From: Built_Well on 10 Oct 2007 20:22 I'm going to follow BadGolferMan's lead, and start changing my own oil. There's a great CD-ROM that comes with the book "Auto Upkeep - Basic Car Care" by Michael E. Gray. On the CD is a great checklist of things to do when changing your car's oil. Here it is: -- Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to safely change the oil and filter on a vehicle. Special Tools Needed: Safety glasses, basic hand tools, correct size wrench for oil plug, oil filter wrench, jack and jack stands (or an automotive lift), oil drain pan, funnel, blocks for chocking tires (jack and jack stands method) Special Supplies Needed: Shop rags, latex gloves, correct type and amount of oil, oil filter Procedure: [Check off when completed. If you have any questions during the duration of this activity, stop and ask the instructor (if available) for assistance.] Put on your safety glasses. Warm the engine 5 to 10 minutes to loosen the contaminants and thin the oil for draining. Put on latex gloves. Prolonged contact with used oil may cause skin cancer. Raise the engine end of the vehicle with jack and jack stands or lift the whole vehicle on an automotive lift. Chock the tires on the opposite end of the vehicle when using the jack and jack stands method. Locate the drain plug on the oil pan and position the oil drain pan to catch the oil. Use the correct size wrench to loosen (turn counter-clockwise) the oil drain plug. Use a shop rag to protect your hand from the hot oil. Keep a steady inward pressure on the plug to avoid the hot oil from running down your arm. If oil seems too hot to touch, allow the oil to cool. Make sure the oil will hit the oil drain pan. Check the oil plug threads for wear. Replace if necessary. Check the oil plug gasket for cracks. Replace if necessary. While the oil is draining, use an oil filter wrench to loosen and remove the oil filter. Set the oil filter in the oil drain pan so the oil can drain out of it. Make certain the old oil filter gasket comes off with the old filter. If it is stuck on the engine block, remove and discard it. Wipe off the oil filter mounting base and the area around the oil drain plug. Put a thin film of clean oil on the new oil filter-mounting gasket. This oil helps to seal the gasket. A dry gasket may tear when the filter is installed causing leaks. Read the instructions on the filter. Install the oil filter by rotating it clockwise. Once the gasket contacts the engine, tighten it according to the instructions - usually 1/2 to 1 full turn. A filter wrench may be necessary. Do not over tighten. Prior to reinstalling the drain plug, wipe off its threads and the sealing surface with a shop rag. Make certain that the plug's threads and gasket are in good condition before reinstalling. Install the drain plug by hand and temporarily tighten finger tight. Do not cross-thread the plug. Tighten the plug with the correct size of wrench until it is snug. Do not over tighten. If unsure how tight to get the plug, consult the owner's manual for torque specifications. Over tightening can cause thread damage, while under tightening may result in oil leakage. If you are in a school laboratory setting, have the instructor inspect the oil plug and filter. Lower the vehicle. Locate and remove the oil filler cap. It is usually located on the valve cover. Using a funnel, pour the correct amount and type of oil into the filler opening. (Make sure the API and SAE ratings match what is listed in your owner's manual.) Start the engine and check for leaks. Extra attention should be given to the oil filter gasket and drain plug gasket. The oil pressure warning light may stay on for up to 5 seconds. If the light stays on longer than 5 seconds, shut the engine off and check for leaks. After about 30 seconds, shut off the engine. This amount of time is ample to circulate the oil throughout the engine and to fill the oil filter. Let the engine sit for a couple of minutes to ensure a proper reading. Check the oil level on the dipstick and correct if necessary. Do not overfill. Recycle your old oil and filter. Do not throw away in the garbage. Bring them to the proper recycling facilities. Fill out and place an oil change sticker in the vehicle. Return all tools and clean up any oil spills with floor dry. If you are in a school laboratory setting, have the instructor check the oil level before closing the hood. Questions: 1. Why should the engine be warm when changing the oil? 2. What SAE rating did your owner's manual suggest to use? 3. What API rating did your owner's manual suggest to use? 4. Why did you put a thin film of oil on the new oil filter gasket? 5. How many quarts of oil did your engine take?
