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-   -   what is your easiest and most difficult oil change? (http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1182645-what-your-easiest-most-difficult-oil-change.html)

vash 08-20-2025 10:13 AM

what is your easiest and most difficult oil change?
 
I have both sides of the spectrum now.

easiest is my 2006 Toyota Tacoma. 4.0L. oil filter is on top of motor. I turn it off like the lid of a pickle jar. slip under, and the drain plug is right there. pow!

biggest PIA?
my 2023 Toyota Tacoma. 3.5L. it has a canister type filter where I only change out the element inside. canister is plastic. I have to drain it first by removing some odd alloy cap and then jamming a draining device. I had to source a sllicon hose to keep the oil from dribbling down my arm. BUT to even get to that filter is to remove the skid plate. grit and sand will rain on me. haha. I have to change out o-rings on the canister. two of them. the oil fill tube is very angled. I have to get my wife to steady the funnel. good times!!

I changed both a couple of days ago. my 2006 took 7 minutes. I'm still side eyeing the new truck to make sure I didnt forget something. :D

wife has an EV. high five.

rockfan4 08-20-2025 10:34 AM

Chevrolet 3.6l V6. Hardest and easiest.

My wife's old 2016 Impala had the oil filter wedged in with the front exhaust manifold, about an inch from one of the catalytic converters. You could unscrew it from the top, but you couldn't lift it out between the engine and radiator. A couple times I dropped it after burning myself and splashed oil everywhere. The drain plug was almost horizontal. The first time I pulled it oil shot straight out onto the inside of the right front tire. After that I found I had to hold the pan up to catch the first spurt of oil.

Same engine, 2021 Blazer. The oil filter is now on the bottom of the engine, and the drain plug is also on the bottom. No muss, no fuss, easy.

I always hated the later model Volkswagens and Audis that I used to own. I always had to pull a big plastic under tray to get to anything.

911 Rod 08-20-2025 10:36 AM

Your 2023 sounds like my 2016 Tundra. Not a bad job on a lift. Toyota filter comes with a spout to drain the oil out of the filter before removing it.

Worst oil change? 2010 Ford Ranger. Oil filter is in the wheel well just out of reach and crooked in everyway. Dropped a full oil change on the driveway because I didn't have it on properly. Oh, and it was a new driveway. I moved so I didn't have to look at it.

craigster59 08-20-2025 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vash (Post 12519285)
the oil fill tube is very angled. I have to get my wife to steady the funnel. good times!!

I changed both a couple of days ago. my 2006 took 7 minutes. I'm still side eyeing the new truck to make sure I didnt forget something. :D

wife has an EV. high five.

You need one of these....

https://www.motivxtools.com/collections/oil-funnels/products/engine-oil-funnel-for-toyota-lexus-scion-vehicles-with-threaded-oil-fill-caps

stevej37 08-20-2025 10:56 AM

Both Honda's
My 98 Prelude is super easy. Can reach both the drain plug and filter without even lifting the car.

My 23 Civic could be the same...except it has that belly pan that needs to be removed first. Seven fasteners, two diff kinds, need to be removed first. I have to use the lift for that car.

craigster59 08-20-2025 11:01 AM

I swear by these. Makes oil draining a snap....

https://www.fumotousa.com

Zeke 08-20-2025 11:03 AM

Generator. Have to remove the housing and elevate. I should definitely invest in a pump.

stevej37 08-20-2025 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craigster59 (Post 12519316)
I swear by these. Makes oil draining a snap....

https://www.fumotousa.com



I have 1 of those on my 84 Carrera..... Makes an oil change very easy.... Because you can regulate the outflow.

.

aschen 08-20-2025 11:32 AM

Lotus elise / exige.

Its not hard but it takes a lot of care, jacking up car is a bit of a process and there are like 25 tiny stainless fasters to be carefull with for the undertrays.

It always took me 2-3 hrs.


Ive never had a car where I didnt have to remove some sort of under belly.

masraum 08-20-2025 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vash (Post 12519285)
I have both sides of the spectrum now.

easiest is my 2006 Toyota Tacoma. 4.0L. oil filter is on top of motor. I turn it off like the lid of a pickle jar. slip under, and the drain plug is right there. pow!

biggest PIA?
my 2023 Toyota Tacoma. 3.5L. it has a canister type filter where I only change out the element inside. canister is plastic. I have to drain it first by removing some odd alloy cap and then jamming a draining device. I had to source a sllicon hose to keep the oil from dribbling down my arm. BUT to even get to that filter is to remove the skid plate. grit and sand will rain on me. haha. I have to change out o-rings on the canister. two of them. the oil fill tube is very angled. I have to get my wife to steady the funnel. good times!!

