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How To Change The Oil In Your Car?

Change The Oil In Your Car. A brief but very effective guide to changing the oil in your car. A simple necessity to prolong the lifetime value of a valuable asset.

You will need: 1 hydraulic or mechanical jack, 2 jack stands, 1 wedge or more, 1 new engine oil, 1 funnel, 1 new oil filter, 1 chain wrench, 1 combination spanner, new drain sealing washer, large open container, 1 empty sealable container, 1 a plastic bag or a sealable zip bag, old newspapers, rags and 1 pair of work gloves.

Step 1: Warm up the engine - Part of preparing this job is to drive your car around the block for 2 to 3 minutes before you start. Running the engine will heat the oil. The hot oil is thinner and will drain more easily and completely from the engine. When the temperature gauge indicates that the engine is warm you can drive back and get stuck in.
SAFETY WARNING: Don’t run the car too hot to avoid skin burns when touching engine parts later. Wait for 2 hours if the car is hot from a long drive.

Step 2: Set up a safe working environment - Park the vehicle on a solid and level surface. Make sure the workspace is well lit. Shift automatic cars into the parking position, in manual cars shift into first gear, and engage the parking brake firmly. Turn the ignition off. Release the bonnet with the lever in the interior. You will have to open the bonnet at a later stage. Block the tires with a wedge for added safety. Now line up your tools close to the car- You don’t want to start searching when you are under the car. SAFETY WARNING: Take extra care when securing your vehicle. You will have to work under the car and you want to rule out any risks.

Step 3: Access car’s underside - You will need to get under your car for an oil change. If you have a pit you are lucky to have easy access, otherwise you will have to carry out this job by sliding under the car. Most likely you will have to raise the car on jack stands to have enough room. Apply the jack at the lip running along the frame. Raise the car with a mechanical or hydraulic jack and settle it on jack stands. Repeat this process on the other side of the car. SAFETY WARNING: Never get underneath a car supported by a jack alone. Use additional jack stands.

Step 4: Protect the floor - Unfold the newspaper and spread it widely under the engine. Have the empty waste oil container ready to be used under the car.

Step 5: Locate the oil drain plug - You will now have to slide under the car to locate the oil drain plug. The drain plug is found at lowest point of the engine closest to the ground. Look for a big nut with a washer underneath.
SAFETY WARNING: Do not confuse the oil drain plug with the transmission drain plug. The oil drain plug is generally smaller and can be easily recognised by the bigger heat of the metal surrounding it. If in doubt consult a service technician.

Step 6: Remove oil drain plug - Wear work gloves if you want to keep your hands clean. Take a spanner with the appropriate size and place it over the drain plug nut. Applying a little force, turn the spanner counter-clockwise and dislodge the nut. Use your fingers to turn the nut slightly loose. Keep the nut in the thread, though, don’t undo it all the way.

Slide the empty waste oil container under the drain plug. Make sure it will be right under the stream. Remove the plug entirely and store it in a safe location. Get your face out of the way of the hot oil stream and slide out from under the car. Let the oil drain completely. The initial stream will subside after about 2 minutes. TOP TIP !: Let the oil drain for up to an hour. This is worth the time, as you will get rid of almost all the old oil.

Step 7: Vent the oil system - Now we have to open the bonnet to get access to the engine from above. Move the bonnet catch for final release. Lift the bonnet and secure it with the prop rod. To drain the oil completely we have to let air enter the system, so first remove the oil filler cap and keep it on the engine block. Next identify the oil dipstick. Look for removable thin metal strip. Remove the dipstick entirely. Now the rest of the oil will drain more easily. Wipe the dipstick clean and note the marks indicating the recommended upper and lower oil levels. Set the dipstick aside.

Step 8: Locate the oil filter - Identify the oil filter on the engine block. Look for a big cylindrical metal cartridge. SAFETY WARNING: The oil filter contains hot oil. Handle the filter with care to avoid skin injuries.

Step 9: Remove the old oil filter - Now take the chain wrench. Slide the chain over the oil filter, and tighten the belt by turning the handle to the right until you notice that you have a firm grasp on the cartridge. Pull the wrench counter clockwise with a little force to loosen the filter. Continue with the wrench until the filter moves easily . Now slip the wrench off and turn the filter loose by hand. Don’t burn yourself. Remove the filter entirely and store it in a safe location. You will need it in a little while.

Step 10: Replace the oil filter - Pick up the new filter. Before replacing it, you will have to coat the gasket at the bottom of the filter with oil. Take the old oil filter and press its oily gasket against the new filter’s dry gasket. The filter will thus connect better with the engine block. Now take a rag and clean the area where the filter will be mounted so no dirt gets between engine and filter gasket. Now, fit the new filter over the bolt and screw it on by manually turning it clockwise. Slide the chain wrench over the filter, tighten the chain and turn the filter clockwise until securely connected.

Step 11: Replace the drain sealing washer - Take a new sealing washer and slide it over the drain nut. Get under the car and carefully thread nut and washer back into the plug hole. Tighten the drain plug properly with the spanner and slide back out from under the car, as you are done there.

Step 12: Replace the oil - Insert the funnel into the oil filler hole to fill up with oil. Take the new oil and pour in the quantity recommended by the manufacturer. Put the oil cap back on when you are finished. To be on the safe side you need to check the oil level. Insert the dipstick all the way, and pull it out again to check the oil level. It is supposed to be between the minimum and maximum level marks .

