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Changing the oil in the Hemi!

18K views 30 replies 17 participants last post by  II kings 9:20 
#1 ·
So, I just spent an hour or so under my Cool Vanilla C and have some info that I'd like to share for those of you who will be doing this eventually. Note that if you follow these instructions and still manage to mess something up, it's not my fault, so don't come whining to me. ;)

To change the oil in your 300C, you'll need the following:
  • 10mm socket
  • 13mm socket
  • a large filter wrench
  • 7 (yes seven!) quarts of your favorite oil (5w20 recommended)
  • oil filter (stock part #05281090, Purolator Pure One #PL14670 (same as the 300M))
  • some way to get the front of the car in the air (ramps work great)
  • a big oil catch container (7 quarts, after all :) )

After you get the car in the air (as I said above, ramps work great on this car) and properly secured, you need to get under there and remove a plastic cover that shields the entire bottom of the engine. It's held in place by four annoying little 10mm head bolts that are driven into clip-nuts (probably to make 'em easy to replace when some bozo strips 'em out). These take a few minutes to get out because they're deep-threaded and wobbly, but after they come out, the guard comes off easy.

After the guard is off, the filter is in an obvious location on the passenger's side of the engine. It points straight down, which is really nice from the standpoint of keeping the motor clean when you take it off. Mine was already seeping a little oil around the filter seal from the factory, but it wasn't too bad. First, take out the oil drain plug (13mm head bolt easily accessible) and let most of the oil drain out. Be careful, it flows pretty strong if it's warm.

After most of the oil is out, you can take the filter off. A cap-style filter wrench would be optimal, but you can get a band style on it from the side if you're clever (go up above the frame rail). Thread it off carefully and discard it. Then you can prep the new filter by pouring about half a quart of oil into it and rubbing some around the rubber seal. Install the new filter very carefully: don't spill any oil or cross-thread the filter. . . it should spin on with almost no force. Tighten only hand tight if you're fairly strong: if not, you can snug it down a bit with a filter wrench, but then all your friends will think you're a wuss. :)

With the new filter on, the pan should be almost dry: go ahead and clean and replace the drain plug. Again, watch the torque. . . new drain plugs will seal up nice while just snug + about 1/4 turn.

I pulled the Hemi cover off in the engine bay to put the oil in because (a) it's really easy to take off and on: just pull gently and (b) once off, the oil fill neck is elevated and easy to wrap a drip rag around eliminating the need for a funnel.

After you have the oil fill cap off and the fill neck well protected from spills, go ahead and dump in the remaining 6 and 1/2 quarts of your favorite oil (I used Mobil 1 0w20). After you're done, go ahead and replace the fill cap, the engine cover, and wipe up the engine bay if you dripped anywhere (or if it's just dusty.)

Note that you shouldn't have put the bottom engine cover back on yet: you'll want to start and run the engine for a couple of minutes and check the drain plug and the filter for signs of seepage or leaks. After you're sure it's okay, you can double-check the level on the dipstick (should be fine), and go ahead and replace the bottom engine cover, but be really careful not to torque those 10mm bolts too much: then only take 35 in-lbs, which is nothing: just snug them up. After you get the tools out from under the car, the oil put away, and the car down on the ground, you'll be done!

So, there ya go. The first documented 300C Hemi oil change that I know of. I hope that someone finds the information useful.

fathemi
 
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#5 ·
I have an easier method of changing the oil. I'll just stop by my dealer, on a Saturday morning, and have a cup of coffee. I have no need to become that initmate with my C. Why have to deal with disposing of used oil? That is why they have a Service Dept. Changed the oil already? Why not wait until the first regular change interval?
 
#6 ·
I personally like to change the oil in my vehicles. For me it is a trade off in cost of labor for synthetic oil. It also affords me the opportunity to crawl around under the car looking for other potential problems or leaks. All that can be fixed under Factory Warranty. It has benefited me with the dealership used car guys. They know if anything was ever wrong with my car I have had it in to be fixed and in return they have been good about giving more for my trade in's. In fact they have purchased 2 cars from me outright. No need to buy from them. That is how I sold an F150 Super Crew King Ranch, (to my Ford dealer) and will use the proceded for the 300C on order.
 
#7 ·
Ahh. . . to each his (or her) own.

