How to change your own oil.
01-05-2010, 05:15 PM
#121
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2008
Location: Washington State, where it rains
Posts: 4,708
You can't flood a fuel injected engine....you don't have a carburator anymore,,there is no fuel going to the eng when its off.....
Start over with the key only....
Start over with the key only....
01-06-2010, 07:03 AM
#122
Join Date: 11-18-2009
Location: Vermont
Posts: 2
Resetting Oil Life
I never knew you could not flood fuel injection. Nice piece of info. BUT my problem remains, I can't reset the oil life. After reading all the posts related to this i am now worried about a filter failure. Actually, when I took out the old one it was deformed. Leaving on a 400 mile one way trip today. via con dios
01-06-2010, 08:42 PM
#123
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-13-2008
Location: Washington State, where it rains
Posts: 4,708
I believe they all come out that way.. they stick so when you twist the cap off the filter twists and looks bad.The DIC won't help you on filter failure anyways...always wished they had added an oil press gage!
Since you have already gone thru to proces once you may need to actually put a coupe miles on it before trying again,, just a guess...
Since you have already gone thru to proces once you may need to actually put a coupe miles on it before trying again,, just a guess...
01-17-2010, 11:02 AM
#124
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-06-2009
Location: Hillsdale, Mi.
Posts: 123
Changed the oil/filter in ours last weekend. Had a bit of difficulty in resetting the oil life, but managed to do so after a couple tries.
I do want to find the gorrilla that over-tightened the drain plug during the last oil change.
Took me 7 - hard,,, palm-smacks on the wrench to get it loose. I ain't no 70 pound weakling either. It was Way to tight.
I do want to find the gorrilla that over-tightened the drain plug during the last oil change.
Took me 7 - hard,,, palm-smacks on the wrench to get it loose. I ain't no 70 pound weakling either. It was Way to tight.
01-24-2010, 08:30 AM
#125
Senior Member
Join Date: 01-31-2007
Location: New Hampsha
Posts: 2,479
I never knew you could not flood fuel injection. Nice piece of info. BUT my problem remains, I can't reset the oil life. After reading all the posts related to this i am now worried about a filter failure. Actually, when I took out the old one it was deformed. Leaving on a 400 mile one way trip today. via con dios
I've used all different brands from Fram, Oem, Purolator, Super Tech etc.....some look warped coming out, others not..ehhh..no big deal.
In fact gonna change the oil today
Goose
02-12-2010, 09:37 PM
#126
Join Date: 02-12-2010
Location: Spring Lake, NC
Posts: 5
Thanks for posting this very informative thread. 
02-12-2010, 10:00 PM
#127
Platinum Member
Join Date: 01-09-2007
Location: SE USA
Posts: 15,968
WELCOME- There is much info here.. If you are looking for anything else in particular & can't find it.. You can use the Search box above in the tool-bar.. Very Handy..
sleeper
sleeper
02-17-2010, 01:13 PM
#128
Join Date: 02-12-2010
Location: Spring Lake, NC
Posts: 5
Appreciate the welcome. :) The wife and I joined a HHR forum right after we got the car, but have since bought new computers and neither of us could remember if it was this one or not. 
I would like to add that using a crow's foot is probably much easier than using a 32mm socket unless you get a very shallow one. I had a hell of a time today removing the filter cover, but come to find out only because the stealership cross-threaded it on its last oil change.
Again, thanks for the welcome.
I would like to add that using a crow's foot is probably much easier than using a 32mm socket unless you get a very shallow one. I had a hell of a time today removing the filter cover, but come to find out only because the stealership cross-threaded it on its last oil change.
Again, thanks for the welcome.
02-27-2010, 12:56 AM
#129
New Member
Join Date: 02-25-2010
Location: Queens, NY
Posts: 27
Oils for cars
I have been using Mobil 1 since 1986, in 6 different cars, works great! There is also Red Line (expensive) & Royal Purple oils, both synthetic. I have a 2010 Hollywood Hot Rod 2LT which will get Mobil 1 (it's easier for me to find). My other car is a '98 BMW 328is (has an oil change indicator lights, 7500 miles) which gets Mobil 1 also. I'm in the BMW Car Club of America, they put out their own all BMW magazine written by BMW owners, a lot like this forum. These guys swear by Red Line & Mobil 1 oils. Filter change is the same as on the HHR, they use Mann filters. Oil changes on the other cars I have owned were at 5000 miles intervals, clean oil came out & I mean clean! The color is nothing. The oil will look black after a couple of hundred miles, but it's a clear black.
