Question: 2003 Ford Explorer mileage: 33,000. I purchased my Explorer with 19,000 miles on it.  Living in a townhouse community I was never allowed to change my own oil so I always had it serviced at the local garage.  Now having purchased a home I can now perform routine oil changes myself and enjoy the work. The last oil change performed at the garage was at 28K.  I then changed the oil at 31K.  The info display on the dashboard has been warning me for a week or so that an oil change is necessary but it is 2K too soon.  I reviewed the glove box manual and it claims that oil should be changed every 5K.  To me the math makes sense I just don’t know how to reset the info display when I change the oil. Tell me I don’t have to rely on taking it somewhere every time I need my oil changed.  There has to be a non computer hook up related solution to my problem right?

Answer: To  reset the display after an oil change, press the Setup button to access the System Check Function.  Press and release the Reset control to display Oil Life % Hold Reset New on the message center.  Press and hold Reset control for 2 seconds to display if new oil hold reset.  Press and hold Reset control. If Oil Life Set to 100 % displays, oil life is now set.

Question: 2001 Nissan Pathfinder mileage: 62,350. I brought my wife's Pathfinder into the local Nissan dealership for an oil change yesterday. While returning home, I noticed the oil light flickering and immediately pulled over. The dipstick showed no oil. At that time I had driven 9 miles. I called the dealership and they sent a truck to my location. They added 4 quarts of oil (capacity) and had me follow them back to the dealership to inspect the filter, etc. They gave the truck a clean bill of health (no surprise I suppose), and I drove home without incident. What is the chance that damage was done to the engine in that 9 miles? Is there an inspection that would show damage? What do you suggest I do to follow up?

Answer:  Even though the engine appears to be okay now, you may experience problems in the future such as camshaft failure, rod bearing failure and/or excessive oil usage caused by failed piston rings.

Question: 1999 Jaguar XK8 mileage: 65,000. I would like to change my own oil, but I can not find the right oil filter wrench to do the job. The filter is in a very small space and way up in the engine compartment. A conventional one will not work. Do you know where I might find the proper wrench that would get into that tight of an area and give me a type or name for it?

Answer: The tool you need can best be described as a spring that wraps around the oil filter. On the bottom of the spring assembly is a hex bolt that can be driven by a socket wrench. It should be available at most auto parts stores.

Question: 2002 Toyota Tundra mileage: 80,000. My truck had a factory 'recall' for a head gasket problem. I took it into the car dealer 1 month ago and they said it needed to be replaced. The only problem I had with my truck at that time was having to add antifreeze quite frequently. No other problems. While it was in, they called me to say I needed a tune up. I told them I had one last fall. They called and said I needed a water pump. I finally agreed to that after they dropped the price from $400 to $200. They then called and told me I needed to change my oil. I told them I could get my boyfriend to do that. Now, 4 weeks later, while driving down the interstate, my oil gauge went to zero and I immediately pulled the truck off and turned it off. There was no oil in it. We put in 5 quarts of new oil. The dealership now says that they only changed the head gasket and the blown engine is my fault. That they did not change my oil when they did the head gasket, did not add any, and they did not tell me that I could ruin the engine if I didn't have an oil change done immediately. Other mechanics I contacted told me it is pretty much standard practice to change the oil when replacing the head gasket. Please help...

Answer: When the factory has a recall on a problem like your head gasket, the factory picks up the cost and reimburses the dealer for parts and labor. The factory will not pay for an oil change. The reason it is recommended that the oil be changed at the time a head gasket is replaced is that coolant may get into the oil during the process. If your car had no oil in it when you left the dealer, your oil light would have been on and you would have gotten no more than 100 yards before the engine seized. We strongly recommend to our customers that they check their oil on a regular basis, no less than every other tank of gas as a preventative measure. If you wait until the oil light comes on, it is too late. The dealer should have impressed upon you the need for an oil change sooner than later.

Question: 2000 Pontiac Grand Am mileage: 65,000. I got the oil changed at about 3,000 or 4,000 miles. I don't recall exactly. The first oil change is supposed to be sooner than the others I understood. Now my car is at 6,500 miles and I have an idiot light on my dash that blinks oil change all the time. I know that isn't a big deal. The annoying part is... whenever I start the car and get a few blocks down the road, I hear this ding ding ding! I'm ready to start clipping wires with my nail clippers. Seriously, I used to be a designer for one of the big three; I'm not that stupid (the nail clippers!). Have you heard anything about this most annoying feature?

Answer: The computer in most late model GM cars keeps records of when service is due by lighting the oil change light. The records are based on driving habits. The frequency of service depends on how many short trips are taken verses long trips and other factures. Once the car is serviced, turn the key on (do NOT start the engine - severe engine damage will occur), depress the gas pedal to the floor three times and the computer will be reset. If the light does reset, repeat procedure.

