5 Tips to Follow for Changing Engine Oil, with Techniques Make the Task Simple

Owning a car or truck can be a tremendous joy. Vehicles give you the liberty to travel as you please and they give you the mobility to go to work, to go on family vacations, to go on weekly outings and so on. A vehicle has many upsides, but one aspect of vehicle ownership can be downright frustrating for many people. Maintaining a vehicle is costly and can be troublesome for many car owners. Routine maintenance bills for vehicles can also quickly add up and the expense of maintaining your car or truck can quickly become one of the highest annual expenses that you will encounter.

Though maintenance on vehicles is necessary and expected, there are ways to combat the high cost of maintenance. The easiest method for reducing maintenance costs is by doing the maintenance yourself. Many car owners may believe that maintenance is difficult, but they are uninformed. In fact simple maintenance procedures such as changing your engine oil takes only a few minutes of time, a couple of tools, and a little bit of labor.

There is the possibility of encountering a problem when you change your own engine oil, but this is unlikely. However, by following the five tips listed below, you will successfully change your own engine oil in no time and save a significant amount of money by doing it yourself.

1. Warm up your vehicle. Engine oil will flow out quicker and more completely from a warm engine. warm engine oil will also carry out more deposits when drained than cold oil. Warm up your vehicle by briefly driving it for 5 to 10 minutes prior to changing the oil.

2. Use the right tools. Your oil pan bolt will require a socket and a ratchet for removal. Do not use pliers or other devices to remove this bolt. Doing so will likely damage the bolt. To remove the oil filter, use an oil filter wrench that fits your filter. This can be purchased at an automotive store.

3. Is your car metric or standard? If you are removing the drain plug and notice that the socket feels too loose then you are probably using the wrong type of socket. Sockets come in metric (measured in MM) and standard (measured in fractions of an inch). Make sure you use the right size socket.

4. Tighten the oil filter hand tight plus one half turn with the oil filter wrench. Do not over-tighten the filter or future removal will be very difficult.

5. Fill with fresh oil. Determine the capacity of your vehicle by referring to your owners manual. Fill just below the capacity and then start your vehicle. Starting the vehicle will distribute the oil causing the level to drop. Check the dipstick again and add oil as needed.

These simple tips will make changing your oil a simple, trouble free task. Many of the suggestions listed above are often overlooked by the novice mechanic. However, experienced mechanics know the benefits of following the tips above. With the tips listed above, you will have the knowledge to complete the task of changing your engine oil like a pro. This simple task will save you a significant amount of money on your annual maintenance bills.