Oil change on a 2008 Malibu 3.6 v6

Tools:
15mm wrench
10mm socket
Flat head screw driver
Oil filter wrench/pliers
jack and stands/ramps (I used ramps)

Oil:
5.5 quarts

Filter numbers:
A/C Delco PF48
Mobile 1 M1113

Draining Oil:
Under the car on the passenger side you'll find the oil plug on the back side of the oil pan. Use the 15mm wrench.

Oil filter:
Under the hood remove the intake tube that runs from the airbox (on the passenger side) to the intake on the drivers side. To remove the tube you need to loosen the clamps on either end of the tube (using screw driver). Next unplug the PCV valve on the driver side on the tube.Then remove the bolt holding it on the driver side just above the radiator using the 10mm socket. After the tube is removed the filter is much more accessible then from underneath and not near as messy. Also since the filter is screwed on at an angle you can't pre-fill it with oil. I oiled the O-ring and put about 1/4 the oil filter capacity and put it on hand tight.

Pizza man you can move this to the 'do it yourself' section when it's up.
Nicely done, Ray. Thanks. I'll be sure to move it at the first opportunity.

I wish I knew how to change my oil, but my dealer charges me $5 labor do do an oil change when I bring my own oil and filter in. For $5 I just can't be bothered to climb under the car and get dirty.

I wish I knew how to change my oil, but my dealer charges me $5 labor do do an oil change when I bring my own oil and filter in. For $5 I just can't be bothered to climb under the car and get dirty.

If that's all it cost I'd do the same thing but my wife drives 120 miles a day so I change oil every 2 months (at 5,000 miles) and we live about 15 miles from the closest dealership and about 30 from the closest one I'd trust with my car.

Pizza man,
Thanks for adding this section. I think it will be very helpful.

08LTZ - Thanks for the info great to know about having to move the intake tube, and it's always nice when you can "pre-oil" the filter.

So does your oil life resets automatically or is there something else you have to do?

You have to reset it, the manual tells you how.;)

good info thanks. Cant wait to change to the Mobil 1. Is it really that bad to just take the oil filter out the bottom?

cerbomark - It's not that it is bad....It is just that it is easier in this case to access it from the top.

good info thanks. Cant wait to change to the Mobil 1. Is it really that bad to just take the oil filter out the bottom?

I took the oil filter off from the bottom so it's possible but much much easier from the top.

It was my first time removing the intake tube and it took me about 2 minutes.

I took the oil filter off from the bottom so it's possible but much much easier form the top.

It was my first time removing the intake tube and it took me about 2 minutes.
I removed the intake tube for my first oil change and that's the easiest way :D, thanks 08LTZ ;)

when I recieve my car dealer told me I have free oil change for 1 yr., manual is kinda confusing on the 08classic model, car was made 7-07, I had GM show me how to do it.

I have the same Problem,,with parking the My new Malibu,, I work @ circuity city You can get parking sensors for about 6o bucks all four, and spkr..but im wondering how to do a clean job

I have the same Problem,,with parking the My new Malibu,, I work @ circuity city You can get parking sensors for about 6o bucks all four, and spkr..but im wondering how to do a clean job
:confused::confused::confused:

I have a question...and don't call me stupid. I have been changing oil on my vehicles for years, (self taught) but I have never pre-filled the oil filter. Is this something that should be done and what are the benefits? Do you just pour some fresh oil in the center part of the filter before oiling the seal and attaching it? Just wondering...thanks for the intake tube info, have not changed oil in the Bu yet...I used the the dealers first free change before I switch to synthetic.

No you don't have to, the filters are small so they fill up quickly whan you start the car.;)

How much of a mess does the oil that drans from the filter make? I see a little "spout" under the filter to route the oil away from the motor, but I was wondering how much flowed from the filter when you took it off?

Dan
2009 2LT

About half the oil in the filter drains out when you pull it, I like to pull the filter first with the drip pan underneath to catch the oil then drain the engine;)

I changed the oil in my 2009 2LT this evening (wanted to get Mobil 1 in it) and did something that others might find useful.

