This article (and video) will teach you how to change the oil and oil filter on a 2018 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck.
Oil is essential for engine operation. Oil not only lubricates the moving parts of the engine, but it also takes care of:
- Helping to cool the engine along with the cooling system.
- Removing small particles and debris within the system.
- Reduce fuel consumption.
With this step-by-step guide, you can change your truck’s oil and oil filter yourself.
THIS WORK REQUIRES THESE TOOLS
- Low profile floor jack.
- A large piece of a cardboard box.
- Sawdust.
- Broom.
- Container or tray.
- Oil filter pliers.
- Ratchet.
- 15 mm socket.
- Funnel.
- Clean rag.
- Disposable nitrile gloves (optional).
- Oil filter for GMC Sierra 1500.
- 8 liters (2.11 gallons) of motor oil.
The container or tray needs to have an 8 liters capacity or more.
The sawdust absorbs oil spills on the floor to clean it.
Instead of sawdust, you can use sand or baby powder.
You can use one of your car’s mats if you don’t have a large cardboard box.
LET’S BREAK THE PROCESS DOWN INTO STEPS
STEP 1: DRAIN THE OIL FROM THE ENGINE
First, jack up the car with the floor jack. We need to access the oil pan underneath the vehicle.
As we have recommended in other posts, lift the car by a secured jack point, which can support the car’s weight.
If you don’t want to lay directly on the floor, you can use a piece of a cardboard box or one of the car mats turned upside down.
Locate your vehicle’s oil pan. The oil pan contains the oil that lubricates the engine.
You can use disposable nitrile gloves if you don’t like to get oil on your hands.
Our Jack removes the oil pan drain screw, also known as the plug.
Loosen the screw with the ratchet and the 15 mm socket. Finish removing it by hand.
Place the container under the oil pan toward the side where the drain points. The pressure will cause the oil to drain in that direction.
You can open the hood and remove the oil cap to speed up engine draining. The air intake to the engine will make the oil drain faster.
Wait for the oil to drain sufficiently, and then remove the filter.
As you can see at 0:20 in our video
STEP 2: TAKE OUT THE OIL FILTER
The filter’s primary function is to protect the oil from contaminants that may get into it before it starts running through the engine.
Every time you change the oil, you must change the oil filter. The filter is next to the oil pan.
To remove the filter, use the oil filter pliers. Loosen the filter by turning the pliers counterclockwise. Remove the filter by hand.
Removing the filter will drain more oil, so place the container under the filter before removing it.
As you can see at 0:20 in our video
STEP 3: PUT THE OIL PAN PLUG BACK ON AND INSTALL THE NEW FILTER
When the oil has drained completely, put the oil pan plug back in place. Put it back by hand and then tighten it with the ratchet and the 15 mm socket. Tighten enough to avoid oil leakage, but don´t over-tighten as this will damage the screw thread.
This work is inevitably a bit messy. Use a rag to wipe oil stains on the car.
After putting the oil pan plug back on, our worker installs the new oil filter.
Before screwing in the new filter, a good practice is to apply a film of new oil to the filter gasket.
The rubber gasket generates friction when it rubs against another surface. By oiling it, we allow it to rotate easily and fit better when the filter is screwed in, preventing damage to the gasket and oil leakage.
Screw in the filter by hand in a clockwise direction. Tighten it also by hand. In this case, our Jack didn´t tighten it with tools because it would be difficult to remove the filter at the following change.
As you can see at 0:45 in our video
STEP 4: POUR THE NEW OIL INTO THE ENGINE
This pickup truck model has a 5.3L V8 engine. Mmmm, in English, please.
Ok, this engine uses an air volume of 5.3 liters in a complete cycle of its pistons. It has eight pistons arranged in 2 rows of 4 pistons in a V shape (at 90 degrees). That´s it.
Our Jack used a special oil (Dexos1 gen 2) Motosel brand, 0W20 grade. The capacity of this engine is 8 liters of oil, equal to approximately 2.11 gallons.
Use the funnel to pour the oil. Otherwise, you´ll waste a lot of oil. Not to mention the mess you´ll make.
Pull out the oil dipstick, wipe it with a rag, reinsert it and pull it out again to check the oil level.
The level should be between the two minimum and maximum marks on the dipstick.
If you put too much oil in, the engine will have excessive pressure, resulting in leaks through the oil seals, fouling the pistons and spark plugs.
Put the oil cap on.
Turn the car on for about one minute to circulate the oil.
Turn off the engine and recheck the oil level to ensure it is at the indicated level.
As you can see at 0:45 in our video
STEP 5: RESET THE ENGINE´S OIL LIFE SYSTEM
The last step is to reset the system that shows the remaining lifetime of the oil you are currently using.
As you can see in our video, the dashboard shows 4% of the remaining life, but we already changed the oil, so we have to reset it.
To do the above, Our worker turned the car switch to the ON position, then pressed the gas pedal and released it three times.
Recheck the dashboard. It should show that the oil life is 100%.
As you can see at 0:45 in our video
STEP 6: CLEAN YOUR MESS
As mentioned before, when doing this job, it is practically inevitable to get oil on the floor.
Pour sawdust or sand over the oil. Then use the broom to clean the floor.
By the way, you can put the used oil in the new oil empty container and take it to a recycling center. Don’t forget to recycle the oil filter as well.
IN CONCLUSION
As you can see, changing the oil is easy and will extend the life of your engine.
One more advantage of an oil change is that it is much cheaper than restoring an engine damaged by a lack of maintenance.
Want to learn how to do other maintenance work for your GMC Sierra 1500? Check out our article “How to change a car’s cabin filter.”