hottiehustles

hello I'm new to this site and yes I'm a female needing a man's help. Can some please show me a picture to where the plug is to change my oil. I would just have someone do it but single mommy here money is tight. Where's the oil filter? I't's either really dirty and i can't see it or I'm blind. think i see the bolt for the oil but I don't know what in the hell i'm doing. It only takes once and I will always remember. I changed all my brake pads and now they squeak I forgot to put the jelly stuff in between the pads and rotors.. is there a way to make them stop without taken it all apart again? thanks guys remember pictures. please
go ahead and barney style it i've never done this

305q_ta86

iTrader: (1)

It'll be the bolt on the very bottom of the engine. It doesnt hold anything together, it's just stuck in the bottom, on the driver side. When you remove it, oil comes out. :P

The filter is further back, and higher up. It's usually pretty dirty. It screws straight in. You'll find it at the back of the engine between the block and the exhaust collector...sort of. I will go try to get pics.

305q_ta86

iTrader: (1)

The drain plug is just barely visible in this pic. This isnt an fbody, but same idea. It's teh bolt going into the blue oil pan on the bottom. The only difference is that this one is on the back and yours will be on the side:


The filter itself looks like this, but it will likely be white or red.


And this is an engine:


This is an engine on drugs:


And this is the location of the oil filter on your engine:


See the white oil filter on the back left of the engine? That's where you should look on yours. Does that help a bit?

hottiehustles

Ryan you are a gem. Yes I seen that bolt but I wasn't sure what the hell is was. thankyou thankyou thankyou. Now one more thing do i drain the oil then undo the filter or visa versa. Thats great you went to all that trouble to get the pictures right on.

Hottie

Genopsyde

iTrader: (2)

drain oil first, then remove filter.

hottiehustles

hey ryan it looks like to me the oil filter would actually be in front of the screw. It's 9 at night now I cant' see a thing, am i going to half to jack the car up do you think or can i slip under it and reach the oil filter i am only 5'2" 110 pounds. I don't have a jack someone thought they needed it more then me

RebelRacer

you'll probly want to put it on jack stands

305q_ta86

iTrader: (1)

Hmm. it should be on the back, unless someone swapped your engine. Are you sure you're looking at the right part? well if you are, maybe you could take a pic and show me, if you have a camera.

I'm 5'8 and 120 lbs, and I can not slip under there. I can physically get myself under the engine, but that oil filter takes some muscle to unscrew, so you need room to move. You can most likely get the drain plug out that way, but probably not the filter. And even if you had a jack, I would hope you have jack stands^ as well. It is unsafe to get under a car unless it's supported by jack stands. Never just trust the jack.

I actually dont even use a jack for oil changes. I have ramps. Maybe you could ghetto rig something? Heck, drive it over a ditch so you can get in there farther, and throw a towel down? Just make sure it is safe.

^ typical jack stands, in case you didnt know:



EDIT: I found another pic of the oil filter. This one is blue. If this still doesnt clear it up, then I will go outside and see if I can wrestle my way under there to snap a pic of my own, because I can't for the life of me find a picture of the underside of a Camaro...



EDIT AGAIN: oh, I forgot about your brake question. It's a real good idea to put the jelly stuff on, but it isnt vital, in my experience. Most often new brakes will squeak for a bit anyway. It's just normal brakein. Try finding a safe place (empty parking lot?) and make a bunch of forward and reverse stops, lightly at first, then a little harder. Then see if that helps.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

Definatly want to use stands or ramps on a hard, level, concrete surface. Be as safe as possible and dont take any chances. I wouldnt want to spend my last 20 minutes under a car suffocating to death. Doesnt sound like fun...

My brother almost killed himself that way. Put a car up on a jack on hot asphault. I barely managed to pull him out, just as the car rolled off the jack, over whatever else was behind it, and into a tree.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

If your small you probably could reach it w/o jacking. The filter and plug are typically on the drivers side toward the rear of the motor. Also make sure you get a filter wrench to help with removing the filter. I have a strap type one that works well.

Oh, BTW, dont forget to remove all the old gasket, clean the oil filter gasket surface on the motor, and put oil on the gasket on the oil filter. Itll help with sealing and prevent it from locking itself on there.

82knightrider

iTrader: (1)

yeah.If you dont have a jack and jack stands a curb or a speed bump work great

And if you have a jack and no stands use a big block of wood or two.put a wedge in your tires too

OUTATIME GTA

iTrader: (2)

i read the thread just because you said barney style.
that's hilarious, i thought i only used that term.
very straightforward, good stuff.
looks like these guys got you covered with your probs.
i do believe there is a lubricant you can spray on your brakes that will temporary stop the squeek till they are broken in.