As you remove the oil filter you will have oil dripping off that little tab beneath the filter and it will splash in the catch pan. To prevent this I simply wrapped a ziplock freezer bag around the filter and tab and turned the filter inside the bag. The oil that drained out went directly into the bag as did the filter when it came off.

Hope this helps.

Dan

I changed the oil in my 2009 2LT this evening (wanted to get Mobil 1 in it) and did something that others might find useful.

As you remove the oil filter you will have oil dripping off that little tab beneath the filter and it will splash in the catch pan. To prevent this I simply wrapped a ziplock freezer bag around the filter and tab and turned the filter inside the bag. The oil that drained out went directly into the bag as did the filter when it came off.

Hope this helps.

Dan

Great idea, I hadn't thought of that. In fact I'm changing the oil tomorrow, I'll try it out.

Ok, so I did my first oil change on the new BU today, switched to Mobil 1. Removing the intake tube made it a breeze...way easier than on my old 3.4 L.

I have a question though. I cannot get the Oil Life System to Reset. I read the manual about 50 times. Go to the oil life on the DIC, press the enter button for about 1 second until you get an "ACKNOWLEDGED" display, DIC is now reset...WHAT???

I did this like 20 times. Either I am retarded, or something is wrong with the DIC. It resets everything fine when I get gas. I thought this should be a breeze as some of my other vehicles had to have a button pushed in the fuse box or "fully depress the gas peddle 3 times in 5 seconds" kind of crap to reset the computer.

On the Bu, just hit return...not working for me.

Any ideas? :confused::mad::confused:

you have to hold it down, it will take a few seconds, it should work, and being on an 08 or 09 then you can go through the dic menus then select oil life, and then when it says the percentage, just hold down the reset button, should reset. on the older ones, you did it through the radio.

I figured it out...you have to hit the Info and Return button at the same time. Thanks!

Yup. I went through exactly the same thing you did with my first oil change, nighthawk-24. It took pulling out the manual to figure out what I was doing wrong. All the other DIC / OLS equipped GM's I've had worked just like resetting the AVG MPG / trip settings. This is the first that takes a special step to reset. No biggie, but I much appreciated the standardization on the others.

I also found the instructions on reseting the oil life indicator confusing :confused:. The reset instructions say to display OIL LIFE RESET on the DIC, but don't say how do get to that display. Those instructions are found in the DIC Personalization Section of the manual. After reading the other posts on this thread I was able to do it. I guess if all else fails read the whole manual :).

awesome! ill be changing my oil sometime soon.

Yup. I went through exactly the same thing you did with my first oil change, nighthawk-24. It took pulling out the manual to figure out what I was doing wrong. All the other DIC / OLS equipped GM's I've had worked just like resetting the AVG MPG / trip settings. This is the first that takes a special step to reset. No biggie, but I much appreciated the standardization on the others.


my 05' GTO was a bigger PITA as far as resetting .. had to press the gas pedal like 3 times upon turning the ignition key to the right spot within 5 seconds! why does GM make this difficult ?

Use the quick oil drain valve to get rid of a wrench from your preparation list for oil changes. This small ball valve is really useful especially if you often change the oil yourself. Save your time. I change my oil at least three times a year. I found and bought one from qwikvalve.com. Cheers,

[QUOTE=08LTZ;2902]Oil change on a 2008 Malibu 3.6 v6

Tools:
15mm wrench
10mm socket
Flat head screw driver
Oil filter wrench/pliers
jack and stands/ramps (I used ramps)

Oil:
5.5 quarts

Filter numbers:
A/C Delco PF48
Mobile 1 M1113

Draining Oil:
Under the car on the passenger side you'll find the oil plug on the back side of the oil pan. Use the 15mm wrench.

Where do you guys get your filters from? Dealer? Internet? My dealer wants about $10 / filter, which is way too much I think.

