How To Change Your Oil

Disclaimer: There is a risk to working on your own vehicle. To ensure your safety
review the list of equipment, read and understand each step carefully, and finally
make sure you are comfortable. If you are not comfortable it is suggested to take
your vehicle to a professional.

Note from the author

This how to is designed to help first time/beginner at home mechanics change their oil.
While it may not a very extensive guide, it will aim to teach the basics so that the reader
will be able to have some confidence when they go to change their own oil. With this
confidence the goal is for the reader to be able to change almost any vehicle’s oil.

Equipment and supplies

Required Suggested Optional
Floor jack Funnel Gloves
Jack stands Oil filter wrench Shop blankets
Wrench set Paper towels User manuals
Blocks/Big rocks
Oil
Oil filter
Oil catch pan

Before you begin

● Find a good place to jack up your vehicle. Look for spaces that are level
and where you can spill oil. Level spaces reduce the chance your vehicle
will move while you work on it. Additionally, oil can stain concrete so if you
want to keep your concrete clean get a “shop blanket.”

● Many people find it easier to change their oil if they run the vehicle before
they change their oil. This lowers the viscosity of the oil and helps ensure
all of the old oil gets removed. Warning: This will increase the
temperature of the oil, so you have to be extra cautious when
changing the oil.
 ● Make sure whenever you are changing your oil that you are wearing
something that can get stained or ruined. As stated before, oil can stain,
and clothes are not an exception.

● Check with knowledgeable employee when buying supplies to help you

get the right “weight”(thickness), amount of oil, type of oil as well as the
correct oil filter.
Notes: Information about the oil and oil filter can be found in the user manual
that comes with the vehicle. could also be found in the User manual that
comes with vehicle.

Jacking up your vehicle

Step 1: Once a suitable spot is found park your vehicle there making sure
to engage the emergency brake.

Step 2: Put the blocks/big rocks behind the back tires to help prevent the
vehicle from rolling away.

Step 3: Roll the floor jack under the frame of the car on in the front and
proceed to jack up the vehicle.

Step 4: Position the jack stands under the front frame of the vehicle. Once
placed correctly lift the jacks stans to the vehicle.

(Miller)

Tips:
1. To pump up most jacks the levers must be pumped towards
the floor. If the jack isn’t holding any weight, they must be
adjusted so that they will hold weight. To adjust your jack there
 usually a dial that can be turned with a screwdriver or any flat
piece of metal. This must be turned to the right all the way.

2. When jacking up your vehicle you only need to make sure

there is enough space for you to work. If you raise it any
higher this will just add unnecessary risk

3. Jack stands automatically lock into place, so you don’t have to

worry about the vehicle moving once you lower the jack

Emptying oil
Step 1: Position the oil catch pan under the drain plug.
Step 2: Look for the drain bolt. They will usually be on the bottom of the engine in
the lowest part.
Step 3: Once found, grab the correct size wrench and slowly loosen the drain bolt.
Once loose enough the oil will start to drip out and at this point you should start
to loosen the bolt by hand. If you have paper towels or gloves this is where you
will start to need them.
Step 4: Loosen the bold by hand until it comes free.
Step 5: Let the vehicle drain and you’ll know it’s done when it’s just barely dripping
like a broken faucet. Once it’s done just screw the drain bolt back in. If you have
paper towels clean the area before you put the drain bolt back in.
Tips:
1. When loosening the drain bolt by hand be careful as to not let the weight
of the oil flowing out to knock it out of your hand,

Removing the oil filter

Step 1: Locate your oil filter. Most are located towards the bottom section of the
engine. You may have to check on top of the engine as some manufacturers
locate them there.
Step 2: Once located remove the filter by either hand or with the oil filter tool.
Step 3: Remove the oil filter and place It in your catch pan, them move the catch
pan to the side. Be careful with the removed oil filter as it is filled with oil.

Installing new oil filter

Step 1: Prep the oil filter. This requires you to get a bit of old oil and lightly smear
it on the rubber gasket on the new filter.
 Step 2: Screw the oil filter on but only hand tight. Don’t use the oil filter tool to
get it tighter. Doing so may cause damage to the filter and thus the engine
while the vehicle is in operation.
Tips:
1. When prepping the oil filter some would suggest that you fill it up with new
oil, but this is mostly for bigger vehicles.
Adding new oil
Step 1: Double check that the drain bolt is screwed back in as well as the new oil
filter.
Step 2: Look for the oil cap. It will most likely say oil or have an oil can symbol in
it.
Step 3: Unscrew the cap and then slowly pour in your oil. If you have a funnel, it
will make this process a lot easier and cleaner.
Step 4: Check the dip stick once you have poured in at least half to two-thirds of
your new oil.. Most dip sticks have a yellow handle and are easy to find. Once
you have it, Take the dipstick out, wipe it clean, reinsert it, then take it out to
inspect it.
Step 5: Check the dip stick for the oil level. On the dipstick There will be two lines
indicating low and full. Make sure you are as close to the full line without being
above it. If you need to add more oil, add it then repeat step 4 and 5 until the
dipstick shows full.
Tips.
1. If you are slightly above full this is ok but try to avoid overfilling as this will
require you to empty out a little oil. This shouldn’t happen if you purchase
the correct amount of oil.
Clean up and disposal
Step 1: Pour any remaining oil in the old oil filter into the catch pan.
Step 2: Empty your oil catch pan into your bottle that the new oil came in. Your
catch pan will have some way to empty it into the bottle that the new oil came in.
Later take this back to where you bought it. Most auto shops take used oil so it
can be recycled.
Step 3: Wipe down any remaining oil. This is completely up optional but the future
you will thank you.
Step 4: Pick up any rags or paper towels used to wipe up oil. You can dispose of
them both but mostly people save the rags and clean them for use later
Step 5: Lower your car off the jack stands. To do this you have to jack up the car
in the front just like when you started this whole process but jack it up a little
more. This will allow you to remove the jack stands. Then lower the car to the
ground and move the blocking/big rocks.
 Works Cited
Miller, Billy. “Car on Two Jack Stands.” Knockoutengine,Com, 2019,
https://www.knockoutengine.com/how-to-put-car-on-jack-stands/. Accessed 2022.