Chevrolet Malibu Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Oil Change

69K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  maliboob 
#1 ·
I just made my first oil change on my 2009 Malibu LT 4cyl and had a couple of questions. The main one that I can't seem to find anywhere is how much oil do I put in it exactly? I didn't see it in the manual and I couldn't really find anything online after searching. I took out a lot, my last oil change was 5 months ago after about 4,000 miles at the dealership when I bought the car and I'm nervous that they put in too much oil. I put in 4 quarts and took a look at the dipstick and it seems to be fine but I'd rather play it safe and hear what I'm supposed to use.

I saw that the socket for the oil filter requires a 1 1/4" socket. I'm not really good with shopping for tools but would this one work fine: [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Sunex-SUN240-Standard-Impact-Socket/dp/B00018AEK2[/ame] ? I had to use channel locks which scuffed up the plastic a little bit and would rather not use them again.

And one last thing. I wasn't leaking any oil or anything, but when I took the filter out, the cap didn't have the O-ring on it. I ended up using the one that came with my filter. That's not going to do any damage is it? I figured at least now with the o-ring on it, it should come off much easier next time.

Thanks in advance.
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I don't know how well this chart will show up but I'll put it here anyway as most people should be able to figure it out if you look at it for a while. 4cyl oil capacity is 5 qts and v6 is 5.5 qts.

The oil filter socket you need is this one, [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-14700-Filter-Wrench-2-2L/dp/B0009OMYAQ[/ame] and though the socket you picked will work, the Lisle socket fits easier, some cars have different things attached to the motor at the area of the filter and the Lisle socket works best.

No oring at the top? That's not good. Make sure you put one on, I don't know if you can get them separately or not, may have to buy a cap, though thinking about it, some aftermarket filters have one in the box. The seal on the cap is what keeps the oil from spewing out so yeah, it's important. Don't overtorque that cap, just nice and snug, put a coating of oil on the seal as well, Those caps can be a bear to get off sometimes. Good luck, any more questions, check bak with us.


Application
Capacities

English
Metric

Air Conditioning Refrigerant R134a
For the air conditioning system refrigerant charge amount, see the refrigerant caution label located under the hood. See your dealer for more information.

Automatic Transmission*

Automatic Transmission 4-Speed (Bottom Pan Removal)
7.0 qt
6.6 L

Automatic Transmission 6-Speed (Drain and Refill)
5.3 qt
5.0 L

Cooling System

2.4L L4 Engine
7.5 qt
7.1 L

3.5L V6 and 3.6L V6 Engine
9.7 qt
9.2 L

Engine Oil with Filter

2.4L L4 Engine
5.0 qt
4.7 L

3.5L V6 Engine
4.0 qt
3.8 L

3.6L V6 Engine
5.5 qt
5.2 L

Fuel Tank
16.3 gal
61.7 L

Wheel Nut Torque
100 lb ft
140 N·m

*Transmission fluid capacity is approximate. See Automatic Transmission Fluid for information on checking fluid level.

All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this manual.
 
#4 ·
Alright, thanks for the help! I looked around for at least a half hour and no luck on the total amount of oil to use. I will order that socket in a little bit for convenience sake.

It looks like the dealership I bought the car from can't even service cars right (long story about all the trouble I've had with the car, not mechanical, but they damaged the car and then claimed that damage was always there). I poured the 5th quart in and put the extra oil in the last quart, I still have at least a quart left in my pan. I need to get some bottles to put it in so I'm not sure exactly how much but it's way more than a quart. I know too much oil can also damage an engine so hopefully there won't be any long term damage because of one dumb oil change. I'm thinking it won't have much effect considering from here on out I'll be changing my own oil.
 
#5 ·
I put in 4 quarts and took a look at the dipstick and it seems to be fine
What exactly does "seems to be fine" mean ??
If you ran the engine for a few minutes and then gave it 10 minutes or so to drain down, it should have been a quart low (bottom mark on the stick).

I poured the 5th quart in and put the extra oil in the last quart, I still have at least a quart left in my pan.
And this totally confuses me.
What are you trying to say here ??

In that WHOLE time since the oil change at the dealership, did you not EVER check the oil level ?? If they had a quart too much in there, that should have been fairly obvious, I would think. I always check mine after I get it home.......regardless of who does the work.
 
#6 ·
Sorry to hit your thread here so late. That "o" ring deal can be really badd juju. I once changed oil and without looking to see when I dropped the old filter out, I fired the new one in, tightend it properly and filed it up and then started it. Oil blew out everywhere. Only after dropping the new filter out (and losing a helluva lot of oil di I look up and see the old rubber ring stuck up in the filter base. The old and new had just mangled together and of course leaked. Once the old was pulled down out of there the normal process was completed. So check it better than I did. At 63, that was about my millionth oil change so don't become complacent. Good luck.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top