Changing the oil on most vehicles is a fairly easy and inexpensive project that just about anyone can do. Unfortunately getting the job done by a shop can cost $40-$45 on average. Because of these high costs I have been doing my own oil changes for years. Not only does it save me money, but I like knowing the job has been done right.
Getting ready
For my oil change I needed 6 quarts of oil, an oil filter, oil filter wrench, funnel, 14 mm socket and wrench and an oil drain pan with its own drain spout to make recycling the oil easy.
Removing the old oil
Gathering the tools before starting the job is important as they need to be within reach while working under the vehicle. The car also needs to be parked on a flat surface to properly drain the oil.
After locating the drain plug (which looks like a nut) on the bottom of the oil pan (underneath the car) I placed the oil drain pan directly underneath it. By using the wrench with a 14 mm socket I was able to break the nut loose. Then I continued to loosen the socket by hand being careful not to drop the drain plug (nut) into the oil drain pan. As the nut was loosened, oil dripped out and then poured out quickly once the nut was completely removed. Removing the oil fill cap located on the top of the engine (under hood) allowed for any oil remaining to flow out. Once the oil drained (about five minutes) I replaced the drain plug (nut).
Finishing up
After locating the oil filter (which resembles a soda can) on the side of the engine, I used the oil drain pan to catch the dripping oil when unscrewing the oil filter. The filter can be unscrewed easily by using an oil filter wrench. Installing the new filter was easy and went in the same way the old one came out. Then after adding five quarts oil, I replaced the oil fill cap and started the vehicle allowing it to run for a few minutes. After turning the car off and checking the oil level on the dipstick I added about ½ quart more. The oil from the drain pan was emptied back into the empty oil containers and was taken back to my local auto parts for free recycling.