Changing your vehicle's oil is one of easiest and best ways to help maintain your vehicle. It also happens to be a very basic procedure that can be carried out by even the most inexperienced do-it-yourself mechanic. Changing a vehicle's oil centers on the principle of "out with the old and in with the new." It requires that you drain the old oil out of the vehicle before putting new oil into the system. Luckily, the whole process can be accomplished in a matter of minutes.
Park the vehicle on a flat surface. Put the vehicle in park and engage its emergency brake. Place the hydraulic jack underneath the vehicle's front reinforced jack plate (located near the front axle) and jack the vehicle into the air. Place the jack stands beneath the inner lip of the vehicle's control arm and lower the vehicle onto the jack stands.
Open the hood of the vehicle and unscrew the vehicle's oil cap. Place the newspapers or drip towels beneath the vehicle (to catch any possible spillage) and place the drip pan beneath the vehicle's oil pan.
Unscrew the vehicle's oil plug with a 14mm ratchet. Remove the oil plug and allow the oil to drain into the drip pan. Once the oil has drained to a drip, move on to Step 4.
Turn the vehicle's wheels to the left and peel back the flap in the driver's side fender well to gain access to the oil filter. Use an oil filter wrench to remove the old oil filter from the vehicle.
Apply a small amount of oil to the tip of your finger and rub the oil around the new filter's rubber seal. Once the oil is completely finished draining from the vehicle, place the new oil plug sealing washer in place and screw the oil plug back into place. Screw the new oil filter into position where you removed the old filter.
Insert the funnel into the oil filling location and add roughly 5.5 quarts of oil to the engine. Remove the funnel and screw the oil cap into place. Remove the oil dipstick and check the oil level. Replace the dipstick and start the vehicle. Let the vehicle idle for several minutes, then turn off the vehicle and check the oil dipstick. If necessary, add the last half quart of oil to engine.
Use the funnel to pour the used oil into a milk jug (or other large plastic container) and recycle the used motor oil at a certified oil recycling location. If you do not know of an oil recycling site near you, check one of the websites in the "Resources" section of this article to find one.
