My very first vehicle Oil Change

Yep, I decided to do this and yep, it's done. 20 minutes oil change...shoot that's nothing. 2hr and 40 minutes and I even got a free pair of oily pants.

It started with me purchasing the wrong oil filter. For some reason I thought I had V6 4.3Liter engine. It turned out its a V8 4.8Liter. (my head is hanging low for this blunder). I had to go to Auto Zone twice to get the Oil Filter and the second time I just had the guy cross reference my old filter. I looked in the owners manual book which said I needed 4.5 quarts of oil for a V6. However my old speed lube statements said they put 6quarts of oil...so I'm immediately jumped to the conclusion they overcharged me because I mechanically illiterate. As it turned out they were right I needed 6 quarts.

Regardless of the time spent on rookie mistakes, it's done and the Chevy Silverado is running great for at least then next 3000 miles. This cost me me a whopping total of $36 dollars. This includes replacing the engine air filter which was $12 alone.

Speaking of air filters here is a Public Service Announcement. During this process, I also learned my truck consists of what the manufacturer calls a "Cabin Air Filter". I've never replaced this yet it's recommended to be changed every 12K miles and I'm at 150K miles...oops. Well I found it, and leaves fell from the filter that was originally white but was now charcoal gray. So now I have clean cabin air also. "Cabin"(chuckle). I'm totally going to mention to the next passenger in my vehicle that in the event of a loss of "Cabin" pressure, do not stick your head by the vent and this will be only hilarious to me. But back to the PSA, check if you have a Cabin Air Filter. This may need to be changed and can help with removing allergins and other airborn particlulates. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Honda CRV Dipstick Problem

During my lunch break, I took my Wife's 2001 Honda CRV in for an oil change.

The guy pulled on the dipstick to check the oil level and out came the tube connecting to the Engine Block.

(you should of seen his Deer in the Headlights stare.)

After he scratched his head for a while, I told him to put the tube back in so at the least I could drive with a very minimal amount of oil loss. As the guy tried to do this he told me he thought it broke off and I would need a new tube and dip stick because it was all rusted. Hmmmm....yes rust was on the outside handle of the dipstick, but the tube base showed no rust or broken edges and neither did the dipstick. My speculation was that this part was press fitted, and the press finally gave way after 6 years and 190K Miles. Then I researched the net when I got back to work and found a thread explaining the same problem and the cost of having a dealer “Weld”. I wasn’t sure what “Weld” method was used but the price was $100.

I called the dealer and talked to service who said I could bring it in and they would do a JB Weld.

I called my Wife’s brother, Mikey, who is a certified John Deere Mechanic to see if he had this JB Weld. He did and I went to the farm after work and we fixed it. For the non-mechanics, which I am a JB Weld turns out to be epoxy from two tubes you mix together that can withstand high heat.

If you’re reading this and want to know the steps to fix this, read further…this should take no more then 1 hour. If you’ve done this before it will probably take 15 min. The cost of JB Weld is $8.00


STEPS TO REPAIR:-What I did in the evening so the Weld had time to bond (and what I found out the Honda Dealership would do as well) is purchase some JB Weld (tubes of epoxy you mix together) to bond the tube back in.
-Take off the plate guarding the block (4-10mm head screws)
-Clean the base of the tube so no oil would hinder the epoxy weld. I gave a generous dousing of Ether after removing the oil with a cloth.
-Clean the hole inside the engine block to remove oils. (Careful not to let debris fall in the Engine Block Hole.) I did give a short blast of ether at the hole.
-follow the directions on the JB Weld package and apply to tube.
-insert tube in hole. Lightly tap the top of the tube to make sure it is snug in the engine block hole.
-insert dip stick
-re-install guarding plate.