[De_Ville]

Hi, just about to change the oil in the Seville -93 N*.
Hasen´t got time to get a service manual yet. Where is the oil filter placed? Do I need to lift the car at 4-point lift? or is it enough with the jack in the car? Also where is the oil drain plug placed? On the oil pan?

It is so well filled out in the engine compartment so it´s almost impossible to get a hand down to feel anyting..

Thanks for help.


/John from Sweden.

 

[Dadillac]

or is it enough with the jack in the car?

/John from Sweden.

Never, and I mean never, go under a vehicle, that is supported only by a jack. That is a good way to get killed. Use a set of drive up ramps, and drive the front tires up onto them. Then set the parking brake, and make sure that the key is not left in the ignition (don't want someone to start the car while you are under there). Get under the car, and you will see the oil filter almost immediately. The drain plug is in the oil pan, at the back of the pan. Drain the oil into a suitable container, so as not to polute the environment. Good luck, and be safe.

Don

 

[EcSTSatic]

You won't find it topside anyway. Do what Don suggests or pay someone!

 

[De_Ville]

No of course I don´t work under a car that only is jacked. I always have proper support at it.

So then I know that it is as a regular car at this point. Not easy to know when your´e new to the N* engine.

Thanks for the help!

/John in Sweden

 

[Boombottz]

Yumpin' Yimminy John,
Don't scare us like that again!:bighead:

 

[JohnnyO]

The oil filter will be underneath around the right front. Slightly older Caddys have a topside oil filter (like mom's old '87 Eldo) but the N*'s do not. Drain plug will be on the bottom of the oil pan. Takes 7 quarts, I know the manual says 7.5 but trust me or do a Search here, but just put in 7. The Mobil 1 filter is a great filter but it has more than one set of threads cut into it and is a true pain in the *** to put on. Use an AC or K&N, but I don't know what's available in Sweden.

 

[Dadillac]

When I refill my engine for an oil change, I put in 8 qts. During the oil life cycle, I will only have to add about 3 qts to it. Since I am getting between 11,000 and 12,000 miles on the change, that is pretty good. Also, 8 qts, gets me exactly at the full mark on the dipstick. Just thought I would throw it out there.

Don

 

[mcowden]

When I refill my engine for an oil change, I put in 8 qts. During the oil life cycle, I will only have to add about 3 qts to it. Since I am getting between 11,000 and 12,000 miles on the change, that is pretty good. Also, 8 qts, gets me exactly at the full mark on the dipstick. Just thought I would throw it out there.

Don

If it's at the full mark on the dipstick when it's cold, the engine is overfilled. It should only be at the full mark when the oil is hot. If it's overfilled, it may be getting churned up by the crankshaft and air can become entrained in the oil. Air makes a terrible lubricant, and this can result in problems. Further, oil vapors will get sucked into the PCV system and can fill up the intake with oil. It can be deposited on intake valves and crud them up with burnt oil as well.

I would suggest only dumping in 7 quarts with a new filter, which might look a little low on the dipstick, but if you check it hot, it should be just under FULL, which is about perfect. When the dash says to check oil level, add 1 quart and drive it till it says it needs more. When the dash says change it, change it with 7 fresh quarts again and repeat. It's much better to be a little under FULL than to be overfull. The engine will run fine with less than 5 quarts in it, so don't worry at all about only dumping 7 in there.

 

[Dadillac]

So GM designed the dipstick wrong? How could this be? I have read all of the previous posts, about overfilling, and that oil (the overfilled amount) burning off quickly. But my oil doesn't burn off quickly. It uses less oil than almost every other engine that I have ever owned. Also, I usually check my oil about 30 min after driving home from work (40 miles), so it is checked hot.

Don

 

[EcSTSatic]

The Owners Manual says to check the oil when it's warm. Their are no "hot" or "cold" levels, only "min" and "max". The manual says to fill it somewhere between. It also warns against overfilling:
"Don’t add too much oil. If your engine has so much oil that the oil level gets above the upper mark that shows the proper operating range, your engine could be damaged"
So I wouldn't depend on letting the excess "burn off" be a smart idea for the same reasons mcowden mentioned.

 

[Dadillac]

With 8 qts, I am right at the full mark. When I check the oil, there is no foaming on the dipstick, so the crankshaft is not whipping it into a malted. I just don't buy into the point that the dipstick, on like 100's of thousands of Northstars, is made wrong. I have read here before, that the crankcase is full, when the oil is at the lower mark on the dipstick, and do not fill it more than that. I have also read, that if you do fill it to the top mark, that it is overfilled, and that the overfilled amount (1 quart maybe), will burn off very quickly. Tending to lead to the oil comsumption theory. But like I said, I burn off very minimal amount of oil. Like 1 qt every 3-4 thousand miles. So for my N*, 8 qts is the right amount.

