H3 Oil Change with Pictures

Wendell

7/2/2007 3:58:30 PM

Make sure your drain pan is underneath. Oil runs all over the crossmember as shown below.

After it completes draining, put the plug back in and wipe down with hand towels. Now move to the oil filter. Yeah it is wedged up there in the front of the engine. It does have a small built in funnel device to help to keep oil getting everywhere and it does work fairly well. I had to use an oil filter wrench to break the filter loose.

Get the drain pan in place and remove the filter. It does get a little messy, but nothing hand towels can't clean up.

Ok install the new filter. Put a little oil on the rubber gasket to help it seal. After you have installed the new filter and you're sure the drain plug is back in, put in some fresh Oil.

Before putting the skid plates back on, start it up and make sure you don't have any leaks. If not, shut it off and install the skid plates. Make sure it is level and check the oil dipstick to make sure you have enough oil. Properly dispose of the old oil.

This is just a general guide. I am sure others have their ways of doing it, this worked for me.

blackstangs281

7/2/2007 4:11:08 PM

Very good.....................I'm going to move this under freq asked questions.

Thanks

Dennis

7/2/2007 4:17:17 PM

Great write up with excellent photos...But I would like to add this if I may..You should fill the new filter with fresh oil before installing it...This will prevent from a dry start-up.

Gunner_45

7/2/2007 6:00:55 PM

Nicely done. Thanks.

hilljob26

9/7/2007 3:49:32 AM

so is it a 6 qt system

Doc Olds

9/7/2007 6:12:27 AM

Capacities and Specifications
Application

Cooling System 10.0 qt 9.5 L

Engine Oil with Filter 6.0 qt 5.7 L

Fuel Tank 23.0 gal 87.1 L

Transmission (Drain and Refill)

Automatic 5.0 qt 4.7 L

Manual 2.5 qt 2.4 L

Wheel Nut Torque 100 lb ft 140Y

All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the appropriate level, as recommended in this manual.

6 Qts engine oil w/ filter per the manual.

rotten

9/7/2007 1:07:17 PM

Does the 6 quarts of oil take into account that i dropped the 5 quart jug while pouring it in and spilling about half a quart all over bloody hell?

Seriously though, thanks much for the how to. I changed my oil the other day and it helped to have these pictures. Too bad the lube shop that did it last time didn't use the guide. They had the skid plates lapped wrong and didn't really bother to tighten them all the way. I've heard people say we are cheap for changing our own oil, well i do it so i know it's done right.

rhill20

5/4/2008 9:47:39 AM

Very nice, I'm about to do this for the first time myself. Got Mobil 1 5W-30 and the Mobil 1 MI-206 filter. Thanks for the pics!

rhill20

5/4/2008 9:56:30 AM

Adding this because I'm sure it will be the next question or the next step:

Remember to reset the oil life system whenever the oil and filter is changed.
1. Turn the ignition to RUN with the engine OFF.
2. Press and release the reset button in the driver information center (DIC) until the OIL LIFE message is displayed.
3. Once the alternating OIL LIFE and RESET messages appear on the DIC display, press and hold the reset stem until several beeps sound. This confirms the OIL LIFE system has been reset.
4. Turn the key to lock. If the CHANGE OIL message comes back on when you start the engine, the ENGINE OIL LIFE system has not reset. Repeat the procedure

HummerGuy

6/4/2008 6:23:33 AM

I'm probably going to be doing this in the next few weeks for the first time myself. If you have small arms, can you change the oil filter on your own, or do you have to take the panels off to access it? Can't you just turn the wheel all the way and kinda slide your arm in there?

motley1987

6/7/2008 9:24:59 AM

I couldn''t even see the filter without removing the skid plate, so I don''t think that''s possible. Two other things I found out doing mine for the first time today.

1. When removing the drain plug, the oil shoots out a foot towards the tire so if you put the drain pain right underneath it, you''ll miss a lot. I should have seen it coming since the plug is on the side, but I wasn''t thinking and made a little mess.

2. When removing the old filter, the drain they attached to the frame works well, but I still got a lot of oil draining from the filter into the palm of my hand. I was wearing gloves so the oil didn''t burn me, but it''s something to be aware of if you were driving your car recently and the oil is still hot.

Otherwise it took me 30-45 minutes and some of that time was just finding the drain plug in the first place. The pictures here helped a lot though.

rhill20

6/8/2008 9:28:44 AM

You have to take the skid plate off, and yes, I fit my hand up from underneath and got the oil filter. Motley is right about the oil though. lol Have a nice spot on the driveway now.

HummerGuy

6/8/2008 2:40:40 PM

I did it without removing the skid plates. If you stick your arm down past the power steering pump, you can reach the filter with no problem, at least in the ''06 manual.

HummerGuy

6/8/2008 2:43:20 PM

I think you guys may have an automatic transmission pump or something down there blocking filter access. With mine, you can see it from the engine compartment and stick your hand right through the hole and take it out.

rhill20

6/8/2008 10:06:16 PM

Yep, auto here

HummBob

6/8/2008 11:51:57 PM

Too Much Work to save $29.99!!!

The Dark Knight

7/4/2008 10:46:29 AM

Nice write up with pics.

I''ll add one notation. Before installing the filter and dumping all of the motor oil into the engine, be sure to lube the inside of the oil filter with oil, and with as much as it will hold without spilling. In case if you''re wondering why, I''ll tell you. When the engine starts up, the oil must pass through the engine oil filter first before moving to the rest of the motor. If the oil filter is dry, this will actually increase the amount of time for the oil to be circulated to the rest of the motor, because the filter will have to first become lubricated enough to allow the oil to circulate through it. During this time, extra wear and stress is put on the motor. In the long run, this actually shortens the life of the motor. At least this is how I understand things based on my experience and research.

Beast

8/26/2008 8:54:08 AM

Thanks for the good info., I have an 08 H3 with the 5.3L and I did my first oil change this last weekend. I didn''t want to remove the skid plates if I didn''t have to so after a good look underneath I took a look around the garage and found a paint tray (for a paint roller) and it worked great, I cut the feet off the shallow end so that it would slip between the crossmember and the oil pan and then I drilled a 1" hole in the corner of the deep sump end so it would drain into the bucket. The only thing that took a little extra time was holding the drain plug to regulate the oil coming out to make sure it all went into the paint tray, it also worked great for taking off the old filter, I never lost a drop, no mess to clean up.

Related Threads

Oil Change light

finally got the change oil message to come on

first oil change

Oil change question asap

Quick Maint. Question...Diff oil change.

First oil change, and........