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First, you will need to buy a few supplies in preparation to changing your oil. You will need the following: Jack or car ramps (I prefer car ramps, they are a lot safer than jacks, you don't want the car to fall on you), the correct size wrench or ratchet, oil filter,oil filter wrench, oil (check your owners manual for the recommended old type), short bucket, rag, funnel, and a big piece of cardboard.
The first thing you need to do is warm up your vehicle. Drive around the block once or twice, which will heat up your engine a little bit. A vital part to changing oil. The oil must first be warmed up otherwise you will have trouble getting it out. But, don't drive around a lot, the oil can get to hot and burn you when you go about releasing it.
Then, jack up your vehicle or drive the vehicle on your car ramps, being sure to follow all safety precautions. Make sure to find a strong point on the bottom of your vehicle before jacking it up. An axle is the best place. After making sure everything is secure you are ready to get down and start the dirty work. Also, make sure your emergency brake in engaged to keep the car from rolling. It this point it is very important that you follow all saftey precautions that you can find. A car is very heavy and if a problem arises while you are under the car, it could be hazardous to your health.
Next we want to start by draining out all the old oil. Look under your vehicle and locate the oil drain, which is usually one of the only 'plugs' in view. Generally this plug will be located right around the middle of the engine. Place your big piece of card board under the vehicle, which will keep you off the ground and also serve to catch any oil that drips. Grab your short bucket or container and place it under the vehicle, just below the oil plug. Once the bucket is in place take your wrench or ratchet and unscrew the oil plug slowly, letting the oil drain. It may be a good idea to wear gloves at this point as the oil will be very messy and it may be hot to the touch.
Remember when you are doing anything with oil that has been warmed up it may be extremely hot. Give the oil time to drain into the bucket, waiting till it comes out in slow drops. Then, carefully unscrew the oil filter. As you remove the filter, a short stream of oil may come out. Be sure to catch this in the bucket while not burning yourself. You may need a oil filter wrench to get the filter unscrewed.
After you have drained all the oil out of your engine you will need to replace the plug and add the new oil filter. Lubricate the new oil filter with a little of the new oil. This helps the filter to screw on faster. Once you've finished that, be sure to clean up any messes that were made with your cleaning rag.
Once clean up is done, it's time to put in the new oil! Find out how many liters of oil your vehicle takes and pour it in with the funnel through the spout labeled for oil on top of your engine, beneath the hood of your vehicle. Most engine take 4 to 5 liters, but be sure to check this in your owner manual. Once you have the recommended amount of oil in the engine put the oil cap back on and start the car up and let it idol for a minute and turn the car off. Use the dipstick to check and make sure the oil level is high enough. If its not remove the oil cap and add more old till it is high enough. Once the tank is full put all caps back on and close the hood.
Be sure to properly dispose of all the old oil and the oil filter. You're all done! You've saved about 10-20 dollars for only 10-15 minutes of work.
Category: Automobile MaintenanceA Guide to Changing Your Car's Oil was written by:Author:Kenneth ElliottAdded: Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:16:02 -0500 This Article Has Been Read 78 times View all Kenneth Elliott's articlesAbout the Author: Get more information on how to Repair your XBOX 360. To learn more about your XBOX 360 visit XBOX Tech Talk. |
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