stands. Its not that i don't trust the jackstands, but i don't know where to position them for the most secure hold. Some people have been telling me to place them on the factory jack sills (the ones where the spare tire jack goes), but they are thin pieces of metal which look like they can bend easily.

[plonkerchops]

i have made up some ramp extension boards. I got hold of a couple of old scaffold planks I use these all the time makes getting on and off the ramps alot easier aswell. They are fairly long but as I made them up for my Brock which is considerably lower than most cars.

Cheers Brad
my old man made my ramp extentions when I still had the old hatchback Torana with full spoiler ahh the memories :p As vx11r8 mentioned it reduces the gradient ,stopping you from spinning the clutch , pushing the ramps across the backyard or doing ramp ' linelocker' skids :D oh and stops you bunging up ya front spoiler
If you need a piccie yell out and I'll take a snap.....of the ramps of course...not on the floor :cool: :lol: :D

[VQ304]

I'll never use one of the standard scissor type jacks, they're too dangerous. I was jacking a car up with one of them once, and just when the wheel lifted off the ground and all the weight shifted to the jack, the jack slipped and fired out from under the car at about a million km/h. Luckily the wheel was still on so no harm was done except for a bit of a bump, but if it had happened just 10 seconds later then I might not have any arms anymore.

Besides, as the car lifts up, the angle the chassis makes with the ground increases which means that the higher you jack it up, the smaller the contact patch on the jack will be. Maybe better quality ones have something to stop this happening, but I still wouldn't use one...

[HRT]

Pics would be great, Plonkerchop! Do you guys roll the car off the ramps after draining the engine oil, or do you leave the car on the ramps until you have filled the car up with oil?

[Rt!]

I just use the emergency jack in the back of the car, sure I got a trolly jack but every time I jack it up it seems to dent the bottom of my car (at the specified jacking point) even with a thin piece of wood.

[Drewie]

I just use the emergency jack in the back of the car, sure I got a trolly jack but every time I jack it up it seems to dent the bottom of my car (at the specified jacking point) even with a thin piece of wood.

What is the best way to use a trolley jack under these cars, I have found that the trolley jack does tend to bend the area indicated in the handbook for trolley jack placement. The panel the jack sits under doesn't look strong enough. I was going to try a piece of wood between jack and jacking point next time but as the above post says it still seems to dent the jacking point.

[Speedy Gonzales]

Since the drain plug is on the drivers side on the LS1s, I jack up the passenger side on the frame just behind the side indicator light.

V6s from the front of the car on the centre of crossmember.

If you are using ramps, why would you go to the trouble of getting them on there, draining the oil, then pushing the car off to finish the job?

Just do it all in 1 go, easy.

[plonkerchops]

Pics would be great, Plonkerchop! Do you guys roll the car off the ramps after draining the engine oil, or do you leave the car on the ramps until you have filled the car up with oil?
I very slowly roll the car off ( without starting it of course ) and fill it up when its on the level though it probably doesnt matter too much
I'll take a snap of the ramps in the morning and post :)