Every vehicle has a it’s own differences in doing an oil change so I thought I’d write up my experience for you folks who are do-it-yourselfers.
The temperature was above freezing today so I thought I’d get the first oil change out of the way at 4300 miles. I got a couple of 5 quart jugs of Pennzoil Synthetic and a Mopar filter a while back so I had what I needed.
I put the Jeep up on ramps and first couldn’t find the drain plug - or the oil pan for that matter. I spotted an access door in the belly pan but it said it was for the four cylinder. Then I noticed the access panel for the V6 back a bit further. The panel has a big plastic screw head as a latch. It can be removed with a wide screwdriver or probably a quarter. About a half turn unlatches it and then I removed the panel (two tabs) so I wouldn’t spill oil on it. The access cover is a nice feature as some cars (like my Challenger) require you to remove the whole belly pan for an oil change.
The 13mm drain plug wasn’t over-tightened as nobody had touched it yet except the factory. I removed the plug and then something unusual happened. As the oil drained it also made kind of a sputtering sound and spattered around the drain pan. The main stream was going where it should but I got a fair amount of spatters on the garage floor - and my glasses and my face (Not that it was the first time I’ve made a mess while changing oil). I think maybe it was caused by air not being able to replace the oil draining out. Next time I’ll pull the dip stick or the fill cap before draining so air can get in. I’m not sure if that was causing the spattering but it’s my best guess.
Make sure you have a decent sized oil drain pan as you have about 6 quarts to drain. This ain’t a Toyota Corolla with just a few quarts coming out. Also, the oil filter housing will drain itself through the pan.
Next step was the oil filter. I took off the whole engine cover as it’s easy (just pull it up) and that gives much better oil filter access. The filter cap calls for a 24mm socket but 15/16" works fine. The filter cap broke loose easily but stayed semi-tight for a couple turns before I could finish unscrewing it by hand. If the engine is hot the cap will be hot, too. Wear gloves or wait for the engine to cool some.
The filter stays attached to the cap! I wasn’t expecting that. I had a small plastic bowl handy to drop the filter/cap into and managed not to spill a drop. After I was away from the Jeep I pulled on the filter and it popped off the cap. Then I looked into the engine’s filter housing and it was empty of oil.
I took the big O-ring off the filter cap, wiped the cap clean and put the new O-ring on after coating it with fresh oil (important!). The next step was to snap the new filter into the cap (it clicks in place) and I put a little oil on the small O-ring on the bottom of the filter. After wiping clean the top edge of the filter housing on the engine, I screwed things back together.
A few weeks ago I took a paint marker and put a mark on the cap and housing so I could tighten the cap back exactly where the factory had it. I knew that the tightening torque on the cap was 18.4 ft/lbs (or 220 inch/lbs) so I tightened it with an inch/lb torque wrench just to see if it would match the marks. They lined up exactly. I have heard of mechanics over-tightening the cap and breaking the plastic filter housing. Obviously that's something to avoid. In the future I won’t use the torque wrench; I’ll just align the marks.
I thought that tightening the cap would compress the big O-ring but it doesn’t work that way. The O-ring ends up between a groove by the cap threads and the inside of the housing, so when you do final tightening on the cap, it’s just tightening the plastic threads, if that makes any sense (Easier to see than explain).
So with the top part done except for replacing the engine cover, I went back under the Jeep and replaced the drain plug. I didn’t use a torque wrench as I’m not that anal. The drain plug has a built in rubber seal (another nice detail) so there’s no reason to over-tighten.
I poured one 5 quart jug of oil into the filler hole via a big funnel, then measured out another quart and poured it in. I replaced the filler cap, started the engine, checked for leaks and then put the engine cover back on. Then I did the three pushes to the throttle pedal to reset the EVIC’s oil meter, zeroed Trip Odometer ‘B’ to keep track of the miles after the oil change and I was done.
Tomorrow I’ll double-check the dipstick to make sure the oil level is where it belongs. Overall, changing oil on the V6 Cherokee wasn’t a bad job and if in the future I can keep the draining oil from spattering, isn’t messy, either. The new oil filter design isn’t bad to work with. It’s easier than some of the bottom mounted spin-on filters that spill oil on you when you unscrew them.
