Changing your Sonic's oil.

[speedog]

Has anyone with a 1.8L changed the oil yet?

I curious if the hole in the belly pan lines up with drain plug?

Obviously it does not on the 1.4T

The 1.8l is a breeze even with the belly pan, oil flows right into your drain pan through the big opening (oil doesn't even touch the belly pan) and don't even have to jack the car up. Filter access is very good too - was able to use a 24mm wrench without having to move anything out of the way. Probably one of the easiest cars I've ever had to change the oil on - even easier then my 1980 El Camino.

 

[bufbarnaby]

Just changed my oil. Best solution and easiest also , is to simply cut a hole with a 3.5 inch hole saw connected to an electric drill. Mine has a pilot drill bit in the center so hole saw doesn`t "walk" around. Wear goggles. Had several sized metal cutting hole saws left over from my road-racing Camaro I built in the early Nineties. There is plenty of room between cover and pan so as not to nick it. Looks totally factory. Left 1/2 inch of the cover towards the inside edge so it is nice and rigid. Got it dead center !
Also serves as a perfect place to stuff a rag to catch oil drips while you remove your oil drain pan and clean your plug off.
Matter of fact, there is a hand-sized hole on driver`s side of the cover for draining the manual trans. This is the engine oil drain hole the factory should have placed.

 

[gnonne]

1.8L oil change

OK... I read the beginning of these posts earlier today and got worried... I bought my 1.8 on 12/31/2011, built in Dec 2011.

It appears that the early 1.4L models were given the same belly pans as the 1.8L, which cover the drain plug. On the 1.8L, access to the drain plug if perfect. I guess the more recent models don't have the belly pan at all.

Jacking was not a real problem... I did jack the car up from behind the front passenger wheel to look around for a good spot, though. On the pass side very near the front is a large bolt joining the "frame" to the radiator support that joins both "frame rails." On the driver side, there is a towing hook here. It actually made more sense to lift the pass side, then you have a slight angle down to the drain plug.

The only complaint on the underside of the 1.8L is that a 10mm head is pretty small for a drain plug, which might get tight over time. I used a 3/8 drive socket with an adapter to fit a 1/2 drive handle, but it was a 12 point socket... 6 point would be MUCH better, or just get a new plug with a 15mm or 17mm hex head...

Up top, the 1.8L does not have much in the way for removing the filter cover. I actually work on the top while the oil is draining to save time. If you want to change the filter before the synthetic oil wears out, you can do this because it's top-mount. As long as the engine has been off for a couple of minutes, the oil should all be lower in the engine/pan.

Oddly, a 6 point 15/16 socket fit the filter cover perfectly... yes that's an inch size... (15/16 = 23.8 mm) I also have an Italian scooter (Aprilia) which everyone thinks would be METRIC... I took the bike to the parts store and 15/16 was the only socket that fit well enough to remove the large brass oil drain plug without shearing the corners of the brass plug. To confound matters more, my 2010 Malibu uses a 6 point 1-1/4" socket (31.75mm instead of 32mm) to remove the oil filter cover... I'm not making this up -the 24mm and 32mm sockets are too loose for heat-tightened plugs.

Other than figuring out where to jack, and not liking the 10mm plug head, it was not bad.

 

[2N10S]

Is there a thread on here that shows the safe jacking points? I don't want to end up bending or punching through something.

 

[Aldakoopa]

Aw crud, 4 LITERS of oil? LITERS!?! When I can only buy oil in QUARTS? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE CHEVROLET!?!

I had this same dilemma with my 300ZX. I thought I had gotten rid of that devil. :blankface:

Also, why did the off-brand filter cost as much as the synthetic oil?

I wanted a FRAM but there was only one filter left in stock and it was some crappy brand I've never heard of before that will probably let a piece of crap the size of a walrus through.

EDIT: I just realised that, in very, very small print underneath of the name "Pro-Walrusfilter" or whatever it is, it actually says "By Puro-"... excuse me, I mean "By Purolator" on it, so it is actually made by a brand I've heard of and used before. I'd still rather have FRAM though.

 

[Aldakoopa]

Yep, they're changing over because its cheaper and better on the environment/easier to dispose of cartridge style filters. I have no idea who all uses them now either, but my 1999 Volvo S70 was the first car I owned that had one and so did my 2009 Cobalts.

They must have made one helluva profit off the one they sold me. Most expensive filter I've seen in my life.

 

[djinn]

Aw crud, 4 LITERS of oil? LITERS!?! When I can only buy oil in QUARTS? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE CHEVROLET!?!

