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Oil Change SRT8

SRT8 Oil CHange Poll?

9K views 32 replies 20 participants last post by  JackassJesse 
#1 ·
Do you change your own oil or do you take it some where?
 
#4 ·
I change my oil every 10,000 miles or 2 years. When new in 2006, I ran for 800 miles and then I blended the 12.5w40 QuantumBlue and changed it in July 2006. Ran 6200 miles and changed it 9-23-2008. Been running the oil since then. Will probably change it again 9/10.:driving:

Thanks
Brian
BND Automotive LLC:bigthumb:
440-821-9040
 
#7 ·
Changed at the dealer. only $62 out the door. Mobil 1 of course
You sure about that mobil one? Dealer price on the filter is over $10, delaer price on the oil is I think over $8, that would mean the labor is free. Most folks report synthetic changes being in the $90 dollar range.


Oh, and I do change my own, following the old concept that nobody, and I mean nobody, cares about my stuff like I do:)


036? 3K a year? Wow, I'm at 75K on my car, bought in Aug 06.
 
#6 ·
I definitely change my own. I've got 6 other vehicles (all Jeeps and Dodges) and don't have time to take them somewhere to get it done...

'06 Dodge RAM 2500 Megacab Diesel 4x4
'07 Jeep Compass 4x4
'07 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4 (Blue)
'08 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4 (Red)
'08 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x4 (Green)
'09 Jeep Commander Limited 4x4 5.7L Hemi
 
#10 ·
Yep!!!!:bigthumb:
 
#17 ·
Removed plastic "underbra" and threw it away. Fitted quick-change brass and stainless steel ball-tang in place of drain-bolt. Also have 6 vehicles (4 motorcycles, the Hemi and a Dakota), and one 55 gallon drum of Mobil 1 5w40 synthetic, but the racing oil version (twice the phosphate and zinc anti-wear additives per Mobil 1's website). With the quick-drain valve, oil changes take less than 15 minutes with filter.
 
#23 ·
I take it somewhere because of the low clearance. The local shop charges me $20 and I'm in and out in <5 minutes. But I buy my own oil and filter, last time AutoZone had their 5 quarts + 1 filter deal I stocked up.
 
#25 ·
I keep all my reciepts....

But for us guys that change it ourselves... How go you get under it? I just rolled over a series of 2x4's till it was high enough to stick my head under... It sucked.
 
#26 ·
im excited to get my QuantumBlue oil in a extend my oil change intervals plus no more hemi tick, longer engine life!
 
#27 · (Edited)
Sorry, I have been away for a bit. For those that are interested in a quick change valve, you can look up the right one here and purchase it:

http://www.quickoildrainvalve.com/

I cannot comment on how reliable they are given that I am still running the first one I ever purchased about 25 years ago and it has yet to leak a drop or fail.

As regards my drum of Mobil 1, this is actually Mobil Delvac 1 in 5w40. It is actually slightly better than the racing oil formulation. Mobil starting their "Racing" line with a 0W-30. The main characteristic was a high level of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). Mobil Delvac ESP has both the highest diesel/petrol ratings and is the latest API "CI-4/SL" rated "mixed fleet" diesel engine oil. It also exceeds ACEA's A3 and B3 ( E3, 4, 5 & B4) ratings. It is suitable for high performance petrol engine vehicles. Look it up on Mobil's website FAQ and you will see they think it will perform just fine in a petrol engine:

13. Can Delvac 1 be run in gasoline engines?
Delvac 1 is an excellent gasoline engine oil. Delvac 1 meets the API
SL service classification, which covers most gasoline automobile
engines.


In fact, many owner's of hi-performance petrol engines find the latest generation of commercial fleet turbo-diesel oils to be superior to the latest crop of "best" petrol engine based engine oils. I know several that have used it in their Viper's and Porsche's for years.

Of course which oil to use and what the correct change interval is are not actually the appropriate questions to ask first. The first question is how long you intend to keep your car? If you aren't planning on keeping your car but a few years, it probably doesn't much matter what oil you use in it or how often you change it, unless you have an overbearing conscience and want the next owner to benefit from your oil investments. I did the first oil change ever for one of the secretaries at work that had an old 80's Acura Legend. The car had only 26,000 miles on it, and according to her, she had never had the oil changed. It sure looked it. But it ran OK. Go figure.

The second question is do you bother to warm your donk up? The oil spraying feature of the SRT8's donk helps here, just watch your oil temperature rise quickly (if you set it to see this like I do). Industry statistics indicate that 95% of all engine wear occurs in the first 5 minutes of each duty cycle. For those unfamiliar with a duty cycle, think of driving it to work and parking it for 8 hours, dead cold to OT and back again, a duty cycle. So if you don't warm your donk up much, or at all, the best oil mankind can produce will only provide touchie-feely warmies, or the mechanical advantage inherent with a "Mobil 1" bumper sticker.

And for where I got it? Craig's list back a few months had a listing for 5 such drums. I bought one. It's also an excellent motorcycle engine oil, given it was developed for long-running extreme conditions, and I have it running in my 3 bikes as well as my Dakota.
 
#28 ·
For changes, I bought a 2x6 at Home depot, had then cut it in half at 45 degrees, then trimmed to a 2-foot length for both pieces. Place each in front of your front tires and drive on up. Next comes a good low-rise hydraulic jack you can get from Sears. Roll it under the frame crossmember up front and jack it up vertically. I place two hard stands under the frame and let it back down on them. Place the drain pan, flick the quick change valve, and place a second drain pan under the filter area and have at that. By the time I have the filter off and drained, the new one filled up (very important!) and screwed on with a thin film of old oil on the gasket (to keep it from seizing up), and the super strong magnet switched from the outside of the old filter to the new one, the oil is drained. Pick her up, pull the stands and let her down.

Fill it up, run it for a minute or two, then shut it down and go have a beer. Or have 1 or 2 while doing it. It can take a while for sticky oils to drain back into the pan from the myriad surfaces inside the donk, assuming you want an accurate reading. And this is one of those donks that just do not fill up properly on the first go, so running it for a while will do whatever with the fresh oil, typically resulting in a lower dipstick reading when just filling it.

Like most modern donks, this one is engineered for a relatively precise internal plenum space, so its not wise to overfill it.
 
#29 ·
I pick up the Mobil 1 oil and filter at Advance or Auto Zone, whoever happens to be running a sale at the time, and then pay the Dealership $11 to do it. Worth the cash not to have to do it myself. No more than I drive it (4500-5K per year), I can usually get by on one oil change a year it seems.
 
#30 ·
11 bucks to turn a bolt? I'll do it for 10!
 
#31 ·
LOL 'Priciate the offer. I should have said it's worth $11 to not have to run the car up on boards, jack it up, place it on stands, etc. Plus I get the paperwork from the dealer to verify oil changes. I have always done my own service work to my other vehicles, and don't mind turning a wrench. Sliding up under my Chevy 4x4, no problem. I'd have to grease myself to get under the Charger. LOL:beerchug:
 
#33 ·
Bot who doesn't love crawling on the ground changing oil? haha
 
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