By: Jason Durity

Before starting your oil change make sure you purchase the correct grade of oil for your car's engine. SAE 10W30 is the most popular grade and some for the newer cars we recommend SAE 5W30, especially when the weather is cold. Verify this information in your vehicle owner's manual.

 

To get started you will need to raise your vehicle if you can not comfortable slide underneath it by driving it onto a garage ramp. Also have an oil pan, wrench, oil filter wrench, funnel and a cotton rag. Once you have the above tools assembled, follow our step-by-step instructions. Always follow common sense safety rules when working on your car. Make certain that your car is securely on the parking ramp before getting under it to prevent the vehicle from rolling, tipping or falling on top of you and always make sure your car is not running or the engine hot.

 

Auto manufacturers normally do not require car owners to change their oil filters with each oil change, most people do to make certain that the existing one isn't clogged. If you do not plan on changing the filter, just skip the following step.

 

Make sure the engine is up to normal operating temperature to ensure that you will get all the oil out. If you are using a ramp, place the vehicle on it. In any event, turn off the engine! Put the emergency brake on. Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling down the ramp by using blocks behind the rear wheels (even on a flat surface, it's a good idea to block the wheels so the vehicle can't move in either direction.)

Remove the oil filter cap from the engine valve cover. This will ventilate the crankcase for easier drainage of oil.

 

Remove the oil pan drain plug. Be careful! Make sure your oil pan is correctly positioned under the drain hole and don't splash hot oil on yourself.

 

When you're satisfied you have collected all but the last few drops of used oil, replace the drain plug. Do remember to tighten it, but take care not to overtighten it. If you do, you may strip the threads or you will have a tough time removing it next time. A snug fit is all it takes.

 

Remove the oil filter, taking care to ensure your oil pan is in place to catch the remaining oil. Wipe clean the surface that the oil filter seal rests against. Apply a liberal coating of fresh oil to the new oil filter seal. Hand-tighten the new oil filter. A good rule of thumb is three quarters of a turn past the position when the filter first comes to rest against the seat. Do not tighten the filter with the filter wrench.

 

Check your owner's manual to determine the amount of oil you need, and refill the crankcase Using a funnel in the oil filler hole keeps things tidy. Before adding that last liter of oil, check the oil level with the dipstick. Be careful not to overfill. Too high an oil level in the crankcase will let the crankshaft churn the oil to foam. This will result in oil pump starvation, which means your engine won't be properly lubricated. Overfilling can also lead to high crankcase pressure, possibly leading to oil seal leaks.

 

Take the vehicle off the ramp (remember the blocks behind the wheels), turn the engine off and check the dipstick. It may read a little low, that's because the oil filter has taken in some oil, as much as half a liter. Top it up until the level on the dipstick reads "Full."

 

That's all there is to it, except for one very important thing: What are you going to do with that used oil? Used oil contains many harmful substances, so collect it in a suitable container - an empty windshield washer fluid bottle works well - and take it to a local recycling outlet.

 

When should you change your oil again? If you are not a city driver and you don't ever drive in dusty conditions and you do everything else pertaining to your vehicle perfectly, you can probably leave your oil in for up to 12,000 kilometers according to most manufacturers. But if you don't meet all these conditions - and virtually none of us does - you should change your oil in half that distance or less. The generally accepted interval is every 5,000 kilometers or every three months, whichever comes first.

Article Source: expertarticles.com