I finally tackled the 1st oil change this morning (3,017 miles), and I appreciate all of the comments on this thread that helped me prepare for it properly.
My shopping list included a couple of 5-qt Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 5W-20 jugs, a Mobil 1 Extended Performance M1-113A filter, and a Fumoto F106SX drain valve (all purchased through Amazon).
The drain plug wasn't too bad of a task. I had an old flexible plastic cutting board lying around, so I stuck it under the oil pan, ran it over the sway bar, and duct-taped it in a curved shape to form a splash shield. It worked like a champ. I then installed the adjustable Fumoto valve, which should make this job even easier next time.
It took me a minute to find the oil filter, as I'm used to GM placement (not far from the oil drain plug). It's a little cramped in there, even though you can get at it from beneath and from the front. I didn't want to be looking at it from directly underneath when I broke it loose, but I found that I could sit between the front air dam and engine with the truck up on ramps and see what I was doing pretty clearly. With some patience and moderate effort, I was able to get the factory filter loose using a small metal-banded filter wrench. But even with a Ziploc bag over the filter, I spilled a good bit of oil...especially because I had to tilt the filter about 45 degrees to thread it out through the frame. Not an ideal spot, as others have indicated.
So...on the bright side, the factory fill oil came out looking nice and amber at 3K miles, I'm now running the best oil and filter I can buy, and I have a Fumoto drain valve installed to make the next oil change easier. Oh, and putting the truck on ramps with the air suspension maxed out gives me quite a bit of space to work with. On the downside, the oil filter is likely going to make a mess each time unless I get better about cracking it loose and 'catching' the oil...and even then, it'll be a bit of a pain.
Thanks again!
. Then our rams are cake.
