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Having worked in the Auto Service Industry for 13 years I’d rather change the oil in my car or truck myself than let someone else do it. For starters, it’s cheaper to change your own oil. And if I change the oil myself, then I know that it was done right. Often Dealerships will have an 18 year old boy changing their customers’ oil. I’ve heard some bad stories about every service center you can think of – and even witnessed my own employees destroy some engines. The store I ran was the busiest oil change in the state of Mississippi for a couple of years (2000 – 2001) averaging 80 per day. The most oil changes ever performed was the Day before Thanksgiving in 2001 when we hit 150. This article is for those do-it-yourselfers who aren’t afraid to tackle something mechanical and get a little dirty. See also DebtPrison.net related article How to cheaply buy a used car.

What type of oil should I buy

When it comes to brand names I don’t believe there’s one bit of difference between any of them. For example, many people like Castrol because they advertise a lot. But Castrol was bought out by British Petroleum some years back and I believe its BP oil in a Castrol bottle. All of the motor oil you will see at retail outlets are API approved. The American Petroleum Institute has certain guidelines that motor oil manufacturers must meet. If you look on the front of these oil bottles you should see the API logo.

Many old timers are scared of Quaker State oil. But that’s just nonsense. In the seventies Quaker State was the first motor oil manufacturer to develop ‘High Detergent’ oil. Today all motor oils are high detergent. However, in the seventies Quaker State was ahead of the game – but they didn’t plan on one very big problem occurring. If you mix high detergent oil with another oil that isn’t high detergent you get gunk. So people would add a different brand oil when their oil got low and their engine would clog up with chunks of oily solids. It was a bad deal and really set Quaker State back in sales.

To determine what weight of oil to use (example 10W30), look at the oil cap or read in the manual. Usually the type of oil recommended for your engine is stamped in yellow on the top of the oil cap. If you can read what’s on the cap then go with that. Otherwise use the book. If the cap is blank and the book is missing then call the Dealership and ask them what they recommend.

I do not recommend synthetic blends. A synthetic blend oil is one that combines conventional oil with synthetic, supposedly giving some of the benefits of synthetic oil without paying the big price for Full Synthetic. This is a waste of money. Part of my training entailed sitting through some Castrol Education Seminars where Castrol Reps lectured about their oil, using graphs and such. The benefits of synthetic blend oil are null – almost nonexistent. And when we asked “How much synthetic is in the blend?” They refused to give us an answer.

Full Synthetics should be used only if your vehicle’s manufacturer recommends it. High Performance cars like the Corvette and expensive Imports demand Full Synthetic oil like Mobile One, Castrol Syntec, or Royal Purple. I recommend using these only if it’s called for by the manufacturer. There is no point in flushing money down the toilet. However, a new employee of mine once put only 1 quart of Castrol Syntec in a 5 quart engine on a GMC Suburban. The Suburban was driven 50 miles on this one quart without destroying the engine. I don’t believe conventional oil would have performed as well. Full Synthetic is a better oil – the question is do you need a better oil?? For ninety percent of us the answer is no.

What brand oil filter should I buy?

I usually buy a Fram or the ‘house’ filter. O’reillys Auto Parts carries an O’reillys oil filter that is cheap. Most filter manufacturers are now carrying a more expensive version of the same filter. I just always buy the cheaper one. It doesn’t matter which brand filter you buy. These filters are all made with the same machines. However, there are subtle differences in some of them? While managing the service center we came across a few bad filters from time to time – from all manufacturers. Keep in mind that if an oil filter manufacturer sells you a faulty filter, they could end up buying you a new motor. Buying a more expensive filter doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t have a default just like any other.

To determine which filter fits your car you will need the following information.

1) engine size (example 3.0 litre)

2) year, make, and model of the vehicle

3) is the engine a turbo?

Usually this information is found under the hood on a white sticker entitled “Catalyst”. Often the litre engine is written on top of the engine in plain view. Another good spot to find info on your vehicle is a white sticker on the inside door jamb of the driver’s door. The owners’ manual will not tell you specifically what size engine your car has (often more than one size engine comes with a certain year, make, and model). If you can’t find this information have the employee at the sales desk come out and take a look for you, they’re used to helping customers find this information. Keep in mind that service centers put the wrong filter on cars all the time. This happens several times a day all across America I can promise you. Sometimes the filter stays on and sometimes it doesn’t. By this time you should have selected the correct oil and filter.

