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Oil change on the road

two_travelers
Explorer
Explorer
We have a 27ft Winnebago Vista with the V-10. We'll be taking (we hope) an extended trip late this summer and will need to get an oil change while we're on the road. Looking for suggestions as to what places we should look for that could do the job. Wonder would a camp ground office be able to provide that kind of information?
29 REPLIES 29

JRscooby
Explorer II
Explorer II
time2roll wrote:
way2roll wrote:
If we mine Oil from the ground, why is it such a big deal if it's put back into the ground?
Just need to remove the additives and pump it down 1000+ feet where it came from.


Of course, if we can put it back in the ground like it comes out, why not just refine from there, for fresh use?

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
way2roll wrote:
If we mine Oil from the ground, why is it such a big deal if it's put back into the ground?
Just need to remove the additives and pump it down 1000+ feet where it came from.

udidwht
Explorer
Explorer
way2roll wrote:
If we mine Oil from the ground, why is it such a big deal if it's put back into the ground?


Exactly. The oil is in far worse shape prior to being refined and in even worse shape prior to being ran in a vehicle for thousands of miles.
1994 Fleetwood Southwind Storm
P-30 chassis 7.4L 454 TBI 58,301 miles and counting....(as of 06/08/19)
VIN# 1GBJP37N4R3314754
Flight System Generator man 360 (PM me)

way2roll
Navigator
Navigator
If we mine Oil from the ground, why is it such a big deal if it's put back into the ground?

Jeff - 2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS

soren
Explorer
Explorer
JRscooby wrote:
soren wrote:

Oh the drama....... Every day tens of thousands of vehicles get their oil changed, outside, on gravel, dirt, and paving. Tractors, heavy equipment, cars, trucks, and more. The humanity of it all. The masses of secret agents from big government, lurking behind every tree, hoping to catch those scofflaws who dare to let a drop of oil hit the ground.


I wish we did not need regulations to keep a mess off the ground. But because we have rectums that don't care about the mess they make, we need them. And I'm not sure we want enough cops on the beat to catch all the people that spill oil. Maybe the best would be if you make a mess, don't clean it up, get caught the fine means instead of having a nice house and a MH, you are now living in a grocery cart.
BTW, I change my own oil on my property. But no way I would allow somebody else to do it, because I'll take responsibility for what I do.


Doesn't really matter what government authority has regulations on this issue. Nobody cares, nobody will respond when the next Karen makes it his or her business to get involves in things that do not concern them. Once again, in true forum fashion, this is a desperate attempt to make something out of nothing. There are oil pipelines and well heads all over the country that are leaking oil right into the ground, all day, every day, thousands and thousands of gallons, from drips to gushers. There are everything from class eight trucks to farm equipment in use, all over this country, that are leaking enough oil on a daily basis that they need to be topped off every day. I've seen local auto part stores that have to repeatedly repave the spots in front of the store, since a lot of their DIY customers drive junk that leaks every fluid imaginable, and it literally decomposes the paving under the vehicles. All of this results in little to nothing being done by any government agency.

Yet if a logical, responsible adult on this forum dares to mention
the practical and stress free aspects of doing DIY oil changes on the road, the imaginary boogie man of the EPA hiding behind the next tree, comes into play. This place is strange, at best, and it's always been that way.

Pick a topic on this forum, from the horror of leaving the fridge on while fueling, the paranoid need to lay awake in your RV all night with your stack of guns to protect you, the crime of working on your own vehicle on the road, the danger of overnighting at a Wallyworld or Cracker Barrel, and on and on. The immediate response is fear, and how there is an imaginary boogieman, imaginary horrible doom that you need to run from. or some LEO or government agent that will hunt you down.

It must suck to live with a mindset like that.

PastorCharlie
Explorer
Explorer
I have been doing my oil changes and maintenance since my first vehicle 65 years ago. I have owned and operated an auto repair shop. I think the right thing to do is to prevent spilling used motor oil on the ground and contaminating the soil.

JRscooby
Explorer II
Explorer II
soren wrote:

Oh the drama....... Every day tens of thousands of vehicles get their oil changed, outside, on gravel, dirt, and paving. Tractors, heavy equipment, cars, trucks, and more. The humanity of it all. The masses of secret agents from big government, lurking behind every tree, hoping to catch those scofflaws who dare to let a drop of oil hit the ground.