Don

 

[mcowden]

With 8 qts, I am right at the full mark. When I check the oil, there is no foaming on the dipstick, so the crankshaft is not whipping it into a malted. I just don't buy into the point that the dipstick, on like 100's of thousands of Northstars, is made wrong. I have read here before, that the crankcase is full, when the oil is at the lower mark on the dipstick, and do not fill it more than that. I have also read, that if you do fill it to the top mark, that it is overfilled, and that the overfilled amount (1 quart maybe), will burn off very quickly. Tending to lead to the oil comsumption theory. But like I said, I burn off very minimal amount of oil. Like 1 qt every 3-4 thousand miles. So for my N*, 8 qts is the right amount.

Don

Do what you like, Don, and I'm certainly not an expert, but if you're checking it cold and it's full, you've overfilled it. It's pretty clear in the manual that it should be checked when hot. The dipstick isn't wrong. It's your method that needs revision. If it's overfull, it's not going to be "burned" off, it's more likely to be whipped up by the rotating crankshaft and the vapor sucked into the intake. No good can come of that. Even if it was burned up, there's nothing good about that either. Your reasoning escapes me. Good luck with your car, Don, and I hope no one else will take your advise as far as how to check the oil level. Again, it's much better to be a little underfull than to be overfull. There's no disputing that.

 

[Ranger]

FWIW, I once did a comparison on hot vs cold. I checked the oil level hot when I got home from work (40 mile drive at 70 mph) and again in the morning. The level difference on the stick was no more than 1/8" if it was that much.

Also under the FWIW catagory, I only put 7 qts. in at oil change (it's easier that way) and add a qt. when neccassary.

 

[Dadillac]

Do what you like, Don, and I'm certainly not an expert, but if you're checking it cold and it's full, you've overfilled it. It's pretty clear in the manual that it should be checked when hot. The dipstick isn't wrong. It's your method that needs revision. If it's overfull, it's not going to be "burned" off, it's more likely to be whipped up by the rotating crankshaft and the vapor sucked into the intake. No good can come of that. Even if it was burned up, there's nothing good about that either. Your reasoning escapes me. Good luck with your car, Don, and I hope no one else will take your advise as far as how to check the oil level. Again, it's much better to be a little underfull than to be overfull. There's no disputing that.

You ought to reread my third post on this subject. It clearly states that I check my oil, about 30 minutes, after a 40 mile commute from work. So am I checking it cold? I think not.

Don

 

[davesdeville]

If it's overfull, it's not going to be "burned" off, it's more likely to be whipped up by the rotating crankshaft and the vapor sucked into the intake.

Oil vapor? If the PCV system picks up any raw oil and sends it through the intake it would actually end up being burned off (you're right though, it would coat the downstream part of the intake manifold which can't be good.)

 

[JohnnyO]

I read here way back when I joined that some of the N* oil consumption can be from oil getting sucked through the PCV and that overfilling it can make it worse. A number of people have said that filling it with 7 quarts instead of the 7.5 in the manual will lessen that. I put in 7 and don't have a half-full bottle taking up space. In the oil consumption letter from Cadillac it says that you don't have to add oil until the low oil light comes on, and when it does there is still 5 (as I recall) quarts in there.

 

[blb]

If it's at the full mark on the dipstick when it's cold, the engine is overfilled. It should only be at the full mark when the oil is hot. If it's overfilled, it may be getting churned up by the crankshaft and air can become entrained in the oil. Air makes a terrible lubricant, and this can result in problems. Further, oil vapors will get sucked into the PCV system and can fill up the intake with oil. It can be deposited on intake valves and crud them up with burnt oil as well.
I would suggest only dumping in 7 quarts with a new filter, which might look a little low on the dipstick, but if you check it hot, it should be just under FULL, which is about perfect. When the dash says to check oil level, add 1 quart and drive it till it says it needs more. When the dash says change it, change it with 7 fresh quarts again and repeat. It's much better to be a little under FULL than to be overfull. The engine will run fine with less than 5 quarts in it, so don't worry at all about only dumping 7 in there.

The effect of the thermal expansion of the hot oil as measured on the dipstick is negligible, and will be offset by the amount of oil not completely drained back from the top end of the engine, as compared to a cold engine.