I battle a neurological disorder that has left me w/weakness in my hands & feet. Just serviced my 17' Ram 1500 SLT.
1. Get a set of ramps, 7000lbs. *if equipped w/4wd, once lined up w/ramps, I liked to shift into 4'low. Once 4-lo is engaged the trucks idle speed automatically bumps up to 700 RPM's. It crawls up the ramps on it's own, all you have to worry about is stepping on the brake once you drop into that sweet spot. You'll kno it once you drop into it!
2. I used the rubber strap like device(oil filter removal tool). My Dad used it when I was a kid(it's literally 25yrs old!) There are tons of them out there. Get one w/a medium length handle(8" - 10"), enough to get leverage, but short enough to fit that area. One reason I like the strap device, you can slide it top to bottom anywhere on the filter where you'll have the best dimensional area for the handle of the removal tool to rotate around as you break the filter loose.
3. To hell w/the standard oil catch basins they sell at the auto parts store. I use an old plastic storage bin, like from Costco! It's 20"w × 28"l × 14"d(approx!). It's the perfect length that if you place it just right, you can pull the plug let the engine drain. While draining, move onto the filter.
4. Keep some non recyclable plastic(that's going into the trash anyways, 12" × 14"). Enough to cover your power steering & the cross member that is under the oil filter. They sell rubber mats(in various sizes) for this exact purpose. Have plenty of rags & Brakleen!
5. Now that you're truck is on ramps! And you've pulled you're oil drain plug. Your old storage tub is close, you'll have to adjust tub as the draining slows down.
6. Now you can sit up(on your bum, b/c the front of your truck is on ramps!) under the front of your truck. Take plastic & rags cover anything you think may get some splash on(specifically your electric power steering unit).
7. Install oil filter removal tool, remove oil filter. "I was quite leary, my hands aren't great. I deal w/weakness and dexterity loss, the longer I work, the worse it gets. But it honestly went great." Once you break the filter loose, remove tool, unscrew the filter a couple rotations, not more. Let drizzle out what needs to drizzle out(you're prepared 4 that/the plastic!). Once it's done drizzling, you'll have both hands to unscrew the filter, always supporting the weight. Carefully lower filter down to your tub to safely dump out the remaining oil left in old filter. Wipe clean the area where oil filter is screwed on to.
8. I think you got it from here! Reverse process!
But....a couple tips, reminders!
(A) People really like to prime the new filter(fill new filter up w/oil prior to installation), I do. Also, give the rubber gasket a gentle coat w/the new oil. Speaking of the oil filter gasket! I actually like to double check that old gasket from the old the old filter isn't stuck to engine. I've seen that happen. Screwed a new oil filter on, not realizing the old gasket didn't come off w/the old filter! What a mess! That's why it's a good idea to wipe area clean prior to installation of new oil filter or oil pan plug.
(B) When tightening oil filter, don't Hulk it! Rule of thumb I was always taught, after the rubber gasket makes contact. It's a 3/4 turn from there, not more.
(C) Take care when installing oil pan drain plug. If you cross thread that bolt....... well just don't cross thread it ok! Torque spec for oil pan drain plug is 25ft/lb, or 1 ugga ugga!
(D) Collect all your pastic & rags used, last thing you want is forget a rag and have it get caught in something!
(E) When filling engine w/new oil, don't just dump all 7 quarts back in. I did a "hot flush", went for a good drive b4 I changed my oil. I let my engine drain for 45mins and still had the tiniest drizzle. It's nearly impossible to get all of your old oil out(unless you have two hours!). Keep track of new oil used, especially if you prime your new filter. Once I've used approx. 6.5 quarts, I then lower the truck down off the ramps(disengage 4wd). Get truck level. Check dip stick, add oil accordingly.
*I like 2 b closer to the top holes of the crosshatch area on the dip stick. At 6 quarts 700mls(that includes what I added to the new oil filter prior to installation), I was perfect on my dip stick. So I stopped there. Had I just topped it off to the total 7 quarts, I totally would've been over. Which is not good.
** I know exactly how much I used b/c all the containers I used had measurments w/a sight line up & down the bottle!
I know that was a lot! It reads like it! It felt like a lot b4 the first time I did it. W/my neurological disorder, honestly, I was scared. One step at time, I got it done. You can too!
www.harborfreight.com
