Changing your cars oil is not only a good way to save a few dollars, it’s a good introduction to automotive maintenance, and a good way to get to know your car better. After your first oil change, you may want to tackle other maintenance tasks. Start any auto maintenance project by having all tools and supplies on hand. Remember, once the oil is drained you can’t drive to the store to get the filter you forgot!
- A repair manual for your make and model car will make any job easier than the general information in an article like this. If you don’t want to purchase one, many libraries carry them.
- You will need a drain pan. One with a sealing lid like sold in auto parts stores will make transport to the recycle center convenient, but any container will do. It must be low enough to fit under the car, big enough to hold all the oil, and have a wide mouth to prevent spillage. You will know how much oil to expect if you checked the capacities page in the manual. Small cars are usually only four quarts or so, a truck might be eight.
- You will need a wrench to remove the drain plug. An adjustable wrench will work, but investment in a set of combination wrenches will pay off in the long run.
- If it was properly installed, you will not need an oil filter wrench, however, they are inexpensive and make the job a little easier.
- Oil filter. Auto parts stores usually have the reference book near the filters. You need to know your cars year, make, model, and engine size to look it up.
- Commercial oil changers often leave a sticker with the brand and weight of oil they used. You won’t go wrong by sticking to that. Any name brand of the right weight will do though. The manual will have all that information if you can’t find a sticker from the last change.
Now that you have the tools, supplies, and a rag, you’re ready to drain the oil. The engine should be warm for best results. Not only will the oil flow better, it will hold contaminants in suspension when warm. Park on a level surface and set the parking brake.
- Consulting the manual is the best way to locate the drain plug, but if you didn’t, it shouldn’t be hard to find. It will be the lowest point of the oil pan. The oil pan is on the bottom of the engine and rectangular in shape on most cars.
- With the drain pan ready, loosen (turn counterclockwise) the drain plug with your wrench. Once it’s loose, start turning it by hand. Keep inward pressure on it as you unscrew it or else hot oil will spurt out everywhere. Once it’s all the way unscrewed, release the pressure and the oil will flow out in a steady stream. Remember, it’s hot.
- Give it several minutes to drain completely. Make sure there is no grit on the threads of the plug before you screw it back in. Always start it in by hand, if the threads are engaged properly, it will turn smooth and easy. If you feel a lot of resistance, you are damaging the threads. Once it’s finger tight, tighten it up a little more with the wrench. Over-tightening is the most common mistake of novice mechanics. Normal arm pressure is enough, don’t bear down on it.
- Now move your pan under the filter and remove it. It should come off by hand, but you may need to use the filter wrench.
- Before installing the new filter, lubricate the rubber gasket by rubbing a light coat of fresh oil on it with your finger. Screw it on only by hand, do not tighten with wrench. Most filters have directions on them and call for 3/4 to 1 turn after the gasket has contacted the engine.
- Before crawling out from under the car, wipe any spilled oil from around the filter and drain plug so that you don’t mistake it for a leak later.
- Now fill it back up with oil. If you don’t know the capacity, start with four quarts. You are going to check the dipstick after a short run.
- Start the car and let it run a few minutes to warm up and get the oil circulating. Shut it down, check for leaks at the drain plug and filter. Check the dipstick and top off as required.
That’s all there is to it. If you’ve never worked on cars before, it may take a while the first time. After doing it a couple times though, it will become fast and easy and you will be looking for more basic maintenance tasks that you can perform to save money and get to know your car better.
