Oil is the lifeblood of car engines, as it provides the necessary lubricant for moving all those gears and parts that give your car its go. Changing the oil is a basic skill that is particularly uncomplicated in a 1995 Toyota Corolla, which has a very basic engine chassis. Change the oil in your Corolla at least every 3,000 miles or so. Changing the oil should take less than a half hour in most cases.
Park the Corolla on a flat, smooth surface such as a garage or a flat driveway. The flatter the surface the better, as this reduces the chance of the car slipping off the jack.
Jack up the car from the front driver side and put on the emergency brake. Jack it up enough for you to slip your body comfortably underneath the front chassis.
Place a sheet, preferably one you're no longer planning on using, or a towel underneath the front chassis. This will make it a little more comfortable when you're lying underneath the car and also catch any spilled oil.
Place the oil drip pan underneath the drain plug of the oil reservoir, which should be located right underneath the chassis. Look for the large, curvy metal box with a single plug-like bolt at the bottom.
Open the hood of the Corolla, to will allow the engine to cool off.
Loosen the drain plug with the 14 mm socket wrench until the oil begins draining out. Allow the oil to drain completely.
Use the oil filter wench to remove the old oil filter, which can be found under the exhaust manifold and is more accessible from underneath the car. You may not need the wrench, which grabs the filter with a vise-like grip, but it definitely helps.
Use your finger and lubricate the top of the new oil filter with a layer of new oil. There is a rubber gasket around the top of the oil filter; lube this up a little bit with the new oil.
Twist the new oil filter into the same place where you removed the old one. You shouldn't need an oil filter wrench for this, but you may wish to use one to tighten it.
Tighten the drain plug back into the bottom of the oil reservoir and remove the oil drip pan. You can also lower the car if you wish.
Take the oil cap off the top of the engine by twisting it to the left.
Insert the narrow end of the funnel into the top of the oil reservoir (where you just removed the cap) and add all 4 qts. of 10-W40 oil.
Tighten the oil cap on the engine and close the hood. Then turn on your car and let it run for about 10 minutes to stabilize the oil pressure and clean up any mess you made with paper towels.
