[SonicExplorer]

Okay, so granted an oil change is no big deal if you understand all the details and have all the right tools. But oddly enough, I went to buy oil and found the 5 qt bottles left with me a question as to how to navigate those large containers without making a mess. How are you guys doing this? I'm guessing a funnel and side-pour for the main fill, but what about the oil filter? I know with many vehicles it is recommended to fill the oil filter about half way before installing, but trying to do that with a 5 qt bottle, and on the initial pour no less, I can just see it making a friggin' mess. :culpability: Or does the Soul not need a prime on the oil filter?

Sonic

 

[two souls]

jiffy lube ?

 

[SonicExplorer]

jiffy lube ?

I'm going to pretend I did not just read that.... :tongue-new:

 

[mattmc]

Buy 4 ( single ) quarts of oil , that's what I do .

 

[TechnoMage]

Okay, so granted an oil change is no big deal if you understand all the details and have all the right tools. But oddly enough, I went to buy oil and found the 5 qt bottles left with me a question as to how to navigate those large containers without making a mess. How are you guys doing this? I'm guessing a funnel and side-pour for the main fill, but what about the oil filter? I know with many vehicles it is recommended to fill the oil filter about half way before installing, but trying to do that with a 5 qt bottle, and on the initial pour no less, I can just see it making a friggin' mess. :culpability: Or does the Soul not need a prime on the oil filter?

Sonic

First you need to know how much oil it takes to refill the engine! That's step #1.
If you buy the right kind of oil, there is a visual gauge on the side of the jug, and you mark it where to stop pouring, for your engine.*
* My 1.6L engine requires 3.5Qt's of oil, but I'm not sure about the 2.0L engines. That should be in your manual.

Since the oil filler cap is on TOP of the engine, any large funnel will do.
There is NO need to put any oil in the filter. Period! That's just a good way to make a mess. As soon as you start up the engine, it will fill the filter all by itself. NO MESS!
But don't forget to lubricate the rubber seal on the filter before you put it on. I use DC-4, Silicone Lubricant, which guarantees that the rubber seal won't gather up or tear, while installing.

Someone said "Jiffy Lube". and I hope to heck he was joking, because that's a good place to loose your money, your engine and your warranty.
I seriously thought that today, everyone, at least on this forum, was smarter than to even joke about something like that.

Good Luck Mate!

 

[Buzz]

Some people don't have the time to do their own oil changes, so as long as you check the oil level and work performed you should be OK if using a commercial oil change facility.

 

[rv-rick]

Some people don't have the time to do their own oil changes, so as long as you check the oil level and work performed you should be OK if using a commercial oil change facility.

If you are doing this, I strongly suggest you furnish your own factory Kia oil filter.

 

[SonicExplorer]

If you are doing this, I strongly suggest you furnish your own factory Kia oil filter.

Yeah, no doubt. And pray the right oil was used, and also be sure to check the body for new dents and scratches as well. And be sure put something on your garage floor to catch any residual oil they may have spilled in your engine bay (usually related to the oil filter removal).

I just have a real problem with paying somebody for the courtesy of waiting around for 1-2 hours only to end up with a potentially shoddy job, if not additional damage to my car in some fashion. To each their own....

Sonic

 

[Buzz]

Not all oil change places are bad.....I do my own oil changes because I'm a hands on guy. I have a friend who uses Jiffy Lube and has never had any problems.....it's like everything else you have good places mixed with the bad.

 

[jdmartin]

Skip the oil filter fill. I have been changing oil for 30 years and have never done this and I have never had an engine problem that was caused by oil, or lack thereof. The momentary lack of pressure caused from filling the oil filter does not mean that there's no oil lubricating the system, it just means that there's no backpressure from the choke point of a full oil filter. You aren't doing any damage. I have a bunch of factory service manuals at the house, going back 30+ years (I almost always bought the factory service manual on every vehicle I've ever owned) and I don't think any of them ever called for filling the oil filter before installing. If you go to the oil filter websites, they will tell you there's no reason to do this.

 

[TechnoMage]

I've worked out the thing with the 5 qt oil bottle, like this.

I take 3.5qts of oil out of the 5qt jug, for my first oil change.
On the next oil change I just buy two single quarts of oil of the same brand and weight.
I pour into the engine, the 1.5qt of oil left in the 5qt jug, and then add the two 1qt bottles of oil that I just bought.

At my next oil change, I start off with a new 5qt jug.
Like so many things in life..... it's a PROCESS!
But it's not nearly as complicated as many things we do on a daily basis.

I know that for some folks, changing their own oil, is either too much of a job, or just impossible.
At 71 (almost 72 now) I don't get down, under my car as easily as I used to, or get up either, so I do try to take everything I'm going to need, with me, when I first get under my car. I even pre-lube the seal on the Genuine Kia Oil Filter, before I take it under the car.



The job goes much easier, if you (or I) get everything you're going to need, all lined up before you crawl under the car. The only thing I omitted from the above picture, is the old T-Shirt I use for a grease-rag. There is almost NO way to get the oil filter off, without getting some oil (or maybe a lot of oil) on your hand, so the rag is a very important tool.*

* I also, wipe the surface on the engine, where the new oil filter will mate up with it.

In the past, when I let a dealer or Oil Change place change my oil and filter, I've had three oil filters that were not properly torqued down and leaked.
One of them, put on at Walmart, leaked so badly that it allowed all my oil to leak out on I-75 while I was running about 80mph.
That was not on my Kia Soul, but on a Suzuki Forenza (two cars ago). I never went to Walmart again, for an oil change.

