Oil change

jim d.

New member
Dec 23, 2017
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So I'm sure people have changed there oil at campsites before but I personally have not. My questions are
Is this frowned upon? Proper cleanup and care will be taken to keep it as clean as possible.
Is it difficult without being able to lift the front end? No ramps and my jack broke last week and haven't had time to scrounge up another one.
I haven't changed the oil in my rig personally yet. I'm capable and have all my tools with me just have never done it. Is there anything in the way of
difficulty or specially tools I'll need?
I have 5 quarts Rotella 10w30 1qt of oil additive and a Wix 51258 filter.
Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
Thanks Jim
 
I would assume that it is frowned upon. If not, do you have an adequate
catch for the oil? If so drive the rig up onto some wood to gain a little
access and go for it. You may need a strap wrench for the filter. You might
start by attempting to crack the filter loose. If your able to do that then
all you need is a tool capable of pulling the pan drain bolt.

Sully
77 eleganza 2 ( available for purchase)
Bellevue.

> So I'm sure people have changed there oil at campsites before but I
> personally have not. My questions are
> Is this frowned upon? Proper cleanup and care will be taken to keep it as
> clean as possible.
> Is it difficult without being able to lift the front end? No ramps and my
> jack broke last week and haven't had time to scrounge up another one.
> I haven't changed the oil in my rig personally yet. I'm capable and have
> all my tools with me just have never done it. Is there anything in the way
> of
> difficulty or specially tools I'll need?
> I have 5 quarts Rotella 10w30 1qt of oil additive and a Wix 51258 filter.
> Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
> Thanks Jim
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
Hi

I do it all the time I usually drive around 2-3000 miles each year to reach my vacation spot so a change before i return is a must i carry a low
profile oil drain pan and an oil filter wrench and can accomplish this without jacking the coach up. I also installed one of these
http://www.fumotooildrainvalve.com/f-101.html which makes draining the oil a breeze to get the oil filter is a chore put still can be done loosen
from the bottom and remove by reaching thru the hatch inside so you have control of the filter and lay it in the drain pan. Pour the old oil back in
the new oil jug and return it to Walmart or where ever you bought as most places take recycled oil.
P.S. i have headers on my 455

HTH
--
John H. Bell
77 Royale; QuadBag,Manny OneTon,Honda EV4010, FITech
Montreal Qc.
 
I do mine all the time without jacking it up. Just make sure that you can get the filter to turn first before you start draining oil from the pan.
If you drain it hot or warm the oil will come rushing out. If you drain it cold you might want to let it sit with the plug out for a while to get as
much out as will drain. Doing it warm let the oil drain down form the engine fairly quickly and also it is a lot easier on you hands temperature
wise.

It is a simple job.
--
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
 
I drain after a 30 - 45 minute 'sit'. The oikl is still warm eough to flow quickly, but not so hot the filter burns your hands.

--johnny
--
76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
"I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell" - ol Andy, paraphrased
 
Jim,
Where are you on your trip? There are plenty of Gmc'ers that have space to help you out for a quick oil change. And we would all be glad to help!
Scott.
--
Scott Nutter
1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi.
Houston, Texas
 
I’ve forgotten what the cautions are regarding the oil filter and cooler gaskets…

I know I have a pack of O-rings just for that purpose, though.

Larry Davick
A Mystery Machine

>
> Jim,
> Where are you on your trip? There are plenty of Gmc'ers that have space to help you out for a quick oil change. And we would all be glad to help!
> Scott.
> --
> Scott Nutter
> 1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi.
> Houston, Texas
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
 
We're currently just west of Fayetteville. Heading towards San Antonio tomorrow. I need to grab a low profile pan to catch the oil and filter.
Appreciate the offers for help. I might need some if I don't have enough down time at the campgrounds or the terrain doesn't permit it. At this point
might just get thru our stop in San Antonio and do it after that.
--
Jim DeMellia and Jen Radefeld and our cat Ickis
NH natives
1975 GMC “Palm Beach” ,455, her names Linda
Full time RVers exploring the beautiful and unusual parts of the country.
 
