Changing the Crankcase Oil on a 3000GT (6G72)

These instructions apply to a 1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT, but are easily transferable to any model/year of 3000GT or Dodge Stealth.



The Procedure

 

Take Your Car Out For A Drive
  Oil drains much more quickly and thoroughly if it is warm. Take your car for a spin around the block and get it up to operating temp. You don't need to go drive the snot out of it, because then you'll have to wait for it to cool a bit to avoid burning yourself. A short drive around the block should be sufficient.

 

Jack Up the Front End of the Car [optional]
 
  Especially if this is your first time, you'll probably want to raise up the front end of the car. Also, if your car is lowered, you may need to do this. On a stock-height 3000GT or Stealth, I don't need to jack the car up as I know where everything is by touch. If you are jacking up the front of the car, use the central jacking point on the front cross-member and make sure you support the car with jack stands after lifting it. NEVER, NEVER get under a car that is only supported with a floor jack. No, really, don't do that.

 

Locate and Remove Your Oil Drainplug
 
  Position your oil drain pan below the drain plug, noting that the oil will come out in an arc, and not straight down. Remove the oil drain plug. It's the 17mm bolt sticking out of your oil pan toward the front of the car. You may want to wear your gloves at this point, especially if you tend to be a klutz (like me). Take note that the oil may be HOT and you probably don't want to have it pour all over your hands or splash into your face. Be careful.

 

Allow the Old Oil To Drain
 
  Make sure the pan catches it; otherwise, have the kitty litter and paper towels handy.

 

Remove the Oil Filler Cap
 
  Removing the cap will allow the oil to drain faster. Don't let anything fall in there! Go have a beer or something while you wait for the oil to completely drain. Once it's only coming out a drop at a time, it's time to move on.

 

Clean Off Drain Plug and Install Gasket
 
  Wipe the oil off of your drainplug (you dropped it into the pan, didn't you? Yep, I thought so) and remove the old gasket. Install the new gasket onto the drainplug.

 

Loosen the Oil Filter
 
  Now that the oil has basically stopped coming out of the drain plug hole, it's time to pull off the old filter. The filter is located above and in front of the oil drain plug, and is loosened by turning it counter-clockwise. Some people use a special oil filter wrench (available at most auto parts stores), especially if some quick-lube place installed the current filter with an impact wrench. If you did not overtighten your filter the last time you installed it, then it should come off by hand. In any case, I usually get it loose and then slowly turn it until a little oil seeps down the side (there's oil trapped above it). Then I give it a quick twist (about one full turn) and get my hand out of there so all the oil drips down into the pan.

 

Remove the Old Oil Filter
 
  Now we wait... again. That is, until the oil stops dripping off of the filter. At that point, go ahead and remove the filter completely and dump the oil inside it into your drain pan.

 

Reinstall the Oil Drain Plug
 
  Thread the plug into the hole and tighten it to 29 ft*lbs (40N*m). If you're confident in your ability to not overtorque this plug, you can skip the torque wrench and just use a normal wrench.

 

Install New Oil Filter
 
  Dip your finger into one of the bottles of new oil and spread a thin layer of oil on the black rubber gasket that goes around the top surface of the filter. This is just to lubricate it and help ensure a good seal against the oil filter housing. Also, you may want to slowly pour oil into the filter - enough to fill it about halfway. Now, thread the filter back onto the housing and tighten it 3/4 of a turn AFTER the rubber seal makes contact. You can tell when the seal has made contact by the increased resistance to turning the filter. The "3/4 turn" is a rule of thumb that generally gets it tight enough to make a good seal, but not so tight that you'll be swearing when you next take it off. Also, 3/4 of a turn corresponds to approximately 11 ft*lbs (14N*m).

 

Put in 4 Quarts Of New Oil
 
  Pour the oil into the filler hole, being careful not to slop it all over your engine and make huge mess.

 

Start the Engine and Allow It To Idle
  30 seconds or so should be enough - you just want to circulate the oil through the whole system and then let it drain back to the pan. Check for any leaks near the filter or the drain plug.

 

Add Oil As Necessary
 
  Allow the car to sit for 10 minutes or so. Then, check the oil level via the dipstick and see what it reads. There is about 1qt difference between the "Low" and the "Full" marks, so add enough oil to get it to register close to the "Full" mark without overfilling it.

 

Clean Up Your Mess
  Clean up any oil that spilled during the process and dispose of the oil containers. Take the used oil to your local parts store or HazMat disposal site and properly recycle it. Don't pour it in a hole in your mother-in-law's back yard or the EPA will become intimate with your bank account. Further, make sure you take your old filter to the HazMat site and don't wrap it in paper towels and hide it in your trash like your neighbor does. Do the responsible thing and properly dispose of your used oil and filters! And put your catalytic convertors back on, too :-)



All this stuff is ©1999-2004 Erik Gross
This website brought to you by picture_page, and the letter 4.

A good buddy of mine put it well: "Unauthorized duplication, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing. And it could be bad for the pixels." As I've put a lot of time and effort into creating this webpage and website, I would prefer that you not redistribute, sell, or claim as yours any of the content of this site. I know I can't stop you if that's what you're going to do, but I'm asking nicely. If you would like to publish some of the content of this site in your own work (printed, electronic, or otherwise), please e-mail me and we can work something out.
 
Disclaimer
Feedback



Last Modified Tue Jun 10 2003 19:50:46 PDT