[markyb]

I did an oil change at 3000 miles and went my usual route to using Mobil 1 5w-30.........I noticed that follwing my same driving pattern and usual routes (very little freeway, mostly rural roads) that the avg MPG is over 20 now after half a tank of gas. Prior to this it was 17.4----cold weather in Mich may be one of the culprits as the synthetic will flow better at colder temps. I'm amazed at the difference so far.....

stay tuned for updates.

Anyone doing their own oil change will get a kick out of the way oil drains from the oil filter fitting into the pan. Hard to explain, you'll know what I mean when you see it....

 

[Smooth]

Ok, now I'm curious! I've seen the filter down in the front bottom and have wondered how I would avoid making a mess if changing it from above. I don't own an Acadia yet, so please do tell. By the way, I recently did my 50th oil change on my 1987 Blazer S-10. Did all of them but the break-in.

Smooth <><

 

[RedRocker]

Hey Smooth...I have been changing my oil for the past 8 years. So before I ordered my Acadia I checked out the position of the oil filter...it's basically upside down and has a "oil drain gutter" than runs like a corkscrew so the oil that comes out will miss everything inside the engine bay and hopefully end up in your used oil container.

I have a similar gutter in my Armada.

If you change the oil yourself a good tip is to get a can of brake cleaner and after the oil is finished draining down this gutter (before you put the new filter on)...either spray a rag/papertowel with the cleaner or spray the gutter directly and it will almost instantly remove any remaining oil in this gutter...otherwise it will drip everywhere you park for the next few weeks.

Also...be careful because the exhaust manifold is right next to your arm when you reach down to twist off the filter...either long sleaves or some sort of leather protection will help.

Good luck!

 

[zman]

I did an oil change at 3000 miles and went my usual route to using Mobil 1 5w-30.........I noticed that follwing my same driving pattern and usual routes (very little freeway, mostly rural roads) that the avg MPG is over 20 now after half a tank of gas. Prior to this it was 17.4----cold weather in Mich may be one of the culprits as the synthetic will flow better at colder temps. I'm amazed at the difference so far.....

stay tuned for updates.

I've got to believe that this was weather related or something. I have used synthetic oil in three vehicles and never noticed an MPG increase. Also, if it were that simple, everyone would be using synthetic now.

 

[markyb]

The routine was to drain oil at the drain plug, then after it was down to a trickle move the drain pan as far forward as I could. After loosening the filter a bit the oil ran down the "gutter" into the front edge of the pan. Placement of the drain pan was critical ( that is if you want a clean garage floor!) I had oil going into the pan at the outer edges at the same time....what an engineering feat for GM!


MPG issue wasn't temp related as we've have similar temps during the period after I did the oil change....still going strong at 20+ mpg city