Finding the oil filter for 97 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
 

So, I drive one of these. My Jeep's gotten to around 135,000 miles now. And I want to figure out how to change the oil on it myself. I've looked at various sites on the internet as well as the manual and the Haynes manual for information about doing this. I bought 6 quarts of 10W-30 Mobil 1 synthetic oil (the V8 engine only needs 5 but I bought an extra quart in case it's needed due to leaks or whatever) as well as the correct Mobil 1 filter. I also bought a socket wrench that's the right size for the oil pan bolt, and an oil filter wrench. So when I actually got under the Jeep I was able to find the oil pan.. but not the oil filter. Anyone know how I can find it? I know it is a cylindrical object about 4.5" in diameter and maybe 3" long. But the manuals seem to be wrong about where it is. It's supposed to be on the side of the oil pan. But I don't see it. Anyone have any ideas? :(

Look up higher. You can see it from above. It's mounted to an adapter off the block, not the pan. Between the exhaust manifold and the oil pan.

Just in case, don't mess with the oil pan bolts.

Ya when I worked for a dodge dealer I had to get it from the top, thats if u can;t reach it from the bottom!

You are talking about the drain plug, not the oil pan bolts, right? As mentioned, you don't want to mess with the oil pan itself, nor drop it. Just take out the plug on the bottom.

And I agree, it should be visible from the top, or easier to get to from there, not the bottom.

Yeah, I meant the drain plug. But it's like a bolt in that you remove it with a wrench. So that's what I was thinking of. Anyway, I'll look again tomorrow. There's a few candidates but they didn't look like the right thing... maybe I'll post some pics.

Good! :thumbsup: It is possible that the filter on there now is slightly different in length, as sometimes different brands are slightly different in appearance, though the circumfrence should basically be the same.

Does yours have a skid plate??

If so, try taking that off might be easier to see:D

Passenger side, at the back. This pic is somewhat deceiving in that there's no exhaust, but the placement is correct.

http://img343.imageshack.us/img343/4316/filter0jw.jpg

You can see it from above looking to the back. Just below the exhaust manifold.

Now I'm confused. If you're looking for the plug, it's on the side of the oil pan about an inch from the bottom. If you're looking for the filter, it's on the passenger side about 12 to 18 inches up, immediately under the exhaust manifold, right where cyrnel's diagram has it.

Just in case...

Here's your oil pan:
http://img368.imageshack.us/img368/8648/pan2af.jpg

See the bolt at the bottom left in the pic? It's the only bolt near the bottom, and it's at a slight angle from horizontal.

(Some 318 pans do have alternate drain locations, but as with any pan they're somewhere down on the sump. (the lowest part))

Yeah, passenger side of the engine, up in there pretty good. You can't reach it from the top, that I'm pretty sure of. It can be a tough one to get at in some vehicles. I can't remember just how messy those are.

Why do they make parts that need to be replaced regularly so difficult to reach?

Also, I understand where the drain plug is and have found it. It's just the filter that seems to be difficult to find.

I think I found it... passenger side about a foot or so from the plug. It's definitely not possible to reach from the top without removing something, and isn't easy to reach from underneath. I'm not sure how hard it's gonna be to get the wrench in to remove it...

I guess those of you who change your own oil probably use some sort of elevator or jack to raise the platform? Or maybe I am just a bit claustrophobic under the car? ;)

That sounds familiar. Friends have complained about the same thing. My ZJ has the 4.0 so the filter is easy from above. My pickup has a 5.2, but also much more room to the sides.

The V8 isn't an easy fit into the narrow ZJ, but remember the engine has been around for a long time. It's the rare exception when an engine is designed for a car, and there are always service gotchas.

The first time is always the worst.

Clean off the filter and try removing it by hand. Both hands if you can. If it's stuck, try wrapping a rag around (like a strap-wrench).

at my dads place we have some pieces of wood... they're like 6inch by 6inch and a couple feet long each... and one side is cut at an angle...

just stick them in front of the tires and drive up on em...

The true pride-free method is driving one side of the vehicle up onto the curb. The filter might be tough but it's usually enough for a drain pan and to reach the plug.

BTW, even a $50 2" puck lift makes this kind of work much simpler. Just in case you had contemplated changes to the Grand...

I'll have to remember the curb trick.

I was able to complete my oil change. On Sunday I realized that the filter wrench I bought, which uses a chain to adjust the length, simply wouldn't work in the tight situation around the filter in the ZJ V8 engine. There just isn't enough room for 2 hands, and the chain falls apart before I can get any grip. So last night I bought a rim/ring/whatever style wrench and after about 10 minutes of shifting around under the Jeep, easily removed the filter. I had expected the filter to come off quickly, but it took several turns and it was then that I realized it's kind of like the opposite of a screw. So anyway, I took the old filter, removed the excess oil, etc. Then I coated the new filter with fresh oil and installed it by hand, no wrench at all. Poured 5 quarts of fresh oil in the engine and tested everything. Works like a charm. No leaks either. I've driven it 25 miles since then. She runs at about 195 degrees, 30-50 psi oil pressure.

I think my oil should last quite a while. :) I plan to check the oil fairly often, and expect to change it again in about 5000-6000 miles or so. Hopefully the winter will be gone by then.

So.. any ideas what I can do with the old filter? I took the used oil to an auto parts shop nearby and they said they didn't take filters...

And, damn, that old oil was pretty black. I hope I didn't damage my engine too much with such contaminated oil. :(