Bummer....
We could of helped you out 100 miles ago..
If needed you could always drive one front tire on a curb to give you an extra 8 inches or so of wiggle room. I don't know how much oil might be
trapped because of being out of level, but I would think it would be minimal.
Scott.
--
Scott Nutter
1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi.
Houston, Texas
 
Jim,

Some may disagree, but when running mostly on the highway, long stretches,
like you seem to be doing, 3000 miles seems to me to be an awfully
conservative oil change interval. With almost no cold start/short trip
miles, I wouldn't worry about changing oil at less than 8-10K miles. Fact
is, I'm not even sure I changed mine during our 12,000 mile trip to Alaska
-- certainly didn't more than once. Especially if you're getting
the apparently typical 500-600 miles per quart, which means an "automatic"
oil change every 3000 miles or so.

JWID,

Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, Troy-Bilt APU, etc., etc., etc.
www.gmcwipersetc.com

> So I'm sure people have changed there oil at campsites before but I
> personally have not. My questions are
> Is this frowned upon? Proper cleanup and care will be taken to keep it as
> clean as possible.
> Is it difficult without being able to lift the front end? No ramps and my
> jack broke last week and haven't had time to scrounge up another one.
> I haven't changed the oil in my rig personally yet. I'm capable and have
> all my tools with me just have never done it. Is there anything in the way
> of
> difficulty or specially tools I'll need?
> I have 5 quarts Rotella 10w30 1qt of oil additive and a Wix 51258 filter.
> Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
>
 
My take on the oil, and I'm addressing Sythetic only, is that the syn oil
will not turn acidy like the dyno oil, so you can do like Ken says.
I do have my oild analized frequently to keep track of metel particulets
and specially the Dirt.
Having been in the Air Filter business for over 35 years have taught me
some major importance to the engine air filter.
If your not getting a good seal there, it is ammasing how much large
particulates manage to get through and coat the intake manifoil,intake
valve guides and cylinder walls and rings , act like sand paper. Oil
filters catch in my estamation only 30% of what is circulating .
There is a WIX sales rep coming over next week to pick up the carb fuel
filter to send back to their headqurters for evaluation of the plastic
valve that is set inside of the filter as it is being attacked by the
Ethanal.
What was interesting about the conversation was the percent of Ethnal he
wanted to know.
I am concluding that some things can deteriate if the concentration getss
higher.

On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 10:59 AM, Ken Henderson
wrote:

> Jim,
>
> Some may disagree, but when running mostly on the highway, long stretches,
> like you seem to be doing, 3000 miles seems to me to be an awfully
> conservative oil change interval. With almost no cold start/short trip
> miles, I wouldn't worry about changing oil at less than 8-10K miles. Fact
> is, I'm not even sure I changed mine during our 12,000 mile trip to Alaska
> -- certainly didn't more than once. Especially if you're getting
> the apparently typical 500-600 miles per quart, which means an "automatic"
> oil change every 3000 miles or so.
>
> JWID,
>
> Ken H.
> Americus, GA
> '76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI & EBL,
> Manny Brakes & 1-Ton, Troy-Bilt APU, etc., etc., etc.
> www.gmcwipersetc.com
>

