Did my first oil change ever on my Tahoe. It was messy.

[iboughtatahoe23]

I think I did ok. I drained the oil, installed the new and lubricated filter, added 5 quarts, ran it for a minute ( I heard lifters and stuff for a sec until oil reached everything is that normal) shut it off, checked stick, was on not level surface because I live on a residential street and don’t have a driveway.

Anyway, I didn’t see oil on a stick, so I ended up just adding all 6 quarts

 

[iboughtatahoe23]

To add: was maybe on 10-15° grade. You know how them residential streets curve down on the sides?

 

[OR VietVet]

You need to move to level ground and check fluid. The dipstick reads the top 2 quarts of oil. If you added 5 quarts and showed none on the dipstick and added one quart, it may still need another 1/2 quart to a quart. What does the owner's manual say? You have one for a reason. You should not be guessing on oil level. Your title says "messy". What was messy?

 

[Fless]

Many owners on here fill the new oil filter with fresh oil prior to installing; doing that gets the oil circulating quicker. 3-5 seconds of top end noise is relatively common.

Ditto on letting it sit on level ground for 15 or 20 minutes (got a level spot at work or in a parking lot?), allowing the oil to drain from the heads, and checking it then.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

6 quarts is about right. I think officially it’s like 5.5 quarts for an oil change but I think everyone just puts in 6

 

[wjburken]

Changing your own oil puts you ahead of at least 75% of vehicle owners ability and level of effort.

6qts all day long.

Bet your mess was misjudging the stream arc out of the oil pan and when you took the filter out.

 

[strutaeng]

Messy because when you spin out the oil filter oil drips down on your hand? That's about as messy as I it gets. I've put a hole on the oil filter to drain it out, but oil still spills. Not too terrible though.

Otherwise it's pretty easy and quick. I can do an engine oil drain and refill in about 15-20 minutes on my GMT 800s 2wd.

 

[OR VietVet]

Love them 800's.

 

[Tahoe14]

You can try putting a baggie around the filter to catch the oil as you unscrew it, not much of a mess if the oil lands in the oil drain pan

 

[swathdiver]

You can try putting a baggie around the filter to catch the oil as you unscrew it, not much of a mess if the oil lands in the oil drain pan

 

[Dustin Jackson]

You can try putting a baggie around the filter to catch the oil as you unscrew it, not much of a mess if the oil lands in the oil drain pan

How do people feel about poking a hole in the bottom of the oil filter to drain it before removing it?

 

[OR VietVet]

How do people feel about poking a hole in the bottom of the oil filter to drain it before removing it?

I know that myself and other members have done this before and I heard about it here and have done it since. I always loosen the filter first before I do it.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

I'm going to do that from now

 

[OR VietVet]

I'm going to do that from now

I only loosen enough to break the seal but not loose enough that oil wants to pour out the sides.

 

[gooffeyguy]

You can try putting a baggie around the filter to catch the oil as you unscrew it, not much of a mess if the oil lands in the oil drain pan

Or a red Solo cup

Doesn't need to be red though, any color will work

 

[B-train]

Changing your own oil puts you ahead of at least 75% of vehicle owners ability and level of effort.

6qts all day long.

Bet your mess was misjudging the stream arc out of the oil pan and when you took the filter out.

Yep.....it'll get the first time changers each and every time. It really goes the distance when it wants to get out of the pan

 

[Sparksalot]

I know that myself and other members have done this before and I heard about it here and have done it since. I always loosen the filter first before I do it.

Just in case it won’t come loose.

 

[OR VietVet]

Just in case it won’t come loose.

Exactly.

 

[strutaeng]

How do people feel about poking a hole in the bottom of the oil filter to drain it before removing it?

I've tried it and still get oil spilled. It seems like the oil in the engine galley is still there when you remove the filter? Maybe in the galley above the oil filter housing?

But I do add a bit of oil on the new filter since maybe last year. I think that's more important to help prevent dry startups?

 

[PG01]

I've tried it and still get oil spilled. It seems like the oil in the engine galley is still there when you remove the filter? Maybe in the galley above the oil filter housing?

But I do add a bit of oil on the new filter since maybe last year. I think that's more important to help prevent dry startups?

Lotsa disagreement on your last statement…I always put some oil in the filter but years ago I used to completely fill it up to the point of if I didn’t hold it straight up and down it would spill out. I’m too old to be juggling s h I T around under there. Lube the gasket and send it.