Hey guys,

I have a dumb question regarding oil changes. I've done oil changes myself in the past and currently do them on my Harley's since it's easy to access. Was thinking of doing it myself on my Olds however I don't have access to a lift.

I have those rubber drive up ramps that I want to use to do an oil change on my '69 442.

Will my oil drain properly if the front end is up on the ramps?

 

You'll be fine with the ramps.

 

I your driveway is sloped, most are. put the car in driveway backwards, so then you are on the ramps, you will be more level. I usually just jack the car up a little and works for me.

 

I’ve never put my car on ramps to change the oil and filter, I use a shallow pan that clears the oil pan and reach under and remove the plug and filter. CAUTION, This method might not work on chubby boys and girls.

 

chubby,.....im offended lol

 

There ain't no way, not here. I wouldn't say I'm not chubby, but my car isn't 4x4h high, either.
Ramps work fine.

 

Kinda the same here. I put the floor jack uner the front frame crossover, lift the car enough to get under it, and put supports under the frame for safety.

 

I assure you I'm no chubby, even with the front higher than stock, there is no way to slide my skinny self under the car.

 

I usually do as Kenneth said. That 442 is close to the ground, and my chubbiness doesn't help.

 

My cars are all stock height and I don’t have a problem, I might have longer arms than most. And with a long 7/8 inch wrench it’s even easier to reach, are you approaching it from the front or the side? That makes a difference

 

I'm offended by "boys and girls." I identify as a wheel cylinder.

Never been a ramp fan. I have lifted slightly with a floor jack, ~6" or so, then used my lengthy forelimb to remove the drain plug. Never have more than an arm under the car, of course. Depending on plug location, I may or may not lower the car for draining, then reverse the process for plug refitting.

All that changed once I had a car lift. After LASIK, best money I ever spent.

 

You'll be fine with ramps. Don't overthink this. Leaving the last ounce of old oil in the pan is a safer bet than waiting too long to change the oil at all (or worse, having the morons at Jiffy Change forget to refill the oil). FYI, I like to fill the new filter with fresh oil before spinning it on to limit the "dry start" time.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

I live in the country so my drive is long and flat. I'll try and see if I can do this with no lift but if needed I'll use the ramps.

 

I use my trailer ramps for oil changes, putting the front end f the ramps on some 6"x6" pressure treated post cut offs.
I have a variety of jack stands but many times they get in the way of the creeper. In this case I use the floor jack and place some old 8" rally wheels under the tires. If I want it level, I put the floor jack under the differential and put wheels under the rear tires. No scotches needed this way and no worries about silver alerts being issued for your whereabouts 3 days later. If I keep growing, I'll be on the lookout for 10" wheels, but 8's should give most plenty of clearance and good arm reach with or without a creeper. Super safe also.

 

^^^x2, and don't forget to coat the filter gasket with a thin layer of oil for a better seal😀

 

All good advice. If you are worried about the oil not properly draining, once it stops flowing, carefully use a floor jack and lift on the differential to level it out and see if more oil comes out. It might be 1/2 a quart more. I have done that on my Challenger with the front on Jack stands doing an oil change.

 

Some of you guys are doing way too much work to change oil. As Joe mentioned a couple ounces of old oil will not hurt anything. It will be so diluted it will not matter. Years ago manufacturers recommended changing the filter with every other oil change. Not saying that was good but think about how much oil was left in the old filter.

 

I think you meant "NOT changing the filter with every oil change", but yeah. The recommendation was to change the filter with every OTHER oil change. Some sources suggested at least unscrewing the filter and dumping the old oil out, but given how much better filter media is today vs. in the 1960s, not changing the filter sounds even more ridiculous now.

From the 1969 owner's manual.

 

Wouldn't changing the filter every other oil change and not changing the filter with every other oil change be the same over time? Changing the filter in the days of the old cannister filters was usually a dirty PIA job.

 

DOH! I read your post too quickly and skipped right over the word "other". Sorry about that.

One final word on the topic. There's probably more old oil trapped in the pump, lifters, and block oil passages than will be left in the pan anyway.

 

Well, there's a comforting thought for OCD guys like me.

 

Any time.

 

Am I missing something here? I can't fit under the car either, but I can easily reach the filter and the plug is about the limit of my reach. I go in from behind the right wheel. I had to deviate on the H/O this past summer as the right front was on a donut, so I had to put the plug in from the left side as the right side was sitting lower than normal.

This is one area where Chevy beat Olds. Put the oil plug somewhere accessible when the car is on the ground, not dead centerline.

 

How fat are alla y'all, anyway? It's a tight fit, but I can get my 60-year-old arthritic body under my car with enough clearance to remove the drain plug and yard on a filter wrench. You guys are giving me an ego boost -- I had no idea I was in such good shape!

 

Well I will say that my drain pan won't fit under the oil pan without raising the front of the car. So it's not me, it's my tools.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

 

LOL.

Thanks for all the replies. Forgot that my driveway does have a slight decline so I only had to drive a little onto the ramps to get enough clearance to reach the drain plug and filter.

 

You need to be fully on top of the ramps, they could have a tendency to shoot out like a squeezed banana and do you bodily harm in the position the car is parked in the picture.

 

I think they need to do a U-Tube video on it.

 

Bingo, been using this technique for the last 38 years.

 

 

That saves a thousand words.

 

lol