How to Change the Oil in Your Car

By Jonathan Van Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... v
List of Supplies ............................................................................................................................... 3
Getting Started ................................................................................................................................ 7
Changing the Oil ........................................................................................................................... 11
Replacing the Oil Filter ................................................................................................................. 15
Putting Oil Back Into Your Car .....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Cleaning Up ...................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Troubleshooting .............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Index ..............................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Introduction

This manual will help guide you through one of the most basic maintenance procedures
that you can do on your vehicle; changing oil. Changing oil in your car is a good way to start
getting familiar with how your car works, and will help it to run smoothly in the future. Not to
mention that it is always a safer and cheaper solution than taking it to a mechanic shop. But if
you are a beginner to this kind of project, please read this manual closely and work carefully on
your car. There will be a list of items that you must have in order to do this task both quickly and
carefully. This manual will also help explain the most basic safety steps to protect both you and
your car while you are working, so please take your time and read each and every step carefully
before starting this project.

List of Supplies

List of Supplies
1. Oil Filter (oil filters vary depending on type of vehicle, so please research the type of
filter needed before working on your car.)
2. Oil
A. Amount of oil needed depends on your car and is listed in the owners manual
B. The type of oil needed will vary depending on type of vehicle
I.
Such as the weight of the oil (0W, 5, 10W and more)
C. Depending on the type of environment that you are in
I.
A thinner viscosity (thickness) of the liquid will get to the engine quicker in
all temperatures and is suggested, which is shown right after the weight of the
oil on the bottle (10W-20, 10W-30, etc. etc.)
D. Synthetic vs. Non-synthetic.
I.
Synthetic tends to last longer but is more expensive. It also requires an oil
filter that will take synthetic oil.
II.
Non-synthetic will not last nearly as long as synthetic will but it is cheaper
and can use a cheaper filter.
3. A 1.5- to 2-ton jack to lift your car
4. Jack stands to support your car while you are underneath it
5. Wood slats to keep your rear wheels from moving (only needed if you own a front-wheel
drive car.)
6.
7. Rubber gloves (latex or non-latex depending on if you have an allergy)
8. An oil pan
9. A ratchet with a -inch drive and -inch socket set
10. An oil filter wrench
11. Some old rags
12. A clean oil funnel
13. Cat litter (best way to clean up oil spills)
14. Some time set aside

Getting Started

Getting Started
1. First find a good and level
place to start working on your
car. Your driveway is usually
the best place to work on your
car.
2. After you have found a good
place to work on your car,
move that car to that location
and turn off the car.
3. Take the wood slats and put
them snugly behind the rear wheels (again, only for rear wheel drive cars) to make sure
the car does not move while you work on it.

4. Next, take your 2-ton jack and

find a place under the front of your car
that is part of the cars frame. Twist the
handle CLOCKWISE till it locks and
pump the jack until it is at about a
height that you can fit your body under
(but DO NOT but your body under the
car yet) with a few inches of space in
between you and the car.

5. Take the jack stands and notch them

up close to the height in step 4, and
then place them securely on the frame
of your car spaced out from each
other (behind both wheels).
6. Twist the handle of the 2-ton jack
slowly and watch under the car
(without getting under the car) to
make sure it securely sits on the jack
stands. If it is secure, remove the jack.

7. Pop the hood latch from inside the cabin.

Changing the Oil

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Changing the Oil

1. Put on your gloves (this is to keep used

oil from getting on your, used oil is a
carcinogen [cancer promoter].)

2. Get under your car and locate the oil reservoir drain bolt.

3. After you have located the bolt, find the

ratchet socket that will fit that bolt (DO
NOT go too loose or you could strip out
the bolt, find a socket that will fit on it
perfectly.)
4. After you have found a socket that fits
perfectly, grab your ratchet and fit it on
the socket.
5. Turn the ratchet COUNTER-CLOCKWISE to start loosening the bolt, but DO NOT take
it off all the way yet.

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6. Prepare the oil pan to catch the used oil,

place it far enough back to compensate
for the oil dumping out.
7. Take the bolt completely out of the
reservoir and wait for the oil to drain.

8. As the oil is draining, clean the bolt off

with a rag to get off all of the oil.

9. After the oil stream has been reduced

to a trickle, plug up the hole in the
reservoir with the bolt
10. Hand tighten the bolt in a
CLOCKWISE motion to get it to start
tightening.

11. After you cannot hand tighten it anymore, move to the ratchet and tighten it down with a
moderate amount of force till you cannot tighten it anymore with the ratchet.

Replacing the Oil Filter

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Replacing the Oil Filter

1. Locate the oil filter on your car, it should be a cylinder with
indentations or grips on the end of it (placement of the filter
varies depending on vehicle).
2. After you have located the oil filter, remove the socket from
your ratchet and replace it with your oil filter wrench.
3. Gently open the mouth of the oil filter wrench until it fits over
the end of the oil filter.
4. Prepare your oil pan to catch any oil still left in the filter.

5. Start loosening the oil filter with a COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

turn of the ratchet till you can loosen it the rest of the way with your
hand.

6. Remove the oil filter and place it in the oil pan so it can drain
into the pan.
7. Check to make sure that the rubber gasket (rubber ring) was
removed with the oil filter

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8. Take your new oil filter out of the box.

9. Take a small amount of oil on your

finger and rub it around the edge of
the gasket (rubber ring) of the oil
filter, this will help it seal better on
the car.

10. Hand tighten the filter back on to the

car as much as you can, but DO NOT use the
ratchet after that.
11. Take the old oil filter and place it in
the new filters box and dispose of it in the
nearest waste receptacle

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