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Good writeup. One more free oil change on my '13--4600 miles on it, but change once a year, and then I start again next year. Will use full synth and K&N or Mobil 1 filter. Rhino Ramps do the job for me. But I do add oil to the filter first. No spill, as it goes in vertically, and makes sense to have it 'primed.'
Good info....when I do our '13 GS 60th Anniversary, I punch a hole in the bottom of the filter before I take out the drain plug. If you do it this way, it prevents oil from splashing all over. Try it...it works!
Last fall, I had the dealer do my oil change before I put the car into hibernation for the winter. I normally do my own oil changes, but since my car was due for the Motor Vehicle Inspection, I had them do the oil change at the same time.
When I changed my oil again, everything went well....until I went to remove the filter. It would not budge using the filter wrench. I then used the screwdriver through the filter trick....that was a disaster, as the side of the filter casing peeled off around the screwdriver.
I tried every conceivable tool, pliers, locking channel grips, and nothing worked. After an hour or so, I peeled and cut off the remainder of the filter outer casing, leaving nothing but the top part that screws into the motor.
The only way to get the filter (what was left of it) was a cold chiesel and a 5 lb short handled sledge hammer.
Apparently, the rookie that did the fall oil changed forgot to put a bead of oil on the filter gasket, and it welded itself onto the motor flange.
I beat on the holes inside the filter casing, and it was not moving. I had to get a razor knife, and break the seal between the rubber gasket and the filter housing in a few spots that I could get to.
Finally, it loosened up, and I was able to finish the oil change (aprox 2 hours)
The dealer will not be doing any more of the oil changes anytime soon.
Here is the pic of the oil filter after it came off.
Pretty isn't it????? Luckily, no damage was done to the face where the filter tightens to.
Apparently, the rookie that did the fall oil changed forgot to put a bead of oil on the filter gasket, and it welded itself onto the motor flange.
The dealer will not be doing any more of the oil changes anytime soon.
Here is the pic of the oil filter after it came off.
Wow! I've had one that was difficult to get off in the past, but never one that bad. I think I would drop that off at the dealer service manager's desk.
Not lubricating the seal is one common error, and over tightening is another mistake. Once the seal makes contact, most manufacturers recommend two thirds of a rotation to get enough compression on the gasket so that it won't back off and won't leak. Never had a filter come loose or leak when using the 2/3 of a turn approach. I NEVER put a wrench on the filter when tightening - that is a sure way to end up over tightening.
Last edited by cartop2; 08-17-2015 at 09:38 PM.
Reason: deleted photo
One thing you can do is get the GM premium filter. It is the same inside but has a much heavier casing and won't crush if someone tightens it too much.
I track my car a lot and change the oil a lot so I use this:
It makes draining the oil real easy and since the owner's manual says to add and drain 1 quart of oil before and after track days, it makes it easy to drain an exact amount of a quart.
One thing you can do is get the GM premium filter. It is the same inside but has a much heavier casing and won't crush if someone tightens it too much.
I track my car a lot and change the oil a lot so I use this:
It makes draining the oil real easy and since the owner's manual says to add and drain 1 quart of oil before and after track days, it makes it easy to drain an exact amount of a quart.
Not sure there is any problem with a brass fitting in an aluminum oil pan, but there could be. As a designer, I was required to avoid putting dissimilar materials together because of galvanic action (corrosion). According to the Engineers Edge web site, brass has a .35 anodic index and aluminum has a .75 value. That is a difference of .40. The limit for an application exposed to water is a difference of .15, and for a less harsh environment the limit is .25. It may never be a problem and certainly wouldn't over a short period of time.
Although the drain is a nice idea, the material is a concern to me. I have seen a brass nut on a boat motor steel shaft cause the threads to pretty much erode away.
An old How-to that I created a few years ago that I thought may be useful to some of the new people. For those that haven't yet done their own oil change, I hope this helps. Do it yourself and you will know it was done correctly.
An old How-to that I created a few years ago that I thought may be useful to some of the new people. For those that haven't yet done their own oil change, I hope this helps. Do it yourself and you will know it was done correctly.
Thanks for posting this. It looks like the pictures are gone. I change the oil in my 4WD f-150, but that's easy to get under. Was wondering how others do it in their C6's.
Thanks! Just used this 8 yr old thread to help guide me through my first C6 oil change. You guys must have long arms to reach the drain plug and oil filter without lifting the car. Dang dealer really tightened down the drain plug. My old arm wasn't strong enough to get it loose. I had to put my floor jack under the wrench to loosen it! After that I was worried the filter would be hard to get off, but apparently the dealer hand-tightened it - came right off.
08-09-2015, 01:26 PM
Luckily, no damage was done to the face where the filter tightens to.
