Bryman31 Posted March 18, 2018 Report Share Posted March 18, 2018 just curious for all you do it yerselfers........ anyone use an oil extractor? id like to save money and do it myself but have no desire or the tools to jack my car up and change it the normal way. some of the guys on the Pacifica forum use them to change oil on their vans, so i was thinking of getting one for our pacifica but thought id ask around here if anyone had used one? i figure full synthetic plus labor at the dealership is gonna be pricey so this may be a decent cheaper alternative. im at about 7 months @ 2700 miles so i figure ill just get an oil change @ 3000 miles to full synth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 first off syn at the dealership is really high, 2nd just do your first 4 free oil changes at 6 k not 3 k just wasting your free changes. and by oil extractor i am assuming you mean a tube down the oil stick tube it would work but probally wont get all the oil out and or any residue that would drain out by removing the drain plug.after looking at the oil extractor kind of pricey and had some bad reviews . think i ( 65 yr old fat man)would stay with the oil pan and remove the drain plug i mean its usually only once a yr or so...good luck Bryman31, mechanical-idiot, jkeaton and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryman31 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 i wish i had 4 free oil changes!! i figure at the rate im driving my car (always driving my work truck) ill MAYBE be at 4000 miles at my 1 year mark. so worst case scenario 1 oil change a year even if it is pricey is better than multiple times per year... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 13 minutes ago, Bryman31 said: i wish i had 4 free oil changes!! i figure at the rate im driving my car (always driving my work truck) ill MAYBE be at 4000 miles at my 1 year mark. so worst case scenario 1 oil change a year even if it is pricey is better than multiple times per year... just assumed you bought it new,they come with with 4 free oil changes , well if you dont have them go to Walmart or a local garage a lot cheaper then the dealership Bryman31 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 That won’t get all the oil out or drain sludge that may accumulate. Honestly, draining the oil is a 10 minute job. But, it’s your car. N87 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryman31 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 10 hours ago, 2late4u said: just assumed you bought it new,they come with with 4 free oil changes , well if you dont have them go to Walmart or a local garage a lot cheaper then the dealership do they really come with 4 free changes??? i was not told that how would i find that out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) 7 minutes ago, Bryman31 said: do they really come with 4 free changes??? i was not told that how would i find that out? Call your dealer. Edited March 19, 2018 by jkeaton 2late4u 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryman31 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 5 minutes ago, jkeaton said: Call your dealer. hahah that would be the obvious thing LOL jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 1 hour ago, Bryman31 said: hahah that would be the obvious thing LOL well you did ask? jkeaton and Bryman31 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 1 hour ago, jkeaton said: Call your dealer. hey that is usually my line...... jkeaton and Bryman31 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 I don't have one, nor have I ever used one. It also doesn't matter because every time I change the oil in my DJ (and my T&C), it's time for a tire rotation. That being said: You have to get under the DJ to change the filter (unless you have a 3.6L). Either way, there is enough ground clearance with the DJ that I could change the oil without lifting the front end if I had to. I'm 5'10", 220, and I can get far enough under the engine bay to change it from the ground. Also, the change interval on the DJ is annual/10,000 miles/when the light says to change it (not likely before 5,000 miles). It's almost always going to be time for a tire rotation when you need to change the oil. If you don't care about uneven wear on the tires, get ramps. That's going to be more effective than a pump. My typical oil change on my 2015 DJ (2.4L) runs about $40 or less. That's using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w20 with a Purolator Boss filter. I wouldn't bother changing the factory oil at 3,000 miles, but that's me. There is nothing in the owner's manual (unless it's a new requirement for newer model years, which I doubt) about an early change for the factory fill. Ramps will set you back $40 - that gets you a set of 12,000 pound rated ramps. For the DJ, you could use just about anything to raise the front end up to an incline. If you want to maintain a Pacifica (I assume the new minivan, not the old crossover), you would need to raise the front end to gain access to the drain bolt. Throw in an oil drain container (pan + store 16 quarts of used oil) for $15. If you want to perform