Jeep recommends changing the engine oil in your Commander every 3,000 miles or every three months, whichever comes first. The company also advises replacing the oil filter then, too. You can have the dealership do this, or can you do it yourself and save the labor cost. The only additional expense is the one-time purchase of a specialized oil filter wrench.
Use API-certified SAE 5W-30 motor oil if the engine is 3.7 or 4.7 liters. Use SAE 5W-20 for a 5.7L engine.
Use a Mopar oil filter from your local Jeep dealership. The part number is 05281090.
Buy an oil filter wrench that fits the Mopar oil filter (part number 05281090).
Run the engine in neutral for five minutes. This warms up the oil so it empties from the tank faster. Even then, the oil will take more than 15 minutes to empty.
Turn off the engine for a few minutes to avoid burning yourself on hot oil splashes.
Elevate the car on a car lift or blocks. A less desirable option is to use a car jack. The car can roll off a jack when you’re under it, so don’t attempt this without sufficient precautions. Stabilize the car by placing heavy bags (salt or fertilizer, for instance) under each side of one of the rear tires. Slide something, such as blocks or a jack stand, under the car next to the jack, then move the jack to raise the other side.
Unscrew the engine oil cap. It will be located on top of the engine block and will say “engine oil” on it. Opening it allows air in to replace oil pouring out the bottom.
Position a drain pan under car, under the drain bolt. It should be on the bottom of the side of the oil tank.
Unscrew the drain bolt counterclockwise, using a crescent wrench. Don't lose the washer.
Let it drain for 20 minutes.
Find the oil filter on the underside of the engine. You’ll recognize it as a cylinder about as wide as it is tall.
Cover the end of the oil filter with the oil filter wrench. Loosen it counterclockwise with a crescent wrench. (The oil filter wrench isn’t a wrench in the usual sense, and needs a conventional wrench to work it.) Screw off the filter by hand.
Take out the gasket (the rubber O-ring) that fits between the filter and engine. Wipe the filter mounting surface clean, including any gasket residue.
Coat the new gasket with engine oil, position it on the filter mounting surface and screw the oil filter on by hand. Tighten it until you feel resistance. Then, use the oil filter wrench and tighten it another two-thirds of a turn. Over-tightening can cause an oil leak.
Screw the drain bolt back in. If you’re using a torque wrench, tightening to 22 to 29 foot-pounds should suffice. Don’t overtighten it.
Pour the oil into the top of the engine, where you removed the oil cap. Use a funnel. Read the dipstick to make sure you don’t overfill, which can reduce mileage and even hurt the engine.
Run the engine in neutral for five minutes. Check the oil filter and drain bolt to make sure there’s no leaking.
Take the car of its supports.
Use soap and water to wash your skin clean of any used oil.
Drop off the used oil at a recycling center or a gas station. Don’t pour it down the drain, where its toxicity can affect groundwater and the environment.
Put the used oil filter and the upside-down empty oil cans in the drain pan for the next oil change. By then, they’ll be drained and can be thrown out in the regular garbage.
