CHANGING YOUR CAR’S ENGINE LUBRICANT

Before we start explaining how to change the engine lubricant, let us warn you that clarity or darkness of your car’s engine oil are no positive indicators of its performance or quality. You cannot decide to change the lubricant simply because it looks murky. The only thing you can trust when examining the engine lubricant’s condition is its smell.

To change the engine lubricant you need some bottles of or cans or new oil, oil filter, a pair of plastic gloves (to keep your hands clean), a wrench, a flashlight, an oil pan and some old newspapers.

How much oil do you need?

The right quantity of new oil depends on the capacity of the car engine. Personal cars normally require 4 liters of new engine lubricants.

Follow these steps to change your car’s engine lubricants:

1. Park the car on a level surface and engage the handbrake.
2. Jack up the car – carefully read the safety manual.
3. Start the engine and keep it idle for 2 or 3 minutes to warm up the lubricant – this will make the oil flow smoothly and clean the dust particles inside the engine. Stop the engine.
4. Remove the oil pan cap to help the oil flow better. This is where you pour the new oil after the old oil has completely drained.
5. Now try to locate the oil pan — it’s a flat metal attached to the underside of your car, somewhere near the gearbox and has a drain plug facing downward. You might have some trouble telling engine oil pan from transmission oil pan. In this case, start the engine and keep it on for about 5 or 10 minutes. Engine oil drain plug should be warm when touched, while transmission oil drain plug remains cold. Loose the engine lubricant drain plug to let the old lubricant fall out.
6. Use a wrench to loosen the engine lubricant drain plug, and make sure that you use the correct size of the wrench. Otherwise, you may damage the drain plug. Take good care to prevent the drain plug from plunging into the old oil. You may need to replace the oil filter with the new one. If the oil filter is stil in a good condition, you can reuse it.
7. Wait for about 20 minutes just to be sure the old oil has drained off the engine. When you see no more oil dripping, reinstall the oil filter and the drain plug

What is the right time to change the engine oil filter? 

Well it all depends on your car’s condition and your driving style. We recommend that you change the filter every time you change the lubricantsl, because each time you change the engine lubricant some old oil and dust particles are lodged inside the filter. Never use cheap oil filters because they don’t last very long, even if you use expensive synthetic lubricants for your car. Always use quality oil filters.
 
 

How to replace the oil filter?

 

1. First, of course, you must locate and identify the oil filer — it’s a blue, black or white metal cylinder measuring 8 to 10 cm in diameter attached to the underside of the car engine, close to the oil pan. On the latest automotive models, oil filters are usually located under the engine hood. To ease your job of unscrewing oil filters we recommend using a wrench.
2. Unscrew and remove the old oil filter.
3. Even though the old oil has stopped dripping, it is highly possible that some part of warm old oil is still lodged in the oil filter. In this case, position the used oil container right under the old filter and carefully unscrew it. 
4. Use some cloth to clean the engine surface and make sure you remove the rubber seal of the old filter.
5. Smear the new filter and the rubber seal with some oil to make them slighty moist – this will give a perfect sealing effect to the filter. Manually reattach the rubber seal to the filter.
6. Pour the new oil and check the level.

Congratulations! Now you have mastered the skill of changing your car’s engine oil!