oil change

Ok, I have something to confess...I have never changed my own oil.

I have always paid someone else to do it for me.
:twak:

But admiting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery.

So how do I go about doing this? I have watched someone do it for me many times but I would like advice from others that eat, breath and poop XJ's.

what do I need tool wise?

what type of filter does everyone recomend?

how much Mobil 1 do I need?

what do I do with my used oil?

Please break it down for me K.I.S.S. style (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
When I start something, it has a nasty habbit of going to hell real quick.

This is something I really want to start doing myself.

many thanks

Adam :helpme:

http://7slotgrille.com/tech/oil/index.html
Check this out. its a good start.

Oil Filter -(go to NAPA and ask for an oil filter, they should set you up with a WIX brand filter). I use the Ford FL300 and it gives excellent oil pressure. You want to dip your finger in the oil and lube the O ring that goes on the oil filter before you install it.
Oil- Get 10w30 or 10w40 (5w30 in the winter), get 6 qt's (one of the big jugs is 5qts and then a single 1 qt of matching oil)
Oil catch pan - don't skimp on this, if its flimsy you might make a mess ( http://www.blitzusa.com/oilchange.htm ) make sure its bigger than 6 qts
Oil filter wrench- whichever one they sell that fits the diameter of the filter you get.
The OLD OIL-most local auto parts stores take your old oil for free. It needs to be disposed of properly, DON'T pour it down a sewer.

One other tip... when you pull the old oil filter off.. make sure the old O ring came off with the oil filter and not that it stayed attached to the motor. If you screw the new one on and have two O rings on there it will leak.

I have the opposite problem, I've never had anybody change my oil. I should
start though since I could probably get it done for less than the parts cost.

The above link is a very good source for the first time DIYer...however, i'd make one small correction to his procedure. I would remove the oil cap on the engine FIRST before doing ANYTHING else. I almost learned this the hard way one time. I've always made it a habit to remove the oil cap first, and one time about a year ago, after driving around town all day in the summer (the engine was nice and HOT), the cap was stuck onto the valve cover (combination of it was broken, and the heat). I had to put a bag of ice around it to try and get it cooled off enough to where it would even budge, then take a flat head screw driver and kinda pry it off and attempt to turn it at the same time. I tried my hardest not to murder it, so that when I was done with the change, I could go back up to Napa and get a new one and still be able to get the bad one off. It would really suck to have all your oil drained out and come to find out, you can't get the damn cap off....then what do you do?

As far as filter, I run Napa Gold...cost me about $6 and some change, and i've not had a bit of trouble in the two years i've been changing my own oil.

I also use Mobil 1 10W30...which is fully synthetic. I've noticed a nice little improvement in the smoothness of the engine (and I swear i've gained a tad bit of MPG since switching many many miles ago). However, be aware that on higer milage engines, switching to synthetic can (and often does) develop leaks, as it will help clean out the crap that is built up inside your engine....which often times is holding your seals together. I switched mine over at 67,000 (i'm at 97,000 right now) two years ago and immediately had a slight rear main leak, and developed a nice oil filter adaptor leak. Personally though, that just tells me which seals need attention anyways. You might be more prone to developing leaks if your Jeep suffers from excessive short distance driving, allowing for more sludge (the crap I was talking about above) to build up.

Also, if you switch to synthetic, keep an eye on the oil's condition for definitely the first 3,000 mile run with it, and probably the second. If you have a fair amount of crap inside, you'll notice it get very dark, very quickly. You want to keep as much of that crap from circulating through your engine as possible. So, if you see that it gets real dark, at about 1,500 miles into the oil change, spin a new filter on and top off the oil. I had to do this on my first run with it, and almost on my second run. I couldn't believe how dark it was, and the amount of crap that came out....it honestly looked like tar.

It's really all about common sense, but if you feel like you still need some help, dont be afraid to ask somebody you know to "shadow" you on your first time....it'd be better than screwing something up. Plus, in the end, you'll be running a much better oil, for the same price everybody else charges for an oil change with the cheap stuff ($30)....and you'll get the satisfaction of knowing the job was done, and done right...and you've got the correct amount of oil in your engine.

