Oil Change Equipment

You can save a lot of money over time changing your own oil. Of course, you are going to need the right tools to do it. In this article, we take a look at what oil change equipment is needed.

Changing the oil on most vehicles is actually very simple. It will take you a time or two to get the hang of it, but you’ll be able to do it in 20 minutes or so once you get the process down. The key to keeping it simple is to have the right oil change equipment on hand before you start. Let’s look at the key tools in your arsenal.

You need to get under the engine compartment to change the oil. At a minimum, you’ll need to access the drain plug. It is on the bottom of the oil pan on the bottom of the engine. Most modern cars now also have the oil filter located near the bottom of the engine. Combined, these make mobile ramps a real necessity. These ramps look like two sloped triangles with the top of the triangle flattened out. You drive your front wheels up on to them. A couple feet of clearance is created, which makes a world of difference. If you are committed to doing your own oil changes, buy these.

The oil filter wrench is another critical piece of equipment. “Wrench” is a very loose term in this regard. The device actually looks like the top of the oil filter. It fits over it and then has an attachment you can fit a traditional wrench over. This allows you to break the seal of the filter and loosen it for removal. You can also use it to put the new filter on, but don’t crank it on with a lot of torque as you’ll ruin the seal between the new oil filter and engine.

You are going to need a container for the old oil. This is rather obviously, but most people will sooner or later use a container that is too small. A minimum of four quarts of oil [and probably much more] is going to come out of that oil pan, so make sure you have a container that can handle it. Also, consider wearing latex gloves because your hands are going to get very oily.

Other than obvious things like new a new oil filter and quarts of oil, that about covers the equipment you’ll need for an oil change. It is a fairly straightforward process. The vast majority of people actually find changing the oil to be a fairly enjoyable task, so give it a try.

<< Back to Car Oil Information