DeLorean Oil Change

The weather has been unusually warm this year for it being December. I have been able to drive the DeLorean a lot later in the year than I anticipated. I decided that I would change the DeLorean's oil. It had been around 21 months since I last changed it, but in that time, I have only driven it around 700 miles.

It is very easy to change the oil on a DeLorean. I use ramps that I back onto to lift the rear of the car.

I have a square socket that I use to loosen the oil plug. I take a gallon milk jug and cut it so that it will help catch the oil as it comes out without getting on the frame or anywhere else. It works beautifully. I use the same milk jug under the oil filter so that all of the oil drips cleanly into the oil collector and not on the car.

I let the oil drain for a long time since I am usually not in a rush. Quite a bit more oil comes out after I remove the oil filter, so don't put the plug back in without first having removed the old filter.

In the picture above, you can see the black on the engine block where oil from past oil changes has been. I am able to avoid that by using the milk jug under the filer as I remove it. After replacing the filter, I then reinstall the plug using a new copper washer that comes with the filters I purchase from any of the DeLorean vendors. I buy a pack of 6 filters at a time to reduce the per filter price.

New oil is poured in on the left side of the engine. I use a long funnel to help eliminate splashing or dripping, like in the picture below:

I have used 10w40 and 10w30 conventional in my car with great results. This last time I went with 10w30 because I won't hesitate to drive it when it's really cold outside as long as there isn't any snow or salt on the roads. My car also seems to take a bit more oil to get it to the full line on the dipstick. Others seem to put 7 quarts of oil, but mine takes closer to 8 quarts. Not sure what would cause mine to be different.

Clean up is really easy. I simply trash the milk jug and the empty oil filter. I take the oil to my local auto parts store for disposal/recycling and wipe everything down. Simple as that!