Going to start changing my own oil, but I have a few questions first...

[redlinegts85]

This seems pretty weird that I'm asking how to change motor oil in my car, but of all the cars I've owned I have just never done it. I can change lift bolts, install pretty much anything (even clutch), do other maintenance (change tranny oil), but surprisingly enough I'm not even sure how to change motor oil because I have never attempted it in my life (always take it to a shop to change it).

Ok, so for my next oil change I'm going to purchase synthetic oil. Here are my questions:

1. If all I've ever used in my car was regular oil, will going to Mobile 1 synthetic cause any problems?

2. Is Mobile 1 the best oil to go with? Are there different kinds? I need the 5w-30 right? How many quarts for a GT-S (I know it's 4 quarts for a GT)?

3. Do I have to go down to toyota and purchase a toyota oil filter or can I just buy one at kragen or something? Which one is the best and which one do I need to buy to be able to use on my car?

4. Do I need to have the car level when draining and filling or can I just jack up the front of the car?

5. Are these the correct steps? 1) drain old oil 2) take off old oil filter 3) replace bolt on drain hole and screw on new filter 4) fill up motor with new oil


Sorry for all the questions, but like I said, I'm such a n00b when it comes to such a simple thing (for most people) as changing your oil.

Thanks guys!

[pnoygts]

Mobil1 is the way to go!
4.5 quarts

[redlinegts85]

Mobil1 is the way to go!
4.5 quarts

Is it safe to go full synthetic right away? Also, what filter do you recommend?

[LightningRod]

I wanna start changing my own oil too. I'm in the same boat ... I can install stuff and do other things, but I've never changed my oil before. I'm surprised there's no sticky for this.

[vegeta4ss]

oil changes are easy. I used to work in a lube shop, I'll run you thru the whole thing.

-Get your car in the air and put jackstands under sides near front (or drive up on ramps or as many boards as it takes to get your car far enough up, so that you can get under it)

-Pull your underpanel (if it still exists) from the passenger side near front, its really big you can't miss it. Once its removed you will see the oilpan, filter, and drainplug.

-14, 16, or 17mm is the drainplug size (wish i could remember exactley, but i wanna say its 16 but not sure so take all 3 just incase). Put your wrench on and tap that sucker toward passenger tire to pop it loose.

- align drain bucket or whatever you want to call it under car a few inches back from the plug. Slowly spin the plug loose till it almost falls out, give it a good spin and out it will come. If you are quick, you can catch the falling drain bolt in your oil bucket, and then slide the container back to catch your flying oil. And it will come back a little further than you think, especially while its full. As oil gets lower in motor it will slowly start to run away, and youll have to move yoru pan forward.

- drain until it is a very slow trickle but not completely bone dry, and then replace the plug and make sure it's tight.

- unscrew oil filter. Sometimes these *******s get wedged on. If your filter is very slippery and you cannot get a good grip, spray your rag with brake parts cleaner adn then try and muscle it off. It will give you a way better grip, or if you have to use a bandwrench to get it loose. Also make sure to look and see if the old rubber o-ring got stuck behind, if it did remove it otherwise you will make a mess when you put your new one on and crank it up.

**this part is kinda important**
with your NEW filter, dip your finger into some of your new oil. Lube up the o ring on the oil filter good, and then screw it on securely. This ensures taht when it gets hot that the ring doesn't stick to the block, making your life much easier removing it for the next change.

- now fill car with oil ( i usually do a lil over 4qts on my gt-s and then add if more is needed)

- put your oil cap back on

- get a friend

- have friend start car

- when friend sees oil dummy light turn off in dash, they need to yell "pressure's up"

- once you hear that, check your drainplug tightness and very carefully grab the filter make sure its tight too (if it isn't tight you will get all sprayed with oil)....if they are good yell out "plug tight, filter's dry" (if your leaking oil out of the filter or drainplug, make sure to yell "woah" or something, you dont want to run all that oil out (thats why you have a friend so they can cut it quick if need be)

- once you got the car turned off and all the stuff checked out, then check your level. Add if needed(or take away from), if not then replace underbody panel and put your car back on the ground. Go on a test drive, and monitor the level for the next couple days.

[LightningRod]

Thanks for the guide! Now for a stupid question ...

You put in the new oil via the top of the engine, correct? The last time I unscrewed the cap it didn't look right inside ... kinda hard to explain ... but imagine the hole, except half of it was blocked by something metallic ...

[LightningRod]

Also, I thought we were supposed to get ALL of the oil out, because isn't the very last bit trickling out the "dirty" oil?

[FLiGGaH82]

i use redline oil, and K&N oil filter... redline's a bit expensive though... so you might wanan go with mobile 1... i always change my oil i don't trust the dealer nor any other oil changing shop... true they are fast, however they really don't drain your dirty oil... it's better to do it yourself...

[vegeta4ss]

well, your going to see parts of your internals when you look straight down in the oil cap hole, but your just pouring your oil over them so you'll be okay. Some cars (like saturn SL sedans) have barely any room for the bottle to fit down in the hole, and sometimes you have to get really creative with a funnel and angles, otherwise as you pour it in, it starts running out the top because of how slowly it drains down as you pour it.


