The Duramax diesel is General Motor's heavy duty engine. To properly keep all the engine components lubricated you need to change the oil every 6,000 miles. Changing the oil alone will not fully protect your motor from thermal breakdown of your oil. The oil filter needs to be changed every time the oil is changed. The oil filter has the responsibility of filtering out any debris or sediments that is picked up during the course of the operation of the motor.
Crawl under the truck to locate the oil filter. The oil filter is located by the oil pan.
Unscrew the oil filter with an oil filter wrench. Empty the oil filter into a seal-able container. Dispose of the old filter in an empty garbage bag.
Rub oil on the gasket that will go around the new oil filter. This will help to seal the new filter on the oil filter housing.
Pour one qt. of oil in to the oil filter. This will prevent the diesel from running without oil during the first start-up.
Screw the oil filter to the housing with your bare hands. Do not wrench tighten as this will strip the threads on the oil filter.