For some automotive enthusiasts, the experience of owning a vehicle is not complete until they service the vehicle themselves as well. I happen to be one of them. I also happen to be quite mechanically inclined and find the experience of performing simple maintenance on my cars quite relaxing.

As far as why now: well. . . she had about 2K miles on her and I wanted to get the factory fill out and some synthetic and a better filter in there asap.

Incidentally, I've owned a couple of cars that I allowed the dealer to service exclusively, including my first 300M (a 2001 PHP), and have never been overly pleased with the inconsistent quality of the work performed on the car. Usually, a casual inspection on an exclusively dealer serviced car will reveal quite a bit of oil drippage, especially around the filter area, which they rarely clean properly and some degree of stripped, rounded, or otherwise mishandled bolts. Dealer mechanics often need to do things fast, and they often pass off "easy work" like oil changes to the least experienced mechanics, which eventually often results in a poor job. I would virtually guarantee that those 10mm bolts that hold on the bottom engine cover plastic and perhaps the plastic itself would be damaged within the space of a few oil changes.

Not to mention that you need to give up control of your car and trust that it won't be damaged or dirtied while being serviced (I've had that happen a number of times) and, at the end of the day, you don't know what they even put in there.

Oh. . . and then there's service cost. I own 4 cars. . . 3 of them brand new (2003 and newer). . . the savings per oil change isn't a ton, but it does add up.

. . .and disposing of oil these days is easy: Get a 5 gallon can with a tight sealing lid. Dump oil from your catch pan into the can. When the can is full, take it to your local auto parts store and have them recycle the oil and give you back the can. With 5 gallons, you can make the trip about once every 2 or 3 changes.

fathemi
 
#8 ·
BTW:

300C: I'm posting those engine pics you asked for in the pictures forum right now.

fathemi
 
#9 ·
Do you think 2k miles is a safe time to switch to synthetic???
I've always heard you should do at least your first couple oil changes with conventional oil to help with break in.. Switching to synthetic too early I have heard can cause problems with ring seal etc....
Just what I've heard...
 
#10 ·
My cars have always had a log book filled with entries from my dealer service visits, that has helped my trade-in deals. All recommended service intervals followed closely. I have done business with relatively small dealerships with few junior grade mechanics in view. No oil drips or problems with the nuts and bolts seen. The service dept. always puts down paper floor mats and plastic over the seats. Never get back a dirtied up car. So for my time, doing my own oil changes does not save that much money. I just check the fluid levels and tire inflation and keep my car washed and waxed. Yes, to each his own. :) ;)

So how much better is synthetic oil over natural lubricants?
 
#11 ·
olio

Hello guys, I am not yet an owner, Cool Vanilla 300C due to ship on 5/31. You need to go to the oil filter study at minimopar.knizefamily.net. Our Mopar filters may be Purolater, Champion (not spark plug) or Lord help us Fram with glued cardboard end caps. I am going to use either Wix (NAPA gold), or Amsoil filters and Amsoil or Mobil 1 oil. Synthetic oil is absolutely the way to go proven by oil analysis and leaving a quart of regular and synthetic outside at 26 below. Regular=molasses, synthetic=normal pourability. Check out thebestoil.com for amsoil info. I spoke with champion (maker of Mobil 1 filters and many brand X filters), Wix, and Amsoil to get info from the horses mouth. All three are excellent. By the way NEVER use engine flush, no matter what the experts say.
My neighbor (an engineer) uses Amsoil filters on his S2000 and Napa gold(Wix) elsewhere. He has done his own filter study and has many cut filters in his garage. He put a Wal-Mart supertech (champion labs) on his 200K corolla and it immediately started burning oil. He re changed the oil, and cut the filter open and found lots of paper particles. He contacted champion and they had him send the filter. After signing a waiver, champion sent him $500 (his estimate of damage). Beware of your filter choice. I am not thrilled with Mopar, there are ways to tell if it is a purolater(a good thing) or Fram(a horrible filter).
Although Amsoil is slightly better than Mobil 1 oil, I'll probably use mobil 1 from walmart at $19.82 for a 5qt jug. 5W20 seems insane for summer use. Does the manual recommend an alternative.
I spoke with an Acura engineer who works on head design and he recommended going to synthetic at about 4K. I usually change my factory fill at 1K and go to synthetic at about 2K. For what it's worth, corvettes and Porshces come with Mobil 1 from the factory. So much for "break in" with regular oil.
 
