How to Change the Oil in a 2001 Cadillac Catera

The Cadillac Catera has a 181-cubic-inch or 3.0-liter engine that develops 200 horsepower. Of German decent and developed by Opel, the engine was the first to use hollow, sodium-filled exhaust valves. The sodium liquifies when hot, drawing heat away from the valve. The engine was available with either a cartridge or a spin-on disposable oil filter. The cartridge is located in a plastic housing, and care must be used during replacement to prevent cracking of the housing.

Instructions

1

Place the floor jack under the subframe on the driver's side of the car. Raise the car and place a jack stand under the subframe. Lower the car until it is resting on the jack stand. Place the drain pan under the oil filter housing located on the driver's side, just below the exhaust manifold.

2

Remove the oil filter, using a filter wrench to turn the spin-on filter counterclockwise to remove it. If it has a cartridge, place the 3/8-inch ratchet in the bottom hole in the housing and turn it counterclockwise to remove it. Empty the oil from the housing into the drain pan and pull the paper cartridge out of the housing, then discard it.

3

Install the spin-on filter by applying a small amount of oil on the rubber seal and spinning the filter on clockwise, giving it a tight twist, by hand only. If it is a cartridge, place a new paper cartridge in the filter housing and replace the large O-ring on the top of the housing with the new one supplied with the filter. Spin the housing on clockwise and snug it with the 3/8-inch ratchet -- the operative word here is "snug" only. It does not need to be very tight, as over-tightening will surely crack the housing.

4

Move the drain pan under the oil pan drain plug. Remove the plug, using the appropriate size Torx bit. It is usually a 45, unless replaced with an oversized plug. Drain all the oil and replace the drain plug and tighten it until it is snug only.

5

Remove the drain pan, raise the car and remove the jack stand. Lower the car to the ground. Remove the oil filler cap and fill the engine with 6.1 qts. of synthetic oil. Replace the oil cap. Make a note of the mileage and add 3,000 miles for the next oil change.