First ZL1 Oil Change Not So Bad - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

tonyfred · 09-08-2012, 03:31 PM

I have always changed my own oil so it was an adventure changing the ZL1 oil for the first time. Mileage 1200.
I bought a new set of Raceramps and they were perfect. Highly recommended. Part # RR-56 56 Inch 1 Piece Ramps.
Bought a magnetic plug to swap for the factory plug.
Used Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30. (8 quarts)
KN HP-1017 High Performance Oil Filter.
The belly pan fits very nicely and is actually very light.
There are 14 bolts holding it on. They are 10 mm. None of them were difficult to get to.
There are two plastic clips. I used an interior tool to pop them off but I think a flat head screw driver would work fine too.
The plug and oil filter are very easy to get to once the belly pan is off.
Drained the oil, it looked brand new. No sign of any metal, burnt odor, etc.
Replaced the oil filter and put the new magnetic plug in place.
Replaced the belly pan. I had fears it might be hard to line back up, etc. but it was not. It fit very well and went back on just as easy as it come off. I put one bolt in the front under the radiator to hold it and popped the plastic tabs back in place and zipped the other bolts back in.
Filled her up with the oil, backed her off the ramps and checked for leaks.
Total time was maybe an hour, but should be faster now that I know the drill.

lil_red_v6 · 09-08-2012, 03:36 PM

yoshie · 09-08-2012, 03:37 PM

Pics of your race ramps ,also just change my oil and rear end at 1200 miles ,but I cheated I went to my friends shop SoCal Supertrucks in S.B. Cal

Mil · 09-08-2012, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoshie

Pics of your race ramps ,also just change my oil and rear end at 1200 miles ,but I cheated I went to my friends shop SoCal Supertrucks in S.B. Cal

Yeah I'd like to see those ramps too.

tonyfred · 09-08-2012, 03:51 PM

Here are the ramps hanging on the wall. Perfect incline for the ZL1 front end. I am not advertising for them or anything. I read about them on other Camaro5 posts. Very easy to find searching Google.

yoshie · 09-08-2012, 06:09 PM

Are they 56in ramps part #rr-56

tonyfred · 09-08-2012, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yoshie

Are they 56in ramps part #rr-56

Yes, sorry, meant to post with pic....
RR-56 56 Inch 1 Piece Ramps

HDRDTD · 09-08-2012, 11:37 PM

They also make 2-piece ramps that allow you to drive the car up the ramps, then remove the slanted portion giveing you plenty of room to crawl under the car if need be.

L99CAMA2011 · 09-09-2012, 10:58 AM

I may sound crazy but would it be better to get 4 ramps for all wheels to keep the car level in order to get all the oil totally out of the pan when draining.

tonyfred · 09-09-2012, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L99CAMA2011

I may sound crazy but would it be better to get 4 ramps for all wheels to keep the car level in order to get all the oil totally out of the pan when draining.

That would certainly do it, but in my humble opinion is overkill. I feel pretty confident that I got 99.9% of it. And the magnetic plug should pick up any small metal shavings for the next change.

Teir · 09-09-2012, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L99CAMA2011

I may sound crazy but would it be better to get 4 ramps for all wheels to keep the car level in order to get all the oil totally out of the pan when draining.

Kinda does sound crazy....as how would you get the two back ramps started....unless they are crazy low to fit under the body ?

T

StormWarning · 09-12-2012, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tonyfred

I have always changed my own oil so it was an adventure changing the ZL1 oil for the first time.

It"s posts like this that really add value to our forum! I printed this out and have it hanging on the garage wall - should save me beau-coup time when I tackle the oil change today!

Thanks for sharing your adventure!

tonyfred · 09-12-2012, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StormWarning

It"s posts like this that really add value to our forum! I printed this out and have it hanging on the garage wall - should save me beau-coup time when I tackle the oil change today!

Thanks for sharing your adventure!

\

Glad I could be of help.
One minor suggestion...when you remove the 14 bolts holding the pan in place, keep them all together in a container. There are several other holes in the belly pan and I would have been wondering if I had missed a bolt or two if I hadnt kept count of them as I replaced them.