#12 ·
Talking with an engineer friend, the "break in" periods we are all used to are pretty much a thing of the past. It's good to follow conservative intervals for the first oil changes and vary engine speeds for the first 500 miles or so...Other than that, the engineering is so good, that any more than that is unecessary. I plan on using Mobile 1 myself.
 
#13 ·
Nice to know that doing your own oil change is not a near impossibility. I do my own oil changes on my older vehicles but will probably wait until the warranty is up on my new 300C.

In addition to 7 quarts of oil every 3000 miles did you also notice that sparkplugs (all 16 of them) need replacing every 30,000 miles?
 
#14 ·
th59718 said:
In addition to 7 quarts of oil every 3000 miles did you also notice that sparkplugs (all 16 of them) need replacing every 30,000 miles?
That is too bad! I would have thought that with all the technology put in the 5.7L Hemi and the engineering prowess of Mercedes it would have tune-ups up to 100k mile like almost every Mercedes since 1998.

The 3.5L V6 engines have 100k mile tunes. :confused: :mad:
 
#15 ·
I didn't know these had 16 spark plugs...
I like the 2 per cylinder idea, but had no clue...
 
#18 ·
Bosch Platinum 4 is all I use (except Alfa, and of course my Citroen and Peugeot Diesel). Frankly , I think most platinum plugs are good for 100K. These so called 100K tune ups are all because of platinum plugs. It is a good idea to loosen and re-torque the plugs (never over tighten a plug) to prevent galling/seizing which makes for extremely difficult removal at 100K. Tune ups are an archaic term which should only be used for old cars with points, condensers, caps, rotors etc. With fully electronic ignitions and coil on plugs (a SAAB invention) there is no "tune up". There is nothing to tune other than plug replacement. The "miracle" of 100K tune ups is nothing more than electronics and platinum plugs.
 
#19 · (Edited)
E55 KEV said:
That is too bad! I would have thought that with all the technology put in the 5.7L Hemi and the engineering prowess of Mercedes it would have tune-ups up to 100k mile like almost every Mercedes since 1998.

The 3.5L V6 engines have 100k mile tunes. :confused: :mad:
Yeah! You'd think going back a few decades wouldn't require that you accept some of the drawbacks of that era. But I suspect there's more to this MDS technology than Chrysler has revealed publicly. One of those things may have driven them to recommend 30K plug changes. I can't think of any other reason to make this different than other engines today except that it may have saved more than a few bucks with 16 cheap plugs. They did 6 million miles of simulated operation with the new MDS Hemi engine and must have learned something along the way.

Before I bought mine I worried about the new technology. I pictured some possible pitfalls of an engine with some cylinders running hot and others cooler. Problems like uneven expansion and contraction. I also wondered what happens when a cylinder with pent up combustion gases starts to cool. Do you get condensation products forming, especially on compression strokes? Maybe the plugs will actually foul faster than in a conventional engine.

I read somewhere (maybe, yes definitely, in these forums) that the MDS control system will actually reactivate cylinders after 6 minutes of continuous deactivation. Another indication that it may not be all good to run on just four cylinders.

What the hell. I bought the Hemi anyway!! It is a sweet ride and MDS is truly seemless.

By the way, I'm sorry I ever mentioned plugs on the subject of oil change. But Fathemi did such a great job on his description of what it'll take that I think it's a dead issue. Maybe we should have some new threads: 1) the MDS system and 2) thoughts on why plugs need to be replaced so frequently.
 
#20 ·
You make a good point about the MDS and frequent plug changes which I had not considered. One way th find out is to check the Euro change intervals on the V12 MB since it has used the MDS for several years. A DC engineer might know also, I wish one would join the forum. Forget asking a service tech you would get better info from a bunch of preschoolers. A new thread is a good idea, if no one starts one by the next time I log on, I will.
 
