camaros_4_lfe

well it seems you dont know that much so nows the time to start

i would go with 5w-30 (or 10w-30 in the summer) and synthetic is better for wear and frition but cost more that is the only disadvantage

filter anything but fram

jack up the car use jack stands!! even with ramps use the stands and parking brake!!! and chuck the wheels!!

pop hood pull out dipstick so it sticks way up (you do this so you dont forget about closing your hood without adding oil)

get under car look at the black oil pan bottem of engine theres one bolt at the bottem thats the plug undoit watchout it may splash

then after that is done use the oilfilter wrench to do the filter not hard just dont overtighten(tough hand tight is good) use new oil on the seal before you put it on so the seal dont bind

then add 4 quarts of oil lower your car let it run for about 30 secs make sure you have oil pressure then shut it off check your oil

should need another .5 of a court


dont understand the antifreeze while changing your plugs but however to fill it just take off the radiator cap and top it off close it run the car for a bit let it cool then recheck it

ImportKILLER

How many miles do you have on your engine? If you have a lot of miles, I wouldn't suggest switching to synthetic since you will likely see a leak. Synthetic has a way of finding leaks that dino oil doesn't.

Bliggida

Different and Dangerous are not one and the same. Fram is different. Doesn't make it dangerous.

When Ford swapped to dual overhead cams everyone thought Ford flipped their gord...different.

When the Pinto had the gas tank in the back it was dangerous. Not different.

Not here to promote Fram. But a posted e-mail reply (which completely addresses the alleged problem) from another forum is hardly credible evidence.

Then look at my case. Doubt you can say I am lucky.

F1GT

You can always use a jackstand for safety. You can use it for rotating tires. You can use it to jack up the WHOLE car, all four wheels hanging. Ramps only offer ONE height. Just because a Jackstand doesn't cost $50 doesn't mean it is unsafe or will cost your life. It's a simple design, therefor "only" cost about $10 and it's smaller and more portable.

Fram is junk like IMPORT KILLER stated. Not only was there a thread he linked you to showing that, there was an actual test done on oil filters by some guy using it on his Chrysler car. I lost the link, but it was from a couple of years ago where he tested 10-15 filters. Fram was one of the ones at the bottom. Fram used to be good. Then they decided to up the profit margin and buy their filter from someone else and just change the look of the outside. Several other filters(again, forgot the names) out there have the EXACT same filter that Fram is selling, just under a differing "Look". Another thing discovered during this test was that Fram offered very little Filter element coverage. AC Delco, as I recall was among the best of them. AC Delco has almost TWICE the amont of Filtering element as Fram. It also offered superior construction.

All oil is NOT the same. Here is a COPY and PASTED thread from a while back:
Look at your lovely Pennzoil. $1.08 per quart?? If you wait every month for a sale at Kragen, it's ~70¢ a quart for Havoline.

Royal Purple Synthetic was another brand that's pretty popular with some people. They even put it in there trannies and diffs. The reason being that it actually has dynoed proven HP gains. But, the catch is, the oil breaks down FAST. I read somewhere around 1000 miles only.

JtJ2000: I recommend you use 10W-30, as STATED in your owner's manual. These numbers are simply the temperature range you expect your car to be driven in. 5W can go somewhere around as low as -40°, I think cuz I don't recall the exact #. and 10W can go to as low as around 0°. Again, this is an approximate. And 30, can go up to around the low 100° range, again I don't recall the exact #. You can use 5W-30, its no big deal, but if you have a slight leak, it will leak more with 5W-30. I speak from my rear main leak experience.

5W is thinner than 10W, so it's easier for you to start your car if you're in freezing weather. But as the oil heats up, it gets thicker, that's where the "30" in 10W-30 comes in. If it's 40 the oil can get even thicker.

ImportKILLER

I never said different and dangerous were the same...I don't even know where that came from. I am simply stating my opinion that I wouldn't use Fram filters for the fact that they use cardboard ends where other filters use steel and on my first hand experiance cutting open Fram filters and comparing them with various other brands. In my opinion, the build quality wasn't as good. As I said in my other post, to each his/her own. If you have had good results with Fram on 7,000 mile intervals, good for you.

I posted the link to give a general feeling of how Fram filters are thought of on that particular board but I wouldn't offer people's personal opinions as evidence. As proven here, different opinions for different people. I really don't trust what other people say until I can go out and see for myself, just as I wouldn't trust Fram's response or any other company responding about their products.

There...I'm done. OK..so my revised answer to the original question: Do the oil change yourself, get whatever type oil and filter you want and see how they work out. jtj2000, you've got mail!