Stekman

A few tips, depending on if you've run the motor immediatly preceding you changing the oil, the oil can be quite toasty. Just a heads up, like if you run to the store to buy the oil and filter, and get home to change it or whatnot. Also, along the lines, unscrewing the filter can be messy as oil will be seeping out of it as you unscrew it. Have a few rags around.

No need to tighten the living daylights out of the oil filter. In the shop I work at, it's not uncommon when getting a do-it-yourselfer car in and finding the oil filter torqued to heck and back. Hand tight and a little more usually works. All you need to do is press the oil seal on the filter up against the sealing surface on the block (thus the aforementioned "clean the sealing surface"). All you need to do is tighten the filter up enough so that a good seal is formed. No need to squish that little seal to death.

Another thing to consider, you run a 5 qt system. You way want to try filling the oil filter instead of dumping all 5 qt's down the valve covers fill hole. Filling the oil filter eliminates the dry-start the engine goes through if there's an empty filter. Again, not 100% needed, but just one of those, it doesn't hurt type of deals.

84z28350

Remember to watch out when unscrewing the oil filter if the engine was just run, usually you get a bit of oil pouring out and it burns like a ****, not that i would know from experience or anything...

305q_ta86

iTrader: (1)

Just like how the first time I did it dripped all down my arm, so I started yelling and dropped it and it rolled down the driveway, leaving a big oil stain behind?


er, I mean. *cough* didnt.

SchwarzCamaroRS

one last bit of advice, dont put any body part in the direct line of fire from the drainplug... if you dont let it drain most the way out by leaving a few threads from the drainplug still screwed in the oilpan that little bugger will shoot out making a mess of whatever was in its way and possibly losing the drainplug in the drain pan... not that IVE ever learned this the hard way, more than once... not at all...

hottiehustles

Hey you guys are great thank you for all the responses. Blonde question here but i don't have a oil filter thing wrench could i use my belt? Putting the car over a ditch or up on a parking block. This is going to be so much fun my first oil job. I think I'm going to go do it now even if it is 2 in the morning not like theres much to see. Hey Ryan the brakes I put on 6 months ago. My poor baby is going to **** I had to buy a knew battery cause by alternator took a **** (which by the way I just bought 6 months ago also) so now i gotta get a knew alternator. On the bright side got the battery at autozone smiled alittle and got my battery for 39.99 instead of 69.99 Yeah Baby My car is nice though only 93,000 miles. I paid 5 bucks for it but thats a different day maybe i'll tell ya. bye now

Hottie

hottiehustles

oh by the way ryan you are a sweety but you don't have to get under your car.

Difflock

Hi Hottie,

Another tip, you don't need to use your belt to put the new filter back on, just put a little oil on the rubber seal and make sure the filter is screwed on hand tight. There will probably be some directions on the box it came in or the filter itself.

Whilst the oil is draining, clean the drain plug and go and have a cup of coffee

Good luck!

Mark.

SchwarzCamaroRS

if the oil filter is on too tight, you can use your belt, but it still might be difficult. K&N oil filters come with a 3/4" nut on the bottom of them that makes changing filters a breeze so you might look into that for a replacement. and one more tiny little thing... you drive a camAro right? not a camEro? haha. anyways, good luck!

Elthesh

This isn't in relation to the oil change, but on your brakes... When you replaced the brakes, did you by any chance replace the brake hardware? It's a fairly overlooked item and can, well, I don't know what it can cause, but my hardware was shot. The calipers have caliper bolts, rubber bushings (inside the caliper bolt holes) and those metal bolt sleeves that usually fall out when the bolts come out. If you've never done this, the rubber bushings are most likely like mine were and destroyed. I bought a small kit with new bushings, metal sleeves, etc. The calipers would be ... well, I guess you'd say loose and would make an audible clunk when you'd hit the breaks, squeaks, etc. Kind of hard to notice, the bushings, because they are inside the caliper bolt holes and fit in a groove in there. They might even look like the consistancy grease at this point... You prolly don't need to change the caliper bolts, but if you deicde to do the hardware, it can't hurt to replace those old bolts. They may be worn from rubbing on the metal if the bushings have been bad for a long time.


I should know, I went, through, oh, 3 Trans Ams not knowing about them. One someone else did the brakes on, the 2nd had horrible clunking from the brakes I attributed to 20+ years of age. This one, well... I actually paid attention to what was going on down there this time, lol. You might wanna check this out. Oh, and if the squeaking isn't related to that, you might wanna check your brake pads. The... Outer pads look like they are supposed to just "hang" there but in reality, you need to use a pair of pliers or something similar to squeeze those metal... lips/tangs/edges, etc to the top and bottom edges of the caliper so the pad doesn't move at all. That can cause squeaks as well.