Question: 1998 Toyota Camry mileage: 100,000. I took my car in to the dealer for a routine oil change. What attracted me to this dealership was it was a brand new location, they guaranteed work in 30 minutes and a cost of $12.95! Lo and behold at the end of the "long" wait I was taken to the car and shown the threads of the oil pan bolt had come off and the only solution was to replace the whole pan at a total cost in the $500 range! If the previous oil change was done at the same dealership (at their old location) and the next one at the new location, how in the world could the threads have come off? Is this normal.

Answer:   Each time oil is changed the drain plug is tightened. If it is slightly over-tightened during oil changes, progressive damage occurs to the threads. Eventually, the threads will fail and it seems that it happened on your most recent oil change. Obviously replacing the oil pan is one way to cure the problem. To repair correctly you need to replace the oil pan with new.

Question: 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix mileage: 88,000.  About 2 weeks ago, I had the oil changed at a quick lube place.  Afterwards, I drove the car for about 70 miles with no incident.  The following day, on a short trip, I experienced loss of power and noted a spiking of the oil pressure, past the 80-psi mark on the gauge.  I drove another 2-3 blocks to a service station.  At this time, I noted large amounts of oil leaking out the bottom.  The manager of the quick lube shop came to investigate and found the car had no oil pressure.  They re-did the oil and filter and added engine protestants.   Within a day, the engine developed a rumbling noise; when warm, the engine had trouble maintaining oil pressure.  Work-up at my garage showed spun bearings and discolored rods from operating at high temperature.  We're currently negotiating with the shop.  They've offered an explanation, developed by the filter manufacturers association, that the car developed high oil pressure, probably due to a stuck oil regulator value, and blew the filter off the car; in other words, the problem was not related to the service.  This car has been well maintained and has no history of serious engine problems.  Search of technical service bulletins shows no history of high oil pressure problems with this engine.   The sticking points are no obvious sign of oil leak (or trailing oil) prior to the catastrophic oil leak and the spike in pressure I saw at the time of the leak.  I'd appreciate your comments regarding their explanations and any other insights.  Thanks!

Answer: The oil pressure relief valve stuck shut causing the oil pressure to rise.  With the increase in pressure, the oil filter failed.  The result, loss of all oil and rod bearing failure.  It is a very good idea when having an oil change to be sure that a major brand, high quality, oil filter is used, one that is designed for your type of engine.

Question: 2003 Ford Mustang mileage: 60,000.  My daughter’s boyfriend has recently bought this car.  He's had the oil changed 3 times in a row before the recommended oil change.  And the oil is constantly dirty only after a couple hundred miles?

Answer: That the previous owner neglected to keep current on oil changes.  Failing to maintain necessary oil changes, results in excess sludge developing in the engine.  When the oil change is finally done, the new oil starts to pick up the sludge that was deposited in the engine.  This is why your oil becomes dirty in a short period of time.

Question: 1999  Mercedes C320 mileage: 97,000.  Dear Sirs, I am from Cyprus.  Local mechanics here insist that we should change the engine oil every 5000 miles because the weather here is hot.  A German friend of mine who works as a mechanic for Mercedes in Germany insists that I should change the engine oil every 15000 miles. What’s your opinion?  What oil do you recommend?

Answer: Changing the oil every 3,000 miles is cheap insurance and that is what we would recommend.  Any major oil company brand will work.

Question: 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix mileage: 131,000. I have a general maintenance question.  I change my oil myself rather than going to an oil/lube shop.  Does my car have any grease fittings, which require periodic lube, or is everything sealed (lifetime lubricated)?  Thanks for your help.

Answer: If you do not see any lube fittings, then are a sealed unit.

Question: 2001 BMW 325i mileage: 55,000.  I just got an oil change and found that the oil filter housing is leaking.  While getting the oil change, I had noticed that the mechanic was confused about the placement of the O-rings.  Could you describe how the three o-rings are supposed to be fit?  Thank you in advance.

Answer: Without seeing the housing, it is impossible to describe how the O-rings fit.  If we had your car here, we would compare the new O-rings to the old ones being replaced thus substituting the new ones for the old ones.  If your car has proper oil pressure and the leak is fixed, then your mechanic must have put the new O-rings on properly.

Question: 2002 Nissan Altima mileage: 30,000.  Just want to know how to do an oil change.  I want to try it myself.

Answer:   Remove the drain plug from the oil pan and drain the oil into a suitable container. (Dispose of the used motor oil in an environmentally safe way by taking it to an approved disposal site. If you don't know where to dispose of it, ask a mechanic in your area.)   Replace the drain plug and refill with new oil.

Question: 1999 Mitsubishi Montero mileage: 124,000.  I have three problems to address: 1.  When I start the Montero I usually hear the lifters making noise until enough oil is circulating, is there a way to stop this.  2.   Sometimes it blows smoke at idle or slow speeds, it doesn't do this on the highway and acceleration has always been very good.  3.  I have a maintenance-required light on, I truly believe I hit a pre-established mileage and the light came on, is there a way to extinguish this (a switch or something?)