A Woman's Guide to Changing the Oil in Her Car

Changing the oil in your car is easy and inexpensive. The oil in your car should be changed every 3,000 miles depending on the make of your vehicle. Check the owners manual for service intervals.

You will need the following items to change the oil in your car. Drop cloth, socket, or wrench, oil pan, new filter, oil, and a funnel.

Open the hood of the car and locate the oil filter cap on top of the engine, remove oil filter cap. Removing the oil filter cap will allow air to flow in as the crankcase drains, this will allow the oil to drain easier.

Before getting under your car make sure you have all the necessary supplies and equipment under the car with you for easy access. Lay down a drop cloth under the vehicle to catch any oil that may spill out on the driveway. Locate the oil pan under the car toward the back of the engine. On the bottom of the oil pan you will see the drain plug, put a bucket or an oil pan under the drain plug to catch the oil. Use a socket or wrench to remove the plug, turning the plug counter-clockwise. Make sure the socket or wrench is the correct fit, a snug fit and remove the drain plug. The oil comes out of the pan at an angle so be sure to line the bucket up.

Changing the filter in your car can be tricky but not difficult. Locate the filter under the hood, it will be located in the back, side, or front of the engine. You can locate the filter by matching it up with the filter you purchased. Once you have located the filter remove it with a filter socket or filter wrench. There may be excess oil in the filter so be sure to have a pan underneath to catch any drips. Make sure the rubber gasket ring comes off with the filter when you remove the filter. To install the new filter remove from package and dip the tip of your finger in the new oil and smear around the gasket ring on the new filter. You can pour some new oil into the filter before installing it, this will help your car to regain oil pressure at a faster pace, it is not necessary to add oil into the filter before installing it.

Now you are ready to replace the drain plug on the oil pan, do not forget to replace the gasket or washer. Thread the drain plug with your fingers making sure it is snug, it does not have to be super tight. Screw on the new filter, they will come with at least one o-ring sometimes there may be as many as four o-rings, be sure to replace all. Read the directions and they will tell you how tight to tighten the filter.

Check your owners manual to see how many quarts of oil you will need, use a funnel to add new oil and pour new oil into the fill hole. Replace the cap and close the hood of your car. Start your car leaving it running for a few minutes and make sure oil is not dripping from underneath the car. Make sure the oil pressure light goes off after you start up your car.