finally did my own oil change! and some other little things

[Qxxx4]

I did many oil changes in shop class in high school, but I'm always nervous when its my own ride. But wow its so easy to do, dont even have to jack it up! I used castrol GTX high mileage, fram filter, got me a nice oil filter wrench that made taking it off a breeze, and got a sweet oil pan that is huge and has space for the oil filter to drain and a drain at the side to put the used oil in the jug, MESS FREE! Then powerwashed the undercarriage (wow oil goes everywhere when the filter is removed) and the skid plate

I plan on painting the bottom of the skid plate a gloss black (good idea?). I also got some gunk degreaser for the engine bay, works awesome but I need to do it again still. I also got some white lithium grease (AJRK told me about it) good stuff!

I greased up the front seats, they were starting to squeak

next up is cabin filter, and maybe ill get to my front diff fluid in 8k, get me a grease gun

Just thought id share this great moment. had I known it was this easy on the q I would have done it alot sooner!

[Chuck Tribolet]

There are several websites where somebody bought every brand of filter thatfit their car and cut them open. I can't remember Frams every doing well, and often poorly. Wix usually does well.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I think Mobil1 was the top rated (don't quote me tho) because of their synthetic filter elements.

[Qxxx4]

neither of those brands are sold here at the local store. All there is for mainstream is fram, quaker state, and the in-house brand of motomaster. I saw valvoline in the catalogue but they didnt have it in stock.

[KyooX4]

I don't know where all it's sold, but I've always used Purolator PureONE oil filters and have never had any problems with them.

[Chuck Tribolet]

There's discussoin (negative personal experiences) about Fram in this thread today: zer...-noes

Wix website will find you a dealer: http://www.wixfilters.com/wheretobuy/index.asp

AutoZone claims their house filters are rebadged Wix but I don't take chances.I get real Wix from an independent parts house near Adm. Linda's place.

[Buzzman]

neither of those brands are sold here at the local store. All there is for mainstream is fram, quaker state, and the in-house brand of motomaster. I saw valvoline in the catalogue but they didnt have it in stock.

I'm guessing you're talking about CTC. I stopped buying their stuff years ago. I don't trust what they sell, and I don't trust even the brand name stuff. It's usually seconds, and not first run product.From what I'm reading here, I would suggest you change your Fram filter for something better, just in case.Personally, I've continued to get my oil changes at my local dealer. They have a 10 minute oil change drive-through, and the costs are comparable to most oil change shops. I've never had issues with the OEM filters, and my truck still only uses a litre of oil between changes. (I actually don't know who makes the OEM stuff. It would be interesting to find out. Hope it isn't Fram. LOL).It turned over 200,000 Kms a month ago BTW. Pretty excited when it happened.On a side note, I had some work done on the truck a few weeks ago, and among other stuff, changed out the fuel filter. My gas mileage has noticeably improved since then. Coincidence??

[Qxxx4]

yeah i changed mine a few months ago, didnt notice much of a difference in fuel consumption, but im still glad its done. I'll go with quaker state next time instead of fram. Theres always people willing to bad mouth any brand though.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I actually just changed my fuel filter on my Pathy about two weeks ago. I just did it as preventative maintenance, but I had to replace the factory fuel filter with a Fram filter as it was the only one in stock at my local auto parts store. I've never really been a fan of Fram (Use only Mobil1 or K&N filters) but I decided to give it a try. I hope this doesn't end up biting me in the a**.

[Chuck Tribolet]

It's not bad-mouthing with the Frams, it's measurable. Stuff like about halfthe surface area, and paper parts where others use something more substantial.

I used to use use Fram.

[Qxxx4]

It's not bad-mouthing with the Frams, it's measurable. Stuff like about halfthe surface area, and paper parts where others use something more substantial.

