BF2S Forums Changing motor oil

depends on the car.

i take it in, just because of laziness and bad timing
ironic, i still do my own brakes

Last edited by jsnipy (2009-02-04 18:32:56)

trex1210 wrote:

doing it your self is so easy. Just unscrew the plug on the oil pan and let the oil drain out. Screw plug back on and then put new oil in. You should replace the oil filter aswell.
Doing this on your own will not only save you money but you will gain some knowlegde on your vehicle.

What about having to go to the store and buying the oil and filter? What about having to dispose of the oil? You're better off just taking it in and getting someone to do it.

Before you drain the oil be sure you can remove the filter, they get screwed on pretty tight sometimes and if you don't have a filter wrench or big pair of channel locks it can be bitch to remove.  I've had to hammer a screwdriver into the bastards to get some leverage.


oh yeah, your oil filter on on the left side of the block, mounted on an oil cooler.  When you drain the oil, make sure you drain the engine oil and not the transmission, I know it sounds simple, but I've seem more than one car come in on a hook with an empty transmission and 10 or 12 quarts of oil in the engine.

Last edited by Reciprocity (2009-02-04 18:41:48)

I know that Japanese cars are usually a pain in the ass to change the oil due to bad location of the oil filter. Maybe a 91 is old enough that they have it big and spread out so it shouldn't be a problem. You probably won't save much money unless you use fully synthetic oil, which you should use! if you use regular oil with a regular oil filter, you might save a dollar or two doing it yourself. But if you ask for synthetic at the local shop, they'll suddenly charge you a lot more. You can go to Walmart or something and get Mobil 1 fully synthetic (forget the price, not too much though) and get the most expensive oil filter they have for your car (roughly $10.) If you use fully synthetic, it lasts you a full 6 months or 6,000 miles which is obviously a lot more convenient because you cut down your oil changes in half, in the long run you save money, you get better fuel mileage, you get a slight increase in power (don't expect much of a difference, you might not even notice any difference at all) and this oil is better for your engine. In the end, it's stupid not to use fully synthtic. Even better, if you can get Amsoil or Royal Purple. I'm not even sure if they sell these at the popular auto stores like AutoZone, I usually go to a local shop for it. It's quite a bit more expensive but it last a year/12,000 miles. Of course, it has the same benefits as fully synthetic but it'll last you twice as long and it's supposedly better in every way as well. Get either the Amsoil EA or Wix oil filter for it as well since those will also last a year/12k miles. Last time I changed my oil was in May of 2008 and I paid roughly $45 for the oil and filter. How much have you spent for oil since then?

If you do choose to change your own oil, remember these small tidbits:

-Drive around for about 10 minutes before you change your oil. It'll heat up the oil which allows it to flow out of the oil pan much easier which means it comes out faster and less gunk gets stuck in there.

-You're going to get oil on your hands. If you drive around for 10 minutes, it'll be warm, but it's not going to burn you. If you were driving for a long time, you can let it sit for 10-15 minutes to let it cool a bit, but still, you won't get burnt. Just get your hands dirty, it makes things so much easier.

-I know it sounds stupid but make sure you have a good grip on your oil filter when you remove it. Oil will pour out of it as it gets loose and onto your hands unless you use one of those wrenches, but those suck. Don't let it slip out of your hand. The first time I changed my oil, it slipped out of my hand and went right into the catch can splashing oil onto my face, fortunately none went into my eyes/mouth. I'm just warning you not to make the same mistake I made.

-Obviously make sure the plug is in before you start pouring in your new oil. My brother's friend forgot to do that and watched all the oil pour down the driveway and almost into a sewer. XD He had to run and grab rags to stop it from reaching the sewer and spent hours cleaning it up before a cop might see it since he didn't want a huge fine.

-This one I cannot stress enough. When changing your oil filter, apply some of the new oil onto your finger tip. Run your finger along the top of the oil filter several times where it screws into the engine. If you don't do this, the metal will seize to your engine and you're going to have one hell of a time removing it the next time you change your oil. My oil filter wrench, or whatever it's called, wouldn't do anything, it just dented the filter. I had to hammer a screw driver into the side to turn it which made an even bigger mess. So REMEMBER, run some oil over the metal of the oil filter where it screws into your engine!!!

