Change your own oil in 10 easy steps
AN oil change is one of the most important (yet basic) tasks that you will need to complete as part of your auto maintenance. This, auto mechanic and car enthusiast Roshane Holness said, will prolong the life of your engine and keep your car running efficiently.
“Your engine relies on engine oil to run smoothly, and as you continue to drive around, your oil will break down and your filter will become clogged with contaminants. This will lead to the underperformance of the engine in the absence of care,” Holness said.
Fortunately, changing your oil is not only inexpensive, but can be completed by following a simple series of steps below:
Step 1
One of the most important accessories that you need for your car is a tool kit. It includes just about everything that you need to complete your basic car repairs and maintenance, including changing your oil.
Step 2
Before you start the process of oil change, you want to make sure that the engine isn’t cold. If it is cold, turn the engine on to throttle for about five minutes before switching it off. If the vehicle is hot, on the other hand, you need to wait about half an hour for it to cool.
Step 3
Set up your jack and jack stand, make sure they are firmly in place, and then hoist the front of the car for easy access to the vessel.
Step 4
Look under the car to find the drain plug (bung). As soon as you locate it place a container beneath it to collect the oil that you will drain from the engine.
Step 5
Using a protective cloth or a rag to protect your hand, get ready to unscrew the plug and allow the oil to flow. You also want to be ready to move your hand out of the line of the oil flow to avoid getting messy. Unscrew the drain plug and release the oil into the container, then return the plug.
Step 6
Next, you want to remove the oil filter. To do this, you will remove the cap from the oil filler hole at the top of your engine and twist the oil filter counterclockwise to unscrew (you may use a wrench if it’s difficult getting it open by hand). Be very careful as you remove it since it will still have oil and you don’t want a spill.
Step 7
Get fresh bottles of oil and an appropriate filter. Open your first bottle of oil and lubricate the O-rings (you should also aim to change them each oil change) as this ensures a leak-free system. Following this, you will then replace the filter and tighten the filter cap.
Step 8
If you don’t already have an idea of how much oil is needed, use the dipstick to ascertain a reading. This is very important, because you don’t want to overfill your engine. Having done this, you will use a filter to facilitate pouring the oil into the car engine. Once you have filled the car with the required oil you can go ahead and close the cap.
Step 9
If you have any spills, make sure to clean this up, then go ahead and start up the vehicle for a few minutes then turn it off. This guarantees two things — that the new oil circulates, and that you are able to detect if there is any leak so that you can retighten the area that the leak is coming from.
Step 10
After the vehicle cools down, use the dipstick to check the oil level. Check where on the range between maximum and minimum the oil level is. You want to make sure that you keep it as close to maximum as possible. Next, all you have to do is to document the oil change so that you know exactly when the next oil change is due. The document should include the mileage on the car at the time the oil was changed. A general recommendation by most auto manufacturers is that owners change their oil every 3,000 miles or every three months.