I used to use use Fram.

im taking your word for it! next oil change ill switch to quaker state. I still love my castrol gtx high mileage though

[sixty4]

I have been using FRAM for years, oblivious to any others issues with them. I get them from Wallmart usually, they have HM (High Mileage) versions and even a SUV type. This is for at least 12 years of cars including an Acura, an I30, 2 Qx4's

[Qxxx4]

yeah my mechanic friend always uses them too. Ive used Nissan OEM filters, and fram high mileage, motomaster, they all seem the same, oil gets old just as fast, burns just as fast, need same amount to top up betwen changes

[WPGQX4]

Hey Qxxx4. See if you can find an Amsoil dealer in your area. My step dad sells amsoil products. They have filters and any kind of oil or grease. They have this great set up for some vehciles that allows you to attach a fitting onto your factory oil filter. It then reroutes it oil to a set of 2 filters. The first filter gets the large particles out of the oil, the second gets the smaller. They say all you do is change the first filter every 5000km and then you can send in a sample of your oil and they will test it and tell you when to replace the second filter and the oil. Now it's a bit over the top and if all you want is good filters and oil they are still top notch.

[Qxxx4]

whoa that sounds cool

[WPGQX4]

Hope this link works. This is the by pass system I was talking about. The cool thing about it is you can mount it in a place that is easy to reach.

http://www.amsoil.com/storefro...ID=79

[WPGQX4]

Huh i was just looking at the product line for my 98 Q and they sell wix filters and NGK plugs aswell.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I have a question, has anybody used a high capacity filter on their R50? The standard filters are very very small and there is plenty of room for a larger filter.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

The standard measurements for the R50 oil filter are:

Outside Diameter: 2.69in (68mm)Thread Inside Diameter: M20 x 1.5inHeight: 2.86in (73mm)

Is it possible to find another oil filter with the same outside diameter and thread inside diameter but longer than 2.86 in?

[Densetsu]

A few, but not all, oil filter books at the local shops say that two Quaker State filters fit my '03 Pathy... QS14610 and QS14612. The 14612 is a bit longer than the 14610, but nothing to write home about. They're still tiny buggers.

Check on here to see if QS makes more than one filter for you: http://www.pureoil.com/qsfilter/search_new.aspx

I was also a Fram guy, mainly because they always seemed to be in stock. A few years ago I came across a couple studies, probably the same mentioned above, that pretty much concluded Fram oil filters suck balls. So I switched to NAPA filters, which are made by Wix. NAPA stores are a bit out of my way, but most other places here only sell Fram and Quaker State.

The study: http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw....htmlAnd the conclusion, which recommends specific filters: http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw....html

[Densetsu]

im taking your word for it! next oil change ill switch to quaker state. I still love my castrol gtx high mileage though

Check the study linked above! It's subjective, but still pretty thorough. Just pop into NAPA and pick up a NAPA Silver filter. Same price as a Fram or Quaker State filter, but supposedly better.

I've used Fram for years without anything catastrophic happening, but I don't want to push my luck any more.

[GRNMACHINE]

I had always used Fram til someone told me about that report. Like to use Mobil 1 Extended & Mobil 1 Filter. Heard Purolators are fine too (I think Wally World sells them-cheap too). Re: post about Amsoil, all their tests show Mobil 1 to be poor in comparison to other synthetics though. I may try their oil next. I really dont enjoy oil changes on the Path. Tiny filter is in a funky location on the 3.3, and the oil tends to flow all over the place. Not to mention the worthless plastic "skid plate" splash guard has alot of bolts to remove as well. I would rather pay more for the oil and perform "extended drain intervals".

[Qxxx4]

i just keep 4 bolts on the skid plate, as far as the oil filter, get the oil filter wrench opposed to the strap type one, makes removing it a BREEZE

[KyooX4]

You mean the socket for ratchets?

While we're on the subject of oil changes, and seeing as how I didn't get an answer in my maintenance thread; what brand/'model' does everyone recommend?

[Qxxx4]

no its a specialized wrench, it looks like a weird set of pliers, if you want I can take a picture, it made it so easy, the spot is a b*tch to reach if you use a strap style wrench.

as for oil, everyone will have their preference....id love to use royal purple everyone raves about it but I havent seen it anywhere in canada.

Ive always used castrol products, went from GTX, to semi-synthetic (didnt notice a change in oil consumption and longevity), then switched to gtx high mileage and its been great.

[KyooX4]

Oh ok. I've always used this

Thanks, I'll look into those.

[Turbogst]

On all my cars I use the oem filters and Mobil synthetic.