Using ramps for oil change?

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Originally Posted by kschachn
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
The two ramps on the front wheels will be fine
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Unless they don't lift the vehicle up far enough for you to fit, I guess.

Considering his user name is "fat dad" that could very well be a possibility. I for one have noticed how much "tighter" things are when I slide under the car the older I've gotten.
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Originally Posted by ecotourist
I have a sloped driveway. I turn my car around and point it down the driveway. When I put it up on the (front wheel only) ramps it's still front end up, but close to level.

I'm trying to visualize that on a sloped driveway and for some reason it doesn't seem safe..or less safe.
 
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Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by mk378
Don't try to use 4 ramps, just don't. It's not safe. If the vehicle were high enough to place the back ramps, you should be able to crawl underneath with it on the ground.

How so? I put my Jeeps in 4L take my foot off the brake and it goes up onto 4 ramps with little to no stepping on the gas. It makes for rustproofing, transmission pan drops, servicing the differentials, transfer case service, etc. very easy. I do put jack stands under it for an added measure of safety.
Four jack stands is dangerous for sure unless you are 100% level. Four ramps is not so bad, especially if you can chock the wheels or the ramps are grooved for the tires to sit in.
 
Originally Posted by ecotourist
I have a sloped driveway. I turn my car around and point it down the driveway. When I put it up on the (front wheel only) ramps it's still front end up, but close to level.
That's such a good plan that I do the same thing. That might be risky if the slope were steep, but it's not.
 
Hi SF Dad. Welcome.

Have you considered using an oil extractor instead, and not worry about putting the car on ramps for an oil change? It really is a sweet way to go.

I bought one for my old car, which due to very low ground clearance, was very difficult to put on ramps, and only slightly less difficult to put on jack stands. So I bought a Mityvac. Since then I've found it very nice for other cars too. It's a little slower of a process to wait for the oil to pump out, but when you consider the time you save from having to put the car on ramps, and the simpler cleanup, it really is nice.
 
Welcome!
I would look into an extractor. But not sure where the filter is. May have to remove the cover regardless.
 
Originally Posted by superfat_dad
My concern with elevating the front only is that the tilt might leave some oil trapped in the oil pan
What are your thoughts?


Don't worry one bit about the few ounces of oil left behind. No harm whatsoever will come to you.

Now, if you are changing your oil every 30,000 miles.... I might have other suggestions for you.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
Originally Posted by superfat_dad
My concern with elevating the front only is that the tilt might leave some oil trapped in the oil pan
What are your thoughts?


Don't worry one bit about the few ounces of oil left behind. No harm whatsoever will come to you.

Agreed. The plug on my pan points towards the rear so I use the ramps. The filter is a cartridge located up top, so by the time I'm done swapping the filter out the oil has all but slowed to just droplets. I'm not gonna let it sit there all day just to capture that everlasting bit of oil... and so far so good, my engine hasn't seized up or had shards of metal in the filter doing it this way.
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Originally Posted by superfat_dad
Its a GDI so my concern is oil's volatility, need something with great resistance to evaporation which ends up making a mess of a carbon build-up on these engines, after careful research of Noack I have decided to go with PENNZOIL Platinum 5W-30 Full Synthetic as it, it is readily available at your local Walmart and comes 2nd on the test, First place being Red Line and 3rd being AMSOIL.

As for filter, these KIA's use a cartridge filter, I ended up grabbing one from the dealer yesterday for $10.55 including a crush washer & seals.

It's a brand new car, just broke 700 miles, and I really want to switch it to full synthetic right away

Is the filter up top like on my Kia? If so you could get away with using an extractor and never have to mess with that cover plate. And fwiw, I've had no issues using some aftermarket cartridges from the likes of FRAM, Mahle and Wix but there's nothing wrong with using the OE filter especially if you're still under warranty. Check on Amazon and RA and you might be able to get em for a couple bucks less if you buy in lots of like 3 or 5 etc. My OE cartridge and most of the aftermarkets usually comes with the 2 o rings and crush washer too, so that's a nice perk to not have to worry about. Hope you're enjoying the new ride.. congrats! ðŸ‘
 
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Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by mk378
Don't try to use 4 ramps, just don't. It's not safe. If the vehicle were high enough to place the back ramps, you should be able to crawl underneath with it on the ground.

How so? I put my Jeeps in 4L take my foot off the brake and it goes up onto 4 ramps with little to no stepping on the gas. It makes for rustproofing, transmission pan drops, servicing the differentials, transfer case service, etc. very easy. I do put jack stands under it for an added measure of safety.
Four jack stands is dangerous for sure unless you are 100% level. Four ramps is not so bad, especially if you can chock the wheels or the ramps are grooved for the tires to sit in.

