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May seem dumb but don't confuse the oil fill cap with the water radiator fill cap. They are very close together and there was a post some time back where a guy accidentally put a small amount in rad fill area before he realized it.
Last edited by bjones7131; 04-17-2019 at 09:04 AM.
Lots of good info in other posts and my PDF includes jacking suggestions as well as oil comments. Several have suggested a 6 point wrench, which I found key as the current dry sumps have an oil cooler that leaves little access room. My side drain plug was so tight (excess or wrong quality tread locker) I was rounding the hex with a quality 12 point 15 mm box wrench!
That's the beauty of the ratcheting 15mm wrench I posted earlier, fits in very tight areas, ratchets and engineered specifically not to round off your drain plug. I've never use a torque wrench in god knows how many oil changes in my lifetime and never had a problem. I have one of the above funnels and it works great, no mess what-so-ever.
Last edited by Kevin A Jones; 04-17-2019 at 07:34 PM.
That's the beauty of the ratcheting 15mm wrench I posted earlier, fits in very tight areas, ratchets and engineered specifically not to round off your drain plug. I've never use a torque wrench in god knows how many oil changes in my lifetime and never had a problem. I have one of the above funnels and it works great, no mess what-so-ever.
Agree that a quality 6 point ratcheting wrench is the way to go for loosening and initial tightening. I have the following extra long one:
However, I use my 15 mm 5 point crowfoot to do the final tightening so I can torque to specification. When it comes to my expensive vehicles, I don't go by "feel" or guess the correct tightness. Especially true of late because of my partially numb right arm and hand and other medical issues. More power to those that do.
However, I use my 15 mm 5 point crowfoot to do the final tightening so I can torque to specification. When it comes to my expensive vehicles, I don't go by "feel" or guess the correct tightness. Especially true of late because of my partially numb right arm and hand and other medical issues. More power to those that do.
I looked at that one but thought it may be too long, no?
Could be for some applications. The flex head makes it a lot more versatile in that regard than a fixed head. Nice to have the length for hard to remove fasteners. The torque wrench I use is a fixed head and is 17 inches long. It works fine. I just have to hold it at an angle when doing the final tightening. I use 56" Race Ramps (with extenders) for changing the oil. Gives me 8" of lift (more than enough).
I just changed my oil on Sunday and the funnel locks on to your dry-sump tank and will not fall off when adding oil. This funnel works great no mess !!!!
I wouldn’t bother with the crows foot and a torque wrench. It’s an awkward setup to use at a difficult angle. Mine slipped off the plug and rounded one corner of the plug hex. More harm than good. Just use a 6 point ratcheting wrench and tighten to feel.
I wouldn’t bother with the crows foot and a torque wrench. It’s an awkward setup to use at a difficult angle. Mine slipped off the plug and rounded one corner of the plug hex. More harm than good. Just use a 6 point ratcheting wrench and tighten to feel.
Exactly what came to mine when the crows foot was mentioned above. The more complexity (extension/adapter/crows foot/flex action) you add, the less stability which often ends up with a stripped fastener.
I wouldn’t bother with the crows foot and a torque wrench. It’s an awkward setup to use at a difficult angle. Mine slipped off the plug and rounded one corner of the plug hex. More harm than good. Just use a 6 point ratcheting wrench and tighten to feel.
Originally Posted by Kevin A Jones
Exactly what came to mine when the crows foot was mentioned above. The more complexity (extension/adapter/crows foot/flex action) you add, the less stability which often ends up with a stripped fastener.
But doesn't GM specify torque settings for those bolts for a reason?
But doesn't GM specify torque settings for those bolts for a reason?
Don't know what their reason, possibly the same reason ladders have a 1/2 dozen warning stickers on them telling you how to use one, because some people don't have enough common sense to climb up a ladder on their own.
All I know is that I've probably changed oil and filters 100 times on various vehicles over the years without using a torque wrench and have never had as much as a drop of leakage from a drain plug or a filter or have never had any problem removing them so I'm not about to start torquing them now. Other's do as you wish.
Don't know what their reason, possibly the same reason ladders have a 1/2 dozen warning stickers on them telling you how to use one, because some people don't have enough common sense to climb up a ladder on their own.
All I know is that I've probably changed oil and filters 100 times on various vehicles over the years without using a torque wrench and have never had as much as a drop of leakage from a drain plug or a filter or have never had any problem removing them so I'm not about to start torquing them now. Other's do as you wish.
Exactly what came to mine when the crows foot was mentioned above. The more complexity (extension/adapter/crows foot/flex action) you add, the less stability which often ends up with a stripped fastener.
Yep I tried to do it right but it just didn’t work out. Experience sometimes teaches you things.
Don't know what their reason, possibly the same reason ladders have a 1/2 dozen warning stickers on them telling you how to use one, because some people don't have enough common sense to climb up a ladder on their own. All I know is that I've probably changed oil and filters 100 times on various vehicles over the years without using a torque wrench and have never had as much as a drop of leakage from a drain plug or a filter or have never had any problem removing them so I'm not about to start torquing them now. Other's do as you wish.
Not really sure what safety warning stickers on a ladder have to do with torque specifications on automobile fasteners. In the old days of steel oil pans, torque specs for drain plugs were not nearly as important as they are today. With aluminum pans, or in the case of my Jeep Grand Cherokee, with a plastic or composite pan not using the correct torque is risky. Very easy to damage these parts if overtightened. Tightening by "feel" is not really a good idea for most DIY mechanics. I have never really understood why so many people on auto forums have a problem with doing automotive mechanical work correctly and precisely. I have provided a link to an article that may help to explain why torque is important for automobile fasteners.
If torque is that important then remember the crows foot requires an offset calculation to get proper torque. I didn't like that it's open on most of the one side of the hex. I'd rather use a nice fitting hex ratchet wrench. Just my preference. Do as you wish.
04-17-2019, 09:03 AM
