I know many of us out there know all about working on cars but not everyone has had the experiences with cars that some of us have had. Changing the oil in a car or truck may not be near as difficult as changing a turbo or supercharger but if you don’t know how, you can’t do it right. Oil is like the life blood of a car it keeps all the parts of the engine lubricated. Without proper lubrication an internal combustion engine would tear itself apart in a matter of minutes.
The first step to a successful oil change is to determine the correct oil for the application, and the amount that will be needed. Next locating the correct oil filter is essential, you never want to leave the old oil filter in the system. Now make sure you have an oil catch and a location to properly dispose of the oil.
Once you have all of the items for the change the car will need to be placed either on a lift or a jack. Slide under the car only once you have place jack stands if you are using a standard jack. Never get under a car held up by a simple hand jack, they can fail and trap you. Now locate the oil bolt and remove it letting the oil drain into the oil catch can. The oil cap can be removed to speed up the flow of oil. With the oil draining remove the oil filter and place in the catch can, the filter will have a good amount of oil inside.
Putting the system back together is simple and quick but can be done wrong. With the new oil filter rub some oil on the rubber seal to be sure a proper connection is made when installing the new filter. Before installing the filter be sure the old rubber seal came off the old filter, if it is still there it will cause a bad seal on the filter and oil will leak out. Install the filter and tighten to spec, do not crush the filter when installing. Now replace the oil bolt (drain plug) and tighten to spec as well, be sure the washer is still on the plug. With everything tightened fill the engine from the oil cap by adding the recommended amount of oil. Then check the dipstick to see the level.
Start the car and allow to run, watching for leaks or any other issues that may arise. Now lower the car and check the oil level once more, if everything looks good then you are done. Clean up the mess you may have made and recycle the oil, now your car is good to go for another 3 – 5000 miles.
