Oil change

[chucklee]

Hi,

just bought my vehicross and want to change the engine oil, considering this is my first time changing any engine oil, I want to make sure I know where the oil drain hole is. anyone got a picture or know where I can look.

thanks

[mrtew]

Dude, you'd better get it done at Jiffy lube if you don't even know where the drain hole is! It's supposed to be a good idea anyway for warrantee purposes so you have a record of all the service the truck has recieved.

[paultvx]

Warranty schmoranty. Do it yourself and document it. Why pay more than double to have the dealer do it so they can charge you for things you don't need and look for things to void your warranty with.

Craw under the truck, it's not that hard... plenty of clearance. You'll spot the drain and the filter in no time. If you can't spot them, then you shouldn't get anywhere near your VX with tools. Just kidding!

Check your owner's manual if you have one. If not, you can download the factory service manual from http://www.tonemonday.com/accessories.htm. Scroll down to the bottom of that page and you'll see the download link. Download it and start reading. Learning things on your own is x10 better than someone telling you.

[SPAZZ]

The label says "Tokyo Radiator" on the sticker, which will throw you off. It is located, from facing the front of your V on the driver side.
It is a little difficult for me to get an exposed pic, because I have the diamond plate skid plate.

[Heraclid]

My question is this - I'm not sure if my VX currently has synthetic in it or not. Any way to determine this? Guess I should just have it switched over to synthetic next time to play it safe, huh? Also not sure where to dispose of old oil - just take it to a Jiffy Lube or dealer and pay a disposal fee?

[chucklee]

Thanks for your help guys, It was easier than I thought

[Moncha]

Nice thing about changing the oil on a VX, no jack, ramps or rack!

[paultvx]

BTW, are we suppose to replace the crush washer at the drain plug everytime we change oil? Had to do that with my last car. Well, it wasn't like a commandment, it was "recommended".



Originally posted by Moncha
Nice thing about changing the oil on a VX, no jack, ramps or rack!

Uhh... huh huhh huhh. He said "rack". :D


Originally posted by Heraclid
My question is this - I'm not sure if my VX currently has synthetic in it or not. Any way to determine this? Guess I should just have it switched over to synthetic next time to play it safe, huh? Also not sure where to dispose of old oil - just take it to a Jiffy Lube or dealer and pay a disposal fee?


I doubt they used synthetic at the factory. I also doubt the dealer uses synthetic. You don't have to use synthetic. It's not like your truck will fall apart and rott to pieces if you don't. It's a personal choice. Some people are willing to spend the money and accept the advertised claims while others aren't.

The whole idea beind synthetic is that it doesn't break down as quickly as the fossil stuff (longer molecular strands or something to that effect)... which allows one to go longer between oil changes. Since you can go longer, the higher cost of synthetic balances out over time.

It's been tested that oil, even the fossil stuff, can last over 7,500 miles under normal use conditions. That's probably why Isuzu has service set at 7,500 mile intervals. Most people (not just VX owners) perfer to shorten it to 5,000 mile intervals just to be safe. Plus it's a nice even base number to go by as opposed to 7,500. I've even known people with turbocharged cars who change their oil every 3,000 miles which makes sense because turbocharged cars are subject to greater temperature extremes. Supercharging may be a bit difference since they tend to run cooler than a turbo (at least the Eaton/Roots chargers do). Turbos can see well over 1,000 degrees and most turbos are cooled by oil, so you can imagine what that does to it.

I came across a site run by a Mitsubish Eclipse owner couple years ago. This guy tried all sorts of brands of synthetic and had oil analysis done on each one of them. Of all the synethics, the test results showed AMSoil to be the superior product. He rated Mobil 1 to be average. Keep in mind, though, the results between AMSoil and Mobil 1 weren't too far off. It's just that of all the results Mobil was in the middle of the pack. AMSoil does cost a bit more. But, like I said, it's a personal choice. It won't hurt the engine if you don't use synthetic... and it won't hurt (not counting your wallet) if you do use it.

IIRC, DragonBob or GrampaBob said AMSoil has a filter that fits right on to our engines and is twice the size of the stock filter. Cost is around $12 I think.

[psychos2]

Heraclid,
most auto parts stores take it for free . shawn

[sveltax]

With all the selections available at AMSoil what is the best selection for our Isuzu? 5w-30w, 0w-30w, syn motor oil, 7500 series motor oil, etc. So many selections to choose from!;eekb;

[Dallas4u]

I use 5w-30 Mobil 1. I also have the Amsoil filter and a K&N drop in filter. The Amsoil filter seems a little large, but is spongy, and you have to cram the top of the OEM air box over it to get it fastened. The K&N fits nice and neat, but may let more dirt in than the Amsoil (as many people have seen the studies online and in magazines).

[paultvx]

Originally posted by Dallas4u
I use 5w-30 Mobil 1. I also have the Amsoil filter and a K&N drop in filter. The Amsoil filter seems a little large, but is spongy, and you have to cram the top of the OEM air box over it to get it fastened. The K&N fits nice and neat, but may let more dirt in than the Amsoil (as many people have seen the studies online and in magazines).

Are you talking about the air filter? I was talking about the oil filter. :)

Here's the part number for the oil filter: Amsoil SDF-36 - Super Duty Full-Flow Engine Oil Filter (SDF)

Sveltax, check the owers manual... best way to chose oil weight is by the temerature range your VX operates in (i.e. the climate in your area). Too heavy of an oil and you'll performance. Too light you'll risk breaking down the oil sooner (which negates the use of synthetic oil).

[Dallas4u]

Oh... yeah... I was talking air. I use a Mobil 1 oil filter as well. Damn, sorry.

[omegavx]

So, it was way to cold to change the oil in my truck so I took it in to jiffy lube and kept a watchfull eye over them as they went through the process. I totally forgot about the crush washer until they had already poured in the full 0w-30 amsoil I brought with me. So, I'm like how the hell are we gonna get the crush washer on there without loosing half of my oil. Turns out they had done the same thing before and their solution was as follows.

1. Get a shop rag
2. Get a vacuum cleaner
3. Turn the vacuum cleaner on and place the shop rag over the vacuum hose.
4. take the oil fill cap off and stick the vacuum, with the rag on it, right up on the oil fill area.
5. take the drain plug off put the washer on and screw the plug back in.

I had never heard or seen this done before and I found it so funny that it actually worked. It was also kind of funny to hear as the oil made a slurping noise as the air kept it from exiting the drain. Not one drop of oil was lost and it was actually one of the cleanest oil plug removals I've ever seen.

[Tone]

I’ve had the same washer on since purchased, change my oil every 3K miles (70K+) and it has never leaked. It is not designed to be replaced each time but feel free.

[Joe_Black]

I've never replaced that washer on any of my Isuzus since the '88 Trooper. It's COPPER! A malleable metal that will squeeze and conform to seal until it's paper thin. Believe me, I just replaced one on my 1944 Caterpillar and I bet it was original! LOL! Just be sure it and the drain area are clean before re-assembly. Simple!

[SGT.BATGUANO]

I just installed another magnetic drain plug that comes with a nylon gasket. The oil only had 500 miles on it. Had the new plug and gasket at the ready. Unscrewed the old plug while holding it against the pan with medium pressure. With other hand, pushed index finger under plug threads, then angle plug upwards while sliding index finger upwards to cover the hole. Grab new magnetic plug and gasket assembly and installed in reverse order. Lost about 1/2 oz. of oil total. A little messier perhaps but still not bad.

Now I have the additional protection of the magnet and never have to replace the copper washer again.