I noticed Autozone has a PF48 s listed. I can't seem to tell what the difference is with the pf48 and the pf48s, I can only imagine where it is made, which may also affect the filter media inside the filter....

I thought I was safe buying just one 5 qt bottle for the 3.6. All my previous cars were under 5 qts. :mad:

I thought I was safe buying just one 5 qt bottle for the 3.6. All my previous cars were under 5 qts. :mad:

This is my second car with a 5.5 quart capacity. The first one was a 99 Olds Intrigue. Athough that car leaked oil starting right after the warrantee expired so I just dumped in the 6 quarts. Then I could go 2000 miles till the first oil top off.

I just completed my Malibu's first oil change. It has 1450 miles on it. I did remove the filter from the bottom. The only problem that I saw with going at it from the bottom is that you have to be careful not to damage the wire leading to the oxygen sensor for the front bank of cylinders. I also had to make sure that I wiped the spilled oil off the front bank header pipe. I noticed that as soon as the filter seal released contact from the block oil started leaking out and dripped on the pipe.

I also noticed that the 3.6 has two catalytic converters. One for each bank of cylinders.

I have thge 3.6 and 2 oil changes in I've noticed that 5.5 quarts of oil is too much. I filled it up with 5 and when I check the oil level it's just a tad bit over the max. I warm the car up and let it drain for about 5-10 min, so I assume most of the old oil is out.

I have thge 3.6 and 2 oil changes in I've noticed that 5.5 quarts of oil is too much. I filled it up with 5 and when I check the oil level it's just a tad bit over the max. I warm the car up and let it drain for about 5-10 min, so I assume most of the old oil is out.

When you check the oil, do you start the car first? If you don't prefill the oil filter, some of the oil has to flow into the filter, which is why 5.5 quarts may seem like too much. I wouldn't short fill it, but if you do I'd make sure and keep a close eye on it.

I just completed my Malibu's first oil change. It has 1450 miles on it.

I've thought long and hard about this, and Chevy doesn't have a break in period, they just say follow the oil life monitor.

While I know that it doesn't hurt changing it early, I wouldn't mind saving the money, and if GM is going to warranty it, then I have no issue with going by it.

Just my 2 cents.

I've thought long and hard about this, and Chevy doesn't have a break in period, they just say follow the oil life monitor.

While I know that it doesn't hurt changing it early, I wouldn't mind saving the money, and if GM is going to warranty it, then I have no issue with going by it.

Just my 2 cents.

I might do that with future oil changes. But when I looked at the Oil Life Monitor and calculated that the first oil change wouldn't happen until over 10000 miles, I said to myself..."No way in heck am I leaving the initial oil in there that long."

I have been following the oil life monitor on my 06 Civic and changing it when it hits 15%. The thing is that it happens after only about 6500 miles, once it was a little over 8000 miles because I had a trip that extended the life.

Something in my mind though just won't let me go 10,000 miles between changes. Even with the Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil.

When you check the oil, do you start the car first? If you don't prefill the oil filter, some of the oil has to flow into the filter, which is why 5.5 quarts may seem like too much. I wouldn't short fill it, but if you do I'd make sure and keep a close eye on it.

I just checked mine and it is a little high (less than a quarter inch). That's with 5.5 quarts.

I used to change oil on all my vehicles at 3K miles, but I've decided that it's a bit too soon, especially since the cost of oil has gone up a lot in the last couple of years. Now I do it between 5k - 6k.

When you check the oil, do you start the car first? If you don't prefill the oil filter, some of the oil has to flow into the filter, which is why 5.5 quarts may seem like too much. I wouldn't short fill it, but if you do I'd make sure and keep a close eye on it.

Yes, and I've checked it a few times since (It's been a couple of weeks since the change) and it's still showing just a bit over max with only 5 quarts added. Also, I'm already down to 91% oil life.

