There have been hundreds of change oil how-to articles written on how to change your auto’s engine oil and I’ll try to throw a few tips and hints into this reiteration to make this as easy as, as easy, well messier, but almost as easy as changing your printer cartidges. The economy being what it is, beside the satisfaction and confidence in it actually being done correctly, the savings are OK too. Ooh! the S word; savings. How much? Well, a little over $100 for a year’s worth of changes, if you follow my tips.
Let’s assume your work commute isn’t that bad and, average driver that you are, you log approximately 12000 miles a year on the ol bus. If you follow the old 3000 service recommendation, that would be 4 changes per year and they would average $35-40 each and eat up at least an hour each of your time. So the scorecard would show you down about $160 and 4 hours valuble time. Today’s synthetic based oils can lube and clean your engine’s moving parts for well over that 3000 mile figure; 5-6000 miles is a safe figure, depending on your type of driving.
If most driving is highway, go for the 6000 miles. If you have short trips, lots of start/stop traffic, you should top out around 5000 miles. Your oil will telll you if you’re treating it OK. At least twice a month, take a paper towel in hand, throw up the hood and have a sniff and a look/see at your engine’s "blood". Pull the dipstick and check the level.
If your car is relatively new, (under 100K on the odo), you should not have to add oil even between the 6000 mile schedule. If the level is low, brilng it up to "full" and keep an eye on leaks, oil pressure, and listen for new noises. But back to our oil check. Sniff the oil at the stick’s end. It should have NO burnt aroma-just a clean petroleum odor. It can be a medium brown but NOT brackish black. If either one of these conditions exist, push your schedule up and change the oil as soon as you can.
If, after the change, a check shows the same conditions, and this pains me deeply, you should take you baby to a mechanic you trust, a near oxy-moron, I know but just trust. I am assuming you have the prerequisite tools required to change your oil. If not. you will need: A wrench to fit your drailn plug be it an adjustable or a socket and ratchet, a filter wrence, a set of adjustable stands a drain pan, and a hydraulic jack. I like the will-fit-any size gripper type filter wrench and the 2-ton bottle type hydraulic jacks for their ease of use. A fifty dollar bill and an eye for sales will get you all these items. DO NOT get under the auto withough using stands to support the front end and a chock board behind the tires.
Purchase your oil in the 5-quart jugs, (if the capaacity is 5 quarts), careful to get the correct weight. I use 5W30 all year round but just to be sure, follow your manufacturer’s recommendations. Brand name is not as important as is staying with whatever brand you start with. When finished, you can pour the drained used oil back into the jug and take it to a recycle center. Buy a good quality filter, the car company brands, AC and Motorcraft are good, and, of course, watch for sales. Read you owner’s manual for location familiarization of drain plug and filter. Warm the engine slightly to circulate the oil. Lift and chock the car and spread some plastic sheet and newspapers under the work area. Get a work light in place and you’re ready to go.
Oops, almost forgot; smear and work in a generous slathering of vaseline on your hands; makes cleanup so much easier. Place the drain pan under the engine pan and remove the drain plug. Let the oil completely drain while you clean the plug and its seal or gasket. Wipe the plug area clean, carelylly start, thread and tighten the plug but do not strip the threads. Place the drain pan under the filter. fit the wrench and remove the filter. Clean the area and the threads, lube the new filters gsket with clean oil, even partially fill the filter with clean oil if you can keep from spilling it when installing the filter, and hand tighten the new filter in place. Use the wrench to tighten another quarter to half rotation-not too tight. Find the oil fill cap on the engine’s valve cover, remove and clean the area, and pour the new oil in. Wipe all the area clean and start the engine. check all the work areas for leaks and tighten the plug or filter to stop them. Empty the old filter into the drain pan.
Carefully pour the used oil into the empty jug, police up the area, remove the stands and chocks, and lower the car. While you have the hood up, check you fluid, the power steering and brake reservoirs, the washer fluid, and the radiator "fill-to" levels, Make sure the belts fun straight and, with engine off, check them for cracks and tears. There you have it. Record the date and mileage in a notebook and crdilt your self with a $20 and a half hour saving. But the satisfaction of knowing it is done correctly: Priceless! Happy motoring!!
