Growing up in Africa, my father passed down a lot of knowledge to my younger brother and I which he promised will come in handy as men. He always said, “if you want to save money, you should stop paying for things you can learn to do by yourself”. He taught me how to shave, grill, knot a tie, iron my shirt/pants, change any car flat tire, check and refill my car fluid, change the oil filter and oil. To be frank with you, he passed down a lot of DIY hacks to my younger brother and I before he passed away that we could literally survive in a desert if we found ourselves stranded.
Fast forward to 2015, I now live in New York and I really got spoilt or should I say I became less prudent with my spending. Last week I went for an oil change at my dealership, while I sat in brightly lit waiting area with other customers listening to the same song on repeat like patients being hypnotized in a horror movie. As I quietly sat their for 3 hours patiently waiting my turn, I wondered why I was putting myself through this mental torture to just hand the guys at the dealership $80 of my hard-earned cash when I could change the oil and filter myself in front of my driveway with the right tools and save my money.
As you all know by now, Tech My Money is a big advocate for DIY hacks or products that will save our readers some cash. A DIY Pennzoil Oil Change will come in handy for most of us, some people don’t even know they could change or top up their oil. Learning how to do this can save you a trip to the car shop, and save you some extra cash. You have to first decide if you just need a top up or a full oil change. In my case, I needed to get a full oil and oil filter change as my car just hit its 50,000 miles mark.
When do you change your oil? Most importantly, you should change your oil and filter at, or before, the end of the oil-change intervals provided by your vehicle’s manufacturer. Changing your engine oil is based on your mileage or time from your last oil change. Religiously changing your oil as required can help keep your engine oil in good condition and offer the best protection for all your engine components even in extreme temperatures. Using the right oil like Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil for your car helps deliver complete protection to your engine, pistons and even better Fuel Economy. You can check out the Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil social hub for more DIY videos. See the detailed DIY steps for your car oil change after the embedded video.
DIY Oil Change Steps With Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Motor Oil:
I decided to go with the Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic motor oil which is also backed by a 10 year/300,000 mile Lubrication Limited Warranty. I bought mine at Autozone. You can buy any Pennzoil product from any of these retailers too (Walmart, Advance Auto Parts, O’Reilly’s, or Pep Boys).
1. Park vehicle on level surface, engage parking brake and turn off engine. If necessary, raise front of vehicle by driving it onto a ramp or by jacking it up and supporting it with jack stands.
CAUTION: NEVER GET UNDER A VEHICLE SUPPORTED ONLY BY A JACK! WE ALSO RECOMMEND WHEEL CHOCKS TO HELP PREVENT WHEELS ON THE GROUND FROM ROLLING.
2. Open hood.
3. Locate engine oil dipstick and remove (helps oil flow when draining).
4. Once vehicle is safely and securely supported, put on safety glasses, crawl under vehicle and locate engine’s oil pan. (See owner’s manual for reference.)
5. Locate oil drain plug, which is a long bolt head at bottom of pan. The drain plug allows the oil to drain out of the pan. (Note: Some vehicles have two drain plugs.)
6. Position a container, such as an approved oil catch pan, under drain plug. Make sure the catch pan is large enough to hold the volume of oil expected to drain out of the engine. Check your owner’s manual for the volume of oil that you car requires.
7. Loosen drain plug using box-end wrench or 6-pt. socket. Carefully remove plug by hand, making sure catch pan is underneath plug hole. Oil will flow rapidly from hole, but allow several minutes for all old oil to drain out. (See vehicle owner’s manual for additional information.) CAUTION: OIL MAY BE HOT!
8. Wipe the oil pan threads and oil drain plug with a rag and visually inspect the condition of the oil pan and oil drain plug threads and gasket. Buy a replacement drain plug if you have any concerns about the condition of the plug. Replace the drain plug gasket if needed (some OEMs recommend this). Once the oil is finished draining, reinstall the oil drain plug and tighten with the correct box-end wrench or 6-pt. socket to the manufacturer-specified torque. (See owner’s manual.)
9. Locate oil filter. If the old and new oil filters are not the same, double-check the application to be sure you have the correct filter. (See vehicle’s owner’s manual for additional information.)
10. Position oil catch pan under oil filter to catch any residual oil remaining inside filter.
11. Loosen oil filter or oil filter cap with oil filter wrench, and allow oil to drain from oil filter.
12. Remove oil filter. Check to make sure filter gasket has come off with the filter. If it’s still clinging to the engine mounting plate, remove it and any remaining residue.
13. Place a light coating of new oil on the gasket of the new oil filter so it will install smoothly onto engine. (Note: Do not use grease!) By hand, install new oil filter onto engine by turning in a clockwise direction. Once the oil filter gasket first contacts the mounting plate gasket surface, tighten filter according to directions for your application (usually found on the new oil filter or oil filter box), preferably by hand. Generally, this is three-quarters to one full turn after the filter gasket contacts the engine. (NOTE: Cartridge oil filter replacement procedures may differ. See owner’s or service manual for instructions.)
14. Under the hood, remove the oil fill cap and pour in the correct amount of Pennzoil motor oil of the correct viscosity with a funnel. (See vehicle’s owner’s manual for recommended grade, specification and amount.)
15. Replace oil fill cap.
16. Start engine and run at idle for minimum of 30 seconds. Carefully inspect under vehicle for oil leaks (especially by oil drain plug and oil filter). If leaks are visible, shut off engine immediately and repair leaks.
17. Shut off engine and allow 30 seconds for oil to settle in the engine. Carefully inspect the area beneath the vehicle for oil leaks.
18. Safely lower vehicle to level ground.
19. Install and remove oil dipstick and check for proper oil level, adding more oil if necessary. (See vehicle’s owner’s manual for oil capacity and recommended oil level on dipstick.)
20. Repeat oil change with Pennzoil motor oil as directed by manufacturer’s guidelines.
Do you change your own motor oil? Let us know in the comment section.
- These instructions are intended as general guidelines. Please consult your owner’s or service manual for specific instructions on changing the oil and filter on your vehicle. Use extreme caution when lifting or jacking any vehicle.
Awesome! I’ve always wanted to learn how to change my own oil…thanks for sharing! #client