I might do that with future oil changes. But when I looked at the Oil Life Monitor and calculated that the first oil change wouldn't happen until over 10000 miles, I said to myself..."No way in heck am I leaving the initial oil in there that long."

I have been following the oil life monitor on my 06 Civic and changing it when it hits 15%. The thing is that it happens after only about 6500 miles, once it was a little over 8000 miles because I had a trip that extended the life.

Something in my mind though just won't let me go 10,000 miles between changes. Even with the Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil.

I calculated that the Malibu would tell me the first oil change is around 9,000, but its been dropping faster lately.

Also, GM's OLM is more accurate and reliable than anyone else's, from what i gather. There was a good article somewhere about the people who designed the OLM.

I wouldn't go 10k either though, I don't trust the filter to hold up that long.

Yes, and I've checked it a few times since (It's been a couple of weeks since the change) and it's still showing just a bit over max with only 5 quarts added. Also, I'm already down to 91% oil life.

hmm. well, i don't know what to say. Do you take off the oil cap when you are draining the oil?

hmm. well, i don't know what to say. Do you take off the oil cap when you are draining the oil?

Yeah it is a quandary. So much different from my experience, because I know if I had only put in 5 quarts it would have been low. So who knows???????????

hmm. well, i don't know what to say. Do you take off the oil cap when you are draining the oil?

Yeah it was all above board. Not sure what the deal is myself.

I assume that when you do the oil change your car is up on stands on the front end and the front of the car is higher than the rear.

There's a lot of great info here on changing oil, but what kind of oil is everybody using? In the past I've usually used Castrol and I've never used a synthetic oil. Does anybody have a preference that they use? Is synthetic better?

Also, in the past with other vehicles when I had an oil change at the dealer, I'd get my tires rotated too. How often does everybody rotate their tires?

There's a lot of great info here on changing oil, but what kind of oil is everybody using? In the past I've usually used Castrol and I've never used a synthetic oil. Does anybody have a preference that they use? Is synthetic better?

Also, in the past with other vehicles when I had an oil change at the dealer, I'd get my tires rotated too. How often does everybody rotate their tires?

I am using Castrol GTX now. I used to use Mobil 1, but since I don't race my cars and don't do extended oil change intervals, there isn't a point for me to use synthetic.

If you are going by the OLM, changing the oil every 3-5k/3-6mo intervals then you will be throwing your money away on synthetic. Of course there are many other variables as well, but pretty much unless you're racing or doing extended oil changes I can't see justifying spending an extra $20/oil change.

I use Pennzoil synthetic (cheaper than Mobil 1). I rotated my tires at 6K miles. The hardest part was getting all four wheels off the ground at the same time as it isn't just a front to back switch on the same side. Resetting the tire pressure monitor system was not a problem at all.

I just completed my Malibu's first oil change. It has 1450 miles on it. I did remove the filter from the bottom. The only problem that I saw with going at it from the bottom is that you have to be careful not to damage the wire leading to the oxygen sensor for the front bank of cylinders. I also had to make sure that I wiped the spilled oil off the front bank header pipe. I noticed that as soon as the filter seal released contact from the block oil started leaking out and dripped on the pipe.

I also noticed that the 3.6 has two catalytic converters. One for each bank of cylinders.

check out the 1st post. It is much easier and a lot less messy to remove the filter form the top.

I assume that when you do the oil change your car is up on stands on the front end and the front of the car is higher than the rear.


Yes.......

If you are going by the OLM, changing the oil every 3-5k/3-6mo intervals then you will be throwing your money away on synthetic. Of course there are many other variables as well, but pretty much unless you're racing or doing extended oil changes I can't see justifying spending an extra $20/oil change.

Agreed, GM's OLM is not calibrated for synthetic. I wish I could find that damn article on the OLM....

Heres an article (not the one I was talking about though) from AMSOIL
http://www.upmpg.com/lubricationnews/change_engine_oil_light.htm

Also, I plan on using Castrol GTX also

Yes.......

