You’ve decided to take the plunge into changing your own motor oil! Great! Now, where do you start?
To the savers, always pick quality brands. Shoot for the average products, this is where you will find value. The cheapest brand is more likely to cost you money in the long run.
For the quality above all else folks, pick the best products, do your research, and know what you are buying. YouTube videos will be your friend.
Oil
Let’s start with the big one! What oil should I use?
I am a firm believer in using the best oil possible for your car. Synthetic motor oils are going to be the best protection for your engine.
Synthetic oils are engineered to have a uniform molecular structure that allows the oil to flow more efficiently. Think of it as a highway full of self-driving Honda Civics. There are no big rigs that you must go around, no pickups with a stack of garbage headed for the dump, and no minivan with a mattress strapped to its top. Just smooth efficient flow. Sounds nice right!
Since synthetic oil is the highest quality, you will also find the highest quality additives. The additives are the cleaning and anti-wear characteristics of your oil. These are what protect the engine during operation. Just because they are the highest quality doesn’t mean that conventional oils aren’t using the right additives to protect your car. Higher quality generally means the additives will resist breaking down for longer periods of time.
Conventional oils are derived from oil that was pumped out of the ground. When people think of oil, this is what they are thinking of. Oil pumped out of the ground is organic in nature and the molecular structure can vary, slowing down the flow of oil as it passes through your engine. Conventional oils will tend to break down faster and have shorter oil change intervals.
You will want to determine your oil change interval. I suggest using the manufacturer’s recommendation. Synthetic oils will offer longer oil change intervals and can be extended beyond the manufacturer’s recommended interval.
However, I would suggest doing a significant amount of research before changing from a manufacturer’s recommended interval. If you are unsure, you are better off running oil that most closely matches your car’s recommended interval.
On the other side of that, ensure the oil you purchase meets the manufactures recommended interval.
If you are still changing your oil every 3,000 miles, I suggest avoiding synthetic motor oils as you are not going to be getting value out of synthetic motor oil. Synthetics aren’t going to be cheap and they use quality additives, which, were meant to last longer than a 3,000-mile oil change interval.
I’ve talked a lot about intervals but there is still another component that needs to be covered.
What this about 5w-30?
5w-30 is simply the viscosity rating. The important thing here is, what does the manufacturer recommend? You can find this in your owner’s manual or on the top of your oil cap in the engine compartment.
If you are in an extremely cold environment you may need to change your oil for winter and summer, however, most of you will just need to follow manufacturer recommendations. If you are in this situation, your car’s manufacturer should have recommended oils based on temperature.
Just remember, don’t cheap out on the oil. Use a quality brand!
Oil Filter
My advice here again, do not go with the cheapest oil filter you can buy. The reality is it isn’t worth risking your engine to save a few bucks.
There are quite a few oil filter videos on YouTube if you really want to dig into it.
Run a quality filter such as Wix. I’ve used Wix filters and have always had good luck with them.
Make sure you are getting a filter that is designed for the life of the oil you will use. If you put a high-quality synthetic oil, that is designed to last 12,000 miles, and you slap a 3,000-mile filter on it; you would need to change that filter every 3,000 miles and top off your motor oil each time. It’s like wearing a business suit and putting on tennis shoes, it just shouldn’t be done!
Why does the filter need to match the life of the oil? Good question!
It will prevent damage from occurring to the engine, due to a clogged filter.
Manufacturers put a bypass valve in the filter. Once the filter media can no longer flow enough oil it will bypass the media and flow straight to the engine. Now you have unfiltered oil running around your engine! Any contaminant will begin to increase wear in your engine and decrease its life.
Match the mileage of the filter with the oil!
Oil Filter Wrench
Oil filter wrenches are basic, the main thing you need to know is what size do I need?
Oil filters come in different sizes. Typically, you will see small, medium, and large variants. If you change the oil on a tractor, there are also XL and XXL!
There are also some that match the shape of your filter, sometimes these are easier to use. However, if the filter is on there too tight, I have had this style fail due to a lack of grip. Think how a wore out screw is nearly impossible to remove…
Strap wrenches also work but there tends to be a lack of space to make use of a strap wrench. If your filter is open to the world, this will work.
Ratchet and Socket
We will also need a socket and ratchet for the drain plug on your oil pan. Your owner’s manual should have the appropriate size for your socket. You will need that, a ratchet, and if you are wanting to follow all manufacturing recommendations, a torque wrench to tighten the drain plug back down.
Torque wrenches can be rather expensive but once you have one you will be set. Just make sure you take good care of it.
I have also used crescent wrenches in the past, I don’t recommend this as I have damaged the drain plugs due to the crescent not gripping the hex head on the plug.
An appropriately sized wrench will work, just remember sometimes it can be difficult due to the location of the drain plug.
Drain Pan
When you pop the plug on your oil pan you will need somewhere for your oil to go. I would suggest buying a pan that can be sealed. This will make it easier to take it back to your local auto parts store and have them dispose of your oil for you.
Alternatively, buy a standard drain pan and put it in a sealed bucket. This will get you the same result.
Paper Towels
Lots of paper towels! This is going to be messy and I usually go through quite a few paper towels. Pick up a roll of Scott Shop Towels. You’ll be happy you did!
Jack
This may be the most expensive item you will need to buy but once you have it you will be set for many years!
If you have a pickup you should be able to avoid purchasing a jack and jack stands, just make sure you can get under it.
If your car sits too low to the ground or doesn’t have good jack points you may need two…
Check your car out first and make sure you have everything you need to get the car into the air. It can be incredibly frustrating to get everything ready to go and not be able to complete your task because of one item.
Jack Stand
Once you get the car in the air you will want to secure it. Make sure you have two jack stands ready to go. Four if you plan on jacking the whole car up.
Always make sure your car is secure! Test it once it is on the jack stands! DO NOT trust the jack to hold the car up!
(AN ALTERNATIVE TO JACKS AND JACK STANDS)
Use a set of ramps and wheel chocks. If you have the clearance you can drive the car up onto the ramps, set your parking brake, and throw some wheel chocks behind the rear tires. This will get your car up in the air just as effectively, it simply offers less flexibility if you want to change your brakes in the future.
Again, always make sure your car is secure!
(MISC)
- Latex or Nitrile gloves, keeps the oil off your hands.
- GoJo or equivalent hand soap, for cleaning up afterward.
- Absorbent mats, you can use paper towels to clean up oil spills.
- Drain plug seal/gasket, if your oil filter doesn’t come with one of these, I would suggest picking one up for your drain plug.
- Funnel, not necessary but very helpful.
- Coffee or beer, depending on the time of day!
This is not a comprehensive list. Every car is different, make sure you do a once over and ensure you aren’t missing anything important. It will be the little things that can bite you and turn your Saturday project into a Sunday project and, if this is your only vehicle, you want it to go smooth the first time!
Good luck, discover more about your car, and start becoming your own mechanic!
