Write-Up: Changing Engine Oil

It's not mine, I work at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership, so I have 2-dozen lifts and many tools at my disposal. One of the few perks of the job.

I use the old fashioned jack and wheel stands...Don't usually block the wheels actually....probably should. Karma also introduced me to using the air hose on the jack. Then he showed me what his jack looks like after prolonged use of using the air pressure to raise and lower the jack looks like - slightly bent out of shape. For now, until I can get my hands on a lift, I'll do it the slow way with a ratchet wrench.

Instead of blocks, I use the parking brake to keep the car still while jacking up. Once on stands, it's not going anywhere. On ramps, it's really secure because the there's a small hump the wheel goes over to keep it centered.

I always put my parking brake on by habit. It looks a little trashy when you put your car in park, take your foot off the break, and your car rolls forward and rocks around.

My own oil change tips...

These are learned from the many decades my family's auto shop was in operation.

-First of all, AlbertJ is right: Always be sure that the oil filter gasket comes off with the filter. I got burned by this when I was a kid. Well, I didn't get physically burned, but the driveway got physically covered in new oil...

-Put a coat of new oil on the gasket of the new filter, to prevent sticking to the engine the next time.

-Take the filter OFF with a wrench, but only screw the new one on with clean hands or gloves.

-Finally, to easily pump up the system before the engine fires and spins up to 900 RPM, simply hold the throttle to the floor and crank the starter until the oil light goes out... Ever since the first Cadillac DFI system came out back in 1980, the ECM has been programmed to interpret full-throttle cranking as flooded-engine mode, and therefore cuts off the injectors. It won't start until you release the pedal. Sometimes I actually have to use it as intended on a short, hot stop and restart...

Quote :

to easily pump up the system before the engine fires and spins up to 900 RPM, simply hold the throttle to the floor and crank the starter until the oil light goes out...

Is this something you do every time you start the car? If not, why do you need to do it after an oil change?

On newer cars with electronic throttle bodies, they will not allow the engine to start with the accelerator depressed (on most it cuts off the fuel supply) so after you change the oil, you hold down the accelerator and crank the engine. The engine cranks much slower than if it were to be started, and the idea is that it puts less wear on the engine, running for 3 or 4 seconds without oil pressure, while if fills the filter.

Oh, I see. I always fill the filter before I install it. Guess both ways will work.

EatDirtFartDust wrote:

On newer cars with electronic throttle bodies, they will not allow the engine to start with the accelerator depressed (on most it cuts off the fuel supply) so after you change the oil, you hold down the accelerator and crank the engine. The engine cranks much slower than if it were to be started, and the idea is that it puts less wear on the engine, running for 3 or 4 seconds without oil pressure, while if fills the filter.

Thank you for the extended explanation, Josh... it is perfect.

For others, I would only add that filling the filter is not the only point. When you remove the filter and empty the crankcase, you are draining the whole lubrication system and replacing oil with air... Cranking before firing ensures that the whole engine is full of oil before spinning up to speed. Before this easy method became available, smart mechanics would pull the coil wire and crank before starting.

That's interesting, good to know. I think it would be so odd to hear the starter turn over for more than a second. I think that single fact is why mine has lasted for so long.

All that priming an engine after an oil change does is make you feel better.

Sweepspear wrote:

All that priming an engine after an oil change does is make you feel better.

It also makes the bearings feel better...

Thanks for all your help guys! I just changed my oil and it was almost too easy! The trick with starting the car at WOT doesn't work on my Series I, since all that happened was it just started quickly and yelled at me. The engine idles a lot lower and smoother now, and I was gonna get 5 quarts of Quaker State high-mile stuff, but since they didn't have it I used Valvoline Max Life.

I bought a 10qt drain pan with a tight-fitting top and a spigot in the front for maybe $8, and it has a grate on the top to stop the plug from flying right into the pan, which came in handy.

The PF52 fits just fine, and I prepped it just like you guys said. A tip for this: use a funnel to fill the oil filter about 2/3 full, then use the tip of the funnel to trace and 'draw' on the gasket as there will still be some new oil on it.

Picture at the start of the thread.

I really don't see the benefit in cranking the engine to prime it. Since the main bearings are a combination of friction bearing and fluid bearing. This fluid bearing only exists as long as the engine is cranking, once you stop the pressure bleeds off rapidly. As long as there is always a static film of oil on everything (unless the engine has been sitting for quite a while) there really isn't any benefit to it. As for the top end that gets taken care of when you add new oil through the oil fill tube on the top of the engine, this then flows down on top of the camshaft via the lifter galley and on top of the crank. Its more beneficial to prime the oil filter. Only fill using the small outside holes, otherwise you wind up giving the engine a fresh dose of unfiltered oil.

Ironclad-454 wrote:

Its more beneficial to prime the oil filter. Only fill using the small outside holes, otherwise you wind up giving the engine a fresh dose of unfiltered oil.

I agree that pre-filling the filter is also good. However, since the priming process takes less than 10 seconds, and also fills the lifters and cam bearings, I don't know why anyone would skip it...

Also, it isn't going to matter which way you fill the filter - you're giving it an unfiltered dose of fresh oil, the same as the other 4 quarts that you dump in the filler neck.

Finally, I'm sorry that the WOT trick didn't work with this particular car. Perhaps the throttle cable is out of adjustment or the pedal wasn't fully mashed... As it worked on my '97 Rivi, a '92 LeSabre, and even my '81 Cadillac which had the grand-daddy of all GM digital fuel injection systems, I can't imagine that it wasn't programmed into the '95.

I just tried the WOT trick on the 99 Riv. It starts right up with the pedal mashed to the floor.

I also tried it on the 00Regal...it did not start with the pedal mashed to the floor.

Bert

different electronic ignitions have different control strategies.

Pedal to the floor turning off the injectors is a control strategy for correcting an engine-flooded condition.

So my question is - when have any of us flooded a '95 or later RIv? I can't think of any posts asking how to start a flooded Riv.

Albertj

ibmoses wrote:

I just tried the WOT trick on the 99 Riv. It starts right up with the pedal mashed to the floor.

I also tried it on the 00Regal...it did not start with the pedal mashed to the floor.

Bert

Well, I'm batting 500...

albertj wrote:

Pedal to the floor turning off the injectors is a control strategy for correcting an engine-flooded condition.

So my question is - when have any of us flooded a '95 or later RIv? I can't think of any posts asking how to start a flooded Riv.
Albertj

Right, which is why I can't see GM using it on one 3800 and not another. But it just occurred to me that, besides a throttle cable, an out-of-adjustment TPS could keep it from working as well.

And my answer is - I have. The instructions are still in the owner's manual, the same as they were with carburetors.

I have noticed in my scanner that my WOT runs always register at 99.6%, not 100% TPS position. I'll tinker around with it some day and see if I can get 100%. I should probably look at the raw voltage instead of the %...

Mine's always 100% at WOT.

mine reads 99.6% on the floor too.
i'll have to see if i can get it to read 100 sometime.

AA wrote:

Mine's always 100% at WOT.

Will your car start at WOT?

Don't know, never tried. Does yours?

Im clueless you guys, what is WOT?