Tuesday, January 22, 2008

How to Chang your Oil in your car, and what kind of oil to use

How to Change the Oil in Your Car

Regularly changing you car's engine oil and filter is one of the most important things you can do to keep your car running well. Over time your oil breaks down and your filter becomes clogged with contaminants. Depending upon your driving habits, this may take as few as 3 months or 3,000 miles (consult your owner's manual for service intervals). Fortunately, changing your oil is both easy and inexpensive. This article will help you to learn how.


1.Gather all the necessary supplies and equipment. Under your car with all the oil out is not the time to discover what is missing. It will help to have everything close at hand. Proof of regular oil changes is required to keep your valuable warranty coverage, so save your receipts.


2.Find a flat surface suitable for changing your oil. Level driveways or alleys are ideal. Start by getting the car up on the ramps or jack stands. If you're working on a car with a high ground clearance you can just shimmy under. This saves time and is safer: if the car isn't up, it can't fall down! If you do jack up your car, be sure to put blocks behind the back tires to prevent the car from rolling backward. The best time to drain the oil is right after driving as the oil will be more liquid, allowing you to remove as much of the old oil as possible (Caution: take great care when working with a hot engine).





3.Locate the drain plug for the oil pan. It is normally towards the back of the engine at the underside of the car, and is angled down. The bolt size will vary from car to car, is in the 13-30mm range. All Toyota and Lexus are 14mm (older models may be 13mm), all Mercedes Benz are 13mm, Jaguars are 30mm, older Volvos are 25mm, BMWs are 17mm, VW and Audi are 19mm, Honda and Acura are 17mm. All others are between 13 and 19mm. On some vehicles it you may have to remove a shield on the bottom of the vehicle to have access to the oil pan. All Mercedes have a plastic shield held on with six (6) 8mm screws and some pickups and SUVs will have steel skid plates.


4.Position whatever you are catching the oil with under the plug, then loosen the bolt. Oil has a tendency to come out of the pan at an angle, so make sure the opening on your container is pretty large. Lay something under the car to catch oil runoff. As the oil comes out of the pan at an angle, it can be tricky to catch, and may land on the ground. If this includes your driveway, you will want some newspaper or a drop cloth to catch it, or you risk an oil stain on your driveway or garage.

5.Locate the filter assembly. This can be a tough part. Filters are not put in a standard position, and they can be on the front, back and side of engines. Look at the filter you purchased to replace the old one and look for something similar. Once you have located it, remove it from the engine. This can be tough, and often seems too hard. If you can't get it off by hand, use an oil filter wrench. Keep trying. It will eventually come off. There may be some residual oil in the filter, so be careful not to spill it and have a pan underneath to catch the drips.


6.Replace the drain plug.Replace the drain plug on the oil pan. Don't forget to install a replacement gasket

7.This would be a good time to wipe any debris or buildup off the surface where the gasket will seat.Carefully screw on the new, lubricated filter, being careful to not cross the threads. With the paper cartridge filters, they will always come with at least one o-ring, sometimes as many as four different ones. Make sure to replace all of them to ensure that they will not leak. The filter will generally say how tight to tighten it. Go until the gasket touches, then however far it says it should be. This is usually 1/2 or 3/4 of a turn after the gasket touches

8.Add oil to the car at the fill hole up to the amount in the owner's manual. Don't rely on the dip stick for an accurate measurement; it can be off. If the manual calls for five quarts, put in five. Also if the engine has been run, the stick will read low because there is still oil in the galleries. If you want to check the stick for accuracy, just check it first thing in the morning. It's a relative thing.




Last Step: Replace the fill cap and close the hood. Make sure there isnt oil pouring our dripping from the oil drain plug you screwed back in. Its not good to loose oil so check now.


Start your engine and make sure you have oil pressure. Not all cars have oil pressure guage. Those that dont have an oil light, If the oil light stays on for more than three seconds or so then you arent getting oil flow. Check everthing to make sure oil level is correct. Double check the Dip stick and that there is no oil leaking onto the ground.

TIPS:

Be sure to have the right filter, the auto part store can help you by looking up your car and can assist with getting the right oil. generally you will always need 5 quarts of oil.

You can lower your cost by buying cheaper oil and filters if you so choose. Remember, though, to always make sure that the oil you use fulfills the car manufacturer's requirements as stated in the manual. Be sure to use the oil specified in the owners manual as to viscosity. That's the number that looks like "10w-30". A lower "W" rating means the oil is formulated to flow better in cold. Below freezing, a 5w oil is preferred. Below 0°F (-18°C), a synthetic 0w oil is worth considering

Watch some else do it to a car like yours or...

If you are usure how to get to your cars filter and properly change the oil take it to a mechanic and have them change it for you the first time and watch what panel must come off. Seeing it done makes it much easier to do yourself later!



More DIY car stuff at http://www.wikihow.com



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