For dumping the old oil, before I moved out to my new house in the country outside of city limits, I used to drop it off at autozone (and pick up some free oil change reminder stickers too )...but now I take it to one of two county dumps that are near my house.

edit: Also, when you remove the old filter, ALWAYS make sure the old rubber gasket comes off with it....they do like to get stuck to the oil filter adaptor, which will cause the new filter to not seat properly, thus spewing oil everywhere once you crank it up.....ask me how I know that one!

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I am extremely greatful.

I am the first and only owner of my baby and he has been running mobil 1 since day 1, and have not had any leaks in the whole 130,000 plus miles I have. I hope I did not just curse myself by saying that.....

as to the filter I was thinking of going with either Fram or K&N, anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks again,

Adam
:lickout:

Fram filters are terrible.

They are an extreme waste of money.

www.bobistheoilguy.com has lots more info.

I also believe that the general opinion around here is that Fram sucks.

I'll show you, come to northwest indiana with your own oil and filter!

I'm bored so...hay!

Avoid fram filters as they plug up quickly. I use the NAPA silver filters which are made by WIX. I don't think it's worth getting their gold filters as they are basically identical.

I have switched over to Mobil 1 filters, no complaints.

XJ's are a breeze with all of the ground clearance. An easy oil change.

Be very very careful removing the oil filter. If your XJ is like my 97 the filter is very close to the oil pressure sending unit. I would suggest taking the wire off the sender and tucking it out of the way. The senders are easy to break. In a hurry to get done I broke one several years ago .

I also have had good experience with the NAPA filters. I pay the extra dollar or two for the Gold one. Even though others say it is the same as the silver.
Good luck.

I've found it easier to access the oil filter from above, if you have a horizontally mounted filter. Some older XJ's had vertically mounted filters and such.....yadda yadda yadda.

You can get it from beneath but it's awfully close and once I shed some sparks due to shorting the starter terminals That's why I do it from above now.

Blaine B. said:

I've found it easier to access the oil filter from above, if you have a horizontally mounted filter... You can get it from beneath but it's awfully close and once I shed some sparks due to shorting the starter terminals That's why I do it from above now.

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Ya it is a lot easier from the top I think as well. Just stand on my tire and lean over. I changed my oil up on my shops lift one time, and I had sparks fly all over the place after I hit the terminals with the filter wrench. I changed my oil in my driveway yesterday instead.

JeffU said:

Be very very careful removing the oil filter. If your XJ is like my 97 the filter is very close to the oil pressure sending unit. I would suggest taking the wire off the sender and tucking it out of the way. The senders are easy to break. In a hurry to get done I broke one several years ago

Click to expand...

I've never had any problems or noticed any wires geting in my way or anything with my '99. I actually just changed my oil yesterday, and had not problems.

thanks everyone, really thanks. I feel confident that I can do this by myself. This will end up saving me some money, but more importantly it will make me look like a total stud to my girlfriend

adam

The "Tough Guard" Fram filters aren't bad. It is what I use.

It's the "gray box" Frams for those of you in Rio Linda....

Begster said:

I've never had any problems or noticed any wires geting in my way or anything with my '99. I actually just changed my oil yesterday, and had not problems.

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Do you have gauges or idiot lights? With gauges on the 4.0L HO you should have an oil pressure sender assembly above the filter. By removing the sender, you can easily remove the filter from above and swap in the larger filter as well. Without removing the sender, you can end up cracking the sender, spewing hot oil out all over the engine as you drive....


You can see the sender just above the filter. SKIP THE FRAM FILTER and go with a quality filter like the Wix (NAPA Gold or Silver) mentioned numerous times above. http://yuccaman.com/jeep/filter.html for other filter options.

Hay, maybe that's why some shops disconnect the battery for an oil change

lol.

BTW I never removed my sender, although I'm very careful. It never got in the way for me.

