[Dale_K]

I did another oil change today on my 2011 LS. This is the third I've done myself.

I placed the drain pan very carefully directly under the drain plug. The oil you see is where the stream hit the pan and splashed out. I need to come up with a better pan. One that has higher sides, lol.

Plus it turned out I had the wrong filter. I noticed Walmart had some AC Delco cartridge style filters in stock but I wasn't sure if they were the right number. I couldn't memorize the full number on the box but I knew it ended in 57G so I walked outside to the Cruze and got my receipt from the previous filter I'd bought at the dealer. Sure enough, it ended in 57G so I bought the Walmart unit. Today when I pulled the old filter out I could see in an instant that it was much longer than the new one from the Walmart. Turns out there are 2 AC Delco filters that end in 57G.

All is well now. The garage floor has some kitty litter absorbing the spill. I spilled a little more when I pulled the filter out. It fell precisely through the new cut-away belly pan just like GM designed. BTW Quaker State Ultimate Durability full synthetic (Dexos symbol on the jug) is less than $21 at Walmart.

 

[XtremeRevolution]

Nice mess!

One time, I was changing the oil in my 95 Regal. I was in high school, and had just finished it, proud that I didn't leave a single drop of mess. I started the car, put it in drive, and moved forward a foot when it hit me that I had forgotten to put the new oil filter on. That one took a while to clean up with some industrial strength degreaser.

 

[NBrehm]

You may have better luck not using the ramps if you can reach the drain plug, a good low profile oil pan will slide right under and not leave much room for overspray.

 

[jblackburn]

Hey, at least your car didn't do that by itself.

My Volvo blew out a cam seal and did that of its own accord. There was a trail of oil down the road and a big ol' puddle when I parked.

In fact, it is unusual for one of those cars to NOT be leaking oil somewhere. *sigh*

I'd be so mad if that happened in my garage. Did you pull out the oil dipstick or take off the oil cap when draining the oil to allow the car to vent air without "burping" and splashing back? I made that mistake the first time I changed my oil in the Cruze.

 

[spacedout]

The wrong filter you bought was the 457G, that is for the older 2.2 ecotec engines. I believe the cruze AC delco filter is a 2257G. I have not seen the newer style at walmart.

 

[sciphi]

That's why I change my oil with a MityVac. Much less mess since it's being sucked out via a vacuum instead of draining out via gravity.

Agreed, did you loosen the filter housing or the oil filler cap before beginning? It's always a mess on modern cars if the oil filler cap is tight while the oil is draining.

I have that exact same drain pan, and it works quite well, IMO. Certainly better than the junky Blitz guaranteed-to-spill oil pans available everywhere.

 

[Sunline Fan]

lol, try changing the oil in a diesel pickup. Imagine almost four gallons of hot oil streaming down toward the floor, which will overflow most oil drain pans!

 

[titan2782]

Changed the oil in the SRT-4 after we first got it. The filter was on so friggin tight that I had to smash it to get a grip on it with channel locks. After all was said and done, there was no mess. Then I had my wife start the car. Oh what a fountain of oil it was!! The previous filter was on so tight that when I got it off I didn't realize the seal was still attached to the block so there was double seals and the new one didn't seal. It sprayed in all directions and got the pretty engine all messy.

Shoveled some dirt on to it and let it sit then took a push broom and got it all taken care of.

This is why it's worth $30-$75 to have someone else change the oil and rotate my tires. Not in high school anymore, not willing to get dirty to save a few bucks.

 

[Jim Frye]

It could have been worse. A long time ago, I was changing the oil in one of our cars out in the street in front of the house (no garage back then). Poured four quarts of Mobil1 in it and then remembered I hadn't put the drain plug back in. Gadzooks, what a mess in the street.