The temperature was above freezing today so I thought I’d get the first oil change out of the way at 4300 miles. I got a couple of 5 quart jugs of Pennzoil Synthetic and a Mopar filter a while back so I had what I needed.
I put the Jeep up on ramps and first couldn’t find the drain plug - or the oil pan for that matter. I spotted an access door in the belly pan but it said it was for the four cylinder. Then I noticed the access panel for the V6 back a bit further. The panel has a big plastic screw head as a latch. It can be removed with a wide screwdriver or probably a quarter. About a half turn unlatches it and then I removed the panel (two tabs) so I wouldn’t spill oil on it. The access cover is a nice feature as some cars (like my Challenger) require you to remove the whole belly pan for an oil change.
The 13mm drain plug wasn’t over-tightened as nobody had touched it yet except the factory. I removed the plug and then something unusual happened. As the oil drained it also made kind of a sputtering sound and spattered around the drain pan. The main stream was going where it should but I got a fair amount of spatters on the garage floor - and my glasses and my face (Not that it was the first time I’ve made a mess while changing oil). I think maybe it was caused by air not being able to replace the oil draining out. Next time I’ll pull the dip stick or the fill cap before draining so air can get in. I’m not sure if that was causing the spattering but it’s my best guess.
Make sure you have a decent sized oil drain pan as you have about 6 quarts to drain. This ain’t a Toyota Corolla with just a few quarts coming out. Also, the oil filter housing will drain itself through the pan.
Next step was the oil filter. I took off the whole engine cover as it’s easy (just pull it up) and that gives much better oil filter access. The filter cap calls for a 24mm socket but 15/16" works fine. The filter cap broke loose easily but stayed semi-tight for a couple turns before I could finish unscrewing it by hand. If the engine is hot the cap will be hot, too. Wear gloves or wait for the engine to cool some.
The filter stays attached to the cap! I wasn’t expecting that. I had a small plastic bowl handy to drop the filter/cap into and managed not to spill a drop. After I was away from the Jeep I pulled on the filter and it popped off the cap. Then I looked into the engine’s filter housing and it was empty of oil.
I took the big O-ring off the filter cap, wiped the cap clean and put the new O-ring on after coating it with fresh oil (important!). The next step was to snap the new filter into the cap (it clicks in place) and I put a little oil on the small O-ring on the bottom of the filter. After wiping clean the top edge of the filter housing on the engine, I screwed things back together.
A few weeks ago I took a paint marker and put a mark on the cap and housing so I could tighten the cap back exactly where the factory had it. I knew that the tightening torque on the cap was 18.4 ft/lbs (or 220 inch/lbs) so I tightened it with an inch/lb torque wrench just to see if it would match the marks. They lined up exactly. I have heard of mechanics over-tightening the cap and breaking the plastic filter housing. Obviously that's something to avoid. In the future I won’t use the torque wrench; I’ll just align the marks.
I thought that tightening the cap would compress the big O-ring but it doesn’t work that way. The O-ring ends up between a groove by the cap threads and the inside of the housing, so when you do final tightening on the cap, it’s just tightening the plastic threads, if that makes any sense (Easier to see than explain).
So with the top part done except for replacing the engine cover, I went back under the Jeep and replaced the drain plug. I didn’t use a torque wrench as I’m not that anal. The drain plug has a built in rubber seal (another nice detail) so there’s no reason to over-tighten.
I poured one 5 quart jug of oil into the filler hole via a big funnel, then measured out another quart and poured it in. I replaced the filler cap, started the engine, checked for leaks and then put the engine cover back on. Then I did the three pushes to the throttle pedal to reset the EVIC’s oil meter, zeroed Trip Odometer ‘B’ to keep track of the miles after the oil change and I was done.
Tomorrow I’ll double-check the dipstick to make sure the oil level is where it belongs. Overall, changing oil on the V6 Cherokee wasn’t a bad job and if in the future I can keep the draining oil from spattering, isn’t messy, either. The new oil filter design isn’t bad to work with. It’s easier than some of the bottom mounted spin-on filters that spill oil on you when you unscrew them.
