how to change oil

[redbeard82]

i want to change the oil in my v6 2002 and have never. are there any pics of what to do.how do you.what plugs annd were. im going to put synthetic in. please help a brither out.thanks alot
david

[07Frontier]

Here is the owner's manual for your vehicle (courtesy of courtesyparts.com). Starting at page 200, it walks you through the steps for changing your oil.

[XE_KING]

Ok... Im sure there are some write-ups on how to do an oil change.. but oh well.
1. Warm your truck up a little so the oil is thinner.

2. Remove the filler cap and dipstick

3. remove the skid plate under the front of your truck(6 bolts) if you have one..

4. find the bolt at the back of your oil pan and loosen it. be carefull not to loosen to quickly.. You want to do your best to keep oil in drain pan and not on you and the driveway. on that thought you may want to put some newspaper down first.

5. once the oil is drained(slows to a drip) re-install the drain plug(wipe it off first and make sure you get a good seal. Tighten to snug. not over tight.

6. Remove your oil filter(I have no idea how yours is set up. Mine is directly above my steering stabilizer shock mount and it gets covered no matter how I try)Also remove this slowly as oil is going to come pouring out.

7. get your new filter and coat the rubber gasket with fresh oil. you can also fill the filter with oil but you have to pour it in the center hole of the filter. This will prime it so that it takes less time to push fresh oil through.. reinstall filter SCREW UNTILL IT MAKES CONTACT +1/2 TURN MORE to tight and you will never get it off again...

8. Fill it up with how ever much your 4 cyl takes (remember some oil is already in the filter so factor that in to how much you add) Use your dipstick to check correct level.

9. Re-install your filler cap

10. Start your truck and check under the pickup for leaks

11. Assuming there are no leaks, shut motor off wait a minute or two and re-check oil levels. Add as needed.

12. Re-install your skid plate

Hope that was not to basic for you.. Sorry if I explained things that didnt need explaining..
Good Luck!

[CRDLIBERTY]

Just get under look at the skid plate all my bolts where loose thanks jiffy lube! Anyhow the oil pan is really small on v6 i had to double check what it was lol. I added 4 quarts which is really to much 3 5/8s is right. I spent most of the time cleaning up the quicky oil change mess dripping oil everywhere.

[redbeard82]

Thanks O7frontier. Thats Awesome. I'm Doing It Tomorrow. Let U Know How It Goes. Thanks Guys

[redbeard82]

k&n oil filter on now and mobile one in the tank. i appreciate your help

[loopydoo]

with a vehicle that old if you've been using conventional oil all its life and are just now switching to a full synthetic, i'd be weary. the synthetic has stuff to clean out your engine, and a lot of times can cause you to start burning oil because the old oil gets buidup around the valve seals and piston rings, and when it gets cleaned out that buildup that was sealing it is not there anymore... in a new vehicle i'd definitely recommend mobil1. in something older, i'd be cautious. keep an eye on it.

[XE_KING]

Originally Posted by loopydoo

with a vehicle that old if you've been using conventional oil all its life and are just now switching to a full synthetic, i'd be weary. the synthetic has stuff to clean out your engine, and a lot of times can cause you to start burning oil because the old oil gets buidup around the valve seals and piston rings, and when it gets cleaned out that buildup that was sealing it is not there anymore... in a new vehicle i'd definitely recommend mobil1. in something older, i'd be cautious. keep an eye on it.

That my friend is hyped up crap! I know for a fact that it will slow oil burn! It can however leak easier. If there is a bad gasket it will find it. It will not create leaks that were not already there. But it there is a pre-existing lieak spot/weak spot it will find it! I introduced Mobile1 to my wife's 00 ford focus with 150k on it. It was burning oil and has completly stopped! Yes it deas clean beter and is slicker than conventional oil. In fact when you go to a stealership and buy a new car they will tell you to run regular oil for the break in cycle because if you start out with synthetic your break in cycle tripples in length of time it takes.
You need to do some more reading before you go spouting off about things from now on.

[loopydoo]

i'm just tellin you what i've personally seen happen. and i don't know what kind of dealerships you've been to, maybe domestic cars are different? we always recommend synthetic to everybody that buys a new car, and let the customer decide if they want to spend a few extra bucks. but yes, on several occasions i've seen synthetic cause problems on higher mileage vehicles with leaking and/or burning oil. not saying the synthetic CAUSED the problems, just identified them. we'll go with valve seals... we'll say a guy has a car with 100,000 miles and has never run synthetic. the valve seals are getting worn, but the oil leaves a little build up, and this build up reseals the would be leaking valve seals. someone buys this car from him, and decides to treat it to synthetic oil, which in turn cleans out all the crap that's built up. now the build up that was sealing the valve seals is now gone, leaving a slightly leaking seal. now the oil didn't cause the problem, wear did. the oil just exposed the problem. some other people can switch to synthetic at 200k and never have a single problem. it all just depends on that particular vehicle. i'm not saying he WILL have problems, just to keep an eye out.

[XE_KING]

Originally Posted by loopydoo

i'm just tellin you what i've personally seen happen. and i don't know what kind of dealerships you've been to, maybe domestic cars are different? we always recommend synthetic to everybody that buys a new car, and let the customer decide if they want to spend a few extra bucks. but yes, on several occasions i've seen synthetic cause problems on higher mileage vehicles with leaking and/or burning oil. not saying the synthetic CAUSED the problems, just identified them. we'll go with valve seals... we'll say a guy has a car with 100,000 miles and has never run synthetic. the valve seals are getting worn, but the oil leaves a little build up, and this build up reseals the would be leaking valve seals. someone buys this car from him, and decides to treat it to synthetic oil, which in turn cleans out all the crap that's built up. now the build up that was sealing the valve seals is now gone, leaving a slightly leaking seal. now the oil didn't cause the problem, wear did. the oil just exposed the problem. some other people can switch to synthetic at 200k and never have a single problem. it all just depends on that particular vehicle. i'm not saying he WILL have problems, just to keep an eye out.

Ok.. that sounds much better. Sorry to get on you about that. Same thing would happen if you were to put seafoam in the oil. Or any other cleaner for that matter.