First of all, I'd like to thank everyone here for the input on changing oil on a goat.
That said, I just had a few observations. First of all, I didn't realize that the skid plate completely blocked the underside of the engine. No big deal, 4 bolts and it drops right out and you can get to the drain plug and filter. So, beware of that one if you're doing this yourself. Also, it helped that I jacked the car up on the drivers side, since the drain plug is on the right side of the engine. I still dropped the car down to level to see if anything else came out, and there were maybe a few extra drips. So, the secret to draining all the baffles seems to be to jack the car on the left. Again, recommended by a fellow forum member.
The only part that came as a shock to me was how much oil this thing burned. I bought my 05 used, so the dealer did the last oil change, and I did this one at a little before 5,000 miles (since the last one). When I emptied my drain pan, I probably filled less than 4 quarts back into my empty 5 quart Mobile 1 jug. I was surprised how much oil these cars burn. And I'm not exactly easy on it. Again, I read here that they burn something like a quart every 2000 miles, but still didn't expect to see it. So, don't forget to check your oil level between changes, a lesson for me as well.
The only other trick that seemed to work good, was that once I got everything back together, I put in 6.25 quarts of oil, started it up, let it sit for about 10 minutes and the dip stick was exactly at the top. Perfect. And this was on a PF46 filter. Thanks again to the forum members who pointed that one out as well.
Anyhow, that's all I have... Just wanted to share....
Bill.
That said, I just had a few observations. First of all, I didn't realize that the skid plate completely blocked the underside of the engine. No big deal, 4 bolts and it drops right out and you can get to the drain plug and filter. So, beware of that one if you're doing this yourself. Also, it helped that I jacked the car up on the drivers side, since the drain plug is on the right side of the engine. I still dropped the car down to level to see if anything else came out, and there were maybe a few extra drips. So, the secret to draining all the baffles seems to be to jack the car on the left. Again, recommended by a fellow forum member.
The only part that came as a shock to me was how much oil this thing burned. I bought my 05 used, so the dealer did the last oil change, and I did this one at a little before 5,000 miles (since the last one). When I emptied my drain pan, I probably filled less than 4 quarts back into my empty 5 quart Mobile 1 jug. I was surprised how much oil these cars burn. And I'm not exactly easy on it. Again, I read here that they burn something like a quart every 2000 miles, but still didn't expect to see it. So, don't forget to check your oil level between changes, a lesson for me as well.
The only other trick that seemed to work good, was that once I got everything back together, I put in 6.25 quarts of oil, started it up, let it sit for about 10 minutes and the dip stick was exactly at the top. Perfect. And this was on a PF46 filter. Thanks again to the forum members who pointed that one out as well.
Anyhow, that's all I have... Just wanted to share....
Bill.
