Basic Oil Change
If you look at the picture above you can see how much of a mess the box prevents!
THE NEXT PICTURES ARE VERY IMPORTANT
After you get your filter off LOOK AT IT!!!! I can not say this enough! If your filter looks like the one above go right back under the car and remove the gasket from the
filter adapter! Again it is extremely important to make sure the old filter still has
a gasket on it!!!!!
Here you can see the filter adapter I talked about above. I am cleaning it, which is
another way to make sure the old filter's gasket is NOT still on there.
And one last check to make sure I didn't leave an old gasket on the filter adapter
I put them both side by side!
A lot of people will tell you that filling the filter with oil is a waste of time. I feel like
anything I can do to make the oil get through the filter and to my delicate engine
parts faster, is worth the time to do! Go slow, and pour it straight into the center hole, as
it fills up let it set and soak in. I fill it until it holds at about 3/4 full. That gets the
oil in the filter and doesn't make it so full that it pours out when I am trying to put it on.
Take a little of that new oil that you just poured into the filter and lubricate the rubber gasket.
Notice that I am only using my hand to install the filter and that I have NOT picked up
the filter wrench! Spin the filter on until the gasket seats against the baseplate and then
turn it another 270 degrees (3/4 turn). NO FILTER WRENCH REQUIRED! Now before you get out from under the car go ahead and look around for anything that looks out of place, and of course wipe things down to make them nice, shiny and new.
Pour in the oil! It will take every bit of 6 quarts so go ahead and pour it all in, put the cap back on and start the car. When the car starts wait for the oil pressure guage to climb to normal (takes about 10-15 seconds) then shut down the engine and go look for any leaks or drips. As long as you followed the directions there shoudn't be any.
Now let the engine sit long enough to look around and make sure that you have everything out from under the hood and out from under the car. Grab your rag and check the oil level. If you are on ramps now is the time to back the car off them so you can make SURE your oil level is right. With the car level, pull the dipstick and whipe it clean. Slide it all the way back in and let it sit a second then pull it out to check the oil level. The oil level should be at the top of the little x's. If it is not, then maybe you forgot to pour in the oil you had been using to fill the filter.
Congratulaions you have just changed your own oil! You should be very proud of yourself just don't forget to keep your records! You will probably never need them but it is good to have them just in case! I took a picture of the odometer and the store receipt for the oil and filter and keep them both saved in a folder called 2008Bullitt servicing seperated by the date i changed the oil. However you decide to do just make sure you actually write it down somewhere so you will know when it is due next time.
Please dispose of your old oil properly!
