2001 Cavalier (Base Model) Oil Filter Relocation
I was tired of fighting to get the oil filter out from under the car. Personally I've always found the extremely small space between the steering rack, subframe, and exhaust flex coupler, very difficult to fit my arm into the opening to remove the oil filter from the bottom. Not to mention that with the engine warmed up, even if you have a small arm, it is still next to impossible not to burn your arm on the exhaust. In general, I find oil filter changes to be a pain.
Before installing the oil filter relocation kit, I did find out that by removing 2 bolts which holds the computer bracket to the left upper strut tower & firewall, that with the computer & bracket pulled back out of the way, it is much easier to access the oil filter from above. There is a nice large opening between the power steering reservoir and the firewall to fit your arm down through the top to easily reach the oil filter.
While it is easier to change the oil filter from the top, it is somewhat of a bother to remove the bolts and pull the computer & bracket back out of the way, not to mention the additional stress & flexing the computer wire bundle each time an oil change is due.
So I set out to figure out a way to add an oil filter relocation kit to this little 01 cavalier. The car is basically all stock at this point, with approximately 70,000 miles. I do oil changes religiously every 2,500 miles.
I figure that some people might consider the oil filter relocation a bit tacky appearing under the hood, especially if you show off under the hood at car shows. However for me, this is nothing more than an inexpensive commuter car, and the only time the hood gets lifted is when I'm doing maintenance, so I don't really care if it looks tacky. It does however make oil changes a breeze!
Instructions:
Oil Filter Relocation Purchase
Summit racing appears to have the best universal oil filter relocation kit.
Their website is www.summitracing.com and their phone number is 1-800-230-3030
Summit part number "SUM-G4985"
Current website price is $34.95 however they periodically put them on a 1-day sale for $30.95. If you know of any coupon codes, you could possible save even more.
They also sell them on eBay, which is where I purchased it. I paid full price $34.95 + $10 shipping.
Oil Filter Purchase.
You will no longer be able to use Cavalier oil filters because the oil filters for the Cavalier use a metric 18mm thread and the oil filter mount in the Summit kit uses a more traditional 3/4" thread.
I've always liked using Advance Auto Parts brand oil filters because they have a nice textured grip that makes removal & installation easy. It makes it nice not needing to use an oil filter wrench.
As stated, the Summit Kit uses a 3/4" thread for the oil filter and Summit recommends a Fram PH8A or equivalent. I've heard nothing but bad things about Fram filters, so I've always stayed away from them.
The Advance Auto Parts brand oil filter that I used is part number "AA8A"
I did some research and here are a bunch of Fram PH8A equivalents:
Amsoil EaO15 "Nanofilter"
Baldwin B2
Baldwin B2-HPG
Bosch 3500
Denso 150-1004
Donaldson P169071
Donaldson P550008
Fleetguard LF3313
Fleetguard LF3487
Fram HP1
Fram PH8A
Fram TG8A
Fram XG8A
K&N HP-3001
Mobil 1 M1-301
Mobil 1 M1-301EP
Ford Motorcraft FL-1A
Napa 1515/Wix 51515 (Same thing)
Professional's Choice Q1A
Purolator PremiumPlus L30001
Purolator PureONE PL30001
STP S8A
Walmart Supertech ST8A
Oil Filter Relocation Installation:
1. Start by warming up your engine / oil. Let the car idle for several minutes.
2. Run car up on ramps, shut off engine, put in park, remove keys from ignition, set parking brake & choke wheels for safety.
3. Drain oil from engine oil pan, being careful not to burn yourself on anything (exhaust / engine) including the hot oil.
4. While the oil is draining, remove the two bolts holding the computer bracket to the strut tower & fire wall. Gently bend the wire bundle and set the computer & bracket off to the side.
5. After oil stops draining, reinstall oil plug and position the oil catch tray under the oil filter.
6. From the top side, reach your hand down between the power steering resevoir and the firewall (where the computer & bracket were located) and remove the oil filter. Pull the oil filter out from the top.
7. Open the Summit oil filter relocation kit, and inside the bag you will find several metal threaded rings. The rings are color-coded and unfortunately I didn't write down which color ring it takes. If memory serves me correct, it is the red color-coded threaded ring. Take the ring, and reach back down from the top and test if the ring will thread onto the oil filter port on the engine. Even if later in this thread someone confirms that it is the red color-coded ring that is used for the Cavalier, it is still best to test fit that the ring does thread onto the oil port on the engine before going any further.
8. Once you confirm that you have the correct threaded ring, install the ring into the round oil filter adapter. Do not use any Teflon tape or pipe thread sealant. **Take note that the threaded ring has a knurled edge. The ring needs to be installed into the round adapter plate so that the ring threads 95% of the way into the adapter before the knurled edge hits the adapter. You can then use a pair of pliers to gently tighten the ring a little further into the round adapter plate. Do not be concerned if there isn't much of the ring protruding out of the adapter to get a good grip with the pliers. Just tighten the ring as much as possible, even if it is only a little bit with the pliers. Once you install the round adapter plate on the engine, the ring can't come out of the adapter.