Step one, head to the store and pick up a Mobil-1 filter, #M1-204 or it's K&N equal, don't have any on the shelf but I think it is a 2004.
Hit Walmart and pick up a 5 quart container of Mobil-1 and a quart, the 4.0 takes 6 quarts. If you are going to be doing this on a regular basis just get a 6 pack of quarts and a few 5 quart containers, oil does not go bad I usually buy 6 5 quart bottles and a 6 pack.
Pickup a drain pan, get the kind with a pour spout and that is closeable so you can dump the old oil back into the empty jugs.
Oil filter wrench, the 4.0 filter takes the larger ones, the K&N has a nut on the bottom and uses a wrench or a slip on wrench. I use a socket type for the mobil-1 filters that goes on a 3/8 inch ratchet.
Pick up a good sized grease gun, don't bother with the pistol grip kind and an 12" flex extension plus a couple of tubes of Mobil-1 or Castrol syntec grease.
The oil filler cap on the 97+ models uses a ratchet type cap, sometimes they get rounded off and won't remove when the engine is hot which is the best time to change the oil, you can pry the top off and grab the part thats in there with a set of channel locks and get it started then push the cap back on or fill it with epoxy and then put the cap back on, makes it a one piece cap from then on.
With all the parts handy remove the filler cap and the dipstick, set them aside, remove your wrist watch, put it on the console.
Put the drain pan under so you can look down on it from above the filter with both the vent and the big hole open.
Remove the oil filter, have a couple of rags handy. It will be HOT, use one of the rags and turn it off. As soon as it's free turn it upright to not spill any more oil and lift it straight out. If you ignored my recommendation of removing the dip stick and your watch you now know why I recommended it. Pull the dipstick with your right hand and set it across the top of the radiator. Now with your fingers nice and toasty lift the filter out and set it upright on the ground. DO not drop of rest the filter on or near the starter, tends to cause sparks when it hits the hot wire from the battery to the solenoid.
Take the new filter and put some of the old oil from the filter around the new O ring and on the threads on the new filter and install it. You will have to futz with it to get the filter threads started and at the correct angle, it should spin right on, if you have to force it or meet any resistance STOP, you are cross threading it, back it off and try again. Tighten it till it's snug then put the wrench back on and turn it about 1 turn till it's tight. OK, filters on.
Now get underneath on the drivers side, stick the correct socket on, I use a 1/2" ratchet and correct socket, the 1/2" ratchet gives you more leverage, back the bolt out to hand turnable, slide the drain pan under it so the leading edge is under the bolt and it extends to the rear, when the oil first comes out it will shoot about 8" back. I try to catch the bolt but that takes some timing to not get covered in old oil. Clean the bolt and let the oil drain for about 10 minutes, wait for the drips to stop. Reinstall the bolt, not gorilla tight either, about 1 grunt.
During that 10 minutes pull the grease gun out, pull the spring loaded T handle straight back and turn it so it locks, unscrew the front, put the cartridge in, pop off snap cap goes to the front, big hole goes to the rear on the cartridge, reassemble, careful not to hit that T handle and release it, messy. Release the T handle and push it straight down till it is like it was when you bought it. Now get under the front, start looking for zerk fittings, 7 of them, 8 counting the front driveshaft ON the driveshaft slip joint so it may not be visible right off, just run your hand along the front driveshaft, you'll feel it. One zerk, top ball joint, reach to back top of front tire, drop your hand, your fingers should feel the zerk, clean it off with a rag, you don't want to push dirty grease in there. Two on the track bar, just look at every steering joint, you will find them. The fitting on the gun pushes onto the zerk, pull the end to remove when done, give the new gun and cartridge some pumps to get grease into the flex end. The longer flex end will allow you to keep the gun on the ground and pump it while holding the fitting on the zerk with the other hand.
Now refill with oil, all 6 quarts, start it up, check you gauges and let it run for 5 minutes, check for leaks the whole time. Thats pretty much it.
I do some other things, can of spray lithium grease on all door hinges, hood locks, I spray silicon on all door seals after cleaning them with soap and water. Clean my windows inside and out, vacum, etc.
Lefty loosey, righty tighty.

I vote for a sticky on that information.

But I have a question - why is it best to change the oil when it's hot? Is it because contaminants don't have time to settle after just being stirred up and such?