Doing your own Oil changes, is it worth it?

Here’s another aspect that gets left out. Even at SpeedCo it could take 1-3 hours give or take. But if your at TA/Petro, there’s no telling sometimes. I remember plenty of times, getting that call at late in the 1am’s “drop your trailer and come on in”... knowing I got the alarm set for 6 or 7 am...

Oil changes can come at inconvenient times when OTR. Interfering with quality sleep and tight load schedules and etc. so there’s a value in knocking that oil change out at home, so to avoid those unpredictable oil change waits at times. Not to mention the under or over torquing of pan bolts and etc

 

The great thing about doing it yourself: you get some one that cares looking at everything else while you are in there. Occasionally you actually spot something ammis.
My last truck. After completing an oil change, I was just about to close the hood when I noticed a wet spot where one didn’t belong. It turned out to be a small coolant line on my DD15 that goes from the oil filter module to the fuel module. It was just weeping under a support clamp that wore through. I was able to replace it before I went back to work and saved any lost downtime or worse that could have happened on the road.

 

Yes same procedure.
Drain oil.
Remove filter.
Put oil in filter, Install filter.
Pour in 11 gallons of oil.
Fill to line on dipstick.
Start motor, run until oil pressure comes up.
Let oil settle back down.
Check out level again to make sure it is full.

Most times fuel filter is changed at the same time. Depends on filtration system.
Grease your truck also.

 

? For those who use ''blended'' oil .what exactly is that and what are the proportions.

 

Blended is synthetic oil blended with mineral oil.
Mix depends on supplier.
I use a 50% blend. N14 motor

 

It is a blend of synthetic and dino oil, I think it is 50% of each.

 

It could be but even a 10% synthetic can be called blended.
If you are not blending it yourself then there is no way to tell.

 

I used to do it myself on the old iron. Not certified anything in them old days neither.

Old oil? Grab a dallop of deisel splash it on the puddle. (After moving truck far from it) run down get a little gasoline and toss it on there. Follow up with a match and wait a few minutes. Poof. It's also a chance to burn shop trash that otherwise would be a pain with that barrel being overflowing.

It's easier to let the mechanic fuss with all that while we tend to dinner or other things with that time.

 

PLEASE DON'T' DO THIS. Our air and environment will thank you.

 

Sorry. We burn everything here in Arkansas. Things too dangerous to burn get disposed of at the shop which takes hazmat. The method I described reduces anything in the burn pit into a fine ash over a time.

Remember it goes to incinerators which... burns it. Fire is a great tool.

Maryland would have a cow for sure. But we are in the south now. Less concerned with the EPA etc.

Farmers are preparing to burn the fields near I-40 after harvest time is complete. That will take about a month and sometimes halt traffic a time or two.