Oil Change

Clean air and clean oil will make an engine run for a very long time. Usually I'll have the local Grease Monkey service my truck. But when I have time, I like to do it myself. 

I service White Horse about every 5,000 miles.

Your best bet is to warm the engine up before you dump the oil. That way it picks up any dirt and grime and sends it out with the oil. The oil also drains better when it's warm. 

While the oil is draining is good time to spin off the filter. An oil filter wrench usually comes in handy. 

While the oil is still trickling, I like to get a bit on my finger and lube up the new filter's seal. 

When the oil is down to a drip is when I spin on the new filter. Only go hand tight. There's nothing worse than trying to get off an over tightened oil filter. Such a case has sent more than one Catholic Cowboy running to the confessional!

Same scenario with the pan plug. Wait till dripping and don't over tighten. 

My 6.0 gasser takes six quarts of oil. I carefully dump in the first quart. Then cut off the bottom of it, turning it into a funnel for the rest of the oil. Usually I'll use 5W-30 semi-synthetic. But when available for cheap, I'll run full synthetic. 

Then fire the engine up and check the oil pressure and for any leaks.

While it's running is a good time to check the tranny fluid level, which can only be checked when the engine is running. 

After a few minutes of running, kill the engine and let the oil settle for an accurate dipstick check. In the meantime, is a good time to check the air filter. This era of Chevy's are notorious for stripping out the air filter boxes bolts. After mine spun out, I just ran in 1/4" lag bolts. Works for now. 

The filter looked pretty good. 

So I just blew it out with a little compressed air. When doing so, blow from the clean side back. This sends the debris heading in the right direction. 

By then, the engine oil is settled in the pan and you can get a good check on it. Looks topped off to me. 

On the road again. With a trip to Minnasota for some ongoing ed ahead of me, the time was ripe to service White Horse. Clean air and oil are cheap vehicle maintenance that goes a long ways! Doing it yourself may not save much money, but it does give you the opportunity to look over your truck. The more eyes you have under the hood and under the chassis the more confidence you can have with your rig. White Horse is ready to run once again! Let us ranch.