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Chevrolet Traverse 3.6L V6 Engine Oil Change Guide
How to change the motor oil and replace the oil filter in a 2009 to 2012 GM Chevy Traverse with the LLT 3.6L V6 engine.

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Traverse LLT 3.6L V6
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Oil Filler Cap SAE 5W-30
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Remove Oil Filler Cap
This automotive "how-to" guide was specifically written to assist owners of the 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 GM Chevrolet Traverse crossover SUV equipped with the LLT 3.6 liter V6 engine in changing the motor oil and replacing the oil filter.

Owners of other General Motors vehicles with the LLT 3.6L V6  such as the Cadillac CTS, STS, Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, Holden VE Commodore, WM Statesman, WM Caprice, Buick LaCrosse CXS and Chevy Camaro may also find these DIY oil change instructions to be helpful.

The items needed to complete this procedure include a floor jack with jack stands (or ramps), a 15mm socket with ratcheting wrench, a used oil catch container, a new oil filter and 6 US quarts (5.7L) of new SAE 5W-30 oil.

A few compatible oil filters with their part numbers are as follows: Mobil 1 M1-212, Royal Purple 20-500, Purolator L22500, K&N PS-2011, Hastings LF641, Motorcraft FL500S, ACDelco PF63E, Fram PH10575, Wix 57045, Pennzoil HPZ-173, and Mann ML 1049.



 
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Pull Off Engine Cover
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Round White Oil Filter
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Filter Below Dipstick
The first few steps are to warm up the engine for a few minutes, park the vehicle on a level surface and then shut off the engine. Warming up the engine will help suspend any contaminants within the old oil and allow it to drain out more quickly.

Engage the emergency parking brake and chock the rear wheels to prevent the vehicle from moving.

Open the hood, remove the oil filler cap by twisting it off in the counter clockwise direction and pull off the plastic engine cover.

Removing the engine cover will give you more room to grip the oil filter which is easiest to access from the top of the engine bay. Locate the old oil filter by looking down below the yellow handled dipstick. You can see the round white oil filter that was installed on this 2012 Traverse in Picture # 5 and Picture # 6 in the row above.

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Raise Front of Vehicle
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Slide Underneath Engine
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15mm Oil Drain Bolt
Raise the front of the vehicle with a floor jack and securely support it with two jack stands.

Slide underneath the front passenger area of the engine bay and locate the silver metal oil pan. The oil drain bolt is located at the back of the oil pan and it faces the rear of the vehicle.

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Remove Oil Drain Bolt
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Drain Out Old Oil
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Replace Oil Drain Bolt
Move the used oil catch container to just below the oil drain bolt. You may want to spread out some newspaper to help catch any stray drops of oil.

Remove the oil drain bolt by turning it counter clockwise with a 15mm socket and ratcheting wrench.

Be careful when you remove the oil drain bolt since the old oil may be hot enough to cause burns depending on how long you warmed up the engine in the first step.

Allow the old oil to drain out for at least a few minutes or until it slows to an occasional drip. Re-insert the oil drain bolt and tighten it to just past hand tight or about 18-20 ft lbs of torque.



 

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Move Basin Forward
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Twist Off Old Oil Filter
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Reach In From Above
Move the used oil catch container to the approximate area below the oil filter. You'll definitely want to lay down some newspapers since the oil filter removal can get messy.

The easiest place to get a grip on the oil filter is from standing in front of the vehicle and reaching down into the engine bay.

You may be able to spin the old filter off by hand by turning it counter clockwise.

If not, you'll need to use an oil filter wrench such as the Lisle 63600.

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Dip Pinky In New Oil
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Lubricate Oil Filter O-Ring
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Spin On New Oil Filter
Allow the old oil to drain from the oil filter receptacle for about a minute.

I recommend buying the Mobil 1 M1-212 oil filter since it has excellent reviews on Amazon.

Dip your pinky finger in some new 5W-30 oil and lubricate the rubber o-ring on the new filter.

Lubricating the o-ring will help the new oil filter form a better seal and make it easier to remove at the next oil change.

Make sure that the rubber o-ring from the old oil filter is not still attached to the engine.

Spin on the new oil filter in the clockwise direction until it is about 1/4 to 1/2 turn past hand tight.

Do not over tighten the oil filter or use the oil filter wrench to tighten it. Over tightening the oil filter may damage it or the rubber o-ring and cause an oil leak to develop.

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Insert Automotive Funnel
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Pour In New 5W-30 Oil
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Engine Oil Dipstick
Insert the automotive funnel into the oil filler hole and slowly pour in about 5 to 5 1/2 quarts of the engine's 6 quart total capacity for an oil change with filter replacement.

Temporarily replace the oil filler cap by spinning it on in the clockwise direction.

Run the engine for a minute, shut it off, and allow it to rest for at least 5 minutes so that the oil flows down to the oil pan.

Pull out the yellow handled dipstick and check the oil level. If necessary, slowly add in the rest of the oil and re-check the dipstick until the level reaches at or near the top of the crosshatched area on the tip.

You may not need to pour in the entire 6 quarts of new SAE 5W-30 oil depending on how long you allowed the old oil to drain out.

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Check Oil Level
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Replace Engine Cover
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Replace Oil Filler Cap

Replace the oil filler cap, push the engine cover back into place and then replace the dipstick to finish the job.

To reset the engine oil life system, follow these steps: turn the ignition to the On/Run position with the transmission in Park, press the trip odometer reset button until "oil life remaining" is on the display, then press and hold the reset button until "oil life remaining" changes to 100%. You'll hear three chimes and the "change engine oil soon" message will turn off.

For Traverse vehicles with the DIC (driver information center) repeat the steps above except by pressing the "vehicle information button" to select the "oil life remaining" screen and then hold the button to reset it to 100%.

For more, check out my other Chevrolet Traverse Repair & Maintenance Guides.
 

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