The reason I asked was because of the location of the drain plug in the pan. It is so rearward on the pan I felt that if the car were tilted forward that some of the oil would be left in the bottom of the pan.

Agreed, GM's OLM is not calibrated for synthetic. [/url]

Based on the mileage on my car and the percentage of life left on the OLM, if I don't change it early it would be in there for over 10,000 miles. I feel that is way too long for either type of oil. I use synthetic because it gels at a much much lower temperature and doesn't thicken up at the temperatures that are common in my area of the country (west of Rochester NY). :)

check out the 1st post. It is much easier and a lot less messy to remove the filter form the top.

I will try it. Thanks for the tip. :):):)

bump, surprisingly one of the easiest oil changes I've ever done

Hey Guys,
Did my first change on my 3.6 today and the write up in the beginning of this thread is very good.
I didn't read it until I was finished but I've been working on my own cars for about 48 years and did all the things mentioned in the write up. Here is an interesting note on the filter area. From underneath I noticed an angle piece under the filter itself in the casting. My heart started to beat a little faster because I thought that after about 50 years they made a piece to keep the oil from running out of the filter onto the engine/trans and whatever parts are below it. I was right! The angled piece of material causes the oil to drip vertically without getting on the engine or other parts while removing the filter. What will they think of next to help us do it yourselfers without a rack? This is scary.:) I like (NAPA or WIX) filters and use them on my Vette, Sierra and Malibu. I switched to synthetic oil about 6 years ago. I used Mobil 1 5W30 for this change and will not change it until the indicator reads about 10% oil life.
The oil the dealer put in was in there for about 6K miles with little or none missing. I don't think they changed the filter. One thing I've learned after many years is no one cares about your money or your vehicles more than you do. I've got 12K miles in 8 months and I'm getting about 24.5 MPG. Haven't checked the gear selector recall yet but plan to. If someone knows where the clip they are talking about can be seen let me know.

Would this procedure be the same for the 4 banger? My Oil LIfe is at 20% and thinking of doing it myself this time and save some $.

Would this procedure be the same for the 4 banger? My Oil LIfe is at 20% and thinking of doing it myself this time and save some $.

No the 4 cylinder uses a internal filter that requires a rather big socket. Check out an HHR forum I think it's the same.

No the 4 cylinder uses a internal filter that requires a rather big socket. Check out an HHR forum I think it's the same.

Thanks, will do.

I won't do the oil change till, probably, May, but I'd like to have an idea before I try.
Easy? Hard? Tools needed?

I won't do the oil change till, probably, May, but I'd like to have an idea before I try.
Easy? Hard? Tools needed?

Easy... a socket wrench/crescent wrench/box wrench/vise grips pliers, drain pan, a couple of rags, oil and filter, jack and ack stands. Optional would be a screw driver.

You jack up the car, put the jack stands under the wheels and get to work. Drain the oil, remove the filter (can be done by hand from underneath, or from above moving the air intake... you loosen the screw on the clamp ring and move it aside). If the filter is too tight try stabbing it with a screw driver. Clean off the drain plug and put it back in. Put some oil on the rubber seal/gasket of the new oil filter and put it on (put the air cleaner back if needed - some people prefill the oil filter with oil), remove the jack stands, lower the car, add oil, check levels, top off oil, run the engine, let it sit, check the levels again and top off if necessary.

[QUOTE=nighthawk-24;15771]I have a question though. I cannot get the Oil Life System to Reset. I read the manual about 50 times. Go to the oil life on the DIC, press the enter button for about 1 second until you get an "ACKNOWLEDGED" display, DIC is now reset...WHAT???
QUOTE]

the easiest way to reset the oil life monitor system is to turn the ignition to ON, but do not strart the engine

within 5 seconds, floor the gas pedal and release, doing this three times within the 5 seconds

all there is too it

works on my 2003 Z06, 2004 Silverado, and 2009 Malibu

Can someone please post a picture where the oil filter is?

I can't seem to find it!

the intake is the one attached to the air filter?