Oil Change on a 94 dodge ram 1500?

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supercotton29

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I am changing my oil on my ram and I am not sure what to do. There is two spots to put oil. After seeing that I kinda got over whelmed. Any tips? or a website. I know basic knowledge on it but just not full. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
1)put a pan under the car
2)unscrew the drain plug from the oil pan
3)let it all drain
4)take out the oil filter (make sure you get the rubber gasket, if it is stuck to the bottom of the truck it will leak)
5)pour some oil in the new filter (not necessary, but it does get the oil flowing faster)
6)put on the new filter
7)put the drain plug back in (don't overtighten)
8)add oil to the spot that isn't the dipstick... it should be around the top center of the engine
9) check the dipstick
10) start the truck, let it run for about 20 sec
11) after it cools for a couple hours check the dipstick again to make sure its at the right level, also check to make sure it isnt leaking.
12) keep checking the dipstick for a week to make sure oil isn't leaking
 
Before anything, you should concern yourself only with putting oil into where you see the cap 'engine oil'. That will save you from your burden of choice.

I like to advise people changing oil to use a particular safe additive, from a reputable seller, called LUCAS oil stabilizer. If you substituted 20% of your oil for this additive, it would aid your oil in adhering to engine parts longer than regular oil. On the vehicle startup, especially in the cooler weather approaching, this will be very helpful as the startup of a vehicle is the most damage done to an engine.

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Here is a bit of knowledge on oil viscosity. This webpage was created by AMSOIL for the express purpose to explaining the oil differences (and if you are using regular oil, it may be best to stay with regular because once switched you don't want to return to the other):

http://www.motoroilinfo.com/which-30-wt-...

Pay close attention to the paragraph underneath the photos. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure:

AMSOIL 0W-30, 5W-30 and 10W-30 synthetic motor oils are ALL 30 weight oils. The answer is that ANY one can be used regardless if your vehicle owners manual says to use, for example, a 5W-30. "W" means winter. In winter weather the 0W oil will flow like a 0W oil, and the 5W will flow like a 5W oil and a 10W will flow like a 10W oil just until the engine warms up. In order to understand the differences one has to first understand that the numerical values given to these various weight oils are strictly empirical numbers. For example, 0W does not mean that the oil has no weight. That is one of the reasons why we say it is strictly an empirical number.

For the word 'empirical':
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empirical
 
I suggest getting a Haynes Manual ($26)
Cheap and it teaches to do pretty much everything on your truck with detailed instructions and pics

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-95-96-97-Dodge-Ram-Truck-Haynes-Repair-Manual-New_W0QQitemZ260303753382QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item260303753382&_trkparms=72%3A727|39%3A1|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

But to give you an overview:
Get a tool set from Sears (pretty much any kit) nad a oil disposal pan
get 7-8 quarts of oil + oil filter(depends on car)
Jack the car up
unscrew the bolt in the engine oil pan (usually a 17mm depends on car)
wait for it to drain
Change the oil filter
screw the bolt back in
There is only one spot to put oil in the engine the other must be for transmission.
Add oil and adjust accordingly according to the dipstick
 
are you referring to having an oil cap on each valve cover (2x)? if that is to what you are referring, you can put oil in either one. some vehicles were manufactured so. they open up to the drain pan, just from different sides of the engine. so flip a coin, pick a cap, then you are all set
 
What engine? The oil fill cap is on the right valve cover on a V8 if you are facing the engine.
 
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