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How do you change your oil without making a mess?

K

knottshawk

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Boise, ID
I just bought another XJ after a 2 year "dark period" without an XJ...

Anyhow, I seem to recall oil changes being a bear. Namely, the fact that you can't take the oil filter off without dumping it all over the engine and floor. Has anyone come up with a technique to avoid this? Are certain years easier than others?
 
knottshawk said:
I just bought another XJ after a 2 year "dark period" without an XJ...

Anyhow, I seem to recall oil changes being a bear. Namely, the fact that you can't take the oil filter off without dumping it all over the engine and floor. Has anyone come up with a technique to avoid this? Are certain years easier than others?
Click to expand...

Just keep the drain pan under the filter when you change it. I plan to reorganise things so I can use a remote filter mount, with the filter being mouth upwards, sometime in future - but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

5-90
 
After leaking five cases of oil out the rear main I consider it cheap undercoat.

Position an oil drain pan under the filter when you change it. Turn the filter adapter 90 degrees to horizontal. The write up is everywhere on Jeep sites. This gives you more control during spin off. Do the filter first to minimize splash when it drops in the pan.

That what you had in mind?

Of course, when I was draining out a quart every hundred, I followed Plan B: don't change the oil. It was changing itself.
 
I put a piece of cardboard under the filter and direct the mess away from the control arm. I bend it in kind of a "V" shape, kind of like a rain gutter. It works for me, the mess is reduced some.
It took me a little trial and error to get the right size chunk of cardboard, but I can now eyeball it pretty darned close.
Be carefull of the oil sender and wire. Don't try to force it, but size it to fit.
 
knottshawk said:
I thought the oil filter was already horizontal on 91's and up?
Click to expand...

Mine's a '92 with verticle filter. I like it because I use the larger filter for a Ferd 5.0, I don't know if the larger filter would fit horizontally.
 
not sure if it would or not. Since there's a valve that prevents it from happening.
 
I just take mine to Jiffy Lube - in and out in 15 minutes and the mess is their problem for just 20 bucks !


-mo-
It's a cherokee thing....Chrysler doesn't understand.
 
Its almost impossible to not make a mess with that filter setup. I took a giant piece of cardboard from and old refridgerator box and cut it to fit the width of the inner tires. I slide it under the car and then place the drain pan on it.
All the oil just drips onto the cardboard. I can paper towel it clean or just let it get absorbed into it. Not a biggie. I've used it for years.
 
Just wrap the filter in a bread bag as you unscrew it. "Guide" any oil into the bread bag as it begins to drain. Once released, you can shift the oil filter further into the bottom of bread bag and just hoist it out of the engine bay. Mess is very minimal, if any....
 
Ivan said:
Just wrap the filter in a bread bag as you unscrew it. "Guide" any oil into the bread bag as it begins to drain. Once released, you can shift the oil filter further into the bottom of bread bag and just hoist it out of the engine bay. Mess is very minimal, if any....
Click to expand...
I have to say best idea yet.
 
I have a funnel that I squeeze up past the starter from the bottom. I have a hose on the end of the funnel that is long enough to reach down into a drain pan. Most of the time the funnel directs the oil into the drain pan when I remove the filter. Sometimes the funnel gets shifted while I'm turning the filter but most of the oil still ends up going in the funnel.
 
My wifes Oldsmobile has a 4" long plastic lip that sits on the bottom 1/3 of the filter mount. Any oil that comes out of the angled filter runs down that lip into the drain pan. The starter on that V6 is right under there so it keeps the old oil off the starter. Unfortunately it's too small to snap around the 4.0's large diameter boss. I'm suprised none of the companies that make the funnels have come out with a snap on solution for shade trees.
My buddy who runs a shop is very quick with his hands, he showed me how using just a red shop rag and SOB, he didn't spill a drop, he had 5 jeeps in there for oil changes so I tried a couple using his method, all I did was lube my watch with dirty oil...he basically gets the rag under the filter, loosens it a tad and then spins off with one flick of his wrist then rotates it vertical almost too fast to see...the rag gets soaked but no oil drips off...
 
96 4.0 4X4:

I was having the same issue, found a small funnel with a tube attached to it. Stuff that bastard in there under the filter and now it all runs nicely into my drip pan, no mess at all
 
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