Hello all,

I wanted to share my experience with the simple task of changing the oil on my newly acquired 1996 Discovery.(Although I don't know how long I will keep it).

I have to say that this oil change experience ranks up there with one of the messiest, in fact the messiest I ever did. I have been changing the oil on all of my vehicles for the past 20 years.

I used 5W30 (I am in Chicagoland and last week was -20F)regular oil and Bosh oil filter. I wanted very much to use Mobil 1 synthetic, but this engine (manufacturer) has a very well known reputation for oil leaks and I always thought that synthetic oil would leak more than regular oil.

I drove the front right tire on a ramp so I can gain better access underneath the engine. The oil "bolt" is far back and on the driver's side. I could not fit a socket in that area because the exhaust pipe was too close. I had to use a 1 1/8 inch wrench instead. I loosened the bolt and began to unscrew by hand until the oil began to rush out. The pressure was hard enough to hit the exhaust pipe and then was pretty much spraying all over. The inside of my tire had a bunch of oil on it. I quickly tried to catch as much oil as my pan could, but there was a bunch on the cement floor. The drain time was pretty fast, since the engine had been warmed up.

The oil filter is very wash to get to and that was very easy to remove. Before I screwed the new filter on, I filed it with new oil.

Hopefully I can figure out a better method of taking off the drain plug, so that it doesnt spray all over.

 

next time do this,,,

pop open the fill cap and let the engine cool a bit longer,,,

crack the oil drain plug just enough for the oil to start flowing. then remove the plug and make sure the pan is ready to go.


also if the pipes are still hot (i leanred this changing the oil on my ducati's) put gloves on and wrap the pipes with tin foil. it will not only keep the pipes from smoking but you can also shape the foil in kind of a flow director for the oil.

hope this helps

 

Did you grease the u-joints too?
When I switched to Mobil 1 in my DI it leaked for the first 10k then stopped.
I never have any problems making a mess, and I run both the front and rear passenger wheels up onto my ramps.

 

how many miles were on your DI when you made the change to Synthetic Spike???

 

When I bought my truck in April '07 it had 152,and change. My first oil change I used Castrol HD 30.
At 155,000 I switched to Mobil 1 15w-50 and I change it every 5,000 miles.
I now have 176,and large change.
After I first switched to full syn it leaked, I was adding a quart of oil every 1,000-1,500 miles. It gradually got longer and longer between adding oil.
Now I go a full 5,000 miles with out being any more than a half quart low.
I use Mopar, NAPA and Purolator oil filters.