As a lil extra tidbit on the brake area... You may know and have done this, but better I say it then not. You should always have the rotors turned at your local auto parts store or similar place, to keep them from being warped and pulsating. And when the rotors come off, you should replace the inner and outer bearings and the grease seal, and pack with new grease(only if you haven't done it within the last few years) Don't replace the bearings every time unless they are worn, just once every few years. Just remove them before you get the rotors turned. You will need a new grease seal each time though as you'll most likely damage the one you've got removing the bearings. Bad bearings can make a ticking sound when you drive if they have gone bad.

(Also, make sure the idiots don't give you the wrong bearings like they did me, making me put it ALL back together and drive back to tell them they weren't Trans Am bearings and finally having to get GTA bearings. Don't ask, I couldn't even explain their worthless computer.)

Hopefully some of that will help you and it's not a bunch of "Yeah, I knew all that already" lol.

ChevyGuy87

One other thing about the brakes. If you do take them apart to put the anti-squeak stuff on there, it goes on the back of the pads where they touch the caliper. If you lubricate the pads where they touch the rotor, your car may not like to stop anymore.

hottiehustles

SchwarzCamaroRS I'm blushing. Yes everyone I misspelled my cars name and to you Elthesh Yes I thought what you told me was good stuff if i knew what you were talking about. I know them as bolt that holds the brakes on and rotors well i do know that one, thats the metal wheel that the brakes hug onto right? Difflock where is the rubber seal is it already on the filter. *** maybe I should just beg one of these dirt people down here to do it for me. Joking if I want it done right I have to do it myself.
Bye guys
Hottie

hottiehustles

ChevyGuy87 ok now I'm lost where is the caliaper what is that? I don't remember seeing anything but the rotor.

SchwarzCamaroRS

the rubber seal is right on the top portion where it screws in... its the black rubber thingy around the top of the filter

hottiehustles

caliper "ok sop so i supid"

SchwarzCamaroRS

the caliper is the thing that holds the pads and hangs over the rotor

hottiehustles

SchwarzCamaroRS ok i know what you are talking about thanks for the advice.
Hottie

SchwarzCamaroRS

np! too bad im not out there in PHX anymore or id come help ya.. lol

Dewey316

I cannot imagine that a women, admited to being 5'2" 110 lbs, and willing to change her own oil....and not one of our phoenix members has offered to go over there and help.

I think everyone else has pretty much covered everything beyond my wondering what is wrong with all the dorks on this board who haven't swung by and changed your oil for you already.

--John

SchwarzCamaroRS

EXACTLY!!! Damn california for havin better weather and forcing me to move back!!! i lived there in phx just TWO weeks ago!! i should call my roommates up and be like MEN!!! GO!!!

Elthesh

I'll scan the GM shop manual diagram of the full caliper assembly for you later on today. It shows and names all the pieces I mentioned and where they go in the caliper. I'll see if there's a similar diagram for the rotor/bearings/etc assembly and scan that too. Plus you can print it out and make sure they give you the right parts, by comparing them to the diagram.

You already know how to do the pads, so at the absolute least, the caliper work I mentioned is a piece of cake as everything except the rubber bushings is likely to come out or fall out when you do the pads anyway. As for the rotor work, if you've never done that, you'll want a how to on how to get everything off and back on. Either a store manual or I or someone can scan a page or run through the process in detail.

And yes, those bolts are the right ones. 2 long bolts that hold the caliper to the rotor.

90RS305

Lol, I was told about a "barney style" oil changing thread, this is defnitly a first that I've seen here at least First off, welcome to the ThirdGen community! These guys defnitly know there stuff, and some actually do know how to change oil even! You should get involved on the S/W region forum as well, we've got a couple of night-owls usually that can answer questions for ya. Seeing as you're a native Arizonan, I don't blame ya for changing your oil in the middle of the night, bout the only time you can do it without collapsing from heat exhaution Good luck!!!

Bruce (90RS305)

SchwarzCamaroRS

lol, well done bruski... when i come back to visit, i can give ya a crash course in car fixing @ 2am... lol ive done it MANY times...

Dewey316

I hate you boys from down south....

<--- Is wearing a coat this morning, and had the heater going on my way to work.

SchwarzCamaroRS

lol, its colder than... well, i guess not hell.. but yeah, its cold here in SoCal too... but my car likes it better this way...

hottiehustles

Well Bruce I see you too are in arizona. I'm no native came from chicago. How can you love walks on the beach all we have is sand here dear boy. I miss the green. And the animals here are creepy. The squirrels ick they are suppose to be fluffy and cute these things look like they have some kind of addiction. Well thank you everyone I'll let you know how it goes my daughter is waking up lol (lots of love) I'm a tauras too. Always gotta be in charge and know everything or at least we think we do we just don't dare say we don't. Thats why this thing is so great i don't have to face no one.
Hottie

SchwarzCamaroRS

lol, Taurus... that explains it... me too... hence the reason were both up @ 5am talking about oil changes... well, hope you get it all taken care of... good luck!