BAD ZL1 · 10-04-2012, 11:31 PM

15 MM is the size of the drain plug, and the 16 point didn't work well, could have been my socket, needed the 8 point FYI. Drained 6 quarts in my drain pan, another 2 on the floor... tried to catch it in the small opening in my portable 10 qt. pan, yeah right. After the cleanup, bought a 15qt, giant looking drain pan that I can transport the oil in. Went with Mobil 1, full synthetic 5W-30, and a magnetic plug and a AC Delco PF48, which is what the car came with....What a night, had a ton of fun in the garage! Car had 1602 on it, called on-star and they confirmed my oil life at 99.6% or something like that after my reset. I have had no other reason to call onstar so I said what the hell...Dont think I am going to keep it. I am now only going to change oil when the car says to do so....

Forgot to mention I used the 2 piece race ramps, worked perfect.

09-08-2012, 03:31 PM	#1
tonyfred Drives: 2013 ZL1-Victory Red-Auto Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jackson TN Posts: 1,105	First ZL1 Oil Change Not So Bad I have always changed my own oil so it was an adventure changing the ZL1 oil for the first time. Mileage 1200. I bought a new set of Raceramps and they were perfect. Highly recommended. Part # RR-56 56 Inch 1 Piece Ramps. Bought a magnetic plug to swap for the factory plug. Used Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30. (8 quarts) KN HP-1017 High Performance Oil Filter. The belly pan fits very nicely and is actually very light. There are 14 bolts holding it on. They are 10 mm. None of them were difficult to get to. There are two plastic clips. I used an interior tool to pop them off but I think a flat head screw driver would work fine too. The plug and oil filter are very easy to get to once the belly pan is off. Drained the oil, it looked brand new. No sign of any metal, burnt odor, etc. Replaced the oil filter and put the new magnetic plug in place. Replaced the belly pan. I had fears it might be hard to line back up, etc. but it was not. It fit very well and went back on just as easy as it come off. I put one bolt in the front under the radiator to hold it and popped the plastic tabs back in place and zipped the other bolts back in. Filled her up with the oil, backed her off the ramps and checked for leaks. Total time was maybe an hour, but should be faster now that I know the drill. Last edited by tonyfred; 09-09-2012 at 02:00 PM.

09-08-2012, 03:51 PM	#5
tonyfred Drives: 2013 ZL1-Victory Red-Auto Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Jackson TN Posts: 1,105	Here are the ramps hanging on the wall. Perfect incline for the ZL1 front end. I am not advertising for them or anything. I read about them on other Camaro5 posts. Very easy to find searching Google. Attached Images

10-04-2012, 11:31 PM	#14
BAD ZL1 BAD ZL1 Drives: 2013 VIN 48 Victory Red ZL1! Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: California Posts: 707	15 MM is the size of the drain plug, and the 16 point didn't work well, could have been my socket, needed the 8 point FYI. Drained 6 quarts in my drain pan, another 2 on the floor... tried to catch it in the small opening in my portable 10 qt. pan, yeah right. After the cleanup, bought a 15qt, giant looking drain pan that I can transport the oil in. Went with Mobil 1, full synthetic 5W-30, and a magnetic plug and a AC Delco PF48, which is what the car came with....What a night, had a ton of fun in the garage! Car had 1602 on it, called on-star and they confirmed my oil life at 99.6% or something like that after my reset. I have had no other reason to call onstar so I said what the hell...Dont think I am going to keep it. I am now only going to change oil when the car says to do so.... Forgot to mention I used the 2 piece race ramps, worked perfect. Last edited by BAD ZL1; 10-05-2012 at 12:40 AM.

09-08-2012, 03:36 PM	#2
lil_red_v6 one wheelin Drives: 2004 yamaha r6 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: saginaw Posts: 2,200

09-08-2012, 03:37 PM	#3
yoshie Drives: ZL1, ,GMC Z71 ,TJ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: So Cal Posts: 120	Pics of your race ramps ,also just change my oil and rear end at 1200 miles ,but I cheated I went to my friends shop SoCal Supertrucks in S.B. Cal

09-08-2012, 06:09 PM	#6
yoshie Drives: ZL1, ,GMC Z71 ,TJ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: So Cal Posts: 120	Are they 56in ramps part #rr-56

09-08-2012, 11:37 PM	#8
HDRDTD Drives: 2013 Triple Black ZL1 Vert M6 ECF Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Trenton, Michigan Posts: 7,046	They also make 2-piece ramps that allow you to drive the car up the ramps, then remove the slanted portion giveing you plenty of room to crawl under the car if need be.

09-09-2012, 10:58 AM	#9
L99CAMA2011 Drives: One of the baddest handling Gen 5s Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Masachusetts Posts: 4,177	I may sound crazy but would it be better to get 4 ramps for all wheels to keep the car level in order to get all the oil totally out of the pan when draining.