Oil Change Impossible?

[JAMADOR]

Attempted to change the oil on the MiniBus today, I've done my own on all the cars I've owned, this one defeated me, for now.

Got the underbody panel removed, seems like a tiny amount of room to get to the oil pan drain plug [assuming i was on the right bolt, passenger side, at the rear of the pan?] between the crossmember & sway bar?

Must've been last changed by the Hulk, was worried about rounding it off, so I stopped. I don't have a 6pt wrench, and the 12pt wasn't grabbing right.

My floor jack [1.5t Pittsburgh Low-pro that was for my Lotus 7 replica] also might not be up to the task of lifting the truck either, need to look into an upgrade or QuickJack

Any tips on making this easier? Planning on adding a Fumoto, and maybe run a drain hose to bypass needing to pull the underbody, but getting the drain plug out has me flummoxed.

 

[TheDoug]

Shoot a pic of the area you are working on...

Oil plug should be facing passenger side and near the front sway bar.

 

[JAMADOR]

Yep, that's what I was trying to remove. Was about to round it off, so I stopped. Will tackle it another day.
Going to order a Fumoto, hopefully have it before I attempt again.

 

[TheDoug]

Yep, that's what I was trying to remove. Was about to round it off, so I stopped. Will tackle it another day.
Going to order a Fumoto, hopefully have it before I attempt again.

Good luck sir

 

[NyackRob79]

It's a yellow plastic fastener. Only requires about half a turn to completely loosen. I replace mine with every oil change. Relatively easy job, just be careful as the oil will shoot out with quite a bit of pressure when you remove it. I alleviate that by opening the oil filler dipstick on the engine itself.

 

[sjwhiteley]

Use a 6-point. Always. Not sure why 12-point sockets are as common as they are. Should be used for special situations.

 

[JAMADOR]

Our Exped definitely doesn't have the plastic drain plug, unless it's really well hidden.
15mm drain bolt, passenger side, rear of the oil pan, just ahead of the transmission.

 

[GixxerJasen]

At some point the plastic plugs were swapped back to standard plugs in production.

 

[rd618]

Attempted to change the oil on the MiniBus today, I've done my own on all the cars I've owned, this one defeated me, for now.

Got the underbody panel removed, seems like a tiny amount of room to get to the oil pan drain plug [assuming i was on the right bolt, passenger side, at the rear of the pan?] between the crossmember & sway bar?

Must've been last changed by the Hulk, was worried about rounding it off, so I stopped. I don't have a 6pt wrench, and the 12pt wasn't grabbing right.

My floor jack [1.5t Pittsburgh Low-pro that was for my Lotus 7 replica] also might not be up to the task of lifting the truck either, need to look into an upgrade or QuickJack

Any tips on making this easier? Planning on adding a Fumoto, and maybe run a drain hose to bypass needing to pull the underbody, but getting the drain plug out has me flummoxed.

my 2 cents:
ramps are easier than a jack, but remember jack stands too.
I use a hex variable speed impact driver (low speed) to get the covers off. you're already saving time by using the tool, so don't rush bolts off or on, that will cause problems.
Short/standard 6 pt sockets will give you more leverage (3/8" wrench).
Get a long funnel, pouring oil into the engine bay is a pain, it's 1.5" opening in the middle of an already tall vehicle.
For me the filter oil drains out the back of the drip catch, first time I didn't realize that so i set the basin up too far forward.
Microfiber towels are great at absorbing oil or cleaning up after you're done.

 

[JAMADOR]

Yeah, I'd figured almost all of that by the time I was done, it was just the dang drain plug that stopped me in my tracks.
Reattaching the undertray is a bit of a pain, it's a bit too flexible & makes getting the bolts started a pain.
Going to pick up a 6pt wrench, (is it 3/8 or 15mm?) and get a Fumoto ordered.