DIY: How to Change the Oil in Your Car
I think there are a number of reasons why changing your oil yourself is worth the time and money. For one, the quality of oil and filter that you can buy when you change the oil yourself will be of higher quality than a place near your charging about $20 for an oil change. There’s also the confidence that when you do it yourself, it’s done right. Lastly, if you’re like me, you may just enjoy doing it.
Before I get into the details of how to change your car’s oil, here are a few answers to common questions of first time oil changers:
Where is the cheapest place to buy oil? Generally, Wal-Mart tends to have some of the best priced oil, however, many auto stores will run specials on 5 quarts of oil and a filter, so keep an eye out for those.
What type of oil should you buy? Your vehicles manual will tell you the recommended type of oil to use for your vehicle, there is a reason they choose a certain type so I suggest abiding. Generally, I use 10W30 or 5W30 and I do get the high mileage oil for my car that has over 75,000 miles.
Should I use synthetic oil in my vehicle? If you’re not currently using synthetic oil, you generally can switch to it. The advantage is it is better for the engine and can go longer in-between oil changes. However, I don’t recommend synthetic oil for older vehicles with a lot of miles because synthetic oil flows better, which may lead to leaks in an older vehicle (this is my experience anyways).
How often should you change your vehicles oil? If you are using good quality synthetic oil, it’s recommended you change your oil every 5-7k miles or six months (I usually change it around 5k). If you are using normal oil, it’s recommended you change it every 3-5k miles (on my older vehicle not using synthetic oil, I change it every 4k miles).
How to Change the Oil in Your Car
Step 1: Raise Your Vehicle
The first thing you want to do is jack your vehicle up and support it securely with jack stands. Or you can use ramps like I used in the picture. If you will be using jack stands, make sure you vehicle is in park and put wheel chocks behind the rear tires to make sure it won’t roll anywhere.
If you know you’ll be doing more than just one oil change, you might want to invest in ramps (usually around $40). I feel a lot safer under the vehicle compared to jack stands and it’s just a lot easier to pull up onto the ramps. [Tip: Have a helper guide you up onto the ramps so you don’t overshoot them.]
Raise your vehicle to access the oil tank.
Step 2: Warm Up Your Vehicle
If your car is cold, let it idle for about 10 minutes or however long it takes you to get the engine to normal operating temperature. When the engine heats up, so does the oil, which allows it to drain better.
Step 3: Drain the Oil
Locate the oil tank under your vehicle. Usually it is located right next to the oil filter and is plugged with one bolt. When you have located the oil tank, position an oil pan underneath it, but slightly ahead of the bolt plug. This is because when the bolt is removed, the oil with spit out about a foot because of the pressure.
Loosen and remove the bolt with an open ended wrench or a socket. The bolt usually falls into the pan on me, if this happens to you make sure you remove it right away so you don’t have to fish around in the oil for it. Let all of the oil drain out and then put the bolt back and secure it tight, but be careful not to over tighten it, this can lead to stripping the bolt.
Loosen the oil pan bolt
Let the oil drain into an oil pan
Step 4: Replace the Oil Filter
Some people only replace the oil filter every other time they change the oil, but I replace it every time (oil filter’s only cost around $2-$5).
Locate the filter under the vehicle and place the oil pan underneath it (they usually look like the one in the picture) and simply loosen and remove it with your hand. If you are unable to loosen it with your hand, you can purchase an oil filter wrench for around $10, which will break the old filter loose with ease. As you can see from the picture, I used an oil filter wrench. [Tip: Once you loosen the oil filter, let the oil run out for a little bit before completely removing. In addition, immediately after you remove the filter dump the oil left in the filter in your oil pan.]
Before securing the new oil filter, pour a little bit of oil onto the rubber gasket and spread it around with your hand to lubricate the new gasket. Then simply screw the new filter in place, it only needs to be hand tight.
Loosen the oil filter with a oil filter wrench if it's to tight to remove it by hand
Remove the oil filter
Rub New Oil around the gasket with your finger
Step 5: Replace the Oil
You’re almost done, now all that is left is to replace the oil. Unscrew the oil cap on the engine head and place a funnel in there, which helps pour in the new oil. Check your vehicles manual to see how much oil your vehicle holds, it is usually around 4 ½ – 5 quarts. Once you’re done filling the oil, lower the vehicle or drive it off the ramps and let it run again for a few minutes. After the car runs for a little bit, check the oil and add any if you need to. Lastly, check under your vehicle to make sure no oil is leaking [Tip: Don’t let oil that is still hanging around from when you drained it to trick you into thinking its leaking out.]
Replace the oil to the recommended level
That’s all there is to it, in less than 30 minutes you can change your car’s oil, save yourself a few bucks, and ensure your car’s is getting quality oil.
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Comments
The golden rule of oil changes is to do it every 3,000 miles. There are, however, different recommendations made by various vehicle manufacturers. These recommendations are based on the driving conditions.
Nice walkthrough, I have my own little how-to video on changing your oil here:
http://youtu.be/_HjF_51ijWk
Hope you find it useful!
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