I was all ready to come on here and congratulate GM on ditching that dumb 10mm oil drain plug bolt in favor of the 15mm and having the rear facing drain plug which i prefer over the ones that point strait down but then I saw where the oil filter was located. :WTF:
Between the AC compressor and Catalytic converter with like two inches of clearance to the radiator fan. It doesn't help that the dealership somehow installed the old filter with their brand new 3/4 inch impact. :bang: I didn't have the proper size oil filter socket as I usually don't use them because I install my filter hand tight. I ended up using a 1/4 wood chisel and hammer to drive the chisel into the body of the filter so i could break it loose. Even if you the filter comes off easy how the heck are you supposed to get it out without getting oil all over the exhaust?
I also don't like that you cant pre fill the oil filter before you put it on which I get it with modern engines and oil probably doesn't make that much of a difference but I like the added piece of mind.
I put one of those K&N filters on with the 1 inch not on the bottom to make life easier next time
Sorry had to rant. Still love the car.
Gonna do the transmission next and put amsoil in it. On my old cruze we had a trick of disconnecting the oil cooler feed and return line to get all the old fluid out vs the method of drain refill drain which is what was recommended. Wonder if the same is possible on the impala.
On my 2013, there's a doohicky (ie, funnel, channel, viaduct) below the oil filter that catches the oil and routes it to a small pipe. As long as your drain pan is under that pipe, you should be able to catch whatever comes out as you unscrew the filter.
One important note: once you break the filter free, turn it slowly so you don't sling the oil beyond the span of the aforementioned doohicky.
As for pre-filling the filters, I've had pretty good luck filling them about half-way, then tipping them on to the threads and getting them started before any oil leaks out, or at most, only a few drops.
After I get the filter on, I wipe down the doohicky to clean off any remaining oil.
All that said, I agree, I wish all oil filter mounts were vertical, or close to it. Seems like sometimes when a new engine comes out, they take a step backwards
I, myself, like the oil filter location underhood. Only problem I've encountered was on the son's '16 Limited 1st oil/filter change. Some gorilla installed the drain plug so tight I had to resort to a 1/2" dr. ratchet/socket and a 3# mini sledge hammer, lol. 15mm combo wrench has been fine since. I don't use any tools for filter remove/install. For the atf, I just remove the 11mm plug for a drain/refill. Probably can undo cooler line(s) and utilize the atf pump for a complete exchange, but for me, the drain/fill is just too easy to ignore. And requires considerably less atf. Easier than an oil change because there's no filter to deal with (or pan to drop).
Gonna do the transmission next and put amsoil in it. On my old cruze we had a trick of disconnecting the oil cooler feed and return line to get all the old fluid out vs the method of drain refill drain which is what was recommended. Wonder if the same is possible on the impala.
Not a good idea. If the Trans Oil Pump goes dry for even a few seconds, it will score the pump and permanently damage it. You will never get the fluid out of the torque converter. There is no pan to remove as it is vertical and can not be removed without dropping the trans. It has a drain plug and you can expect to get half to maybe two thirds of the fluid and refill. That's It.
No gripes from me on the 12 impala oil changes, however I get the irritation with dealers. Last oil change I let the dealer do on ours I had to use a breaker bar to get the plug loose and yes the filter was spun on tighter than I typically tighten them. Ironically that was also the oil change where I informed the service advisor they had been using the wrong filter for years and showed him the bulletin. He seemed clueless while arguing that the pf48 was the correct filter even after showing him the gm bulletin.
Honestly, my few experiences with dealer and quick-lube oil changes is that they seem to not be very careful with the details. And that explains why they have been few over the past 35 years. When I check the oil after the change, I expect it to hit dead nuts on the mark on the dip stick, not a half quart over. Nor do I want to see oil running down the pan where they failed to clean up afterwards.
ill lament again here that my suction device doesnt work on the impala whereas it worked on another car. also my valvomax device didnt work either. its going back to see why it wouldnt drain properly.
The filter location is not optimal, but at least it was better than and it was not designed like my father's mazda was. Upside down and at the top of the motor just under the hood. That took a real genius to design that one. Take the filter off and oil runs down all over the motor.
My first oil change on our 14' impala my thoughts were the same. Great drain plug location but unless you get some Kevlar gloves it's hard not to burn your knuckles on the cat. Now since we've had it a year and I've done more and more oil changes it's not too bad. Get yourself an oil filter socket that fits that filter and go in from the top with a 3/8 breaker bar and you can break it lose pretty easily from the top between the filter and radiator fans. Once its loose then it's much easier to keep your hands from touching the cat. Keep a few threads on it and let the oil drain out then remove it from the bottom.
You can also fill the filter up a little over 1/2 way before you spin it on since it's slanted slight down.
As for the tranny just drain and fill & put in what you put out. Dexron is cheap so just drain and fill as part of your regular maintenance.
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