tire rotations, get a 3-ton jack and stands (about $140 combined) and a torque wrench (not more than $80). The price of 4 oil changes with tool purchase would be $380. Compared to paying about the same for the first 4 anywhere else. After that? The tools are free. And, as stated previously, you don't have to rotate tires if you don't care about uneven wear (I don't recommend that). On a side note - Ultra Platinum is typically hit or miss when it comes to price. If Amazon and WalMart both have it in stock, it's $25 for a 5 quart jug. If only one of them has it in stock, it's $40 or more. As of 1:15 on 3/19/18, they both have it and it's cheap. Bryman31 and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryman31 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 2 hours ago, bfurth said: I don't have one, nor have I ever used one. It also doesn't matter because every time I change the oil in my DJ (and my T&C), it's time for a tire rotation. That being said: You have to get under the DJ to change the filter (unless you have a 3.6L). Either way, there is enough ground clearance with the DJ that I could change the oil without lifting the front end if I had to. I'm 5'10", 220, and I can get far enough under the engine bay to change it from the ground. Also, the change interval on the DJ is annual/10,000 miles/when the light says to change it (not likely before 5,000 miles). It's almost always going to be time for a tire rotation when you need to change the oil. If you don't care about uneven wear on the tires, get ramps. That's going to be more effective than a pump. My typical oil change on my 2015 DJ (2.4L) runs about $40 or less. That's using Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5w20 with a Purolator Boss filter. I wouldn't bother changing the factory oil at 3,000 miles, but that's me. There is nothing in the owner's manual (unless it's a new requirement for newer model years, which I doubt) about an early change for the factory fill. Ramps will set you back $40 - that gets you a set of 12,000 pound rated ramps. For the DJ, you could use just about anything to raise the front end up to an incline. If you want to maintain a Pacifica (I assume the new minivan, not the old crossover), you would need to raise the front end to gain access to the drain bolt. Throw in an oil drain container (pan + store 16 quarts of used oil) for $15. If you want to perform tire rotations, get a 3-ton jack and stands (about $140 combined) and a torque wrench (not more than $80). The price of 4 oil changes with tool purchase would be $380. Compared to paying about the same for the first 4 anywhere else. After that? The tools are free. And, as stated previously, you don't have to rotate tires if you don't care about uneven wear (I don't recommend that). On a side note - Ultra Platinum is typically hit or miss when it comes to price. If Amazon and WalMart both have it in stock, it's $25 for a 5 quart jug. If only one of them has it in stock, it's $40 or more. As of 1:15 on 3/19/18, they both have it and it's cheap. i appreciate the write up thank you! yes we have the new pacifica so ramps would be necessary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hankster Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 I can easily change the oil and filter without lifting. I just put a piece of cardboard down to slide on and can reach without any problems. Why make it more complicated than that? Hank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 33 minutes ago, Hankster said: I can easily change the oil and filter without lifting. I just put a piece of cardboard down to slide on and can reach without any problems. Why make it more complicated than that? Hank he is asking because he bought a new pacifica, not a journey. less height on them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted March 19, 2018 Report Share Posted March 19, 2018 (edited) I can get under and reach with no problem, but for the $52 it costs for a full synthetic change maybe twice a year ($27 for a 6 pack of Mobil1 at COSTCO, $25 for a filter and they use my oil ) why get my hands dirty? Then you have to capture the waste oil and take it somewhere. I guess I do use an oil extractor, the guy at the oil change place! Edited March 19, 2018 by OhareFred mechanical-idiot, 2late4u and jkeaton 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 (edited) 15 hours ago, 2late4u said: he is asking because he bought a new pacifica, not a journey. less height on them Well, that’s confusing. Are we talking Journeys or Pacifica’s?? Edited March 20, 2018 by jkeaton OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted March 20, 2018 Report Share Posted March 20, 2018 If you want to talk Journeys, stay here. If you want to talk about Mopar minivans, go here: http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/forum.php. Not sure if this violates any terms of service of this site to plug other forums, but they're not exactly competing for the same audience, and I happen to be semi-active on both. jkeaton and OhareFred 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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