How to Change the Oil in Your Car

Learning how to change the used oil in your car is a key process that anybody who owns a car should know. This knowledge or skill is highly essential because it would help you reduce the costs associated with maintaining your car. Being able to change used oil in your car implies that you will not be visiting a garage to seek assistance from the mechanic every time the oil in your car needs to be changed. Collins also asserts that there are a variety of car maintenance activities that a car owner may not necessarily need the help of a mechanic (41 . !ou also do not need to incur any costs for them. Changing the oil in your car is definitely one of these maintenance activities.

"ccording to #heffield$ changing the oil in your car is something you should do regularly (1% . &ichael and Linda also affirm that regularly changing the oil in your car's engine and filter is one of the most important things you should do not only to ensure that the car is running well but also to ensure high performance and to minimi(e the rate of tear and wear of the engine ()* . +egularly changing the oil in your car helps in improving the performance of the car by preventing break down of the engine and clogging of the filter with contaminants. "ccording to ,almer$ the oil in your car can be changed as regular as after every three months (1-. . /owever$ it depends with one's driving habits and the type of vehicle.

Overview of the Steps

The process of changing the oil in your car consists of ten steps that can be categori(ed into four ma0or parts. 1t should take about twenty to thirty minutes to replace the oil. !ou should replace the oil within your home garage or in an open and spacious place.

List of Materials Needed

The main materials that would be needed to successfully e2ecute this process include3 4mpty can 5ld newspapers #ocket or crescent wrench Car 0acks or ramps +ag or mechanic's glove ,lastic bag Lubricator 6ew filter 6ew or unused oil #pout

Steps
Please be careful and follow exactly all instruction steps to avoid injury or damage to your vehicle.

Part 1: Draining Off the Used Oil

Step 1: ,lace the vehicle on a flat surface and engage the parking brakes.

Warning: 4nsure that you refer to the owner's manual to ensure that you identify the most appropriate to place the car 0ack because improper 0ack7placement can damage you car severely. !ou should also brace the car after 0acking it because working under a car placed on a 0ack is e2tremely dangerous.
Step 2: Lift your car using either car 0acks or ramps.

Step 3: /eat up the car for about 8 to . minutes to warm the engine so that the gook gets

churned up and can flow out of the engine easily. Danger: 9o not overheat the engine because it would become too hot and may burn you. :hen the engine becomes warm$ switch it off and then follow the following steps to change your oil.

Step 4: +emove the oil cap by opening the hood and locating where it is located on top of the

engine. Warning: +emember that the new oil will be added through the oil cap after draining the used oil.

Step 53 Locate the oil pan$ usually a flat metal pan placed ne2t to the engine. The oil pan has a bolt towards the bottom. 5il will be drained through the oil pan.

Step 6: ,lace your empty can and some old newspapers directly below the oil pan. The can and

the newspapers will be used to catch the drained oil.

Step 7: Loosen the oil plug using a socket or crescent wrench to remove it.

Step 8: #tart draining the used oil into the empty can (see figure 1 below . ,atiently wait for all the oil to drain out of the car. 1t may take several minutes.

 Step 93 :hen the oil has stopped running out of the crankcase replace the plug with a new one. Tighten the plug by screwing it back. !ou also use the wrench.

;igure 13 9raining the used oil

Part : !epla"ing the Oil #ilter

Step 10: ;ind the location of the filter. "ccording to <udge$ oil filters are not placed in a standard

position and can be found on the front$ back or side of the engine depending on the model of the engine and type of vehicle (=4 . &ost filters are four or si27inch long and three7inch wide cylinders that resemble a soup can.

Step 11: >nscrew the oil filter by twisting it slowly and steadily in an anticlockwise direction. "ccording to 6i2on$ the plastic coating and grease in the engine usually makes the filter ?uite slippery (11) .

Step 12: >se a rag or a mechanic's glove to gain a good grip of the filter. :rap it with a plastic bag to catch any oil that would escape from the filter as you remove it.

Step 13: Turn the filter upside down after removing it to drain all the oil in it completely.

 Step 14: Lubricate the new filter using the lubricator to provide a good seal.

Step 15: Carefully screw on the new filter after lubricating it to the oil plug (see figure 8 below . This process re?uires carefulness to avoid crossing the threads of the filter which would inhibit its screwing or fitting.

;igure 83 6ew filter

Part $: %dding the New Oil

Step 16: "dd the new oil by pouring it slowly into the engine through the fill hole (see figure .

below . The amount of needed is usually indicated in the car's manual under @capacitiesA.

Step 173 Check the manual if you not sure about the recommended amount of oil to add. The bottle with new oil should be held using a spout on top and oil poured smoothly into the engine without bubbling.

;igure .3 "dding new oil

Step 18: +eplace the fill cap after adding the new oil.

Step 19: &ake sure that you tighten all the parts of the engine that were opened to ensure that are kept tight and safe.

Step 20: :ipe all oil spills that may be left on the engine. This process is important because it prevents the spilled oil from catching smoke when the engine heats up.

Part &: #inishing Off

Step 21: Close the hood and restart the engine.

Step 22: Check for any leaks or drips from the engine when it is on. 1t there no leaks or drips$

switch of the engine and remove the care brace and 0acks.

 Step 23: +eset the oil change light. This also depends on the make and model of your vehicle. !ou may check on the owner's manual to find out how to reset the oil change light.

Step 24: 9ispose the drained oil to an appropriate place and wash all the materials used during

the process.

Step 25: &ake sure that you wash hands with a lot of water and soap to remove the oil.

Step 263 !ou can sell the used oil and filter at a nearby collection center or dealer. !ou can also give the car a test drive if you wish. !ou are good to goB

Con"lusion
"lthough many people assume that changing oil in the car is a comple2 process that re?uires assistance from the mechanic$ it is a simple and ine2pensive process that you can do on your own by following the above steps carefully. 1t is also important to remember that the sooner you change the oil your car$ the better its performance becomes.

:orks Cited Collins$ Carl. Simple Fixes for Your Car: How to Do Small Jobs for Yourself and Save Money. 9orchester3 Celoce$ 8*18. ,rint. <udge$ "rthur :. Car Maintenance and Repair. Cambridge$ &ass3 +. Bentley$ 8**%. ,rint. &ichael$ Dray$ E Linda$ Dray 4. uto !p"eep: #asic Car Care$ Maintenance$ and Repair %&omesc&ool 'aperbac" (ext Curriculum )it*. >tah3 +olling /ills ,ublishing$ 8*18. ,rint. 6i2on$ <ames. Car Mec&anic. London3 ;ranklin :atts$ 8*18. ,rint. ,almer$ Fris 4. Fix +t,: How to Repair utomotive Dents$ Scratc&es$ (ears and Stains. &inneapolis3 &otorbooks$ 8*11. ,rint. #heffield$ <im. #asic Car Maintenance. "shmore$ Gld3 :et ,aper$ 8*1*. ,rint.