EDIT: Oh...Havoline! Just reminded me! If you live near a Target, they have both Chevron Supreme and Havoline (which on the back of the bottle says "Product of ChevronTexaco" and have near exact #s) for .68 cents! I don't know if they would still have any since they went on clearance nationwide about two weeks ago. I cleaned out the local Targets in my area.

F1GT

True dat. And, of course, it's a 96 so it's gotta have wear on it. Even if you don't drive much time has a way of aging things. And Chuck those wheels like Camaros-4-lfe said. If you jack on one corner, chuck the wheel on the opposite diagonal corner. If it's stick, put it in R along with the E-brake.

jtj2000

Well I think I really get how to change the oil. All I have to do now is find that screw. Is it the one that's in the center bottom of the engine, that has alot of gunk around it? One more thing, what do you mean by getting rid of the tires? Take them off so it's easier to get under? And one more thing - the brake rotors, how can you tell just by looking at them if they need to be replaced? Thanks so much!

Jason

WhoBetter?

Hey F1GT, or anyone. What is LE Oil? What brand is that?

All_InTheRED

Probably "Lubrication Engineers".

I use their tranny fluid in my truck.....GOOOOD STUFF!

F1GT

Yep

Bliggida

Once again...

- 125,000 raced and daily driven miles.
- Fram filter at 5,000 mile intervals
- My oil is just as clean as yours,
Now, if I've gone 125,000 miles (which is probably more than whats on your car) where is the reliability issue you're talking about???

Just because Fram uses cardboard doesn't mean its a bad filter automatically, because some other companies like to use a (just as cheap) piece of metal, yet charge you an additional 10 dollars because you believe you are getting a superior sealing ability. Which is all the cardboard (or metal) does. It has to do with sealing. Not the actual filtering. And in regards to the sealing ability of a Fram, I have never had one drip, never, once.

And, any oil you buy at XXX auto store is going to be the same. I am well aware of all the tests done, and there is an "inkling" of a difference between all of them.
Your choices are regular, synthetic, and racing oils.
The only one that is going to make a differance is a racing oil, and that you can't buy at XXX auto store.

If you don't like Fram filters fine. But don't say that they aren't safe to run, or that there is a reliability issue with them without evidence. My engine will prove you wrong.

ImportKILLER

Really...

I'd be interested to see this topic posted on that oil message board where there are a great number of people who work for various oil companies and guys who specialize in oil. I think they'd get just as good of a laugh out of the comment that "all oils are the same". Yup...all oils are the same. Run two identical engines for 100,000 miles under the same conditions...one with a cheap Car and Driver oil, a better conventional oil like Chevron and a synthetic such as Mobil 1 and I bet you'd see differences in the three engines in terms of wear. But...thats probably due to something else since oil is oil. I wonder why Mobil 1 is factory fill for some of the higher end cars...

One doesn't equal the whole...just because YOU haven't had any problems, doesn't mean there haven't been any. I wonder why there is such a big crowd against Fram? I don't see such a crowd against other filters.

I'm not saying your car will die if you use a Fram, but the quality isn't the same as some of the other filters. For the average car driver, a 3,000 oil change and a Fram filter should be OK. But for those who want something better, there is better out there. For 99% of the people who drive, most don't give the oil filter a second thought. They see so much Fram around, figure it must be good. Most people don't know what kind of quality they are buying. For that, all I can say is cut them open and look. Compare the quality. Can't tell how "clean" an oil is just by looking at it...thats what oil analysis is for.

I'd be interested to see the oil analysis of your car...then we'll see just how "clean" it is.



BTW, I'm only spending $1.97 on oil filters...

All_InTheRED

Thats why my Olds 455 and the Camaro get AC Delco filters.

My truck gets a Motorcraft FL-1995 Filter (sucker holds 2 quarts in itself, out of 15quarts total). It actually costs less than the Fram crap fiter at Wal-Mart.

The Fords get Motorcraft filters...and GM get AC-Delco's....period.

U get what u pay for in everything in life.....this includes oil and filters.

ImportKILLER

Can't go wrong with stock...figure if they selected it to go on stock, it has to be half decent. They figure some people go extended drain intervals on them so they have to last longer than 3,000. I think the Delcos are 25-40 micron rated, aren't getting full catching sludge...ADBV but no bypass. I'll usually pick up Delcos when they go on sale...have to be careful though. There have been cases where the Delcos aren't real Delcos but imitations. Usually just cheap for the six weld spots.

F1GT

CLICK ME IF YOU LIKE FRAM