Not only are we committed to getting your vehicle up and running on the road, but we also enable drivers to learn more about the inner workings of the car. That being said, there’s no better place to start your car education than knowing the most important aspect of being a responsible car owner: knowing how to change and maintain car oil!
How do I change my car’s oil? Changing your vehicle oil may seem like something your mechanic does from time to time, but in reality, your car oil is the main thing that keeps you and your vehicle on the road. Not only do we want to make our readers comfortable with the act of changing oil, but we also want to better understand what oil does and why it plays an integral role in your body.
How to change your own oil
Tools Required:
- Oil and oil filter (refer to the owner’s manual for the correct oil type and oil filter type)
- Socket wrench with ratchet or socket set
- Oil pans
- funnel
Other tools you may need:
- Jacks and jack brackets or ramps
- Oil filter wrench
- Buy towels
Ways to change your car’s oil – Step-by-step oil change instructions:
- Find a flat, level surface where you can park your car. For most trucks and SUVs, you can crawl underneath without any additional equipment, but for most other cars, you will need ramps or jacks and jack mounts.
- Pro tip: If you have to jack up your car, make sure to engage the parking brake so it doesn’t roll anywhere!
- Open the hood of your car. The hood release is usually located in the footwell on the left side of the driver.
- Find your engine dipstick and lift it up about two inches. This will help drain the oil more quickly later on.
- Put your wrench and oil pan together and climb under your car.
- Locate your vehicle’s oil pan. It’s usually about 2-3 feet from the front of your car, but check your owner’s manual for the exact location.
- In the oil pan, there will be a bolt called the drain plug bolt. It will be close to the lowest point of the oil pan. Place the oil sump under the drain plug.
- Use the correct wrench or socket to loosen the drain plug, but do not remove it completely.
- Carefully loosen and remove the drain plug by hand, noting that the oil may be hot.
- Sit back and let the old oil drain for a few minutes.
- Once the old oil has drained, wipe the oil pan and drain plug with a clean rag. Reinstall the clean drain plug into the sump, making sure to activate by hand to prevent misthreading.
- Use the same wrench or socket you used to loosen it.
- Pro tip: Be careful not to overtighten it, as you may accidentally peel off the threads in the drain pan.
- Next, find your oil filter. Your owner’s manual will provide the exact location.
- Reposition your sump pan, making sure no oil is spilled so that it sits directly below the oil filter.
- Remove the oil filter. Sometimes, you may need to wipe off any oil or road dirt off the filter with a rag. If the worst happens and you can’t get out of it, you may need to pick up an oil filter wrench to get some leverage.
- Pro tip: You may need to buy and install a brand new oil filter. Don’t worry! Oil filters aren’t very expensive, and your vehicle’s owner’s manual should give you a good idea of what type of filter you need.
- Dip your finger in a little fresh oil and apply a thin layer of oil around the gasket of your new oil filter. This will ensure that it sits smoothly in place and provides a good seal.
- Manually install the new oil filter according to the instructions in the oil filter cartridge. Again, be careful not to over-tighten.
- Under your hood, locate your oil fill cap. Before filling, check your owner’s manual for the correct amount of oil and viscosity. Use the funnel to pour in fresh oil.
- Reclose the fill cap and put the dipstick you moved in step 3 into place.
- Start the engine and check for oil leaks under the vehicle, paying special attention to the drain plug and oil filter. If you find any leaks, turn off the engine, repair the leaks, and repeat the leak check as needed.
- Turn off the engine and let the oil sit for one minute. When the oil settles, check for any leaks underneath the vehicle.
- If you must raise your vehicle, safely lower it to level ground.
- Remove and clean the dipstick, reinsert it, and remove it again to check the oil level. For the recommended oil level on the dipstick, refer to the owner’s manual. FIXD has written an article that outlines exactly how to check your oil levels to make it easier for you! Reinsert the dipstick when you’re done.
- Pour the used oil from the sump into an empty oil container. Send the used oil to your local auto parts store for recycling.
Why does your car need engine oil?
How do I change my car’s oil? So, what does oil do to your engine? A lot of things. Oil is as important to the engine as blood is to the body. Just like blood, motor oil is a complex liquid that is the lifeblood of all of a car’s most important functions.
The oil acts as a lubricant for all the moving metal parts inside the engine. When you create a lot of metal-to-metal friction at very high speeds, it causes a lot of wear and tear on the engine and generates a lot of heat. The oil is pumped between each moving part to ensure minimal friction between the internal parts and to allow them to move together effortlessly.
The oil absorbs the heat generated by friction, which helps to cool the engine and prevent overheating. It can also absorb any dirt, grime, or foreign objects from the engine and take them to the oil filter, which will capture these pesky particles and ensure that they don’t damage your vehicle.
Ways to change car oil: What type of oil do I need for my vehicle?
This is a very important question that deserves in-depth study and a clear answer. However, the truth is, without knowing your exact vehicle, we can’t definitively tell you which oil is best for you. But don’t worry, FIXD won’t leave you in the dark!
In your search for the right oil, you’ll come across a lot of confusing scientific vocabulary that may mean nothing to you! To help you out, we’ve written some specific articles that break down everything you need to know! Don’t know what viscosity means, or why all the oil labels in the store have some weird letter and number combinations on them? Don’t worry! Confused about the difference between synthetic and conventional oils? We’ve got you covered! The important thing to remember is not to be intimidated by all this information and use it as a tool to help you keep your car in tip-top shape.
Why and when do you need to change your oil?
Motor oil is a complex liquid that breaks down over time, getting worse and worse every time you start your car. Once the oil breaks down, it starts to thicken. Thickened oil doesn’t pass well through the car’s engine, which means less lubrication of any moving parts. Oil is also less effective at absorbing the heat generated by the increased friction, causing the engine to run much hotter than it should. All of this can cause your engine to not work properly and eventually even malfunction! That’s why it’s important for you to change your engine oil consistently.
While the general rule in the past was that you needed to change your oil every 3,000 miles, this is no longer the case thanks to modern oil types and advancements in oil filters. Now, most mechanics say you can wait until you’ve driven about 7,500 miles before you can change the oil. The schedule for when to change the oil may vary depending on your specific vehicle, so the most effective way to determine when to change the oil is to consult a convenient owner’s manual. It should be able to provide you with the most accurate schedule.
Having a hard time remembering when the last oil change was? FIXD can help! Use the maintenance schedule in the free app to get automatic alerts when it’s time to change oil, based on your specific make, model, and mileage.
Disclaimer
How do I change my car’s oil? As we said at the beginning of this article, FIXD is committed to enabling drivers to learn more about the inner workings of a vehicle while ensuring that it is safe to drive. It’s important to know how to change your oil and make yourself more informed, and if you’re feeling inspired as a car owner, we encourage you to try changing your oil!
However, if we tell you that you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself, you are wrong. After doing extensive research and talking to a few professional mechanics, we learned that the financial benefits of changing your own oil at home are relatively small, and in some cases non-existent.
Ways to change your car’s oil: Nowadays, most mechanics and body shops don’t pay much for oil changes, and let’s be honest, they see oil changes more as a way to attract customers than as an actual profitable service. The benefit of having a certified mechanic change the oil is that you can be sure that it’s done right, and you can avoid all the tedious steps involved in doing it yourself. Changing the oil yourself at home can be a hassle, and the cost of accidentally doing something wrong can lead to serious health problems in your vehicle in the future.
That being said, whether you decide to change your oil at home or in a store, it’s always good to know the state of your vehicle, and understanding its inner workings will definitely help you save money in the long run!