Step 13: Clean up - Screw the lid off the empty sealable container and insert the funnel. Take the full waste oil container and pour its contents through the funnel. Close the lid firmly when the container is full. Put the old oil filter into a plastic bag. Make a knot, or, when using a zip bag, seal it. Raise the car with the jack, remove the jack stands and lower the car safely to the ground. Don’t forget to remove the wedge.

Step 14: Check your car’s oil level - To be on the safe side you need to check the oil level. Insert the dipstick all the way, and pull it out again to check the oil level. It is supposed to be between the minimum and maximum level marks.

Step 15: Dispose of the waste oil - The first trip with the car should take you to a recycling point to dispose of oil, filter and empty containers. You should also check the engine for leaks before and after this this trip. When first starting the car, let the engine run for 3 minutes and check for oil leaks underneath before you drive off. If the drain plug is leaky you may have to carefully tighten it a little more. Now take the old oil filter and sealed waste oil container to a garage or petrol station where they will be taken to a recycling point. The place where you bought the oil will also take the waste oil. You have just done a good job for your car and for the environment

Routine Maintenance For Cars: How To Change The Oil In Your Car

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How To Check Your Car’s Tyre Wear?

We give you some top tips on how to check your tyres for wear and tear.

You will need: 1 tread depth gauge for measuring tread depth and 1 air pressure gauge.

Step 1: Create a safe environment - Try to carry out the check away from traffic, parking on a level surface if possible. If the car is automatic place the gear stick in the’ Parking’ position. In manual transmission cars, shift into first gear. Apply the parking brake and turn off the ignition. Work in a well-lit setup, making sure carry out this check in good lighting conditions. Remember, this is above all a visual check for you to find out whether and when to buy new tyres.

SAFETY WARNING: Do not smoke if you are carrying out this task in non-ventilated surroundings.

Step 2: Locate the tread - The tread is the thick molded surface of the tyre that grips the road. It consists of a pattern made up of grooves across the central three quarters of the breadth of the tyre and around the entire outer circumference. The depth of these grooves should be even on all parts of the tyre. The less tread depth there is, the less grip and driving safety you have.

Step 3: Do a visual check - Inspect your tyre closely and remove any small objects stuck in the tread.
Check for noticeably uneven wear. Replace the tyre straight away if you notice excessive wear, bulges, cracks or deep cuts in the tread or the side walls. Look for the built-in tread wear indicator blocks. They are usually found at the bottom of the tyre’s central groove. Check if the tread wear indicators are visibly flush with the surrounding tread; if so, replace the tyre.

Step 4: Use a tread-depth gauge - Check for excessive tread wear by using the gauge on one of the measuring points. If the wear is obviously uneven, place the gauge on the section with the most wear as this part will go first. Holding the gauge perpendicular to the tread, place it between two tread wear indicator blocks. Then extend the gauge’s little finger all the way into the bottom of the groove. Now read the value on the ruler. The minimum tread depth for winter tyres should be at least 5,0 mm. Summer tyres should have at least 3,0 mm. If your tread depth is under these figures it is time to replace the tyres. Note that these values are ideal for your road safety, as they are much above the legal minimum for tread depth of 1.6 mm.

TIP: If the tread is below the legal minimum, fines can be over 2000 pounds/3000 dollars per tyre. Make sure to observe your local legal requirements for the minimum tread depth. However, note that the standard for most countries of 1.6 mm is too low to provide proper road safety in wet conditions. If you don’t have a tread-depth gauge use a ten pence coin to see if you have at least 1.6 mm. The distance between the coin’s outer edge and the inner dotted circle is exactly 1.6 mm. If you can see the dots sticking out of the groove it is high time to buy new tyres.

Step 5: Adjust tyre pressure if necessary - If the wear on a tyre is uneven, you can counteract this in some cases by simply adjusting the tyre pressure. Over-inflation causes excessive wear down the centre of the tread so in this case, let some pressure off the tyre. Under-inflation causes too much wear on the outer edges, so increase the pressure.

SAFETY WARNING: There are tread wear patterns that cannot be corrected with the tyre pressure.

If you note dips in the front tyre tread your wheels may be out of balance. This means the small lead weights attached to the rim of the wheel have the wrong weight or are in the wrong place or both. This will lead to vibration at cruising speed. Have your tyres balanced by a tyre specialist. Check the surface of each tyre by running your hand lightly over the tread. If you notice bumps or even cracks on a relatively new tyre there may be problems with your suspension. Have shock absorbers or struts checked as soon as possible.

If your tyres are worn unevenly on one side of the car or the other your wheels should be properly aligned by a specialist. Not doing so may see your car skidding off the road in wet driving conditions. Tyres can and should be rotated at every second oil change - this will insure all tyres wear equally.

SAFETY WARNING: Inspect your tyres after extreme driving manoeuvres.

Most tyre damage directly results from driving over the curb. If this happens to you check your tyres immediately after driving over the curb. Small damage can be fixed by a tyre specialist if dealt with straight away, although the tyre should be replaced as soon as possible. Avoid tyre damage and ensuing accidents by driving responsibly.

Step 6: Repeat check on all tyres - Check if all tyres have even wear, as this is how it should be. Remove small objects, measure the tread depth and correct the tyre pressure where necessary. Do this check at every other petrol stop when checking the tyre pressure. Be aware that regardless of whether a tyre has been driven or not - if it is older than six years it should not be on the road anymore.

Generally replace tyres after 40.000 km/ 25,000 miles. And remember - if the tyre is worn below the legal limit, it’s unsafe to drive. Saving on tyres is false economy.

Routine Maintenance For Cars: How To Check Your Car’s Tyre Wear

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