Oil change on the road needed

[bruc]

my wife and I are traveling from Interior,South Dakota west on I-90 then onto rt.85 north up to Medora ,North Dakota. We are in desperate need of an oil change. We stopped at several r.v. and truck service centers in Rapid City,S.D. yesterday with no luck. We are new at full-timing and never thought that getting an oil change would be so difficult. We are travleing in a 2007 Fleetwood Bounder 35e with a 8.1 Chevy Vortex engine on a workhorse chassis.If anyone can direct us to a service center that might be somewhere along our route, we would greatly appreciate it. From Medora we are planning on continuing north on rt. 85 to rt. 2 west and across Montana to Glacier N.P. Is it always so difficult to get an oil change or basic service when traveling in a gas class A? Again , any help you guys can give us will be much appreciated, b ruc.

[Tony Lee]

Don't get too uptight about running a couple of thousand miles over the specified oil change interval, especially if you are travelling fairly continuously.

Suggest you buy the right oil filter as that may be the problem with smaller towns.

I change mine on the road without any problems, so if I can do it without any facilities, any small-town garage should have no problems at all.

[Bamaman]

What's nice about Class A's is that you can slide underneath them without a jack or lift to get to the crankcase.

A $3 plastic tray/pan bought at Dollar General and a Crescent Wrench and you're in business.

It's just a quick 1/2 hour job. When you're through, use a funnel and put the oil back into the jugs you bought it in--and return to WalMart/Advance/Autozone for recycling.

My PowerStroke diesel uses 15 quarts. I buy Motorcraft oil because it comes in 5 quart bottles, and I don't have to buy 3 gallon jugs and 3 quarts individually.

Sometimes laying under that truck watching the oil drain is the only peace I get in a week's time.

[Tony Lee]

Little trick for dealing with the oil filter. Punch a hole in the bottom with a screwdriver and drain the oil into the pan. Makes the job a lot lighter and heaps less mess.

[TeJay]

I find it absolutely amazing that you can't find a shop that will change your oil. As said, it ain't no big deal. Any decent tech can change your oil. It requires nothing different from any other oil change. If you have a diesel you need a container that can handle 15-20 quarts of oil but that's the only difference.

I would not use a crescent wrench on any bolt. If it's difficult to get off it will slip and begin rounding the nut. Just buy a wrench that fits and it will always be there for the next oil change. Or get one of those Futomo valves. Put the valve in and you can drain the oil through a plastic tube. You won't need a wrench except to get the oil filter off.

TeJay

[dan-nickie]

Ask the RV Park hosts if they can recommend some place.

[JFXG]

Originally Posted by bruc

my wife and I are traveling from Interior,South Dakota west on I-90 then onto rt.85 north up to Medora ,North Dakota. We are in desperate need of an oil change.......

When you leave Interior I hope you'll continue on the Badlands NP loop road. Well worth the drive! And stop in at Wall Drug in Wall. Unabashed tourist trap..... kitschy but cool.

As to your service, have you tried Mid States Campers? We stopped in there -- (well, we didn't drop in, we made an appt, but it was only a day or two wait--) for a slide adjustment a couple of years ago. Very helpful and friendly

Mid-States is just off I-90 in Blackhawk South Dakota, in between Rapid City and Sturgis-- actually just a bit west of Rapid City.

10400 Recreational Drive
Summerset, SD 57718

Monday – Friday:
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday:
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Sunday:
Closed
© 2014 Mid-States Campers and RVs

As someone else said, if you have an oil filter with you all you need is the work time from the shop.

Good Luck!!

[bruc]

Thanks to all who replied to my oil change while traveling question. I haven't really checked out the oil filter location and was under the impression that the coach had to be on a lift to do an oil change. I guess i'll take the time to do a little investigating and see if I can locate the filter position and purchase the oil filter and oil and do it myself. Thanks again to all for your help,bruc.

[Tony Lee]

Walmarts have a large capacity pan that will hold all the oil in a Cat 3126 with room to spare and it has a pour spout too. Cheap enough that you can consider it disposable after one use.

[focker]

The RV Geeks seem to like Speedco when they are on the road. I do my own changes too but the price they paid and quick service didn't seem bad in the post I read:
Awesome RV Maintenance - We Love Speedco!

[jimmyjnr]

Speedco only work on diesels .
We used a grease monkey with our last gas rig

[corjaguar]

I purchased a Fumoto oil drain shutoff valve, with it, I can change my oil any time by just setting an empty oil jug under the drain valve, attach a short see thru piece of see thru and insert into container and turn on the valve.....the filter is replaced by punching a hole thru the flirt bottom which drains into a funnel attached to a piece of tubing....wrench off filter, install new filter and add new oil.
New napa filter 6 quarts of Pennzoil or Quaker state 5-30 and I'm done in 1/2 hour total time.
Now greasing the coach is a different story.....

[Tony Lee]

6 quarts

That takes care of the ONAN, what about the main engine. ;-)))

[jacmat]

My 8 Kw onan, diesel only requires 3 qts including filter.