I can no longer change oil. I'd never get back up!
Can you change you own oil on your car? Have you ever?
- Thread starter Weedygarden
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My old man and I don't get along the best, but I am thankful he taught me basic car maintenance and gave me the attitude I could do it. I'll change my own oil in nice weather, but let someone else do it when the ground is covered in snow and sludge 
Brake pads are another easy maintenance item that I can't believe people pay $150-200 for someone else to do for you. Thanks to the knowledge of YouTube I've replaced water pumps, radiators, alternators, recharged A/C with freon and rebuilt the front end of several cars my teenage drivers "compacted" over the years. It's amazing the powers you get by simply being cheap!
Brake pads are another easy maintenance item that I can't believe people pay $150-200 for someone else to do for you. Thanks to the knowledge of YouTube I've replaced water pumps, radiators, alternators, recharged A/C with freon and rebuilt the front end of several cars my teenage drivers "compacted" over the years. It's amazing the powers you get by simply being cheap!
That'd be me, getting down is OK, it's the getting back up that's TRICKY, LOL
getting old blows.
Do like me, roll around a while till you find something to pull up with.
Yeah it sucks
Had to do that recently, and nobody would have missed me for days!
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In many or maybe most relationships, gender roles are clearly divided. I see a friend of mine who was widowed several months ago struggling with taking on the tasks that her husband always did.
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On top of missing him all the time. My MIL had a sad face for more than two year, before she started smiling again.
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I seem to have misplaced my oil filter....
There it is.... They are so much easier to change like this....
I think that I am getting too old for this stuff, but winter before last I figured I would take a stab at it. Rebuilt the engine, new brakes, new brake lines, new sway bars, tie rod ends, ball joints, shocks and brake computer control module and a few other things like all the vacuum tubing. Anyway I figured it was a good way to show off my post 60 grove....
And it passed the state emissions and inspection first pass.... She's 21 now, I hope to keep her running for another decade or two to be sure I get my money out of her....
Yep, I still change my whatever......
There it is.... They are so much easier to change like this....
I think that I am getting too old for this stuff, but winter before last I figured I would take a stab at it. Rebuilt the engine, new brakes, new brake lines, new sway bars, tie rod ends, ball joints, shocks and brake computer control module and a few other things like all the vacuum tubing. Anyway I figured it was a good way to show off my post 60 grove....
And it passed the state emissions and inspection first pass.... She's 21 now, I hope to keep her running for another decade or two to be sure I get my money out of her....
Yep, I still change my whatever......
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Nice!
No need to risk damage to the drain plug and the oil in the filter would already be drained.
Ben
Sure, any vehicle I own that is not under warranty I do maintenance on including oil changes. Our new car is under warranty and in order to keep the warranty we must bring it in for routine servicing every 7000 miles or so, at which time they do an oil change and other things. The cost of a service visit is pretty low - only $20 or $30 more than it would cost me to buy oil and a new filter, so I don't consider that a burden.
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I got a tail light kit to install, it cost $96.00 at part store & it take two screws & three bulbs to replace it & five minutes.
Not like an engine like UrbanHunter, but it will get done this week.
Not like an engine like UrbanHunter, but it will get done this week.
I used to do all the maintenance work on our vehicles. But then we moved and I couldn't take any of my tools so that stopped it for a while until I could replace them. Then I also realized I had moved to a place where the air hurts your face and I had no wish to get under the truck during winter if I could avoid it lol The new pickup is also under warranty so there is that too.
So could I? Yes..do I? No
So could I? Yes..do I? No
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I don't trust other people to do it right. I built some ramps out of 2x10's so I can get under the low cars.
Buddy worked at a dealership doing this kind of stuff and had horror stories of what he'd find. I'm sure he did some crappy things too and just didn't incriminate himself.
Buddy worked at a dealership doing this kind of stuff and had horror stories of what he'd find. I'm sure he did some crappy things too and just didn't incriminate himself.
I may do a few oil changes now days, probably on the Samurai, we take the Toyotas to the dealer, I've crawled under vehicles far too many times and probably have scars on my back to prove it, from the rocks on the ground coming through the cardboard I've laid down. I hated changing oil on the Windstar because the oil filter was in a bad place that was hard to get out and if I didn't put a piece of ABS pipe cut in half length wise, drained oil would get all over the frame and on the ground. The Toyota service department, while doing the oil change, is always good at looking at other things that could create problems in the future and let us know.
I started out as a teenager putting a Carter 4 barrel carb and a Hurst floorshift conversion on my 56 Chevy.
Moved up to things like a water pump on our 74 Chevy Malibu wagon. This was almost 50 years ago.
