Changing your vehicles oil every 3 months or every 3,000 miles is a must for anyone who owns a car, truck , minivan or SUV. With these simple guidelines you can save yourself some cash by doing it yourself .

I recommend everyone should become familiar with there own vehicle by changing the oil and checking the air filter and giving the engine a look over for potential problems.

When changing oil on any vehicle, the hardest part is getting under it or trying to get the vehicle up high enough to get to the drain plug and filter. Some vehicles have the oil filter located on the back side of the engine by the fire wall and this makes changing it a little challenging but once you figure out where it is, all you have to do is get to it.  Sometimes easier said then done.

If you plan on jacking the vehicle up, I would recommend a good floor jack along with some solid jack stands . Remember you get what you pay for and the last thing you need is 2,000 lbs of steel falling on top of you because you tried to save a couple of dollars.

Its always a good idea to have another person helping you just in case you need help with something. In my shop, I always have Whiskers help me whenever Iam working on something. He’s a great helper and he works real cheap too.

Once you get the vehicle secured on the jack stands, the first thing you will want to do is locate the drain plug. Its always on the bottom of the oil pan. Make sure the socket you are using is the right one for the plug. I have seen many a drain plug rounded off because someone thought that the socket was good enough or they would use a pair of pliers to do the job. Remember to always use the right tool for the job. It will save you time and money

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Remove the drain plug and allow all of the oil to drain out into a drip pan. You can pick one up at any parts house. On a side note, its better to drain the oil when the engine is warm but be careful not to get that oil on you, it can be hot enough to burn your skin.

After the oil is drain out, clean off the drain plug and check for any damaged threads or pieces of metal stuck on the magnet . If the threads looked like someone tried to put the plug in wrong, then you should replace the plug instead of trying to force it back in. If the threads in the oil pan look ok then just replace the plug but if they look damaged as well , then you will need to have them re-threaded.

If this is beyond your ability, then you will have to put the old plug back in and refill the oil into the engine so you can get your vehicle to a qualified mechanic so he can do the job right. Dont forget to ask for the old drain plug and make sure the new one is not a rubber plug.

After you get the drain plug back in, tighten it down snug but dont try to over torgue it or you will strip the threads out of the oil pan.

Next locate the oil filter and

remove it by turning counter clockwise. Now keep in mind that the engine is warm and that filter is full of warm oil as well sometimes hot , so use gloves or a shop rag when trying to turn it by hand. Dont forget to have your drip pan ready to catch  all the oil that is left in the filter . It can sometimes be a mess.

Next use a clean shop rag to clean of the surface where the oil filter was and make sure the old rubber seal isn’t still stuck there.

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After that get the new oil filter ready by first checking to see if its the right one for your vehicle and by coating the rubber seal with oil first before you install it. This will create a better seal

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Next thread the new oil filter on by turning it clockwise until it tightens up . You dont want to over tighten it, just snug it down until it feels tight by hand. While your under the vehicle, now is a good time to look around and inspect everything

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Look for oil leaks or possible damage to the under side of the vehicle including the oil pan and transmission pan. Look at your CV boots to see if they are torn and leaking. How about engine coolant. See any green fluid leaking from the hoses or water pump. Its better if you notice these things early on before they cause you real problems.

Now if both drain plug and oil filter are tight , you can lower the vehicle back down. You can do the rest from on top of the engine.

Look inside the engine compartment for a  round cap that says engine oil. This is where you will be pouring the oil in. Most engines will have the Viscosity or oil thickness marked on the cap for you and most of the time it will be 5w30  weight oil but you can use 10w30 without any problems. If you have questions about what oil to use, then please consult your owners manual or after market repair manual.

Now at this point you have a few choices to make as far as what type of oil you want to use . Some like Synthetic while others are happy with conventional oil and then there is the brand of oil that is best for you.

Most of this is a matter of preference, but after 20 years of changing oil I can give you my opinion on the subject.

For everyday oil changes on domestic cars, I like Valvoline oil. On foreign cars I like to use Castrol oil. Both conventional oils or what most people call regular oil.

Now if you can afford it and really love you vehicle, I like to use Mobil 1 Synthetic and for racing applications I like Royal Purple.

So, there you have it and Iam sure there is a lot of debate over that one, but thats my opinion.

Now, place a funnel in the filler hole and pour your oil in. Now the rule of thumb in most cases is 1 quart of oil for every cylinder ( i.e. a v8 engine would get 8 quarts of oil ) but once again consult your owners manual especially if you own an import.

If you have a V8 like we do in the photo, then put in 7 qts and check the dipstick to see what the level is. The dip stick should have a yellow handle that says engine oil, but some later models dont have this, so make sure its engine oil and not the transmission dipstick .

If the level is below the safe area, then go ahead and  put the last quart in . After you put the last quart in then put the dipstick back in and screw the oil filler cap back on. After this then start the engine and let it run for about 10 seconds, then shut the engine off and check the level again.

The oil level should be close to the top of the safe area. If the oil level is to high, then you will need to drain some of the oil out because too much oil is as bad as not having enough oil in the oil pan.

The reason we ran the engine was to fill the oil filter up with oil so we could get a more accurate reading on our dip stick. Remove any tools and close the hood.

If you have any questions or if you see something that you need help with,  just leave me a comment by clicking on the contact us tab and I will get you a response.

I hope I took some of the mystery out of an oil change for you. Until next time, this is Jeff Williams saying    ” Thanks for stopping by ” and if this has been helpful to you then please click on the coffee cup icon .  Thanks   Jeff

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