That's basically all there is to it, can't really think of anything else at the moment. You should probably grease your joints while you're at it. You should do that every 3 months/3,000 miles as well.

edit - The oil filter I always just threw out. The actual oil you can bring anywhere like Autozone and they'll dispose it free of charge.

Last edited by FrankieSpankie3388 (2009-02-04 18:41:54)

phishman420 wrote:

trex1210 wrote:

doing it your self is so easy. Just unscrew the plug on the oil pan and let the oil drain out. Screw plug back on and then put new oil in. You should replace the oil filter aswell.
Doing this on your own will not only save you money but you will gain some knowlegde on your vehicle.

What about having to go to the store and buying the oil and filter? What about having to dispose of the oil? You're better off just taking it in and getting someone to do it.

Oil is damn cheap (atleast where I live) and for disposing of the oil, we usually use it for fire starter.

Im_Dooomed wrote:

phishman420 wrote:

You're better off just taking it in and getting someone to do it.

Quiet u lazy stoner

Really, ordering an oil filter/air filter/ few quarts of oil is so easy. Wtf ig? lol....

and it would be cheaper online anyway...Or just order the stuff from an auto parts store.

Also, any oil service place should take the oil for you, they might charge ya a small amount though.

Buy a shop manual. A good one! Like, Toyota's official shop manual for the truck in discussion.

The thing is that you're only saving a few bucks, and it takes 10x as long...

FrankieSpankie3388 wrote:

phishman420 wrote:

Im_Dooomed wrote:

Quiet u lazy stoner

Really, ordering an oil filter/air filter/ few quarts of oil is so easy. Wtf ig? lol....

and it would be cheaper online anyway...Or just order the stuff from an auto parts store.

Also, any oil service place should take the oil for you, they might charge ya a small amount though.

Buy a shop manual. A good one! Like, Toyota's official shop manual for the truck in discussion.

The thing is that you're only saving a few bucks, and it takes 10x as long...

You'd actually be surprised. Yes, only a few bucks for your regular conventional oil. Next time ask for fully synthetic and magically it's mystical oil that came from the moon and costs a shit ton more.

Because synthetic costs the same as regular at a store...

phishman420 wrote:

FrankieSpankie3388 wrote:

phishman420 wrote:

The thing is that you're only saving a few bucks, and it takes 10x as long...

You'd actually be surprised. Yes, only a few bucks for your regular conventional oil. Next time ask for fully synthetic and magically it's mystical oil that came from the moon and costs a shit ton more.

Because synthetic costs the same as regular at a store...

Uhh, of course it doesn't... However, it's only a couple bucks more at a store where if you go to a garage, you're paying at least $25 more... Most garages won't even use your oil if you try to bring it to them either.

Nothing easier you can do on a car than that. exept maybe refilling the Washer Fluid. Oil...it burn well in a campfire tbh...filter not as much, so dispose of it via trash...or if you can bring it somewhere they take it do it.

Ultimately it depends on;

The car,
The owner,
The owners inclinations.

If you're average joe owning an average car then sure, take it to a garage/service place.

I own a tuned MR2 Turbo. It uses ester based synthetic oil (seriously, not the usual synthetic shit they try to sell you) and I'm a qualified and competent mechanic. When I change the oil on my car, I know it's been done correctly, the correct parts have been used and I care about the job.

The average spanner monkey at a garage doesn't give a flying fuck if the filter was lubricated, or if the sump plug washer was replaced etc. Plus when I do it, the labour is free

Always change it myself after the one time I took it in during the winter.  The idiot went crazy w/ his airgun and my oilpan has leaked at the plug ever since.  Extremely slow leak, but it's still annoying.  As others have mentioned, the numbnuts that populate most of the cheap oil change outfits can't even do it right.  As far as synthetic, check out Amsoil.