DIY: Changing your own oil

[surfcitylocal]

A lot of people PM me with questions about how to change their own oil. I've always dropped the ball when doing my oil change and forgot to take pictures. I used Dooby as a model today and took pictures while we changed his oil. The following are directions on how to change your own oil in your Scion. Please follow all directions and safety tips. Remember, as always, if you break it it's not my fault.

The basic tools you will need to change your oil.

Paper towels
Gloves
Oil pan
14mm wrench
If you need it, a jack and jack stands or you can use ramps as I have done in this DIY.



New oil and a filter



Either jack up the car's front end and support it with jack stands or use ramps as I have done here.



Locate your oil cap and remove it. Place it somewhere you won't forget and place a towel under it to keep the area clean









By removing the oil cap before draining the oil will allow it to drain faster.

Once the vehicle is securely raised and the oil cap removed, place yourself under the vehicle and locate the oil pan drain plug. It's a 14mm head.



Loosen the bolt and remove it by turning and applying pressure at the same time. This will keep the oil from leaking out while you have your hand under it. Once the bolt is completely loosened, pull it out and allow the oil to drain into the pan.





Once the oil has drained from the motor you can replace the drain plug. (I usually run a quart of oil through the motor and let it drain just to help clean it out a little before replacing the plug)

Next, locate the oil filter. It's at the front of the motor as seen here.



You should be able to loosen the oil filter by hand unless the last person to work on it tightened it too much. If it was hand tightened you won't need an oil filter wrench but you may need to use two hands.



This is one of my little tips to making this as clean a job as you can. Rather than just spinning the filter loose and letting the oil run down your hand and arm, loosen it just enough to turn and slowly spin it until a small stream of oil runs down the side and into the drain pan. As the stream dwindles you can turn the filter a few more times and the stream will increase again. The filter will drain out the top until the oil level in it is below the opening. Once this point is reached you can remove the filter without dripping oil all over the engine, your hand and your arm.







Drain the remaining oil from the filter into the pan and use the box from the new filter to hold the old one.



Before you install the new filter take a moment and clean the oil filter plate and threads. It will go a long way to keeping that general area clean for you.



To install the new oil filter, dip your finger in the new oil and use it to apply a thin coat of oil to the rubber gasket of the new oil filter. This will provide a better seal and keep it from sticking when you remove it at your next oil change.





Now you can spin the new filter back into place using your hand to tighten the filter until it is just snug on the plate.



Nice and clean and ready to be filled with oil.



The new oil is added through the opening where the oil cap was removed. A funnel will go a long way towards keeping your engine clean and free from oil.





Once you have added the recommended amount of oil (just a little less than 4 quarts) replace the oil filler cap and check your dipstick.





The dipstick should show the level right at or just a little below the "full" mark. Sometimes it's hard to see with the new clean oil.



That completes changing your own oil. Start your car and check your work for leaks.

Be sure to dispose of your used oil in an acceptable fashion. You can place it in a portable container and take it to any local car parts store who will let you dump it in their bins. You can do like I do and let the city come and pick it up for you. (my favorite way) Either way do not dump the used oil in a trash can or the street drain or in your back yard.







Provided you had no leaks and the dipstick is reading the appropriate level, you are done with your oil change. The manufacturer suggests an oil change every 5,000 miles. I am still old school on this one and I do it every 3,000 miles or less.

See you can do it!

[s2]

Gret DIY. Thanks!

[frogbox]

You mean you don't pre-fill your oil filter?

(makes it a bit safer so you don't have a "dry start")

but for those that have never done an oil change not Bad ,don't forget to take your used oil to a collection center so they can recycle it.

[jallamas]

Thanks man for the DIY, doing it this weekend!



John

[lazermike]

What about using the recommended weight of oil? 10W40 isnt it.

[surfcitylocal]

frogbox wrote: You mean you don't pre-fill your oil filter?

(makes it a bit safer so you don't have a "dry start")

but for those that have never done an oil change not Bad ,don't forget to take your used oil to a collection center so they can recycle it.

Been doing my own oil changes for almost 40 years and never pre-filled a filter. Never had a "dry start".

[surfcitylocal]

lazermike wrote: What about using the recommended weight of oil? 10W40 isnt it.

It's not my car, I didn't buy the oil. I use the recommended weight of oil, 5W30. Maybe if you're going to point out what it isn't you might like to add something useful like what it is.

[WhoKilledTheJAMs]

I've poked around under my box, and I suspected it's an easy oil change, but it's nice to see the DIY anyway. It never occurred to me, however, to remove the fill cap first. It's so obvious, yet I'm apparently oblivious to physics (which is why I drive an xB in the first place).

I wish my ramps fit under my car. Between that, and the fact that my girlfriend's car actually cannot make traction on my ramps, I should probably toss them.

[lazermike]

Hey, I was just going by what the bottles of oil were labeled as...in the pics. Heavier oil isnt the way to go, unless it worn out.