>
> > So I'm sure people have changed there oil at campsites before but I
> > personally have not. My questions are
> > Is this frowned upon? Proper cleanup and care will be taken to keep it
> as
> > clean as possible.
> > Is it difficult without being able to lift the front end? No ramps and my
> > jack broke last week and haven't had time to scrounge up another one.
> > I haven't changed the oil in my rig personally yet. I'm capable and have
> > all my tools with me just have never done it. Is there anything in the
> way
> > of
> > difficulty or specially tools I'll need?
> > I have 5 quarts Rotella 10w30 1qt of oil additive and a Wix 51258
> filter.
> > Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
I agree that changing the oil every 3k isn't necessary and adding a quart every 5-600 miles is the norm. I'm right around 5k miles now between changes
and we've been dealing with extreme weather changes. We also drive ours around some of the cities we visit so I figured a happy medium would be
between 5-6k miles I would change the oil. Plus sometimes you can't always put a time limit on piece of mind.
Jim
--
Jim DeMellia and Jen Radefeld and our cat Ickis
NH natives
1975 GMC “Palm Beach” ,455, her names Linda
Full time RVers exploring the beautiful and unusual parts of the country.
 
Jim,
I'm assuming your using Syn oil?

> I agree that changing the oil every 3k isn't necessary and adding a quart
> every 5-600 miles is the norm. I'm right around 5k miles now between changes
> and we've been dealing with extreme weather changes. We also drive ours
> around some of the cities we visit so I figured a happy medium would be
> between 5-6k miles I would change the oil. Plus sometimes you can't always
> put a time limit on piece of mind.
> Jim
> --
> Jim DeMellia and Jen Radefeld and our cat Ickis
> NH natives
> 1975 GMC “Palm Beach” ,455, her names Linda
> Full time RVers exploring the beautiful and unusual parts of the country.
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
If you are fairly slim no need for jacking. Drain plug from front. Oil filter from side behind right tire. I believe since the number of pounds of
fuel burned in our application is about 2x that burned in the Toronado application, the severe duty oil change schedule should be held to. This
includes greasing and most importantly INSPECTING things while under there. Really cuts the odds of on road failure if you inspect and correct.
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
Drain plug from the front? I thought the drain plug was on the bottom next to the transmission cover. Am I mistaken. I'd take a picture but it's dark
out.
--
Jim DeMellia and Jen Radefeld and our cat Ickis
NH natives
1975 GMC “Palm Beach” ,455, her names Linda
Full time RVers exploring the beautiful and unusual parts of the country.
 
> Drain plug from the front? I thought the drain plug was on the bottom
> next to the transmission cover. Am I mistaken. I'd take a picture but it's
> dark
> out.
> --
> Jim DeMellia and Jen Radefeld and our cat Ickis
> NH natives
> 1975 GMC “Palm Beach” ,455, her names Linda
> Full time RVers exploring the beautiful and unusual parts of the country.
> The crank case drain Dist the bottom almost at the rear
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
You access the drain plug by scooting in from the front. You access the filter by scooting in behind the right front tire
--
John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II
 
A cardboard box works well to allow one to slide in and out.

On Sun, Jan 7, 2018 at 3:06 PM, John R. Lebetski
wrote:

> You access the drain plug by scooting in from the front. You access the
> filter by scooting in behind the right front tire
> --
> John Lebetski
> Woodstock, IL
> 77 Eleganza II
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.appliedgmc.com
1-800-752-7502
 
Get a small flashlight and an oil drain container. You've got oil and tools
so just do it at night....of course I never said this !

Mike in NM

> A cardboard box works well to allow one to slide in and out.
>
> On Sun, Jan 7, 2018 at 3:06 PM, John R. Lebetski

>
> > You access the drain plug by scooting in from the front. You access the
> > filter by scooting in behind the right front tire
> > --
> > John Lebetski
> > Woodstock, IL
> > 77 Eleganza II
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Jim Kanomata
> Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
> jimk
> http://www.appliedgmc.com
> 1-800-752-7502
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>

--
Michael Beaton
1977 Kingsley 26-11
1977 Eleganza II 26-3
Antigonish, NS

Life is too short to hold a grudge; slash some tires and call it even !
 
Right on Mike!!
A oil change with a bit of adventure!
I like your style!!

--
Scott Nutter
1978 Royale Center Kitchen, Patterson 455, switch pitch tranny, 3.21 final drive, Quad bags, tankless water heater, everything Lenzi.
Houston, Texas