It’s that time again. Driving around for the past few months has been great, but all that stopping and going has proved to be too much. It’s time to get dirty.

What’s needed is a crash course in changing the oil. Abraham Meza-Avila, who works as the Parts Manager at the Auto Zone on Broadway Road and Mill Avenue, helps in this step-by-step guide.
“It’ll save you money by doing it yourself,” Meza-Avila says. “It’s also a good learning experience, and people can do it on their own time.”

These simple steps will make the process easy.

What will be needed:

1. Motor oil and an oil filter. “Just ask one of the employees at Auto Zone if you don’t know what to buy,” Meza-Avila says.

2. Oil pan. This is what all the used oil will drain into. These can be purchased at any auto-parts store.

3. Socket set or crescent wrench.

4. Jack.

5. Rags of some sort. Old t-shirts or a towel will work fine.

6. Safety glasses. “If you get oil in your eye, it could really cause some damage,” Meza-Avila says.

7. A funnel. This is just good to have. The new oil can be poured free hand, with out a funnel but be careful not to spill.

Steps

1. Make sure the engine is cold. Never change oil on a hot engine. Serious burns may occur. Also, make sure the parking break is on.

2. Use the jack to raise the car. It needs to be lifted enough for a person to crawl under and use their arms to work. If there is already enough room under the car, skip this step.

3. Slide under the car and locate the car’s oil pan. It should be the only thing with a bolt sticking out from the side or the bottom.

4. Place the oil pan that will catch the used oil underneath the oil pan of the car.

5. With a crescent wrench or a socket that fits, loosen the bolt enough so it can be taken out by hand. This part usually gets messy, so be sure to have rags at hand.

6. Remove the bolt completely, being careful not to drop it into the used oil draining into the oil pan.

7. Let all the used oil drain out. “This is where a lot of people make mistakes,” Meza-Avila says. “Just try and be as careful as possible by placing the oil pan in the right spot, and really try not to mix anything else into the oil. That’s a big no-no.”

8. Once all the oil is done draining into the pan, secure the bolt back into place on the car’s oil pan. Be sure to tighten it enough to keep the new oil from leaking, but not so much that it will be impossible to remove the next time.

9. Locate the oil filter. Remove it. “If you can’t take it off by hand, we [at Auto Zone] have tools that will help,” Meza-Avila says.

10. Before securing the new oil filter into place, rub a little oil around edge of the new filter. This will help create a tight seal.

11. Once the new filter is in, lower the jack and pop the hood. Find the oil cap and remove it.

12. Gently pour in the desired amount of oil into the engine. Check the owner’s manual for specific details.

13. Drive the old oil back to the auto parts store, and have them dispose of it. “Pretty much any Auto Zone will dump your oil for you, free of charge,” Meza-Avila says.

14. Finally, clean the tools and wash up.

Reach the reporter at mel.flores@asu.edu.