I changed both a couple of days ago. my 2006 took 7 minutes. I'm still side eyeing the new truck to make sure I didnt forget something. :D

wife has an EV. high five.

Same, wife has 2018 Subaru Outback with 3.6L flat 6. I don't have to jack the car up, slide under, unscrew filter bare handed through access hole in plastic panel. Then use a wrench to remove/reinstall drain plug. Fill with 7 qts of oil.

2008 Boxster S w/3.4L flat 6. Jack up car, because there's no way in hell that I can fit under it any other way. It also has a canister oil filter where you just replace the cartridge. LN Eng does make an adapter for a screw on oil filter, but I'm sticking with the canister for now. The screw on filter would be a lot easier/cleaner. Fill with 8.2qt of oil.

rwest 08-20-2025 11:56 AM

The worst oil change is the FIRST time you charge oil on a 911 and realize your drain pan is too small!

All of my cars have been as good as can be reasonably expected.

kochtools 08-20-2025 12:01 PM

Most difficult: 2013 Porsche Panamera GTS. Disable air suspension. Jack up. Remove belly-pan (~18 screws). Remove structural cross brace ( ~6 bolts ). Drain oil. Change filter. Re-assemble. Fill oil. Plug in computer to reset. Check and confirm oil level several days later once all conditions have been met. (currently owned)

Least difficult: Kia EV6 ... no oil since its an EV ... now at 40k-miles ... this is an awesome car that is now super cheap on the used market ... It drives well. All of you should go buy one ... best daily appliance ever. (also currently owned)

matthewb0051 08-20-2025 12:06 PM

Worst used to be my Land Rover Discovery 4 (AKA LR4), until my mechanic told me about the extractor tube that sits just under the fill cap. I had no idea what that tube was nor that it went to the oil pan. I had been taking off the heavy belly pan to access drain plug prior to that knowledge. Now it is just suck out the oil from the top.

Easiest is my older Discovery 2. No belly pan and very easy access. The filter is a bit of a faff though since you have to wiggle it between steering links and spill all of the oil out, but it is very accessible.

stevej37 08-20-2025 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aschen (Post 12519337)
Lotus elise / exige.

Its not hard but it takes a lot of care, jacking up car is a bit of a process and there are like 25 tiny stainless fasters to be carefull with for the undertrays.

It always took me 2-3 hrs.


Ive never had a car where I didnt have to remove some sort of under belly.



An under belly on a 84 930??

.

dad911 08-20-2025 12:24 PM

My Yamaha outboard.

onewhippedpuppy 08-20-2025 12:26 PM

My 2020 Ram is a pretty big PITA. Drain plug is easy but right above the sway bar so it pisses oil everywhere. Filter is high up on the block above the suspension and power steering rack, so it drips all over everything. I now drape a trash back over the components to get most of it into my pan.

masraum 08-20-2025 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rwest (Post 12519355)
The worst oil change is the FIRST time you charge oil on a 911 and realize your drain pan is too small!

All of my cars have been as good as can be reasonably expected.

I've got a drain pain that holds, I think, 12.5 qts. It even has a little vent. But if you don't tilt the thing a tiny bit so that the corner with the vent is higher, the hole can't keep up with the volume of oil that's coming out of either of our cars and the big "funnel" overflows. That's damn frustrating.

https://images.offerup.com/36kEkwm4g...3e8d042b74.jpg

https://media.fleetfarm.com/image/up.../100905443.jpg

masraum 08-20-2025 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37 (Post 12519369)
An under belly on a 84 930??

.

Nope, previous vehicle mentioned in his post.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1755722065.jpg

masraum 08-20-2025 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy (Post 12519383)
My 2020 Ram is a pretty big PITA. Drain plug is easy but right above the sway bar so it pisses oil everywhere. Filter is high up on the block above the suspension and power steering rack, so it drips all over everything. I now drape a trash back over the components to get most of it into my pan.

I'm pretty sure that I've seen a pic of that oil draining on the 'Net as a meme for mechanics wanting to kick the aß of engineers.

stevej37 08-20-2025 12:39 PM

^^^ his sig says he owns a 84 930
My 84 does not have one.


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