I wish we did not need regulations to keep a mess off the ground. But because we have rectums that don't care about the mess they make, we need them. And I'm not sure we want enough cops on the beat to catch all the people that spill oil. Maybe the best would be if you make a mess, don't clean it up, get caught the fine means instead of having a nice house and a MH, you are now living in a grocery cart.
BTW, I change my own oil on my property. But no way I would allow somebody else to do it, because I'll take responsibility for what I do.

LouLawrence
Explorer
Explorer
soren wrote:
PastorCharlie wrote:
GDS-3950BH wrote:
PastorCharlie wrote:
I have asked campground managers if I could discretely do an oil change if I complied with EPA rules and did no polluting of soil.



EPA rules as to how to do an oil change? Whoda thunk?


Spill it on the ground and then ask the question if EPA rules cover that. 🙂


Oh the drama....... Every day tens of thousands of vehicles get their oil changed, outside, on gravel, dirt, and paving. Tractors, heavy equipment, cars, trucks, and more. The humanity of it all. The masses of secret agents from big government, lurking behind every tree, hoping to catch those scofflaws who dare to let a drop of oil hit the ground.

I wonder why, if the EPA is making sure no oil hits the ground, why all of those parking lots have oil stains everywhere a car/truck parks?

soren
Explorer
Explorer
Double post, I corrected an error on my last post, hit edit and it double posted. Huh?

soren
Explorer
Explorer
Gjac wrote:
When making a long trip like Alaska I had to change the oil twice once at a CG with the MGR's permission and once at a boondocking location. Most all the other trips were less than 7000 miles so I just change oil before the trip.


I done dozens of DIY changes on the road, since we travel extensively, including four PA to AK trips, and frequent 5-8K mile trips. I do the V-10 in our Winny class A and the tow car, a CRV. I have done changes in everything from public parking lots, to abandoned commercial properties, and roadside pull offs. Nobody cares what I'm doing, while spending many hours under the motorhome and car, for oil changes and repairs. I had one interaction with a police officer. A Seward AK. officer stopped to ask if everything was OK, then had a nice conversation, and let me know that the town harbor would take my used oil and filters to recycle.

The Ford V-10 is super easy to do an oil change on. I discovered a trick to keep it all very clean with that engine. I grab a $.99 tin roasting pan from Walmart, when I pick up the oil and filter. I poke a half inch hole in the corner of the pan, then lay it across the front axle. It serves as a giant funnel, that catches all the splash from the drain plug and filter, and directs it to my drain pan. I just roll it up in a ball when I'm done.

Contrary to the claims here, I have found that many, possibly most, Ford dealers have no interest in working on a Class A, Many other garages and oil change places don't want to service something they can't fit in their service bays. I've spoken to RV repair places that had comically high quotes for class A engines and generator oil changes. Obviously, DIY is not something everybody is interested in, or capable of. That said, if you're doing the work at home, don't hesitate to do it on the road. I've saved thousands, know that the work is done correctly, and saved dozens of hours of time, not waiting around for somebody else to do the work.

soren
Explorer
Explorer
PastorCharlie wrote:
GDS-3950BH wrote:
PastorCharlie wrote:
I have asked campground managers if I could discretely do an oil change if I complied with EPA rules and did no polluting of soil.



EPA rules as to how to do an oil change? Whoda thunk?


Spill it on the ground and then ask the question if EPA rules cover that. 🙂


Oh the drama....... Every day tens of thousands of vehicles get their oil changed, outside, on gravel, dirt, and paving. Tractors, heavy equipment, cars, trucks, and more. The humanity of it all. The masses of secret agents from big government, lurking behind every tree, hoping to catch those scofflaws who dare to let a drop of oil hit the ground.

time2roll
Nomad
Nomad
In my truck I would just top it off and keep driving.

Blaster_Man
Explorer
Explorer
swphotobug wrote:
....We usually get an oil change just before we leave...


Same here, that's the safest thing to do.
2014 American Eagle

Lancslad
Explorer
Explorer
Walmart...$45 oil change...I supplied the oil and filter from their shelf stock.
2011 FR Georgetown 337DS
2003 Dodge Dakota Towed