Changing the oil in your Chevy Impala is an important component of regular maintenance because without regular oil changes an Impala will begin to display signs of premature wearing in the form of ticking and loss of power. If the oil is not changed when needed, the cost to repair the engine could almost equal the value of the vehicle. With a few basic automotive tools you can make sure your oil is changed correctly and save a few dollars at the same time.
Drive the car onto a set of ramps to lift the front end off of the ground. This also makes the drain plug the lowest point of the oil pan. If you do not have a set of ramps you can jack the front of the call off of the ground and place the car on jack stands. Once the front end is lifted, open the Impala's hood, remove the oil filler cap and allow the car too cool off as the oil could be very hot.
Place an empty 5 quart container directly under the oil pan that is located under the vehicle. Remove the oil pan drain plug and allow all of the oil to drain out of the oil pan into the the container. Allow the oil to drain until the stream of oil completely stops. Once the oil stops draining put the drain plug back into the oil pan and tighten it.
Place the 5 quart container directly under the oil filter that is located by the passenger side strut. Using an oil filter wrench to loosen the oil filter. Once the oil filter has been loosened, remove the filter using your hands. This will prevent the filter from falling into the container full of oil.
Wipe a small amount of new oil onto the seal of the new oil filter. This will help to promote a solid seal between the engine and the new oil filter. Fill the inside of the filter half way up with new oil and then reattach the filter to the Impala using your hand. Once it has been tighten by hand use the oil filter wrench and tighten the filter 1/2 turn.
Place 4 quarts of oil into the engine via the oil filler spout found in the engine compartment. Replace the oil filler cap.
Remove the vehicle from the ramp and place it on flat ground. Allow the engine to run for a few minutes and then shut the vehicle off. Check the oil via the dipstick. The dipstick has a line on that indicates if the Impala has the right amount of oil. If it is slightly low, add a small amount of oil and recheck.
