 Changing Motor Oil: How To Change Your Oil
Posted by carsandtrucks on Monday, December 17 @ 07:32:37 PST
When you can pay someone $30.00 or less to change your oil, why would you want to bother to do it yourself. The short answer is because you can. To change your own oil all you need is a box wrench, an oil filter wrench, and a container to catch your old oil in. To begin, park your vehicle on a hard safe surface like your garage floor or asphalt driveway. Chock the rear wheels and jack up the front of the vehicle. Place your vehicle on jack stands or some type of block so that you are not dependent on the jack to hold up your vehicle while you change the oil. The engine should be cold. Look at the bottom of your engine, at the lowest point you will see
a drain plug. This plug will look like the head of a bolt. Place the catch container under the oil pan, slowly remove the drain plug and let the oil flow into your catch can. When the oil is completely drained reinstall the drain plug. DO NOT over tighten the drain plug. Snug it up so it does not leak and stop there. Next you need to remove the oil filter. There are several designs of oil filter wrenches out there, and choice comes down to personal taste. Locate the oil filter, grasp it with the wrench and turn it counter clockwise. You may find you have to tip the filter to get it away from the engine. This will result in spilling some oil. I recommend you place an old blanket or towel under the engine so clean up will be easier in case of a spill. Now that you have the old filter off, inspect the top of it for a rubber gasket. If the gasket is missing that means it is stuck to the engine block. It is essential you remove the old gasket from the block. Wipe down the area on the engine block where the new filter will go. Install the new filter by turning it clockwise by hand. DO NOT over tighten the oil filter. It is recommended that you hand tighten the filter. Now climb out from under the car, open your new oil containers, and add the oil to the engine. Give the oil a minute or two to find its way to the oil pan, start the engine and check your work for leaks. No leaks, your oil change is done. All that is left now is disposing of the old oil in a environmentally sound manner. Any service facility that performs oil changes is required to accept your waste oil. Also, most municipal transfer stations have accommodations for waste oil. Changing your own oil gives you a sense of satisfaction and a simple solution to maintaining your vehicle.
|
|
| |
|
