When did you do your first ever oil change?

[StevieC]

When I was 12 I used to do it for my dad to help him with his side jobs after work. He used to give me a couple dollars for doing each one of them.

I did if for the fun of helping dad rather than the money.

Great memories...

 

[eljefino]

I was working several summer jobs on a remote island for these rich jerks. One job was lawnmowing. I had a deal with a guy I could use his mower if I mowed his lawn for free. I did the math and it made sense, barely. He jerked the mower out from under me and gave it to his daughter. So I went to walmart and got their $99 special mower and an extra quart of HD 30 weight, I still remember that was $.74!!

Undid the drain plug with a 3/8 socket extention and put 50 cents/ 20 ounces worth of new oil in. Felt real good pulling the starter rope. The break in oil was very glittery from the metal shavings and maybe lube/preservative, if briggs does that.

For a car, I met a girl (now my wife) who just changed HER oil for the first time a day before our first date. I was "overdue" at 5k miles on my 89 Mazda 323 so I went over to her house with 4 quarts of Tech2000 10w30 ($.74!, pre supertech, pre y2k) and a $1.97 STP filter from WM and borrowed her Dad's jack & stands. This took so long lifting the car and lowering it onto stands I went and got drive on ramps, gave her one, so if we broke up they'd be useless. Still have the ramps.

 

[javacontour]

That's a great story. Thank you for sharing.

 

[TallPaul]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Excellent topic. My first oil change was a minibike, a Rutmann wtih the little wheels, centrifugal clutch, and Techumseh 4 hp engine. I was about 13 years old at the time. My only mod was to replace the muffler with a straight pipe. The neighbors must have loved it, eh?


^^AWESOME!!!!!! Me and a friend of mine I had growing up did the same thing. He had one of those small mini-bikes and I think his had a Techumseh 5.5 horse. We took off the muffler and removed the throttle govenor........and man that thing was a BEAST after that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was too chicken to take off the governor, though a kid suggested it. Probably should have tried at least to raise the governed RPM though. Should have milled the head too (haha). Once went over the handlebars driving it through a farm field when the little front wheel dropped into a rut.

 

[wander2039]

Can't remember the first time exactly but I know it was on my mom's 92/93 Plymouth Caravan. 10w30 Pennzoil and Fram PH16.. they'd still be driving it today if a drunk wouldn't of hit them. I probably helped dad a few times on the 88 Plymouth Aries (I remember helping replace a oil pan once) or 88 Dodge Dakota a few times before that.

 

[Cutehumor]

I was 20 yrs old, poor college student, saved money from jiffy boob, and made sure it was done correctly. I'm still all of that except poor.

 

[sparkplug]

First oil changed was when I was 8 or 9 on my dads 90 Ranger 2.9. Valvoline 10w30 and a Wix filter under his supervision of course. I think 14 on my own on our 97 4.0 Exploder.

 

[BuickGN]

I did my first change 15 years ago when I was 17 and had gotten my first car, the GN. What a bad experience. The oil change went fine but I wondered why the warm oil would barely drain out it was so thick. I refilled with a 20w-50 (which when cold was still thinner than what came out of the car) and instantly had a rod knock. It was then I realilzed why this thing had something in the viscosity of a thick gear oil in it. Luckily it was all stock and some Valvoline sae 60 nursed it through the next year until I could afford a rebuild. What I found in the pan was unreal. A can of spray gasket sealer someone had left in a rebuild that exploded. Not only was it choking off the pickup, it had made it's way into most of the crankshaft passages. I still to this day have no idea how it lasted that year with virtually no oil to a couple of the mains and rods.

 

[Colt45ws]

Are you serious? A CAN of goop was inside your engine? [censored]?

Well, lets see. The last WM change on my Mom's Saturn was in late '04. I was able to look it up in their computer, lol.
That would put me at 16 almost 17 when it got changed.

 

[OVERKILL]

First was on a 12HP side-shaft Tecumseh engine fitted to Massey Fergusson lawn tractor, IIRC, I was 10, borrowing my grandfather's snap-On tools that I later caught [censored] for

 

[55Test]

As far as I can remember, the first oil change I ever participated in was on my old 1980 Fairmont. My dad was doing some exhaust work to it and had the manifolds removed and since I was at the parts store buying a few things for the car I picked up a filter and oil. The first oil change I ever did on my own was on my 1987 F150 with the 300. Ahh, so easy to change. I just laid a board on the ground and scooted under the truck on my stomach and undid the bolt. The oil filter was easy to get at too.

 

[ramblar]

Originally Posted By: John_K
On my first car, age 16. I had watched my Dad do it for years (he was a mechanic among other things) so I had no problem, except in getting the [censored] Fram filter off!

John



ha ha
very un-funny

 

[Brett Miller]

14 years old, 1978 Buick Riviera, 10W-40 Quaker State and probably a Fram filter.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: BuickGN
I did my first change 15 years ago when I was 17 and had gotten my first car, the GN. What a bad experience. The oil change went fine but I wondered why the warm oil would barely drain out it was so thick. I refilled with a 20w-50 (which when cold was still thinner than what came out of the car) and instantly had a rod knock. It was then I realilzed why this thing had something in the viscosity of a thick gear oil in it. Luckily it was all stock and some Valvoline sae 60 nursed it through the next year until I could afford a rebuild. What I found in the pan was unreal. A can of spray gasket sealer someone had left in a rebuild that exploded. Not only was it choking off the pickup, it had made it's way into most of the crankshaft passages. I still to this day have no idea how it lasted that year with virtually no oil to a couple of the mains and rods.


Do I understand you correctly to say that a spray can was inside your engine and had exploded? Can you give more details? Where was the can located? How could a person leave an entire spray can in an engine and not notice it? I understand having a couple beers while you work on something but that's just beyond the pale.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

The first time I changed oil was sometime in 2005. I was 17. My Civic had 4000 miles on it and after reading some stuff here I changed the oil. I used Havoline 5w-20 and a Supertech 7317. Neither the Civic nor the Maxima had ever been to a quick lube while under my ownership. I eventually started doing the oil changes for both of my parents' cars, after I convinced my mom that I wasn't going to screw something up or hurt myself.

 

[Herz]

15 years old, 2001, pontiac sunbird 2.0. valvoline 10-30, stp filter that cost 2.50 i think. That car had many FIRSTS in it.

 

[crinkles]

i was 26. my daddy didn't teach me much. the internet taught me how.

 

[65cuda]

Probably about 15 or 16 and I think it was on the 55 Dodge, but it might have been the 56 Ford. I remember it having the canister that you took the top off of and pulled the filter element out and try to scrape the sludge out of the bottom. Oil we got from a place called Atlantic Mills. It was recycled oil and about a dime a quart.

 

[Shannow]

16, Before I had my driver's licence, I did a TAFE (Tech College) night course on mechanicing, which had some metalwork, tuning ignition/carbs, brakes etc. etc.

 

[GROUCHO MARX]

1972 on a Chevy Vega. Wolf's Head oil and a Lee oil filter.