is it complicated changing the oil yourself in the ls1? What kind of oil is the best to use in the ls1? Is synthetic oil good to use? i was planning on changing it myself to royal purple synthetic...

 

changing oil and filter on the LS1 is the same as any car. Took me all of about 5 minutes to do. Just dont over torque the plug because its an aluminum pan and it could be easy to strip. I use castrol synthetic in mine.

 

It's easy to change the oil in an LS1.

Put it on the ramps, take out the oil fill cap and dipstick, go under the car and unscrew the oil pain plug and let it drain into a pan. Unscrew the oil filter and let the oil from that drain, wipe all the old oil away. Take the black o-ring out of the oil filter and lube it up with new oil and then put it back around the filter. Screw the oil filter back on (hand tighten) and put the oil pan plug back in and again, wipe away any excess. Fill it up with 5.5 quarts of 5W-30, put the cap back on and the dipstick back in. Then go inside the car and put the key in the ignition and turn it to the "run" position and hold down the trip odometer button until the orange oil light flashes and then you're all done.

 

5 minutes??? it takes a good 15 just to let all the old oil seep out. (or maybe i'm just TOO neurotic about clean oil.)

good point though with the stripping of the oil pan threads. a good rule of thumb is hand tighten it then torque it down as tight as you can with your hand choked all the way up on the ratchet handle and then maybe another half turn or so with more leverage depending on how it comes out. that's how i do it and it seems to work well.

also, remember to warm the motor before changing the oil. you'll burn your hand a little but you won't leave all the crap sitting in the pan.

 

I am using Redline 10w-30. I used Royal Purple once and ditched it. It is too thin, close to a 20w, and the oil analysis was not that great. The new Mobil1 ot Castrol(German) would be good choices too. As for the oil filter, use the K&N HP2006. This is the best oil filter on ther market. You can get these at Advance Auto Parts.

 

The car I bought owned by a girl had GM change the oil every 3k, so the first time I go under there to change it myself I couldn't remove the oil plug or filter, finally with lots of work I got the filter off and then took a long pipe to loosen the bolt on the oil pan, which was already distorted from some @ss that had to tighten it down with the power tools I presume, the thing is almot stripped. I was so pised, and now i must by another bolt from GM so as not to worry. My whole point is do everything you can yourself, as even the GM mechanics have their heads up their @ss. I guess they figure rather overtighten than under so as not to have a problem. I even noticed some RTV on the bolt, so They obviously over torqued it before. I haven't spotted any leaks yet-cross my fingers.
Like the others said its very easy, just drain the oil then remove the filter, some punch a hole in the filter first to let the oil drain out the bottom, so theres less mess, just punch a screwdriver through it, or a punch. Then unscrew it, fill the new filter with some oil, so it is primed and put a little oil on the rubber seal on the filter and install it, then add a total of 5 quarts plus whats in the filter-the manual says the engine holds 5.5 quarts. Also if you cut the bottom off one of the quarts you can use it as a funnel.

 

Thank you very much for all the great information, when it comes time to do it i will. I like the idea of doing most of the work myself, that way i know it gets done right. Thanks guys!

 

And if you're really **** like me....pull the ignition fuse after the oil is changed and crank the starter 2 to 3 times for a couple of seconds until the oil pressure comes up, then put the fuse back in in and start her up to check for leaks. That way you don't run those first few seconds on low oil pressure.

 

doing it yourself should be a snap. the filter is easy to get to and the drain plug like any other car is also in a good spot.

i use the a/c delco filter and valvoline synthetic blend

 

Also prime the new oil filter by putting 1/4 or so quart
of new oil in it before you "screw" the new filter in.

I take 1 hour to change the oil, and don't use ramps.
( good for 3 beers... )
This way, all or most of all the oil will drain.
I use Mobil 1 like most of the other folks.

Good luck.
Jim

 

Yup yup!!

 

I noticed mine used oil when I changed to synth, so I'm back to Valvoline.

Whether you use synth or conventional, just get a good brand and use a good filter.

Do a search for filters to get that info.

 

would synthetic be better to use on the ls1, i mean what are the gains and what are the downsides to using synthetic?

 

Make sure you "seal" it, use your finger to rub oil on the rim of the filter. Will make it much easier to remove next oil change.