#21 ·
Personal opinion:
The 100,000 maintenance thing is a MARKETING ploy and should not be the goal you set with your vehicle. I guess if you lease your vehicle and will never see it again, it would be ok for YOU, but not for the vehicle. I would HATE to be the one who had to remove those plugs after they have been in the vehicle for 100,000+ miles. :eek:
While I don't have a 300/Magnum, I have a Pacifica. I have coupons from the dealer for FREE oil changes for the first 3 years. I ,personally do all my own work and While I appreciate the coupons, I change my oil myself. That little extra TLC for my Baby. Maybe I connect too much to my vehicles. I know I can tell you the birthday(day bought and day built) of my past 5 vehicles. Now, all I have to do is remember the birthdays of my 3 children. :confused: :rolleyes: :D
I know, to each his/her own.

P.S. Great write up on the oil change procedure.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Excellent thread.

The trans service interval is - NONE! They're out of their minds if you ask me. I think the trans may even be sealed - some of that kind of thing is happening these days. The 5-speed trans doesn't have a trans dipstick - didja notice that?? That bites IMO.

If the trans is in fact sealed, you can rest assured MINE will have an aftermarket retrofit, and the trans will be drained, pumped, the filter/screen changed/cleaned every 30,000. So will the powersteering pump, the radiator, and the brakes (except instead of pumping, it'll be chemical flushes).

Fluids are the lifeblood of any car. They're just too cheap to not change them - and changing fluids can do so much... There's a chance when doing this that the service is unnecessary. But in not doing these fluid changes, there's a chance the services ARE necessary. THAT can be a very expensive chance to take.

The car will probably run 70,000 miles without an engine/trans failure and 36,000 miles without any other component failures, following the prescribed maintenance intervals - which is exactly what is in the best interest of the manufacturer. They'd like your car to dematerialize after the warranty expires so you'll hafta buy another one! (But not TOO soon after the warranty expires - extend at least 10% beyond the warranty!) <---Prolly the content of some super-secret engineering memorandum... ;)


EDIT: Oh! Hafta agree on the plug interval thing. My dad's shop encounters these all the time... Something happened, a plug got fouled due to bad fuel, etc. and the computer directed the coil to increase the intensity of the spark to compensate. The electrode eventually recedes all the way into the insulator! The plug gets so hot that it eventually WELDS itself into the head. The technician encounters this, and advises the manager who calls the customer and asks what to do - if we try to FORCE the plug out, there's a good chance we'll ruin the head. If we leave it alone, the car won't run right.

Some of these end up being $1,500-3,000 sparkplug changes, which incidentally includes replacing a head...
 
#23 ·
II kings 9:20 said:
Bosch Platinum 4 is all I use (except Alfa, and of course my Citroen and Peugeot Diesel). Frankly , I think most platinum plugs are good for 100K. These so called 100K tune ups are all because of platinum plugs. It is a good idea to loosen and re-torque the plugs (never over tighten a plug) to prevent galling/seizing which makes for extremely difficult removal at 100K. Tune ups are an archaic term which should only be used for old cars with points, condensers, caps, rotors etc. With fully electronic ignitions and coil on plugs (a SAAB invention) there is no "tune up". There is nothing to tune other than plug replacement. The "miracle" of 100K tune ups is nothing more than electronics and platinum plugs.
Anyone actually put or think Bosch Platinum +4s will go into the 5.7L HEMI?
 
#24 ·
Just completed my second oil change at 3063 miles, spilled nary a drop! 4 qts Castrol syntec 5W20 and 3.5 of Amsoil 5w20 synthetic, oversize Amsoil SDF 15 filter. Heads up to all self oil changers. Make sure the rubber oil filter gasket does not stick to the block :eek: , visually inspect the filter and block to be safe. I bought a Merkur XR4ti with a new engine after this happened to the owner, rubber on rubber seal equals no seal when it comes to oil filters. This happened to me on a 92 Park Ave., just reached up and peeled the rubber off the block. I never checked before running into the guy I got the Merk from, would have ruined the 3800. YES YES YES , I ALWAYS put a film of fresh oil on the gasket, keep in mind I have only heard of this once and have seen it once.
 
#25 ·
Why would you mix two different brands of oil when doing a complete change? I could see if you were just topping off, but I would never mix when doing a change. I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with the oil, it's just that each manufacturer has their own blends/additives.
 
#26 ·
I was waiting for that question, what took so long? Since I had 3.5 qts of Amsoil 5w20 to use, I just mixed them. Since both are compatible with all synthetics and conventional oils it won't matter, I figured the important thing was to have the 5w20 and synthetic. I don't expect to top off, so no point in letting my Amsoil go to waste.
 
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