I got that, I was commenting about the 4 ramps mentioned.
 
Originally Posted by superfat_dad
wow! you guys rock, all answers are truly appreciated. THANK YOU

Hey just for kicks and giggles, did you know the new Sorento now has an undercarriage cover that MUST be removed to access oil filter and drain? held up by 17 screws! this is why I have to elevate it on ramps, otherwise, I could've easily reached it while its parked. Talk about ingenious engineering!

That's crazy! I have the nearest brother Hyundai Santa Fe and there is four screws and a two fasteners in the middle.
 
Originally Posted by ecotourist
I have a sloped driveway. I turn my car around and point it down the driveway. When I put it up on the (front wheel only) ramps it's still front end up, but close to level.


That was one of my "requirements" when I bought the house! Sloped driveway, so the car on ramps is horizontal. Also, I didn't want to see overhead power distribution, because I don't want to lose power every month.
 
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by mk378
Don't try to use 4 ramps, just don't. It's not safe. If the vehicle were high enough to place the back ramps, you should be able to crawl underneath with it on the ground.

How so? I put my Jeeps in 4L take my foot off the brake and it goes up onto 4 ramps with little to no stepping on the gas. It makes for rustproofing, transmission pan drops, servicing the differentials, transfer case service, etc. very easy. I do put jack stands under it for an added measure of safety.


Yep, with my glued & screwed Pine-O-Ramps … I use one, two, or four ramps depending on what the job is.
(for example if I want it raised, but level to do differential drain/fill).
 
Originally Posted by 4WD
Originally Posted by demarpaint
Originally Posted by mk378
Don't try to use 4 ramps, just don't. It's not safe. If the vehicle were high enough to place the back ramps, you should be able to crawl underneath with it on the ground.

How so? I put my Jeeps in 4L take my foot off the brake and it goes up onto 4 ramps with little to no stepping on the gas. It makes for rustproofing, transmission pan drops, servicing the differentials, transfer case service, etc. very easy. I do put jack stands under it for an added measure of safety.


Yep, with my glued & screwed Pine-O-Ramps … I use one, two, or four ramps depending on what the job is.
(for example if I want it raised, but level to do differential drain/fill).

Exactly. I found dropping a transmission pan, or servicing the transfer case, or differentials a lot easier when the vehicle is up in the air and perfectly level. It's a big time saver vs. jack stands, and with 4L going up 4 ramps is very easy.
 
When I recently put drain plugs in both 6L80e pans … I put them forward since the rear of pan is shallow. So that's the one time (when I'm not going to change filter) that I will use one ramp in the rear tilting it all towards the drain.
If I'm changing an oil filter, but not the oil … I'll do just one ramp in the front.
I'd probably not do a single ramp job on plastic ramps.
 
Ramps in the front and chocks behind the rear wheels.

Sure you'll leave a little bit of old oil behind but chances are that 1) you're still allowing more oil to drain than the dealer/garage does and 2) you're here so chances are you're going to be changing the oil often enough that the little bit left behind will be irrelevant.

welcome2.gif
 
Originally Posted by CR94
Originally Posted by ecotourist
I have a sloped driveway. I turn my car around and point it down the driveway. When I put it up on the (front wheel only) ramps it's still front end up, but close to level.
That's such a good plan that I do the same thing. That might be risky if the slope were steep, but it's not.

Agreed. If the driveway was really steep doing pretty much anything on it could be risky, but mine isn't that steep. I've done this for many years and at several houses.

In our community, though it rarely snows, some people's driveways are so steep they can't get up them or safely down them for the 2 or 3 days the snow stays on the ground. We wouldn't even look at houses with that kind of driveway.
 
Originally Posted by superfat_dad
wow! you guys rock, all answers are truly appreciated. THANK YOU

Hey just for kicks and giggles, did you know the new Sorento now has an undercarriage cover that MUST be removed to access oil filter and drain? held up by 17 screws! this is why I have to elevate it on ramps, otherwise, I could've easily reached it while its parked. Talk about ingenious engineering!

I feel a reply coming about using an oil filter multiple times!
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Yes, in 2019 year model the filter is no longer up top next to the motor, its down below covered by an undercarriage cover along with the oil pan. See, the drain bolt is facing back so front ramps would drain it, but the filter is facing forward (4 O'clock position)

Certainly NO to reusing a filter. and certainly NO to having some shop do my oil change.

A few years ago I took my RAM 1500 to a Mobil 1 Lube Express, they installed the wrong filter and cross-threaded it as well, cost me an arm and a leg at the dealer and almost voided my warranty. Jiffy Lube also a NO, you all watched the undercover video on YouTube of what they do right? Just do it yourself and sleep better at night.
 
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