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Changing the engine oil in your vehicle is one of the most important and necessary procedures to keep your vehicle running and on the road, whether you have a car, a truck, a van, or an SUV. The basic principles are the same, and we're going to show you how to do it yourself. Why would you want to do it yourself? You're not going to save a ton of money, but doing it yourself gives you peace of mind knowing the job was done right.
Excuse me, sir, your oil change is almost done, but we did notice a few other things. The steering wheel does get hard to turn at times, and it makes noise, so we could flush your fluid for you half an hour away this month since we're flying. Yeah, and that's another reason.
Items you're going to need are oil and an oil filter. Based on your vehicle, you may need an oil filter socket, cup, or strap wrench to get the drain plug off. You're going to need a wrench or a socket and ratchet, a drain pan, and a funnel. Also gloves and rags, and if you can't get under your vehicle, a jack and jack stands. If you need any of these tools, check out 1auto.com.
We're going to look at our engine and determine which side of the engine bay the engine is on, especially if you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle. The engine is more on the passenger side. On this vehicle, the transmission is on the driver's side, so when we're underneath the vehicle, we're going to make sure we drain the oil from the passenger side. Don't drain the transmission by accident. It happens all the time.
We're going to look for the fill cap. The fill cap is right there, and it says what kind of oil to use: 5W-30 for this vehicle. So we're going to untwist the fill cap and pull it up. If you have a truck, a Jeep, or something that you can get underneath, you don't have to jack it up. But if you have a vehicle that's really low, something like this, you're going to have to raise it up. When raising the vehicle, you want to make sure you use the proper jacking locations on the vehicle, you want to be on a solid, level surface, and you don't want to be in the dirt.
Make sure you remove the drain plug counterclockwise. You do not want to tighten it by accident and damage the pan. Now we can let the oil drain out completely. Look at your drain plug and make sure the threads look pretty good. This one looks okay. Also keep in mind the gasket. If the gasket looks torn or crushed at all, you're going to want to replace it. Sometimes you'll have a metal gasket, and it's a good idea to replace the metal ones every time. With the rubber ones, as long as it looks okay, you can just reuse it.
Now we're going to reinstall the drain plug. Take our wrench, and once the drain plug is snug, we're just going to snug it up a little bit more, and that's good. You don't want to over-tighten it, or you could damage the oil pan.
Now we're going to locate your oil filter. Some filters are underneath the car near the front of the engine, some are in the rear of the engine, and some are on the side near the wheel well. In this car, the filter is right on top. There are two types of filters: the canister, or twist-on type filter, and the cartridge filter. With the canister-type filter, you're going to want to make sure you lubricate the seal on the outside with oil. Otherwise, it's going to be very difficult to remove the next time. When you're installing these types of filters, once it's snug, you give it another quarter turn, and that's it.
This is where you're going to use your oil filter removal tools. You're going to either use the oil filter socket tool for the cartridge style, sometimes you'll need a cup for the cartridge style, and also for the canister style, if you have the correct cup, that will work for that as well, or a strap wrench.
Now that you've drained the oil and changed the filter, it's time to add the oil. You can use conventional or synthetic motor oil. I prefer synthetic oil, but some vehicles require it. Check your owner's manual for the amount and the type. Don't forget to put your cap back on. That would be bad.
Now we're going to start the car for about 10 to 15 seconds and get the oil where it needs to go. After shutting the engine off, let it sit for about two or three minutes, and then we're going to check the dipstick. We're going to wipe off the dipstick first, reinsert the dipstick, then pull it out and check the level. You want to make sure the oil level is in between these hash marks. If you just changed it, you want it up closer to the top, which it is, so we're actually perfect right there. We don't have to add any. If the oil level is a little low, you can add some more and then recheck it.
That's it, your oil change is done. I hope you enjoyed this video and it gave you the confidence to do it yourself. And as always, if you need any parts for your vehicle, check out 1auto.com.