If you read the manual with care, the oil percentage DIF read out is actually time on the oil in the running engine. The better way to change oil. There's a no difference on oil wear whether in traffic or on the highway. The oil is still using it's lubricating life. Changing oil every 3000 miles was rule of thumb back then, because there was no engine run time meters on cars. There was on commercial trucks because they idled a lot on deliveries (I used drive one in my youth). As I understand the manual, the system is looking at idle time, stop & go time, & highway time the engine is running. That's why the miles between changes will differ from owner to owner. Do as you are comfortable!
Great forum!
Enjoy & have fun with your cars.
If you read the manual with care, the oil percentage DIF read out is actually time on the oil in the running engine. The better way to change oil. There's a no difference on oil wear whether in traffic or on the highway. The oil is still using it's lubricating life. Changing oil every 3000 miles was rule of thumb back then, because there was no engine run time meters on cars. There was on commercial trucks because they idled a lot on deliveries (I used drive one in my youth). As I understand the manual, the system is looking at idle time, stop & go time, & highway time the engine is running. That's why the miles between changes will differ from owner to owner. Do as you are comfortable!
Great forum!
Enjoy & have fun with your cars.
02-27-2010, 05:56 PM
#130
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,805
I have been using Mobil 1 since 1986, in 6 different cars, works great! There is also Red Line (expensive) & Royal Purple oils, both synthetic. I have a 2010 Hollywood Hot Rod 2LT which will get Mobil 1 (it's easier for me to find). My other car is a '98 BMW 328is (has an oil change indicator lights, 7500 miles) which gets Mobil 1 also. I'm in the BMW Car Club of America, they put out their own all BMW magazine written by BMW owners, a lot like this forum. These guys swear by Red Line & Mobil 1 oils. Filter change is the same as on the HHR, they use Mann filters. Oil changes on the other cars I have owned were at 5000 miles intervals, clean oil came out & I mean clean! The color is nothing. The oil will look black after a couple of hundred miles, but it's a clear black.
If you read the manual with care, the oil percentage DIF read out is actually time on the oil in the running engine. The better way to change oil. There's a no difference on oil wear whether in traffic or on the highway. The oil is still using it's lubricating life. Changing oil every 3000 miles was rule of thumb back then, because there was no engine run time meters on cars. There was on commercial trucks because they idled a lot on deliveries (I used drive one in my youth). As I understand the manual, the system is looking at idle time, stop & go time, & highway time the engine is running. That's why the miles between changes will differ from owner to owner. Do as you are comfortable!
Great forum!
Enjoy & have fun with your cars.
If you read the manual with care, the oil percentage DIF read out is actually time on the oil in the running engine. The better way to change oil. There's a no difference on oil wear whether in traffic or on the highway. The oil is still using it's lubricating life. Changing oil every 3000 miles was rule of thumb back then, because there was no engine run time meters on cars. There was on commercial trucks because they idled a lot on deliveries (I used drive one in my youth). As I understand the manual, the system is looking at idle time, stop & go time, & highway time the engine is running. That's why the miles between changes will differ from owner to owner. Do as you are comfortable!
Great forum!
Enjoy & have fun with your cars.
With do respect......
I don't believe you COMPLETELY understand the Owners Manual regarding the OLI. Although technically you may be correct, functionally and fundamentally you are incorrect. I'm not going into this as a discussion, it's been discussed at great length in previous threads. A "technical" paper (from, I believe a GM engineer) was posted here describing how the OLI works (also, it works SLIGHTLY differently in several different models of GM vehicles and, depending on model, may use some of the criteria you suggest.) I believe the OP was HotRodBob. But to "put it simply" the OLI (in the HHR) works on an algorithum that monitors/configures the useage of the ZDDP, based on engine temperature and engine speed.
GM's next OLI system will be a compilation of existing technology and new, to provide even better oil use.
I'm only posting in an attempt to prevent incorrect info.
Oh, by the way, I heard the BMW OLI system is licensed from GM. Do you know if this is true?
Last edited by Snoopy; 03-01-2010 at 02:57 PM.