From: Tegger on 10 Oct 2007 20:46 Built_Well <built_well_toyota(a)hotmail.com> wrote in news:470d6c85$0$68465$892e0abb(a)auth.newsreader.octanews.com: > > I'm going to follow BadGolferMan's lead, and start > changing my own oil. > > There's a great CD-ROM that comes with the book > "Auto Upkeep - Basic Car Care" by Michael E. Gray. > On the CD is a great checklist of things to do > when changing your car's oil. > > Here it is: <snip> You may wish to re-study some of those instructions: 1) The note to put some oil on the filter gasket. Toyota OEM filter gaskets already come with lube. Do not add more lube to an OEM gasket. Make certain the old gasket came off with the old filter! Aftermarket gaskets can stick in place, causing engine failure later on if the new gasket gets added to the old one. 2) The need to jack the car up. Some Toyotas do not need to be jacked up to change the oil. Check where your filter is /before/ you do that. Also, consult your Owner's Manual. Any important instructions specific to your car will be in there, not in Auto Upkeep. 3) Tightening the drain bolt. Use a new washer every time, and make certain the old gasket has come off with the drain bolt! If it did not, remove it manually. Do NOT overtighten the drain bolt. Home grease monkeys always want to reef down on the bolt as tight as they can, then wonder why it strips. All you need is 18 ft lbs. 4) Using a shop rag to "protect" yourself from hot oil as you remove the drain bolt. That's dumb advice. It guarantees the oil will go all over the place as it strikes the rag. The oil will come out with some force. It's better to wind the bolt slowly out to its very last thread, wiggling the bolt to make sure it's actually disengaged from its mating threads, then quickly snatch it out of the way. Do it right and your hand stays clean as a whistle. 5) Running the engine 5 or ten minutes before draining. After only 5 or ten minutes the oil is still pretty cold. A lot of it will hang up in the oil galleries, so you'll need to leave the car to drip for the next ten or 15 minutes to make sure as much comes out as possible. If the filter and bolt are accessible without jacking the car up, just leave the car cold when you drain (don't start the engine). That way all the oil's in the pan. -- Tegger
From: hls on 10 Oct 2007 21:08 Depends upon which Toyota you are talking about. Lexus and Avalon have a special oil filter that drains through a tube attachment. You never have to get dirty at all. (But I usually find a way to do it, nontheless;>)
From: cuhulin on 10 Oct 2007 21:18 How to change your oil.First, get your oil filter wrench and oil drain pan and a wrench for the oil pan drain plug ready.Next, drive to a store and buy new motor oil and oil filter.When you get back, get under your vehicle and remove the oil pan drain plug and the old oil filter.After the old oil has drained out, replace the oil pan drain plug and install the new oil filter, use your bare hands, you don't want the new filter on there too tight.Pour in the new oil.Start up the engine, check to make sure there are no leaks.Shut off the engine and be sure the oil is up to the proper oil level on the dipstick. That is the way I have been doing it since 1957, no problems yet. How to change the oil in old hats? I am still working on that one. cuhulin
From: news on 10 Oct 2007 23:13
Tegger wrote: > > 2) The need to jack the car up. > Some Toyotas do not need to be jacked up to change the oil. Check where > your filter is /before/ you do that. Also, consult your Owner's Manual. > Any important instructions specific to your car will be in there, not in > Auto Upkeep. My Subaru and my Chevy truck don't need to be jacked up. Good point - my mother's old Hyundai had an almost impossible to change filter where it was located. > 4) Using a shop rag to "protect" yourself from hot oil as you remove the > drain bolt. > That's dumb advice. It guarantees the oil will go all over the place as > it strikes the rag. The oil will come out with some force. > It's better to wind the bolt slowly out to its very last thread, > wiggling the bolt to make sure it's actually disengaged from its mating > threads, then quickly snatch it out of the way. Do it right and your > hand stays clean as a whistle. I prefer to now use a pair of disposable gloves. Less mess, less used oil goodies under my fingernails. The oil's not THAT hot, you're not soaking in it, you're just removing the filler plug. The funny thing is the reason why I started wearing disposable gloves when working on cars... kids. When my first kid started teething two years ago and wanted to chew on my knuckle... it couldn't be if I just came in from the garage, and even then... blech... Kids do the weirdest things to you... Ray Ray |