[bbszero69]

Nice DIY! I jack up just the drivers side, since the drain is on the passenger side. It's a simple job, i do mine in 15 minutes, start to finish. Doing it myself, I can afford to run full synthetic, 5W30. costs about 25.00 for the oil and filter, and that's usually picking up an extra quart or filter if on sale. Plus, you know it's gonna be done right.

I haven't seen a DIY on auto tranny fluid change with pics, i'm gonna do mine soon, and may post it up.

[stew32]

WhoKilledTheJAMs wrote: I wish my ramps fit under my car. I had to buy new ramps to use for my xB. I got mine at Walmart, but think most of the plastic ones should be low enough to work.

A few comments on the procedure...

Why use a different container to catch the oil? The black one shown is meant to catch the oil being drained. Just got to be a little more careful not to drop the drain plug.

I'd add an oil filter wrench (the type that goes on the end) and 3/8" socket wrench to the tools. If someone else has changed the oil, it may be on pretty tight.

[stew32]

surfcitylocal wrote: Once the oil has drained from the motor you can replace the drain plug. (I usually run a quart of oil through the motor and let it drain just to help clean it out a little before replacing the plug) Are you saying to pour in a new quart of oil so that it can drain right out with the used oil? I've never heard that before, seems unnecessarily wasteful.

[vintage42]

With that supercharger I would be using synthetic, and wouldn't be using it as a flush, either.

[surfcitylocal]

stew32 wrote: WhoKilledTheJAMs wrote: I wish my ramps fit under my car. I had to buy new ramps to use for my xB. I got mine at Walmart, but think most of the plastic ones should be low enough to work.

A few comments on the procedure...

Why use a different container to catch the oil? The black one shown is meant to catch the oil being drained. Just got to be a little more careful not to drop the drain plug.

I'd add an oil filter wrench (the type that goes on the end) and 3/8" socket wrench to the tools. If someone else has changed the oil, it may be on pretty tight.

Because even though the black container is intended to catch the oil the pan does a much better job at blocking the breeze and preventing the oil from splashing onto the ground. You may need a filter wrench to remove the old one if someone else did it, that's why it's referred to in the DIY, if you're like me, no one else has worked on your vehicle so there's no need.

[surfcitylocal]

stew32 wrote: surfcitylocal wrote: Once the oil has drained from the motor you can replace the drain plug. (I usually run a quart of oil through the motor and let it drain just to help clean it out a little before replacing the plug) Are you saying to pour in a new quart of oil so that it can drain right out with the used oil? I've never heard that before, seems unnecessarily wasteful.

It helps to move along any dirty oil that may be left in the engine. It's not a requirement it's something I do. How is it wasteful?

[surfcitylocal]

vintage42 wrote: With that supercharger I would be using synthetic, and wouldn't be using it as a flush, either.

Just remember, the customer is always right and so is the DIY volunteer. If he chooses that oil, he gets to use that oil.

[Cravin]

What a nancy pants! I never change my oil, DIY pssshhh. Everone knows old oil has expeience in your engines thats why old oil is best!

[vintage42]

WhoKilledTheJAMs wrote: ... It never occurred to me, however, to remove the fill cap first. It's so obvious, yet I'm apparently oblivious to physics... If you try oil changes with both removing the cap and leaving it on, you will find the oil comes out at the same rate regardless of cap on or off. The crankcase is not a container sealed by the filler cap, but is vented by the breather system.
Besides, you do not want a gusher of hot oil to spurt out uncontrollably. That is what comes out of the large diameter drain hole of my Forester, and it takes a radiator drain pan to catch it. The Scion and all my other cars have a small diameter drain hole with a slower stream that an oil change kit can catch.

[stew32]

surfcitylocal wrote: stew32 wrote: surfcitylocal wrote: Once the oil has drained from the motor you can replace the drain plug. (I usually run a quart of oil through the motor and let it drain just to help clean it out a little before replacing the plug) Are you saying to pour in a new quart of oil so that it can drain right out with the used oil? I've never heard that before, seems unnecessarily wasteful.
It helps to move along any dirty oil that may be left in the engine. It's not a requirement it's something I do. How is it wasteful? Oil with filter change requires 3.9 quarts. A dry fill is 4.3 quarts. A difference of 0.4 quarts. After an oil and filter change, you'd have 93% new oil and 7% used oil in your xB.

So I don't understand pouring through a quart of new oil to attempt to drain another few drops of used oil. You'll never get it all. Any additional used oil you displace or dilute will be insignificant. Save your quart (and the $2+ you paid for it) for the next oil change.

[surfcitylocal]

OK, don't mean to crack on you guys for offering your opinions on oil changes. We all do the same basic job but with differences in technique and application. All I can tell you is grab your camera, change your oil, take pictures of it, load them on your computer, scale them down and add a watermark, upload them to a photo hosting site, copy paste all the IMG links, write the DIY and then let me add my .02. How about it?

The idea is to provide a visual demonstration of an oil change so that noobs can do the job themselves. For all the other master mechanics and physics professors posting up differing ways of doing the same thing...it's not intended for you.

Rant over. Now I'll head out and do a DIY on changing my turn signal fluid.