How to change Oil

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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

DIY oil changes are one of the easiest car maintance things to do. They save you a lot of money. For the cost of Synthetic oil + filter it's a couple of bucks more then the local stations charge for dino+filter. Or save a couple of bucks more and go all dino.

I just did my first oil change at 56,330 miles on my recently purchased used 2010 SLS. I thought I'd capture the process for you all.

First, gather the stuff you need.
*5quarts oil + oil filter
* 10mm and 14mm socket
* a couple of rags and paper towels
* a jack and a funnel
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

Next open your hood.
And jack up the car. (I didn't mention jack stands. Use them! It's a bad idea to crawl under the car on the jack. If the jack slips or rolls you can be injured or killed.)
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

There's a plastic guard under the passenger side of the car. This will have to be removed. It has six 10mm bolts holding it in place.

Here is that piece out of the vehicle.
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

You'll see the oil plug on the side of the engine nearest to the cabin. Use the 14mm wrench to loosen, but not remove the plug. Get an oil pan and place underneath. Remove the plug allowing the oil to drain into the pan.
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

At this point I lower the car, ensuring it's level. Let the oil continue to drain.
Remove the oil cap and the oil dipstick. Wipe clean. Removing these items allows more air into the engine and the oil will flow faster. (I prefer removing these after the oil plug but it is a personal preference.)
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

The next step is to remove the oil filter. The Kizashi's filter is a bit tricky but not too difficult to get at. Because it's over other components I put a paper towel under the filter to help capture and redirect the spillage.
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

Next you'll want to get an oil catch pan under the filter and a oil wrench on the end of the filter. Turn it counter clockwise (anti-clockwise to some) and remove the filter.
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

Next step is to start the reassembly. Use a clean cloth to clean the parts off.
Start with the oil filter mount.
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MNSLS
Posts: 89
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:10 pm

That's it for pictures. But, I'll walk you through the rest.

Clean the oil filter mount. Put a bit of clean oil on the outside ring. Get the new oil filter and put a bit of clean oil on the outside ring. Put the new oil filter on. Twisting clockwise until tight. Then add about a 1/4-1/2 a turn.

Wait until the car is done draining. (I give it about 1/2 hour but that's probably way overkill.) Jack the car up.

Climb under and clean up the oil spills. There will be some under and by the oil filter. There will be some by the oil drain plug.

Take the oil plug and gasket. Put a bit of clean oil on the threads and seat of the oil plug. Put a bit of clean oil on both sides of the gasket. Wipe the oil plug hole on the oil pan. Put a bit of clean oil on the oil plug hole on the oil pan. Put the oil plug in. Twisting clockwise until tight. Use the 14mm wrench and tighten just barely snug. Then give the bolt about a 1/4-1/2 turn.

Next reassemble the plastic guard. (I noted my bolts were a bit rusty. I cleaned the rust off and added a bit of grease to them to help prevent rust. Another reason to do these yourself is you are more likely to give these extra pieces a bit of extra care. The cheapo oil change shop won't.)

Climb out from under the car and lower to the ground.

Grab your funnel and put it in the oil hole. Pour in about 4 3/4 quarts of oil. Put the oil cap back on.

Put the dipstick back in. Check the level a couple of times. (On my car the oil was above the full dot on the stick.)

Start your Kizashi! Drive around for just a bit.

Park on a level surface and recheck the oil level. (On my car the oil was about 1/2 way between the low and full dots.) If necessary top up as appropriate.

As a precaution the next time I drive I check to make sure there are no puddles of oil under the car. Also, after a few miles I let the car cool down and recheck the level. Assuming no major change in level you should be good to go. If there is a major change in level either you didn't tighten up the filter or plug sufficently OR there is something wrong with your engine. So recheck your oil filter and oil plug and resnug if necessary.

Best of Motorin'!
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