 

[XtremeRevolution]

Changed the oil in the SRT-4 after we first got it. The filter was on so friggin tight that I had to smash it to get a grip on it with channel locks. After all was said and done, there was no mess. Then I had my wife start the car. Oh what a fountain of oil it was!! The previous filter was on so tight that when I got it off I didn't realize the seal was still attached to the block so there was double seals and the new one didn't seal. It sprayed in all directions and got the pretty engine all messy.

Shoveled some dirt on to it and let it sit then took a push broom and got it all taken care of.

This is why it's worth $30-$75 to have someone else change the oil and rotate my tires. Not in high school anymore, not willing to get dirty to save a few bucks.

These days, it's no longer about saving a few bucks, but about making sure the job gets done right.

Say this kid who's changing your oil for you doesn't look at the torque specification clearly labeled on your oil filter cap, over-tightens it, and it cracks. Suppose then that the oil spraying out of it covers up the turbo, catches fire, and your engine bay goes up in flames.

Sloppy oil changes are the reason why this engine shield recall exists.

I personally don't trust anyone else to do it. I once changed the oil for another girl and was able to remove the drain plug with my bare hand because the last oil change place forgot to tighten it. She said it had been leaking oil for a while.

 

[titan2782]

These days, it's no longer about saving a few bucks, but about making sure the job gets done right.

I agree, but to a point. I don't trust anyone either (especially since my kids ride in my car). I inspect all work done. But some things I've just grown tired of doing myself.

 

[Mick]

Looks like someone needs one of these lol

 

[NickD]

Heard the reason why they don't put drain plugs on AT pans is because they want to make sure you drop the pan to change the filter. Well, screw you, both of my AT vehicles have drain plugs, I put those on myself. Now here trying to drop a pan loaded with fluid to the top of the pan while lying on your back can be tricky.

Now I wonder when they are going to omit the drain plug on the engine oil pan, eliminating everything else. At least for now, we still have a drain plug. 04 Cavalier is a bit trickier, mounted on the side of the pan and the oil shoots straight back.

First I loosen the drain plug, using my left hand put pressure on the plug with two fingers while holding my oil container at an angle to catch that first surge. Least the drain plug on the Cruze is on the bottom, so the oil goes straight down. Don't use ramps? Would have to be less than half the thickness of Twiggy to get under there. I do manage to always get the thumb and forefinger wet with oil when draining it, but that is about all.

Oil drain plug always comes first, let it drain, then loosen the cap on the oil filter, relieves the suction, and let that drain. Don't have customers waiting in line, so just leave it and let both drain or a boss on my butt telling me to worry up.

If the Boy Scouts taught me anything, is to be prepared, already ordered a half a dozen Delco PF2257G filters from rockauto.com, best price I could find anywhere, only charged me a couple of bucks for shipping, can't even drive to my nearest auto supply store that cheap.

What I like about the Cruze, only uses 4 1/2 quarts, Cavalier uses 5 1/2 quarts, so have to buy an extra quart, like buying the five quart bottles. Do have some empty Mobil One quart bottles handy to put the balance of the oil into one of those quarts. Trick is getting the oil from my drain pan back into that five quart bottle, so use an eight inch funnel for that with some Buyer's Guide papers on the floor, but at most, only spill a couple of drops. That goes back to where I purchased the oil from and end up buying a new fresh bottle of oil for next time. Assume there will be a next time.

Wipe my drain pan clean with some paper towels and spray a little bit of choke and carb cleaner in it so its clean for the next time. Hang it up on the garage wall, had to drill a hole in the side of it.

Changing oil in my 305 I/0 boat is more of a pain. Took a five quart bottle, old oil was returned in an empty gallon plastic milk carton. Drilled a couple of 1/4" holes and hot glued in a couple of short pieces of ice maker line. Feed ice maker line into the oil check tube, other end goes to my vacuum pump. But still use aluminum foil home made pan under the pan to get the last of it out. Really no consideration for changing oil on these things.

Have to remove the battery to reach back for the filter. Changing oil in a car is easy. Even easier in my 454 motorhome, high enough so I don't have to jack it up.

