Anybody Can Do It: Changing Your Car’s Oil
Changing the oil in your car is a very easy thing to do, which is also very easy to mess up. Here is a basic walkthrough on how to change the oil on your new car, without having to pay an inconvenient mechanic’s fee.
Stuff You Will Need
- Safety goggles
- Plastic sheeting
- Jack with jack stands
- Basic wrench set and an oil filter wrench
- Funnel
- An oil pan
- A rubber mallet
- Rags
- An oil filter (same as above)
- Oil filter gasket
- And a container to put the old oil in.
- Your cars engine oil (different cars take different oils, your car manual or a quick Google search should tell you what your car model needs)
To start things off, lay the plastic sheet out on the ground and drive your car over it, to help keep the oil off of the ground and make clean up a lot easier. MAKE SURE YOU ARE PARKED ON A LEVEL SURFACE AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS ENGAGED. Then jack up your car, set the stands in place and then lower the vehicle onto them. Keep all of your tools and things you’ll need in one place and close to you for easy access, and you’ll be ready to get to work.
Locate the oil drain plug underneath your vehicle and remove it to get the oil flowing out, and allow it to drain into the used oil container. This could take about 15 minutes. After the oil is drained, put the plug back in and tighten it securely. Now it is time to locate your oil filter, its location can vary based on your vehicle. Use your oil filter wrench to remove the old filter from your engine. The next step is to put on the new filter, but before doing so it is recommended you rub a little bit of the new oil around the gasket of the new filter and to pour a little of the new oil into the fresh filter, this will help prepare it to do its job efficiently. You can then attach the new filter, which can be done easily by hand.
We are now ready to put in the new oil! Find your engine’s oil fill hole and insert the funnel into it, securing it with a rag. Make sure you don’t spill any oil into the engine, and if you do, wipe it immediately. While adding the new oil, periodically check the dipstick until you’ve reached the marked level, and then secure the oil fill cap back on. Start your car and let it run for a few minutes to get the new oil cycled through the vehicle, and you will have successfully changed your car’s oil!
And if you’d still rather not put up with all of this, you can find very fair and inexpensive rates for an oil change at your local Metro Ford of OKC.
Connect with us
Service