Even on the last oil change done by my Kia dealer, they left oil dripping from the bottom of the filter and nearby framing.


If you look closely, you can see the drop of oil on the bottom of the filter, and on the black frame just to the right.
It would not have taken the Oil Change tech, more than a few seconds to clean that up.

Make a party out of your DIY oil change, not a JOB to dread.

Cheers Mates!
TechnoMage

 

[SonicExplorer]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, this is going to be interesting. I have no idea how tight to go with the plug or filter. I've read all kinds of things. Guess I'll try wrist-tight with a wrench on the oil plug and hand-tighten the filter. Lot's of articles say 3/4 of a turn from the point where the filter starts to snug. I also have a torque wrench but having never used it before I'm not sure how accurate it is and don't want to overtighten things. I can always tighten things further if needed as long as I keep an eye on things the first few short trips. Most people have told me just put the filter on with your hands as tight as you can get it, that will be tight enough and not so much that it will be welded on next time you go to remove it. As for the plug, just use common sense, get it good and snug, it doesn't need to be cranked on.

Oh, as for the 5qt bottle pouring dilemma.... I figured it out. You need to side-pour and use a funnel, preferably either 8" or one with a backstop. Side-pouring is the real key. You can lay a rag on the top of the engine as well just in case a few drops run down the bottle. Problem solved. lol

 

[jdmartin]

As long as you're not Arnold Schwarzenegger, you probably can't overtighten it if you just use your hands. I use both of my hands and I've never overtightened one yet. Exactly on the plug - don't gorilla it into place. Make it just to snug, then just a tad tighter with your ratchet, just enough so the bolt bites into the crush washer so that it does its job. If you have any doubt, you should use a torque wrench, but I've never used one on a filler plug and I've never stripped one, and that's over a million miles of driving and oil changes, which is about 200 oil changes at roughly 5k miles per oil change. That's a lot of oil changes!

 

[SonicExplorer]

JD, do you have any thoughts on time frame between oil changes? I have the oppossite problem most people face. I only put about 3K miles per year on the car, mostly short 10-minutes trips too. Can I go 18-24 months on dino oil or am I still supposed to be changing every 12 months? I'm even worse on my sports car - that one I put about 1-2k per year on it, so I've gone 24-36 months before changes. Anyway, I've always wondered what the time-variable is regarding changing the oil frequently enough.

 

[smeyer420]

Even if you aren't driving many miles, it is a good idea to change the oil every 6 months or so (in my unprofessional opinion). I have a similar issue with my motorcycle and a few mechanics I've spoken to refer to issues with oil breaking down; something to do with the compounds in the oil being exposed to the crucible in your engine starts it chemically breaking down.

...upon checking my manual, Kia recommends the oil be changed a minimum of every 12 months regardless of mileage. So there you have it. Also, as stated by others, don't bother yourself trying to fill the filter before installation. I don't know of any regular oil change facility that bothers with this in anything other than large displacement diesels that can hold a full quart of oil just in the filter. It's a non-issue for the rest of us.

 

[GeekOnTheHill]

One of these. I don't use the hose for the Soul.

 

[jdmartin]

JD, do you have any thoughts on time frame between oil changes? I have the oppossite problem most people face. I only put about 3K miles per year on the car, mostly short 10-minutes trips too. Can I go 18-24 months on dino oil or am I still supposed to be changing every 12 months? I'm even worse on my sports car - that one I put about 1-2k per year on it, so I've gone 24-36 months before changes. Anyway, I've always wondered what the time-variable is regarding changing the oil frequently enough.

On synthetic oil I would be comfortable changing once per year in your conditions; on conventional oil I would change every 6 months. You can always run an oil analysis from Blackstone after 6 months to see what kind of acids and byproducts you're loading in the oil if you wanted to try to go longer, or you can do a filter change only and refill and you'll get your additive packets back. Short term trips are hard on oil because you never get things hot enough to burn off contaminants and condensation, so I wouldn't leave the same oil unmolested for longer than a year.

My last job - years ago - I had the same situation. My office was less than 1 mile from the house, but I often needed the car for work so I had to drive to work, which took less than one minute of driving. In the winter I would let it idle for 10 minutes just to get some work on the engine and things up to temperature, and I still ended up with a rusted exhaust system from the short drives.

 

[jdmartin]

One of these. I don't use the hose for the Soul.

I have one of those but I find it more annoying than useful. I like just using a wide mouth funnel.

Edit: Duh, I just see where you said you don't use the hose for the Soul. I didn't get it, but now I do. If you pull the hose off you've got a wide mouth funnel.

 

[GeoSoul]

Hey jd, I used to drive 1 mile to work with my last car & went thru mufflers, rusted out, frequently. My mechanic said the short trips leaves them full of moisture. Now I only drive a couple times a week but it involves 30 mins on the freeway at 60-70 mph. The Soul loves it!

 

[GeekOnTheHill]

I have one of those but I find it more annoying than useful. I like just using a wide mouth funnel.

Edit: Duh, I just see where you said you don't use the hose for the Soul. I didn't get it, but now I do. If you pull the hose off you've got a wide mouth funnel.

Right. But it also has the shut-off valve that allows it to be used as a measuring cup, as well. If I weren't using this funnel, I'd pour the oil into a glass measuring cup first and then use a regular funnel. It's hard to judge how much you're pouring from a 5-quart jug, and the markings on the jugs vary widely from jug to jug.