When it comes to maintaining your car's engine, one rule stands out and this rule is often neglected by a lot of people. This rule states that you need to change your car's motor oil every 3,000 miles or every 3 months. Although you won't damage your car's engine if you let it run 4,000 miles between oil changes, you have to consider that the 3,000 mile rule is there just to be safe especially if you constantly drive your vehicle in very hot and dusty conditions.
The first thing that you need to do is prepare all the things that you need to change your car's motor oil. What you will need is a ratchet or an open end wrench, oil filter wrench, an oil catch or recycle container, a funnel, a bottle of new oil, a new oil filter, and a clean rag.
After you get all these things ready, the next step is to drain the old oil. You need to get the old stuff out of your car's engine. The oil will drain out of the oil pan at the bottom of your car's engine. It will be held by a drain plug that looks like a big bolt at the bottom of the pan. You can't miss it.
Before you drain the oil by removing the drain plug, make sure that the recycling container is positioned directly underneath the oil drain. After this, you need to remove the drain plug. Just let it drop on top of the recycling container as it will have a screen on top which will keep the plug from dropping into the muck.
You need to let all of the old oil drain out. After that, you can replace the drain plug. Make sure that you tighten it to your car's torque specifications. You need to tighten it but it shouldn't be too tight, which is why you need a torque wrench. To make sure that the old oil doesn't leak out of the recycling container, make sure that you put the cap back on.
After this process, you will now have to remove the old oil filter. By using the oil filter wrench, turn it counterclockwise until it is free. You need to be careful when removing the old oil filter as it will still be full of old oil, which can spill and make a mess that is very hard to clean up.
After getting the old oil filter out of the way, it's now time to change the oil. Before you install the new oil filter, you first need to prep it. Lubricate the rubber gasket on the end of the filter with the new oil. Next, you will need to fill the new oil filter with new oil to about two-thirds. You can go over this amount but it will mean that you might spill some of the oil when you screw it back on.
Now, you will need to carefully put the new filter into place. Carefully screw the filter into position and always remember that it has oil in it and may spill out if you are careless. Using your one hand, just screw it on as tight as you can. Just remember that you shouldn't over screw it as it can strip its threads and cause leaks. Not tightening it will also mean an oil leak. Just remember that you should screw it as tight as you can with one hand.
After that, you now need to put new oil in the engine. Just unscrew the oil fill cap and insert your funnel. Then, get it filled with new oil. The last step is to check the oil level in the engine. Just get the "dipstick" out, wipe it clean, insert it back on and get it out again. This will indicate how much oil you put in your car's engine. If it is full, then you are ready to drive.
These are the steps on how you can change your car's motor oil. As you can see, it is a very simple thing to do. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to do it. Just remember that it can get quite messy so don't wear your favorite shirt when changing oil.
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