And the oil filter is..... where?

[CruisinDad]

I'm getting ready to do an oil change this Sat. Started snooping around the car and, without jacking it up, I can't see where the filter is. This caused me wondering... what are the gotcha's here. I noticed the oil fill cap is down abit and will be a bit difficult putting oil in without making a mess... unless I use a funnel of some sort. Anybody tried and true hints make quick work of the oil change?

Seems this should be a no brainer. How hard can changing the filter & oil be?
Well, actually I had a Ford Tempo once that one had to be a bit of a pretzle to get a hand on the thing.

[cleverklutz]

It's actually really nice. The oil filter is right behind the drain plug, so you can catch all the oil at once in the pan. All my other cars I have to wait till it's drained the oil, put the plug back in, then pull the filter. You can use one container and do it all at once on the PT.

Watch when jacking it up. There's no front motor mount if you're used to k-car based stuff. There's only the rad cradle in the front. I jack on the frame rail where near where you'd put the spare tire jack and just lift the side.

And yes, a funnel is a good idea for filling the oil up!

Ben

[quicksilverdon]

Best bet is "rhino ramps" - plastic, about $20, hold about twice what the PT weighs. Put a sheet of cardboard down & slide under.
Plug is 13mm.
I use a strap wrench (Sears) on the filter, and cut the bottom off a plastic soda bottle for a funnel.

[soonercruiser]

When the heavy duty "composite" material ramps first came out, I had a neighbor who was shamed into buying a set...but not really confident about it. Sooooo.....
Instead of a piece of cardboard, I got him a body bag to use as a gag, sliding under the car!

(His wife was NOT AMUSED!)

[nexium]

The first time I did mine, I used a mirror and a good handlight. After a few, it's pretty much by feel. Saves time not having to use the ramps. Make sure the old gasket didn't stick to the mating surface on the filter mount.

[CruisinDad]

A quick follow up...
Did two things Saturday... changed oil and filter and changed spark plug and wire.

The oil change. Took about 30 minutes. I found the filter tucked up out of the way right by the drain plug at the back of the oil pan. Actualy quite a thoughtful design. The bottom of the car is pretty smooth... good for air flow. Having the filter right next to the drain plug, as mentioned, really simplifies the drain process.

The biggest hassle is actually putting oil into the engine. On all the other cars I've ever owned pouring oil directly from a quart bottle was never an issue. On the PT I won't even try. The oil fill is recessed down a bit and to try and pour directly from the bottle would guarantee an oily mess all over... at leat for my old hands. A funnel is difinately needed. As I didn't have one handy I followed quicksilverdon's suggestion but I used an empty quart oil bottle instead (that's what I had available) and worked like a charm.

A note on jacking up the car. I used a floor jack (didn't have acess to ramps) and used the jacking spots right behind the front wheels as instructed in the owners manual. But then where to put the jack stands?? I used 6x6 1/2 inch ply blocks on the jack stand and supported the car about 12 inches inboard from the jack points resting the car on what I would call the subframe. That's right behind where the suspension bolts to the body. Worked fine with no adverse affect on the car.

NOTE: Make sure the parking brake is on and the rear wheels are shocked/blocked well.

In changing the splugs and wires... I also changed out the air filter and found it helpful to lift air airfilter lid up at the same time I suspended the air intake with a bungee cord.... simple. What I found with the plugs was that they were OE Champions. Adequate but not the best. What I did notice though is that they were all gapped at .55 inch. That is .15 above spec.

When I got things all back togeter (about 1.5 hours total effort) I went for a drive and checked for oil leak from filter or plug... all was clean. What I did notice was that the car "came alive". More responsive to the accelerator and a smoother idle. Undoubtfuly a result of changing out the spark plug wires along with the plugs. Well worth the effort. Rounded things of with a good washing and shinning. Clean autos that run slick and smooth are so enjoyable.

[bobs turbo pt]

glad you got it all done

[Hooligan]

If I may suggest one other thing to do: Disconnect the Negative battery cable for about 5 minutes, that forces the computer to re-learn the difference in the plugs & wires.

[CruisinDad]

Originally Posted by Hooligan

If I may suggest one other thing to do: Disconnect the Negative battery cable for about 5 minutes, that forces the computer to re-learn the difference in the plugs & wires.

Yes I've seen this mentioned a number of times to reset the computer so that it recalibrates. I'm not sure what else gets set back to default, i.e. radio setting, "user defined" parameters on the information center, etc. This started out with my wife saying.. Hey, let's get you a car. Some where during the last four weeks it has magically transitioned into her car. Dare I mess with her radio stations.

[Hooligan]

It will NOT bother the radio. If you were to leave the battery unhooked for over 1/2 hour it may reset them. If removing the cable would upset the spouse, it wouldn't be offered so often as a fix.