Bob Gecco said "2 Hours of fun loving labor..." to change the oil filter, and presumably the oil. 2 hours? This seemed (to me) to be quite excessive unless you were just goofing off while changing the oil and filter. So, I made an estimate, with liberal times, starting from scratch and included cleaning up aftwards. It turns out that the time it takes is 1.5 hrs (rounded up), and that's with liberal time estimates for each step.... I'd subract 20% for a more realistic estimate of 1 hr & 10 minutes.
The point is only that its not really a 2 hr job... and if you're really motivated it can probably be done in as little as 30 minutes or less, including cleanup.
4/14/09 Modification:I made a correction to an addition error I'd made before, and consolidated the time to drain oil pan and oil filter can as separate steps, so total time dropped 2 minutes... no big deal!. But I've now grouped the time segments to show prep, drain oil, etc. thru clean-up and put-things-back time.
Stage Time, min. %
Prep 11 12.9%
Drain Oil 11.75 13.8%
Remove Filter 8 9.4%
Install Filter 7 8.2%
Fill Oil 7.25 8.5%
Checks 5.25 6.2%
Cleanup 35.1 41.1%
Total 85.35 100.0%
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Of the 1.5 hrs, 40% (35 min) is just clean-up and put everything back time. The actual work, excluding prep and clean-up is less than half the time or only 40 minutes max, and if I use 20% as an estimate of my liberal time allowances then the actual probable time to actually change the oil and filter work is about 32 minutes. Not that prep and cleanup aren't required, but these times would not apply to a Jiffy-Lube or mechanics shop since these would be done at start of work and end of work day... therefore allocations to a single vehicle would be near nil.. 5 minutes perhaps if I'm liberal. So in reality the most that can be saved by doing it yourself is roughly 35 minutes labor x $80/hr 40 minutes or about $45 max... but for that savings you also get the benefit of the near priceless value of knowing it was done right.
1. Get jack & jack up front end - 5 mins
2. Place jack stands under rt & lft sides - 2 mins (if you're moving slow that day)
3. Jack down car to jack stand supports and remove floor jack from front of car - 2 min
4. Get & place waste pan / container under oil pan to drain old oil from engine - 1.5 min
5. Get 13mm & 17mm wrenchs (preferrably socket) - 0.5 min
6. Crawl / slide under engine - 0.25 min
7. Remove drain plug - 1 min
8. Loosen Oil filter bolt - 0.5 min
9. Drain engine oil & fliter can - 10 min to very last drop (if engine cold; faster if warm)
10. The following time (6 min) is in parallel with time to drain oil... so don't add to total time:
a. Crawl / slide from under engine (0.25 min)
b. Wipe off oily hands (0.25 min)
c. Get 6 qts new oil from where-ever it was stored (2 min)
d. Get long handled screw driver & flashlight or work light ready (2 min)
e. Prepare 17 mm socket for oil filter can removal (0.5 min)
f. Get new oil filter, included oil seal ring, drain plug washer ready - (1 min)
g. Take a break --- sip a brew or coffee, or have a smoke (varies - at least 2 min, up to 4)
11. Crawl / slide under engine with long handle screw driver, & flashlight or work light - 0.5 min
12 Remove oil filter 17 mm bolt and pull off oil filter can - 1 min
13. Pull old oil filter off mount & place in waste oil container - 0.25 min
14. Check if upper oil seal ("donut seal" surrounding tapped bolt hole at filter can mount) is still in place (0.25 min)
a) If so, press with screw-driver tip to determine if it's brittle or still has some give to it - 0.25 min
b) If brittle (i.e. hard as a literal rock), remove it; then order a new one & bottom seals too, from MB)
c) If not brittle (i.e. not as hard as a rock) with a bit of give to it be happy
--- you can breath out now.
d) If it's not there
, look in bottom of oil filter can for it...
i) If its in the bottom of the oil filter can, see 12.b above
ii) If its not in the bottom of the oil filter can
:'(, pray your engine doesn't need an overhaul, refer to 12.b above
15. Crawl / slide out from under engine with filter can & bolt - 0.25 min
16. Retrieve waste oil container with oil filter can from under engine - 0.5 min
17. Wipe up any oil drops or spills under engine - 2 min (for spic & span floor... 1 min otherwise)
18. Check bottom of oil filter can for metal debris --- hope to god you don't find any - 1 min
19. Clean out oil filter can, remove old oil seal ring from top lip, wipe off outside surface - 2 min
Assuming bottom filter can seals and top donut seal are still ok, or that they weren't and after being pissed off, swearing at your wife, and getting over your it, you've replaced them:
20. Place new filter can 0-ring seal in lip - 2 min
21. Crawl / slide back under engine with - 1 min
a. oil filter can with new oil filter inside
b. bolt with new bolt washer
c. 17 mm socket,
d. 13 mm socket,
e. Oil drain plug wth new plug washer.
22. Install oil filter can & new oil filter and install bolt with washer & tighten up (17 mm socket) - 2 min
23. Install oil drain plug with new washer and tighten up (13 mm socket) - 2 min
24. Crawl / slide back out from under engine (
leave both sockets under car for now) - 0.25 min
25. Open hood (bonnet if you use British terms) - 0.5 min
26. Remove oil filler cap from top of valve cover - 0.25 min
27. Open new qrt of oil, pour into valve cover (6x) - 6 min
a)
CRITICAL STEP: While 1st & 2nd qts of oil are filling, check under car for oil leaks -- I don't know how often someone forgets
to have replaced &/or tighted up oil drain plug before they start pouring oil into the engine. This is no lie.
28. Replace oil filler cap - 0.25 min.
29. Check (look) under engine for drips & leaks (assume none
--- good job
tightening oil drain & filter can bolts) - 0.5 min
30. Drain waste oil into empty qrt containers (a funnel helps, btw) --- 8 min
31. Clean out waste oil container - 5 min
32. Make final look-see check for oil drips from oil drain plug & oil filter can bolt - 0.25 min
33. Start engine - 1 min
34. Crawl / slide back under engine - 0.25 min
35. Watch for drips or leaks from oil drain plug and oil filter can while engine warms up - 3 min
a) If oil starts accumuting on bolts or around / down oil filter can, tighten bolts as required (you left both the 13 mm &
17 mm sockets under the engine (step 21) --- right?
36. Crawl / slide back out from under engine -- take both 13 mm & 17 mm sockets this time - 0.25 min
37. Get floor jack and jack up front of car off jack stands - 5 min
38. Remove both jack stands - 2 min
39. Jack car back down to ground - 2 min
40. Remove floor jack and return to it's normal abode - 2 min
41. Put socket wrenches, screw-driver, & flashlight or work-light away - 5 min
42. Place 6 waste-oil qrt containers with tops on in pile for next trip to Hazardous Waste Collection. - 1 min
43. Wash up hands, arms, face - 5 min
44. Tell the wife you've just saved your self $45 - 0.1 min.
TOTAL TIME = 85.35 minutes = 1.42 Hrs = 1 Hr 26minutes
