Question about changing oil on a 2.4 turbo

[mfh6375]

I have recently decided to do the oil changes myself on my wife's car, which is a 2004 PT Cruiser GT. I am not new to oil changes, but I have never done one on this car. Is there anything I should know in regards to the turbo? Do I just change oil and filter like normal? Thanks.

[CREWZIN]

It's normal except you should use Synthetic oil instead of the Dyno stuff. It will cost a little more but worth it to give your Turbo a longer life. The Synthetic can take hotter engine temperatures which your Turbo engine runs at and will not coke up when you shut the engine down as regular oil can.

[Mean Green]

Originally Posted by CREWZIN

It's normal except you should use Synthetic oil instead of the Dyno stuff. It will cost a little more but worth it to give your Turbo a longer life. The Synthetic can take hotter engine temperatures which your Turbo engine runs at and will not coke up when you shut the engine down as regular oil can.

I agree.

[mfh6375]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Also, is there anything else I should lube while I'm under there? I tried finding a Haynes manual for this car, but for some reason they only cover PT's until 2003.

[ptborder]

nope. I don't know of anything to lube under there. I agree with all....go with synthetic in a turbo.
While you're changing that oil, check that air cleaner element, go buy a K&N drop in direct replacement...about $30. Before you put it in, see that white tube sticking out into the air box? Grab and pull...there, now you'll have just a tad more "growl" under throttle, no power gain except mental.
The K&N and synthetic resulted in a 1-3mpg increase on my 05 Turbo, depending on how much "giggle" factor I was enjoying at the time.

have fun.

[crusierdad76]

I have changed a lot of oil on a lot of cars and I can tell you this the Pt is as easy a oil change as it getts I do not think i have ever had the filter right there my only problem is the car is pretty low and wont let me use my ramps so i have to jack it up

[mfh6375]

Originally Posted by crusierdad76

my only problem is the car is pretty low and wont let me use my ramps so i have to jack it up

What ramps do you have? I was thinking about getting Rhino ramps, since they have only a 17 deg angle. Will these work with a PT?

Also, how much oil do you guys put in for a oil/ filter change. I couldn't find the capacity in the owner's manual. I downloaded a repair manual from a thread on this site, and it said 5 quarts. Is that correct?

[crusierdad76]

well i put in 5 quarts when i change it it shows full on the stick( OK so actually i put in 4 quarts of Castrol Full Synthetic and 1 quart of Lucas oil stabilizer) and a wix's filter

The ramps I have are the hard plastic i don't think they are rhino ramps
and to be 100% honest I can use them if I cheat I have a 2x10 bout 18 inches long with a 2x8 bout 10 inches long nailed to it so i put that in fount of the tires and drive up on the 2x10 then on to the 2x8 that is on top of the 2x10 so you are like 3 1/2 inches up then up the ramps it seems qureky but it works and the nose wont drag

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by mfh6375

What ramps do you have? I was thinking about getting Rhino ramps, since they have only a 17 deg angle. Will these work with a PT?

Also, how much oil do you guys put in for a oil/ filter change. I couldn't find the capacity in the owner's manual. I downloaded a repair manual from a thread on this site, and it said 5 quarts. Is that correct?

Yup Rhino ramps are great - they're what I use.
5 quarts is correct - get a 5-quart jug of Mobil 1 5w30 at WalMart.

[nomad327]

On the turbo engines, the oil filter is installed behind the engine parallel to the crankshaft, and you can't use a normal end cap filter wrench. I use a band style wrench from NAPA, if you don't have one, buy the filter there, and get a wrench that fits the new filter. The correct NAPA filter should be a # 1516. I normally use a motorcraft FL400s, just because I have them around for a couple of my Fords.