first oil change with the Yukon!

[heftylefty58]

Hi Fellas. I bought my Yukon roughly a month ago. Money's a little tight (when isn't it??), so I plan to do all of my own oil changes, and I'd like to get your thoughts:

I live in San Jose, CA, and I don't tow anything. So, I plan to use 5w-30 regular (ie, non-synthetic) oil. I don't know what oil the previous owner used, but they told me they had their oil changes done by the dealer.... I confirmed there's a Duraguard oil filter under the car, but I plan to use Wix filters (p/n 51042).

For those of you who have the same body and change your own oil, do you have any tips/tricks for a first-timer? I took a quick peek underneath, and couldn't quite tell if I should get a belt/strap filter wrench, or a cap-type wrench. I also ran into a so called "World's Best Universal Oil Filter Wrench" on another website. What about the drain plug--does the initial stream of draining oil tend to hit anything to the point of making a mess? If so, how do you handle this? Also, if you have experience with the "Fumoto valve," please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks in advance!

 

[boostaholic]

Use a band clamp filter wrench to remove the old filter and I would recommend buying the k&n oil filter since they use a 1" nut on the filter to aid in removal. I have yet to change mine but I'll be using royal purple 5/30 as I have had fantastic results with their oil in all the vehicles I have owned. If you don't want to drop dime on good stuff just stick to a fram grip filter and some regular mobil oil (blue bottle). Run the truck for a bit before changing the oil and remove the fill cap prior to draining (speeds up the draining process). Make sure you get the gasket from the old filter off and I usually run a small amount of fresh oil around the new gasket and prime the filter with 1/2qt of oil before installing. Tighten her down fairly well (not super tight because it will expand with heat) and check for any leaks/issues after you're done. I end up getting oil on my arm unless I do it at work on a hoist so there really isn't any way around getting a little dirty, just make sure you have a decent drain pan and you take the used oil to an auto parts store for recycling. Wish I could tell you more but I still haven't changed mine, only been a month since I bought it.

 

[heftylefty58]

Oh, I think I might have given the wrong impression: I've been doing oil changes on my previous cars (a Ford, a VW, & 2 Nissans) for years. So, I do know about the benefits of warming up the oil, pre-filling the filter, lubing the gasket (and ensuring the old one is removed!), and having plenty of rags close by. :thumbsup:

I usually put drain pan on a stack of blocks to minimize the splashing when the oil drains, but my 98 Explorer was a pain: the draining oil stream would hit another part of the car to the point where oil would spray everywhere. I'm hoping the 03 Yukon isn't like that, but I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Oh, another question re. the drain plug washer: Do you guys change yours every time? (I tend to change it every 2 or 3 times because I keep forgetting to stock up on them, but hopefully I'll remember this time. :rolleyes2: )

 

[jey_]

Regular band clamp will work just fine. Shops tend to overtighten oil filters for my taste - I usually hand tighten and never have to use a tool to remove it on the next oil change.

Since the drain plug is on the side of the pan note that the stream of oil will come out, well, sideways a little, so be ready to adjust your pan to catch the stream. I've seen a stupid mechanic almost get a face full of oil draining the Tahoe. It shouldn't hit any part of the car though.

There are a lot of people that swear by the Fumoto valve. I've never heard of anyone with a real experience of problems with it, but I'm paranoid something would hit it while I'm off-roading or something, though there isn't a single documented case of that happening.

I have read bad things about Fram oil filters - I buy any brand that is NOT Fram.

Reset the oil life indicator on your Yukon after you change it - it's pretty easy to do from the steering wheel controls.

 

[bzbatl]

I use a Craftsman rubber-type strap wrench on mine. Hand tighten.

The oil drips a bit on the frame bit that runs underneath the drain hole. But nothing too messy.

I use the NAPA brand oil filters. I also use Shell Rotella T full synthetic. $16 for 1-gallon at Wal-Mart. It's basically the US version of Shell Advanced.