Did have to buy lower profile ramps for the Cruze, should include those with the cost of the car.

 

[Patman]

I had the same problem the first time I changed my oil on this car Splashed all over. Go to any parts store or Walmart and they sell a drain pan that has a big yellow or orange cap on top(where the oil drains) Under the screw cap is a plastic grating so the oil has nothing to splash on. That is about the only way you can change oil in a car with a straight down drain. Same oil pan sucks for my wife's Malibu and my old Aleros where it shoots out the back. Have to determine how far out the oil will shoot and when it gets near the end, have to move it in.

 

[horsehaulin]

Fumoto drain, have one on my truck and the wife's Suburban, no mess when you attach a hose.


Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide

 

[getblended]

You don' need a pan with higher sides. You and I'm not trying to be mean, need "practice" of all things because I have a commonly sold pan with little to no sides and i never spill a drop. I was actually pissed when the dealer cut up my plastic belly pan thing because of the fire issue. My oil changes are spotless and so my car was never in danger of oil starting a fire. Oh well.

I did another oil change today on my 2011 LS. This is the third I've done myself.

I placed the drain pan very carefully directly under the drain plug. The oil you see is where the stream hit the pan and splashed out. I need to come up with a better pan. One that has higher sides, lol.

Plus it turned out I had the wrong filter. I noticed Walmart had some AC Delco cartridge style filters in stock but I wasn't sure if they were the right number. I couldn't memorize the full number on the box but I knew it ended in 57G so I walked outside to the Cruze and got my receipt from the previous filter I'd bought at the dealer. Sure enough, it ended in 57G so I bought the Walmart unit. Today when I pulled the old filter out I could see in an instant that it was much longer than the new one from the Walmart. Turns out there are 2 AC Delco filters that end in 57G.

All is well now. The garage floor has some kitty litter absorbing the spill. I spilled a little more when I pulled the filter out. It fell precisely through the new cut-away belly pan just like GM designed. BTW Quaker State Ultimate Durability full synthetic (Dexos symbol on the jug) is less than $21 at Walmart.

 

[NickD]

Could be my monitor, this fluid looks a like more like AT fluid than engine oil.

 

[NickD]

View attachment 8237
Engine is not a 1.4L turbo, as the Cruze sits so low with the drain plug dead at the bottom, would be very concerned about this thing breaking off sticking down that far.

Sometimes convenience or labor saving devices are exactly the opposite. Like automatic climate control in an automobile, an absolute nightmare to repair in most vehicles if you have a problem. And can end up either freezeing to death or being baked alive.

I even put a thin coat of Permatex non-hardening gasket maker on my drain plugs, just to make sure they don't leak.

 

[Dale_K]

I would never use one of those drain valves for fear it would be struck by something laying on the road. I used to have one of those pans with the grid mesh below the big cover for the drain area and it worked great until the mesh swelled and wouldn't fit in the opening. In the photo you can actually see a second drain pan. I went to O'Reilly to get a better funnel and they had a little kit on sale that included the funnel, the drain pan, some hand cleaner and paper towels. I can say the paper towels were very handy indeed when the Exxon Valdez pulled into port.

 

[NickD]

Ha, I am still using, has to be at least 50 years old, an old dish pan container that is 17" in diameter and 7" deep for my drain pan. Used that when I had a single basin sink and no dishwasher. A lot has changed since those days.

Still say, they don't make stuff the way they use to. Did a lot of oil changes with that pan, a good friend. My 47 year old air compressor developed a leak, found the check valve rubber had hardened. Couldn't find a replacement, so put it in my lathe and with 60 grit sandpaper, removed that hard top layer of rubber. Held solid for a week now.

Did look to buy a new air compressor, see nothing but pure garbage. Recall paying 200 bucks for that air compressor, and was built to last. With 47 years of hard use, certainly got my money's worth out of it, but maybe good for another 47 years now.

Man, are we getting screwed blue with this Made in China crap.