90RS305

Lol, I've seen a beach before....once or twice....

What part of PHX ya from? This really must be one heck of a culture shock from way the heck up there, lmao

hottiehustles

oh stop crying cause i live in hotter then hell and i wish for a breeze that didn't feel like my blow dryer. Shoot I can't even take my t-tops out my dash would melt.

hottiehustles

right next to you bruce on tatum Scottsdale almost in scottsdale pv mall. I really gotta go bye

Dewey316

I can cure that, last time I was in phoenix, you guys got 4" of rain the 2 day's I was there. Pretty good considering you get what, like 12" annualy.

It is like this little rain cloud over my head, just keeps following me, even after I leave the PNW.

90RS305

So you should get your rear-end back out here

kdrolt

Some more tips:

1. Drain the oil when the engine is warm but not hot. IOW (in other words) drain the oil 15-20 mins after driving. If the oil pan is too hot to touch, then the oil is too hot to change.

2. Open the hood. This lets more light into the engine bay and it's also a helpful reminder to prevent you from DRIVING the car before you put the new oil in (or driving it without oil....)

3. Use a VERY large pan to collect the oil from the engine drain bolt. I use one sold for gardening (plastic deep pan, probably 3 feet by 2 feet by 8" deep). Remove the bolt, let it drain while you're doing something else for 20+ mins. Don't over tighten the bolt when you replace it, and make sure the threads of the bolt, the threads in the hole, and the area around the hole are clean and free of sand/crud.

4. I always punch a hole in the underside old oil filter (while it's still on the engine) using a hammer and a big nail. Then I let it drain into the SAME oil pan with the filter still on the car. Again, walk away and let it drain for a while. This will help avoid the mess when you finally remove the filter. And you can continue to drain the filter of oil after you remove it, by tipping it into a large funnel that's atop a container.

5. I can usually remove any oil filter by hand without a wrench but many cannot. So make sure you have an oil filter wrench, preferably the kind that fits into the end of the filter, or the strap wrench that wraps around the filter cylinder. If you don't have either (or both) of these, DON'T punch a nail thru the filter because you'll be stuck if you can't get the old filter off.

I'll skip the issues of not being able to remove an overly tight filter for another thread. You basically have to mangle it to remove it. I've only had to do this twice, once helping someone and once on a car I had bought.

6. Prefill the new filter by filling it at least half way with new oil, BEFORE you install it. Be careful not to drop it.

7. Have some empty 1 gal windshield washer fluid bottle(s) and VERY LARGE funnel on-hand so you can slowly pour the old oil into them during the cleanup phase.

8. the hood is still open -- because you haven't put the new oil in the engine yet. Hopefully you still have 5 quarts of new oil waiting in the driveway. So you're less inclined to start it with the hood open. Use a different funnel for the oil fill job.

9. Once you put the oil in, check the level on the dipstick. Check to make sure you have no leaks at the drain plug or the new filter area. Start the engine; the idiot oil light (on the dash) should go OFF immediately. You should have no leaks, but let it run until hot and check under the car to make sure you still have no leaks. You can do cleanup while the engine is running. Hood still open is a good time to check belts, hoses, rad and washer fluid.


This one should have been #1 on the list:

10. Make sure you have EVERYTHING you need before you begin this job (empty containers, new filter, new oil, large drain pan, paper towels, Simple Green spray, trash can, big funnels.)

HTH.

Dewey316

Bruce, I sure hope the beavers can do better than the Insight Bowl this year... and I am not sure if there is any mathmatical way for them to go to the Fiesta bowl, which leaves me likely going somewhere other than phoenix this year. I'll get back down there one of these days though.

Ohh, and to leave this on topic.... If the oil filter is not coming off any other way, you can stab the side with a big screw driver, and get it to come off that way, makes a big mess though.

90RS305

Lol, aight, but you and Prevost are gonna have to come out here and tune BOTH of my TBI's once I can finally afford to start playing with them

And I defnitly do NOT reccomend doing it this way.....which is more of a "do as I say, not as I do" cuz I've done it this way twice and it made it easier then $^%@ Lots of potential problems could arise though....

Dewey316

I'm sure come about febuary, both of us would be more than willing to come to someplace warm.

82knightrider

iTrader: (1)

Damn...this is the most informative thread on oil changes of all time on TGO.

I have a feeling its cuz a hot girl opened it

montesa311

man, if i was a girl and hot maby you all would answer my threads....

Dewey316

Guess it sucks to be you. ;-)

and I answer LOTS of threads... just find one of the forums I regular in.