Also, ask the sales clerk if your vehicle requires a washer on the drain plug. Some vehicles have a washer that is replaced periodically when the drain plug is removed. The washer is installed to prevent leaks. If you can look underneath the vehicle at the drain plug you should be able so see it.

Tools you will need

1) set of standard and metric wrenches

2) oil filter pliers that fit your filter (they come in 2 sizes usually)

3) a spill pan to catch the drained oil

4) a funnel to pour oil into the engine

5) ramps if needed

6) safety goggles and gloves

Your oil plug will take either a standard or metric wrench, try and write down what size it is to save some time for the next oil change. Ramps are used if the vehicle is too low to the ground to adequately gain access to the drain plug and filter. Be careful when using ramps, make sure the ground is level and have someone guide you forward. Set the emergency brake and ‘chunk’ the back tires so the car can’t roll backwards. Usually I try and find a place in the yard where I can slide under the car – I don’t like putting the car on ramps, it’s dangerous. To see how Autozone recommends performing an oil change click here.

Performing the oil change

Do not perform the oil change on a beautiful concrete driveway as you are likely to spill a small amount of oil. I pull my vehicle off in the grass. Put on your safety goggles and gloves. Make sure you have plenty of room to work underneath the vehicle. Next, slide all the tools that you need under the car (spill pan, wrenches, oil filter pliers). The drain plug is located on the oil pan – usually the oil pan is the lowest hanging pan under the motor – with a drain plug located on the bottom side. This drain plug is not to be confused with the plug for the transmission. Like I said – almost always directly beneath the engine.

Loosen the drain plug in a counter clock-wise manner (lefty-loosey, righty-tighty). Unscrew the drain plug and remove it, letting all the oil drain from the engine.? Inspect the drain plug for signs of wear or deteriorating threads. It may be necessary to replace the drain plug, but this is rare. Some vehicles have a replaceable washer on the plug – if so replace it. Honda for many years had an aluminum washer that had to be replaced with each oil change.

Be careful when installing the drain plug not to strip the threads. Usually the drain plug can be started by hand and turned a few times. If the plug doesn’t turn easily then back it out and start over. A drain plug is made of soft metal and the oil pan is made of hard metal. However, it is possible to strip the plug, oil pan, or both.? If you strip the oil pan often it can be rethreaded, but not always. Sometimes the oil pan will have to be replaced all together.

The drain plug should be tightened but not over done. If you tighten a drain plug too much you can crack the oil pan and it will definitely have to be replaced then. Next, loosen the oil filter with the filter pliers. Oil will immediately begin spilling as soon as it becomes loose. Continue loosening until the filter is removed and placed in the spill pan with the waste oil. Check to make sure that the rubber gasket from the old oil filter did not stick to the engine block. If the old gasket is still on the engine, and you screw on the new filter, you will have a double gasket and it will leak. This is not a pretty sight.

Before installing the new filter rub some waste oil on the rubber gasket. This helps the new gasket to seal itself tightly to the engine block. Just like the drain plug, carefully screw on the new filter, taking care not to strip the threads. Make sure the filter is tight. If I can easily reach the filter I just make sure that it is very hand tight. If I can’t reach it easily I tighten it with the filter pliers until it is good and snug, but not over tightening.

Now it’s time to add the new oil. The owners’ manual or the sales clerk should be able to tell you how much oil your vehicle holds. I always start out with half a quart less than what the engine calls for. Just to make sure that I don’t over fill the engine, because then you have to remove the drain plug again. Using the funnel add the oil to the engine. Replace the oil cap. Start the vehicle and let it run for one full minute. After the vehicle is started immediately look at the instrument panel. Either the oil light should go out or the oil pressure gauge should shoot up (different for each vehicle). With the car still running look underneath the vehicle for any leaks. If you see oil leaking then shut the engine off immediately. Tighten whichever item you left loose, add additional oil based on dip stick reading, and start again repeating the process.

If the car has ran for a full minute with no problems then turn the car off. Now go back underneath the vehicle and make sure no leaks are coming from the drain plug or filter. Now check the dip stick and add enough oil to increase the level reading to the full mark.

*Reminder* – make sure drain plug, oil filter, and oil cap are tight when the oil change is completed.

Now start the engine and let the car fun for five more minutes.  Shut the engine off and check the oil level again.  I would even check the oil level after my first trip to the store just to make sure the oil level hasn’t moved.

Take the waste oil and filter to a service center and have them dispose of it in their waste oil tank. We were always glad to do this for people and didn’t charge a dime. After all, another company actually paid us for our waste oil.

If you have any questions about changing oil please feel free to ask me below in the comments section.