How To Change The Engine Oil Of Your Car?

Changing your car oil is not something that requires more of your skills since everyone interested can learn and do it at home. Although this is a simple process, you will find that most guys don’t know how to do it, and some are not interested just because getting involved in the process seems to be dirty and ugly.

Changing oil for yourself is essential since it is economical because you can choose the type and the quality of the oil your car can use and avoid buying overpriced products.

How to change the oil?

The following are the required steps you should follow when changing the oil in your vehicle. They are simple steps that need more concentration to avoid frequent leakages and failures in replacing the engine oil with the appropriate one.

·   Find the drain plug.

The drain plug is a nut located at the bottom of the engine under the oil pan. This nut cant is easily reached unless you jack up the car or crawl under to find it. Place the container for drainage of the old oil under the drain plug before opening it.

·    unscrew the drain plug.

Get the unscrewing spanner and loosen the drain plug. When the screw is loose enough, get a rag or a towel to protect your hand as you unscrew it slowly, after which the oil will drain out of your engine to the container.

·   Replacing the oil filter.

Using your hand or a wrench, unscrew the oil filter. Empty the oil from the filter to the container and set the used filter aside for recycling alongside used oil.

Moisten the gasket on the new filter by using the new oil and screw in the new filter to the engine following the instructions given indicated on the filter manual.

· Reinstall drain plug.

Wipe around the place after all the old oil has drained out before you screw in another new oil drain plug. Note that some drain plugs are reinstalled with gasket, so you must make sure you install a gasket before you screw in.

· Pour in fresh oil.

Pour the fresh oil slowly into the oil filler hole using a funnel. Replace the oil filler cap and allow the engine to run for about 30 to 60 seconds then check if there are any leaks from the drain plug. Turn off the engine and check the oil level once more by using a dipstick. Keep adding the oil until it indicates that it is full.

·   Final testing.

Remove the draining container and go round to give a test drive. Then let the oil settle for 10 minutes and check for the last time using a dipstick.

How much can I save by changing the oil on my own?

Changing oil for your own is an easy and economical process. One can save up to $15 by changing oil himself/herself rather than taking the vehicle to the service centre. This is because the material cost for all oil change process may amount to $24 in addition to the oil filter $11, compared to the service centre that charges $30 for an oil change and another $20 for filter replacement.

Can I add oil to my car?

You can add oil to your car when the dipstick is reading low, to prevent more damages to your car engine. Adding oil does not mean oil replacement. Oil should be added to the same type that your engine manufacturer recommends. The engine oil must be replaced after the engine has covered not more than 5000 km as recommended by experts.