How to Change Your Car’s Oil

Another Sunday, another newsletter all about your car. In today’s installment we’re going to learn about the golden goop that keeps your engine from destroying itself. Changing oil is a skill all car owners should have in their tool belt. Sure, going to the local auto shop or dealership is easy, but showing off your knowledge about cars is a great way to ensure you’ll get a second date! Let’s learn how to change car oil.

What You’ll Need

• New Oil Filter

• New Engine Oil

• Drain Pan

• Wrench Set

• Jack & jack stands/ramps

• Funnel

• Optional: Oil Filter Wrench 

Buying the Right Type of Oil

Before you start draining the oil from your car, you’ll need to have new oil on standby. Car engines require specific oil to run properly. When buying new oil, you’ll need to know two things; your oil weight (viscosity) and how many quarts.

The proper oil weight will be found in your owner’s manual or on the oil cap under the hood of your car. It’ll look like this:

On this cap you’ll see “5W-20” which is the weight information you’ll need when buying new oil. Once you know the right weight and how much to buy, you’re ready to start the job.

Step by Step Oil Change

Step 1: Lift the car up

Jack the car up so that you can easily maneuver underneath the engine. Jack stands or ramps are cheap options you can use to keep your car safely elevated while you change oil.

Note: Most modern cars have a panel protecting the bottom of the engine from the street. If the underneath of your car looks completely covered in panels or plastic, you’ll need to remove the undertray to access the oil drain.

Step 2: Remove the Oil Cap and Drain Plug

Take off the oil cap under your hood. This will help the oil drain out once you remove the drain plug. This is the same cap mentioned earlier which may have your oil weight written on it.

Once the cap is removed, go underneath the car and locate your drain plug. Place your drain pan under the plug BEFORE your remove it. Once this plug is loose, oil will quickly leak out from this plug. Here is an example of what a drain plug looks like:

Use a wrench to remove the plug completely and let the oil spill out until no more oil drains.

Step 3 Remove the Oil Filter

Locate the oil filter and (if necessary) move the drain pan under the filter as it will leak out additional oil. Most oil filters are designed to be removed without a wrench but many auto shops overtighten them making it impossible to twist off with your hand. If this is the case, use an oil filter wrench to turn the old filter counterclockwise to loosen it from the engine. Loosen it enough so that oil spills out and let it sit for a minute until the oil flow subsides. Remove the entire filter once oil stops draining.

Step 4: Screw In Drain Plug & New Filter

Grab the drain plug and screw it back into place. Tighten it enough where it feels snug but don’t overtighten it using all your strength. Overtightening the drain plug could cause damage to the oil pan. For the new filter, rub on some of the old oil onto the rubber gasket to improve the seal. Place the new filter where you removed the old filter and tighten it to “hand tight”.

Step 5: Adding the New Oil

Once the oil pan is sealed back up, add the new oil into the engine. Locate the opening where the drain cap covered and use a funnel to make pour in the new oil. Make sure you’re pouring in the proper amount of oil for your engine. Reference your owner’s manual to make sure you’re adding the right amount.

Step 6: Checking Your Oil Levels

After pouring in the new oil, put the oil cap back on and start your car. Let the car run for 10-20 seconds and pull out your dip stick. The dip stick will likely have an orange handle and be next to your oil cap. Remove the dip stick, wipe off the oil, reinsert the dipstick, then pull it out again to check to current oil level. There should be a marking on the dipstick to indicate a “full” amount of oil.

Woohoo! You’ve changed your oil.

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