I had this same dilemma with my 300ZX. I thought I had gotten rid of that devil. :blankface:

Also, why did the off-brand filter cost as much as the synthetic oil?

I wanted a FRAM but there was only one filter left in stock and it was some crappy brand I've never heard of before that will probably let a piece of crap the size of a walrus through.

EDIT: I just realised that, in very, very small print underneath of the name "Pro-Walrusfilter" or whatever it is, it actually says "By Puro-"... excuse me, I mean "By Purolator" on it, so it is actually made by a brand I've heard of and used before. I'd still rather have FRAM though.

Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have a Purolator than a Fram. My car is a 2012, bought in May 2012 (so probably a March or April build date) and I don't have a belly pan. I'd like one, though. I may bug my stealer about that.

 

[Aldakoopa]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have a Purolator than a Fram. My car is a 2012, bought in May 2012 (so probably a March or April build date) and I don't have a belly pan. I'd like one, though. I may bug my stealer about that.

It's all personal preference. Everyone has different ideas of what's better or what's worse. It's not that I don't like Purolator, it's just that on my personal hierarchy of oil filters, FRAM comes before Purolator. Now, Purolator is generally my second choice though.

Has anyone used WIX filters? I can get a pretty good deal on WIX filters from Carquest through the commercial discount I get through the body shop I work at. Less than half the price I paid for that filter I just put on my car.

 

[td11pump]

Finally some time to change the oil on my Sonic 1.8 Sedan! 2356 miles on the OD. The easiest oil change I've ever done. The car was on level ground ( my driveway). 10mm bolt out, shallow oil pan to fit under the car. Top cartridge filter just like the Chevy Cobalt, my old car! 4.8qts. Pennzoil Synthetic Blend dexos1 and a Pureoilaltor cartrage filter. I'm "old school". Break-in oil should not go more than 1000 miles, but this is a synth blend so I gave it a little more miles. I'll do my changes every 5000 from now on!

 

[SSpeckerwood]

It's all personal preference. Everyone has different ideas of what's better or what's worse. It's not that I don't like Purolator, it's just that on my personal hierarchy of oil filters, FRAM comes before Purolator. Now, Purolator is generally my second choice though.

Has anyone used WIX filters? I can get a pretty good deal on WIX filters from Carquest through the commercial discount I get through the body shop I work at. Less than half the price I paid for that filter I just put on my car.

i wont use anything other than WIX. i've used them in heavy equipment and semi's down to personal vehicles. i can tell you right now, they stand up to anything and have saved to cummins 6BT's from total desruction.

 

[jchasp59]

Aw crud, 4 LITERS of oil? LITERS!?! When I can only buy oil in QUARTS? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE CHEVROLET!?!

I had this same dilemma with my 300ZX. I thought I had gotten rid of that devil. :blankface:

Also, why did the off-brand filter cost as much as the synthetic oil?

I wanted a FRAM but there was only one filter left in stock and it was some crappy brand I've never heard of before that will probably let a piece of crap the size of a walrus through.

EDIT: I just realised that, in very, very small print underneath of the name "Pro-Walrusfilter" or whatever it is, it actually says "By Puro-"... excuse me, I mean "By Purolator" on it, so it is actually made by a brand I've heard of and used before. I'd still rather have FRAM though.

Just changed mine. The quoted 4.2 quarts in the owner's manual ended up being an even 4 quarts to FULL on the dipstick (with a new filter.)

 

[sonic hotness]

What's the fram oil filter number?

 

[SSpeckerwood]

Why fram? I wouldn't use one in my lawnmower. There are much better filters out there

 

[theenico]

Indeed. Fram = yuck. The factory one is a Wix BTW.

 

[LS1notFOUND]

ORielly has wix I believe. Was easy on the wallet if I remember. And yes fram is kinda bottom shelf.

3.8Liters(3800ml/3800cc)=1gallon=4quarts "close enough"

 

[SSpeckerwood]

I'm getting a factory filter right now.

Acdelco filter - $7
5quarts of Mobil1 extended performance - $40
Warranty coverage - priceless

 

[theenico]

Don't pour all 5 qts in. Check the level at 4.

 

[SSpeckerwood]

I only pour 4 quarts. By the time i do my 4th change I get 1 for free.

 

[theenico]

Understood.

 

[sonic hotness]

OK guys I'll get a acdelco or wix filter


Not sure if I want to run Mobil 1 or quaker state