9. Now using Teflon tape or pipe thread sealant, apply to the threads of the barbed hose ends and install them into the round adapter plate. Gently tighten the barbed hose ends, do not over tighten or you will risk cracking the adapter plate (it is made from cast aluminum)
10. Take note which barbed hose end is the In and which is the Out. Using a black permanent marker, cover the barbed end of the IN side with black marker. Cover all of the barbed section heavy with black marker.
11. Grab the o-ring from the Summit bag and using a light coating of motor oil, cover the o-ring and install the o-ring in the adapter plate. The oil should act as a glue to hold the o-ring in the adapter plate. Install the adapter plate on the engine from the top side. Gently tighten the adapter plate the same amount as if you were installing an oil filter. Don't over tighten.
12. Take the black hose in the kit, and cut exactly in 1/2, which will make two equal length hoses.
13. Take one of the hoses, and mark both ends in marker. Even though the hose is black, black marker still shows up just fine.
14. Take one of the worm gear clamps, and install it so that it is snug (isn't excessively tight but doesn't loosely fall off) the end of the hose that was previously marked in step #13.
15. Route the hose with clamp, over the power steering reservoir and down to the barbed ends. Slide this hose with clamp hex head facing upward, over the barbed end that has the black markings. Tighten the hose clamp. **Note, I positioned the hose clamp with the hex head facing up and I used about 2 feet of ratchet extensions with a socket on the end. I routed the long extensions down between the power steering reservoir and the engine and tightened the hose clamp using a ratchet from above of the engine. I tried using a socket connected directly to the ratchet head but couldn't get enough range of motion to swing the ratchet to tighten the clamp, so that is why I used 2 feet of extensions. This step sounds complex, but if you look close, there is a clear opening from the top of the engine, to the hose clamps. It was easy to tighten the clamps using the long extensions.
16. Install the second hose in the same manner, over the barb that doesn't have any black markings. Tighten hose clamps.
17. Grab the other cast aluminum adapter from the Summit kit. Install barbed ends using Teflon tape or pipe thread sealant just like in step #9.
18. Mark the barbed end black market just like in step #10 making sure that the oil is flowing in the correct direction.
19. Install the threaded fitting using no Teflon tape or pipe sealant, Tighten with rubber jaw pliers. Or if you don't have pliers with rubber jaws, use a cloth folded over to protect the jaws of the pliers from going damage to the threads . **Note, don't worry if you didn't use rubber jaw pliers back in step #8. Step #8 used a threaded ring with the important threads on the inside, so if doesn't matter if you ding the threads on the outside. However in step #17, the important threads are the ones on the outside, so you need to be careful not to ding the threads. Remember, use rubber jaw pliers or cloth folded to protect the threads.
20. Determine where you are going to mount the adapter plate under the engine. You can mount it in the same place that I mounted mine using the pictures below as an example illustration. You don't want the hoses to be too long but you also don't want them to be too short either. Remember, it is better to leave the hoses a little longer because if they are too short then they can tear when the engine rocks, especially considering down the road if a motor mount would happen to fail, the engine could really rock around, so it is good to have the hoses longer so that they don't tear.
21. Pre-drill the holes in the car, for the sheet metal screws that are supplied in the Summit kit.
22. Install the hoses, making sure the hose with the black marking, fits over the appropriate black barbed end. Tighten clamps.
23. Pour some motor oil inside the new filter & lubricate the paper gasket on the oil filter with a little motor oil and tighten the oil filter onto the adapter bracket.
24. Fill engine with new oil.
25. Double check that all clamps are tight, and that the hoses are not rubbing anything sharp or getting pinched in any way.
26. Reinstall computer & bracket.
27. Start the engine, let it idle and check for leaks.
28. Back car off of ramps and drive car to a level area. Shut off engine. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes so that the oil can drain down to the oil pan. Check dipstick, it will probably show that the oil is low. If it shows low oil level, add 1/4-1/2 quart more oil. Do not add more than 1/2 quart or else you will be overfilling the engine. **Note, it will take about 1/2 quart more oil to do an oil change with the Summit Kit installed because of the larger oil filter and oil running through the hoses.
29. Take car for a short test run down and back your street a few times making sure everything is up to full temperature and holding pressure.
**Note, In the pictures, it doesn't show the loom that I added over the hoses to protect them from chafing against the engine components. The loom doesn't come included with the Summit kit, Summit doesn't sell it, and I couldn't find it locally either. So I ordered a large spool of it through my business and have lots on hand. If anyone needs the protective loom, give me a shout at the info below.
Total time for installation took me about 2 hours, but that was also because I was figuring out things as I went along. I estimate that if I were to do this again, it would take no more than 1/2 hour.
I hope this information helps when you tackle this project. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Ask for Scott
Phone:
724-545-1321
Email:
CustomerService@KeystonePowderCoating.com
This write-up is also posted on my website at:
http://www.keystonepowdercoating.com/cavalieroilfilterrelocation/
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