new guy with dealership oil change

[WyoJim]

cosborne... . Some of the things I do. The plug in the pan is 3/8 drive from your socket set and I use a short pipe helper. I also drain my engine cold, because the pan I drain into flows over if I take the plug all the way out and it is too dam hot to handle that way. For a while I only loosened the plug and left it drain for an hour or so, but that got old. I don't use the helper to tighten the plug back up.



I removed the air intake hose until I got the BHAF, now I remove the hose and BHAF to get at the oil filter. The BHAF is a very worth while investment for performance, but it would still be worth it for the room it gives you when removed, just to change the oil filter.

I don't use any plastic bags, but you have to be careful bringing that filter up out of there not to get near the alternator or sparks will fly. Been there, done that.

Getting the filter wrench on is tricky, but you will get better at it as time goes on. As you look down on the top of the filter, turn it clockwise to get it off.

Its a good idea to fill the filter almost full before you put it back on, but if you get too frustrated the first time I don't think it will hurt it to be installed empty. I have been installing mine empty for almost 50 years.



With 11 quarts of oil my dipstick only shows in the safe range... So be it. Oh, and I cut the bottom out of a quart oil can and use it for a funnel to pour my oil in.

 

[cosborne]

Great info WyoJim! Ok, whats a BHAF? And do I need a special filter wench?



Thanks Again!

Corey

 

[WyoJim]

A BHAF is a Big Honking Air Filter. It is about a foot in diameter and replaces the original, box and all. There are pictures of it on this forum, but the search engine is too much of a challenge for me to find them.



Filter wrenches are available at Walmart. You need the bigger one. Some guys are using the Sears Roebuck strap wrench you see advertised on TV. I think I am going to try one.

 

[rashwor]

ChannelLock makes a great wrench!

I have a Channellock brand wrench for oil filters. It works real well on the Cummins. It is slide adjustable just like the regular cahnnellock pliers, but the mouth ends are longer and curved to mate to the oil filter! Works great!!



It is a challenge, but I change my oil filters from the top without removing the air intake hose or anything else. Oo.

 

[WyoJim]

rashwor... . Remove the hose one time and you will be hooked!!

 

[dremelts]

Originally posted by WyoJim

Filter wrenches are available at Walmart. You need the bigger one. Some guys are using the Sears Roebuck strap wrench you see advertised on TV. I think I am going to try one.

I don't see how it would be possible to use the Sears strap wrench - seems to me that there wouldn't be enough room to swing the handle. The strap wrench that I use is a strap attached to a short piece of square tubing - I got it at Pep Boys for $6-7. The sq. tube fits your 1/2" drive ratchet. I do the filter change from the top. After snaking the strap around the filter I stick the ratchet with an extension into the sq. tube, reef on it in a clockwise direction and it comes loose. You have to get the strap up as close to the top of the filter as possible or the filter will crush.



I never remove any intake or air filter components and have not spilled one drop yet.