I would have to agree, its the easiest oil change I have done also... But I use about 7 quarts when I change the oil. usually a little over 6 then when I run the car for a few minutes I have to add the rest.

 

I guess my real question is...is 7 quarts TOO much oil? I don't want to be blowing seals or anything. It didn't come out the top of the motor or anything...i haven't had a chance to gheck the dipstick tho..

Anybody know off the top of the head what the owners manual calls for quart wise?????

 

Well I am not sure if 7 is to much... Come to think about it I think I only use about 6 qts because I usually buy the 5 qrt jug and a extra qrt... But I tend on having to add a qrt of oil to my car in between my 5,000 mile oil change.

 

do i really need to put synthectic oil in it??

 

I think it depends on the year of your car. Look at the owners manual...it should tell you what to put in it..and just go by that...

 

If your oil cap said "Mobil 1" on it, then YES you do need to run Synthetic oil in it.

 

:yeah:

I was gonna say that....but I didnt know if everyone has that same oil cap or not...or possibly if someone missplaced it...or whatever..lol

but yea..this too

 

ok so this is prob the dumbest question but I did my first oil change at the dealership and it was a little pricey. I want to do the next myself and was wondering how you get the nessary clearance to do all the work? I bearly can reach the plug if i were to lay as close as possible to the cts. Do you guys use those low ramps you drive on? I have 2 pairs of them and if i would try to drive the caddy onto them, i wouldnt be able to since its stance is so low (mind you its not lowered or anything).

Thanks

 

Personally I just jack it up on the passenger side just behind the wheel and jack it up high enough that I can get to the plug from the front of the car.

 

You can use the ramps if you need to..I could actually reach the plug from the passenger side...but I ended up having to use the spare tire jack to raise it a little..because apparently Hercules put my oil drain plug on when i bought the car. I had to raise it to get under it in the front....and pull with everything I had to loosed the damn bolt...

But you should necessarily 'have' to. But you can use the ramps...or a jack...whichever...

 

Oh I guess CARTDAWG be me to it...

 

The other thing is what filter does my caddy take...its an 06 cts w/ 3.6vvt

 

Not sure what yours will use...but whereever you go to get it..wal mart or advance auto..or where..they have a book that tells you all their filters..and what you want for you car....or you can look it up on the net I'm sure...

 

My 2007 owner manual says to use any 5W-30 oil meeting GM Standard GM4718M.

Also says that the car was filled with a Mobil 1 synthetic oil at the factory.

And has a capacity for 6.0 qt of oil. (thats for all engines with the CTS, 2.8, 3.6 and 6.0)

I havent done my own oil yet, only had one change so far and had a coupon for free first maintenance, so I used that.

And the next change I wont be doing either because my dealer gave me a free oil change and filter coupon because I brought them the GM customer satisfaction survey and they filled it out and sent it in for me, haha

 

thanks for the advise...i will try jacking it up since it is the quickest and easiest.

 

if the owners manuaal says 6 qts....I have no idea how I fit 7 in...lol

But I did......put 5 in...drove it like...10 miles..then filled up with 2 more quarts....went right in..didnt spill..nothin...weird.

 

Did you look at the dipstick to see how high the oil level is, that is how you tell if you have to much (car on level ground). Just because it went in and did not flow out the top is not an indication that it is ok. You could put twice that much oil in the engine and it would go in, the problem is that it is hard on crankshaft and bearings. When it has to push that much oil out of the way, it churns it up into a foam. When that foam is pumped into the oil pump it damages the bearings. The foam also overpressurizes the engine and blow out the seals.

 

I get to the drain bolt from behind the wheel on the passenger side of the car. no need to jack up in a normal situation. and 7 quarts is nothing to worry about. I put in about 6 and then add more till the dipstick shows its full at the top of the mark.

 

hey cart dawg, hercules put my oil plug on aswell, it was on so tight that the center of it actually sripped out, it was the torx headed kind. i ended up having to use a pair of chanel-lock pliars to remove it, which to be quite honest w/ you worked quite nicely.

 

lol....damn I'm glad mine didnt strip out...but still...I dont know why Hercules is out there puttin on drain plugs..

dang

 

True...but I just went an checked.....and it's just a little bit above the 3rd hole on the dipstick...maybe like 1/8th of an inch...

Is that bad? Should it be even with the 3rd hole.....or what??

 

Many moons ago and when I lived in a small town, I would look for a small ditch that I could straddle with my car. I would slide under the car (on a piece of cardboard). Use pan to collect used oil. Bingo!! You could also look for a big pothole in a parking lot. Need to think creatively.

 

Never use any kind of a jack without using a jackstand. A number of people die when jack collapses.