Over the next decades I got to the point that pulling an engine and doing a complete rebuild was zen like pleasure.
On my 82 Chevy S-10 I rebuilt just about everything except transmission and rear axle. I got it cheap from a drunk because it had a spun bearing. Also, because it was a drunk's vehicle, I had to replace a front fender, door, pull the radiator support straight with a come along, new front bumper. The "pick your part" junkyard was my weekend hangout. I got 25 years and 378,000 miles out of her. Always wanted to slip in a 350 V-8 but never had the cash.
Now, our vehicles are computer controlled with engine compartments packed full. A far cry from the 74, and 80 F-150's I once owned. Straight 6, manual transmissions, carbureted, great trucks.
Out by the barn is my next project. 1988 F-150, 302 V-8, 5 speed manual. Still right where i parked it in 2010.
I was toying with the idea of going computerless: MSD distributor, Holley 4 barrel, headers, she already has dual exhaust, nice lumpy Crane cam. Building a farm boy, redneck hot rod.
Moved up to things like a water pump on our 74 Chevy Malibu wagon. This was almost 50 years ago.
Over the next decades I got to the point that pulling an engine and doing a complete rebuild was zen like pleasure.
On my 82 Chevy S-10 I rebuilt just about everything except transmission and rear axle. I got it cheap from a drunk because it had a spun bearing. Also, because it was a drunk's vehicle, I had to replace a front fender, door, pull the radiator support straight with a come along, new front bumper. The "pick your part" junkyard was my weekend hangout. I got 25 years and 378,000 miles out of her. Always wanted to slip in a 350 V-8 but never had the cash.
Now, our vehicles are computer controlled with engine compartments packed full. A far cry from the 74, and 80 F-150's I once owned. Straight 6, manual transmissions, carbureted, great trucks.
Out by the barn is my next project. 1988 F-150, 302 V-8, 5 speed manual. Still right where i parked it in 2010.
I was toying with the idea of going computerless: MSD distributor, Holley 4 barrel, headers, she already has dual exhaust, nice lumpy Crane cam. Building a farm boy, redneck hot rod.
@rice paddy daddy I converted my '94 silverado... modern fuel pumps are an issue at 40-50psi, carb only needs 3, got at bypass valve at summitR. The wiring schematics are handy when it comes to idiot lights, certain fault codes and buzzers etc. There hardest part were tranny cable and accelerator hook up. Took it to a friends tranny shop. He installed the transmission and it hooked up fine. 230K miles later and I'm still not happy with the gas pedal.
Ha! noticed this pic of the bush hog tonight, about 50g of burned motor oil by it. No idea how much oil has been changed here.
Ha! noticed this pic of the bush hog tonight, about 50g of burned motor oil by it. No idea how much oil has been changed here.
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@rice paddy daddy computerless is the way to go. I had an old Chevy truck that was computerless and it had only one fan belt. The engine compartment was virtually empty compared to today's trucks. It was a dream to work on.
My M38A1 is also computerless. When I swapped out the head gasket it reminded me of the old days.
My M38A1 is also computerless. When I swapped out the head gasket it reminded me of the old days.
Can I change my own oil? Yes. Do I? No.
My daughter does a great job with her car maintenance. Below is an emergency oil filter change brought on by a hole in the filter (rock thrown up?) that was causing a massive leak. Filter was jammed in place due to whatever hit it. No amount of wrenches could get that sucker off. She finally got it after hammering a screwdriver through it to use as a lever. The filter kept shredding from the turning force with the screwdriver, but after several new screwdriver holes, she finally got it off. Then she sawed the filter in half to look for metal shavings that would indicate the oil had run too low and damaged the engine. She's learned a lot more mechanical stuff on her current job than I ever taught her (not to mention, she knows more than I ever knew in the first place). She's a commercial scuba diver, but has to also maintain boat engines, air compressors, generators, seawater pumps, cranes, and who knows what else out at sea.
My daughter does a great job with her car maintenance. Below is an emergency oil filter change brought on by a hole in the filter (rock thrown up?) that was causing a massive leak. Filter was jammed in place due to whatever hit it. No amount of wrenches could get that sucker off. She finally got it after hammering a screwdriver through it to use as a lever. The filter kept shredding from the turning force with the screwdriver, but after several new screwdriver holes, she finally got it off. Then she sawed the filter in half to look for metal shavings that would indicate the oil had run too low and damaged the engine. She's learned a lot more mechanical stuff on her current job than I ever taught her (not to mention, she knows more than I ever knew in the first place). She's a commercial scuba diver, but has to also maintain boat engines, air compressors, generators, seawater pumps, cranes, and who knows what else out at sea.
Sounds like the perfect woman...
