29 April 2015, 14:29
Here are the 14 steps for you to change your oil with absolute ease:
- Raise your car off the ground using either jacks or ramps.
- Turn on the engine to let the oil warm up. You should only need to leave the engine idling for 3 minutes to heat the oil enough for it to drain easily. Letting the engine run allows any bits of sediment which have sunk to the bottom of the oil to come back to the surface which will give you a better chance of cleaning out the oil thoroughly.
- Gather together the tools that you will need: new oil; a pan; an old newspaper; a spanner and a torch.
- Turn off the engine and remove the oil cap. This will be somewhere on the top of the engine but you should consult your owner’s manual if you have trouble locating it. Removing the cap will allow air to flow through and drain the oil more quickly.
- From underneath your vehicle, you should be able to find the oil pan. It will be a flat metal dish located close to the bottom of the engine. There will be either a bolt or a plug on the bottom of it. Once you have located the oil pan, place the container you will use to catch the oil and a couple of old newspapers to catch any drips underneath the oil plug.
- Remove the plug. Be aware that the oil will start to flow out as soon as you do this! The oil tends to flow at an angle so it is not always obvious where to place the container to catch all of the drips. Be prepared to get a bit messy!
- Wait until all of the oil has been drained from the car. This could take several minutes. When the oil has stopped coming out of the engine, it is safe to replace the plug or the bolt.
- Make sure that the plug or bolt is fully secure before you start filling the car with the new oil.
- The exact amount required for your make and model will be stated in your owner’s manual. You should check this before you start to fill up the oil reservoir.
- Start to pour oil into the engine through the hole in the top of the engine.
- Measure with the dipstick to check that the oil level is correct according to what it says in your owner’s manual.
- Replace the cap.
- Start the engine and make sure that the oil pressure light on your dashboard does not stay lit up.
- Reset the light on your car to show that you have changed the oil. Exactly how to do this will differ depending on the make and model of your vehicle.
