Oil change fiasco

[twintrbo]

I'm very well seasoned at maintenance but we all have our bad days, this was mine! Now for some tips for anyone else doing their oil change.

1. I knew this one but yet: Never do it in a rush, you will only cut corners and create bigger problems.
2. Confirm your filter. It seems I have a cartridge rather than an element filter. Is this normal on an 09 Touring?
3. Your neighbors 06 Sport 5 M/T is not necessarily the same filter, see above.
4. Never park your other car where it will be blocked in by the one you are working on.
5. Put something down much larger than the oil drip pan to catch the extra that shoots where you never figured it would.
6. Dont buy extra filters until #2 and #3 are read and understood.
7. The funnel is meant to get dirty and your aim is not as good as you think.
8. If you did not cut the under pan, take the f@@king bolts out for the belly pan, it will take you longer to clean it up from the spilled filter oil.
9. You can NOT take the filter out without making a mess, and thats if you dont tip it over and spill it.(I spilled it)
10. Double check the crush washer, it does you no good in the oil pan once the new oil is in. See #1, #5
11. Read this and laugh, but learn too!

 

[mars1100]

that is why I am going to the dealer in the morning for the $25US oil change, when I decide to put the synthetic in (proably next oil change) I will take on this challenge as you did my friend.
Therefore thanks for the advanced advice.

 

[Rocket]

The good news is you won't make those mistakes twice. Except for #5 and #9. You'll make those again.

 

[twintrbo]

I wont make any of these mistakes again. #1 was the main culprit, I ran low on time and tried to cut corners. #9 I should elaborate, I did not take off the shield, otherwise I would not have made the filter mess. It just seemed like I would be able to slide it out so easy..............lol

 

[1WICKED6]

As much fun as doing an oil change is I'd rather take it to a Service Center and avoid the messes I use to make when I would do it myself...But good to know its a pain on this car...Now I'll never do it. Thanks

 

[thaxman]

Thanks for the list. Ours is due soon - going full synth & will be DIY from then on. No more letting some flunky strip out the pan or over/under tighten the filter. Quality is doing your own work.

 

[Mazda5wannabe]

Love the list!

 

[muggs]

with four teenage daughters, working on my car is my quiet time. take your time , trust yourself to change it right........

 

[mars1100]

(drinks)

 

[jibwagon]

BECAUSE it's a pain to do an oil change is exactly why i do it myself. i take my time and remove the belly pan and am careful when removing the filter(cartridge type). i dont think any quicklube or dealer would be as careful as i am with my own car. when im done, i know %100 its done right. when some one else does it,..... well you HOPE its done right.

 

[twintrbo]

Indeed, I am reminded of a friend of mine who took his honda prelude to quick lube place. He came out of a ballgame to find his entire car surrounded by a puddle of oil. Against better judgement he decided to drive the car home and once it was shut off he had a 2.0 liter aluminum boat anchor.........I always prefer to do it myself.

 

[SGT_OKINAWA]

Indeed, I am reminded of a friend of mine who took his honda prelude to quick lube place. He came out of a ballgame to find his entire car surrounded by a puddle of oil. Against better judgement he decided to drive the car home and once it was shut off he had a 2.0 liter aluminum boat anchor.........I always prefer to do it myself.

LOL! boat anchor (lol2)

Peace!(rei)

 

[Heat]

For the funnel to put fresh oil in, what I do is cut a 2-liter (or 20 ounce) soda bottle in half and rinse it / towel dry it. Works great as a funnel and I just throw it away afterwards. And spread out a few sheets of newspaper, and have a roll of paper towels handy. When I first undo the oil pan bolt I am holding up the oil catch basin close to it though I am considering one of those Fumoto valves. When I remove the oil filter I use an old baking pan, something like 8 inch x 10 inch, and am holding that up close to the filter. Take the used oil to pretty much any auto parts supply store or any place that does oil changes, they’ll take the used oil at no cost to you.

I use Mobil 1 synthetic in the Mazda5, costs about $23 for five quarts at Wal-Mart. Plus about $6 for the filter and crush washer, so I’m at about $29 or $30 for an oil change with synthetic. But… I know what oil is in the engine and that there is a new filter on the car, and I know that the splash guard was taken off / put back on correctly.

 

[BlackCherry06]

I lay down big sheets of cardboard from broken down moving boxes. They're big enough for me to lay on and catch anything that misses the drain pan. They're good for multiple uses, depending on how much oil you saturate them with. By the time you're ready for your next oil change, the oil has soaked in and spread out so the surface is actually dry.

Regarding the guesswork involved in knowing how far the oil will shoot when the plug is removed...that's trial and error for the first couple of changes.