You dont ever want to get "ALL" the oil out. When you go to fire your motor with the new filter you'll have a slight moment where you run the motor dry, and it will let you know by making clacky noises until that oil pressure light goes off. I've seen this happen on a lot of cars, but not ever on my celica. One way around this is to put a little oil in your new oil filter, that way your motor wont run dry. I just find it easier to leave a little dirty in there and let it balance out. But I am not leaving much, like under like an 1/8 of a quart.

[LightningRod]

well, your going to see parts of your internals when you look straight down in the oil cap hole, but your just pouring your oil over them so you'll be okay.

That makes perfect sense, since oil lubricates the parts.

When you go to fire your motor with the new filter you'll have a slight moment where you run the motor dry, and it will let you know by making clacky noises until that oil pressure light goes off.

How long does the motor run dry? Are we talking seconds here?

[vegeta4ss]

usually its less than 3 seconds, but like I said with these vertical filters, you can jsut add a little oil to it( like 1/4 quart) , and as you crank it will cycle that fresh oil thru the motor. This is probably the most fool proof way if your worried. Just make sure to lube the o-ring and check it for tightness when the car it running. You just want to make sure that when it builds pressure, that it doesn't work itself loose.

[redlinegts85]

Thanks for your help vegeta4ss. Do you recommend going with full synthetic right away? Also, which oil filter do you recommend?

[gameboi]

i dont see why it would harm your engine by going from reg. oil to fully synthetic...if you want good oil...get royal purple(~$7 a quart)....or just stick with mobil 1 its pretty good too

[Brizzle]

what do you do with the old oil?

[Pulsar1]

what do you do with the old oil?
Take it to the nearest autoparts store, and they usally has a huge oil disposable tank in the back.

[CelGTS02]

what do you do with the old oil?

I bring mine to a auto zone, by my house. Theyll take up to 5 gallons at a time.

[vegeta4ss]

yeah i would use mobil1, redline, or royal purple. Definitley not castrol syntec, they just split their oil molecules to the specified size for a class 2 synthetic, its really not anything more special than just standard syntec blend rebottled.

As for the filter, never fram, always denso or TRD

[redlinegts85]

Did I get the right stuff?

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3307/dsc00268uu1.jpg


Also, is is ok to just jack up the front of the car when I change the oil or do I have to have the car level?

Thanks.

[vegeta4ss]

well you can have the front end in the air for the drain and refill, but once you do a rough estimate on the refill and check the plug and filter for tightness, then I would put the front end back on the ground and at that time check the oil level. if it is in the air, it wont read right. Make sure you dont overfill, you wouldnt want to have to get back under there once you put it back on the ground.

[vegeta4ss]

and yes you got the right stuff, those are both the same i use in my car.

[redlinegts85]

Thanks for your help vegeta4ss. I just have one more question. Before I drain the old oil, do I have to drive the car around to warm it up? Or can I just drain the oil anytime (whether I just got done driving the car or if it's been sitting there for a while)?

[vegeta4ss]

it shouldn't matter. If you do it after you've been driving around all day there are more chances you will burn yourself up under the car, or on the hot oil coming out of the motor. If you dont wanna get burned just do it while the oil is cold.

[LightningRod]

I think that if you MUST heat up your oil, drive no further than around the block.

redlinegts85, how much did that oil filter cost? You bought it from the parts department, right?

[vegeta4ss]

yeah, If you want to warm it a little, just go down the road and back. Just get the oil moving around in there. Honestly though, it shouldn't make a difference except for the speed at which it drains out. Cold oil drains slower.

those filters should be 3-5 bucks at toyota.

[SickCelica696]

Thanks for your help vegeta4ss. Do you recommend going with full synthetic right away? Also, which oil filter do you recommend?
It's always recommended to go with a high rpm synth blend for one change, then to the full synth the next. You can potentially damage the internals by switching instantly. Quaker has a good blend you can use.
You dont ever want to get "ALL" the oil out. When you go to fire your motor with the new filter you'll have a slight moment where you run the motor dry, and it will let you know by making clacky noises until that oil pressure light goes off. I've seen this happen on a lot of cars, but not ever on my celica. One way around this is to put a little oil in your new oil filter, that way your motor wont run dry. I just find it easier to leave a little dirty in there and let it balance out. But I am not leaving much, like under like an 1/8 of a quart.
You never will get it all out, the engine is never "dry" after draining the oil, there is residual oil pockets where the oil stands and coats the valvetrain and internals, it never really runs "dry" at all. As soon as the key turns your oil pump is on
i dont see why it would harm your engine by going from reg. oil to fully synthetic...if you want good oil...get royal purple(~$7 a quart)....or just stick with mobil 1 its pretty good too

No need for royal purple.. he's not a race car.. not worth the $

[redlinegts85]

I think that if you MUST heat up your oil, drive no further than around the block.

redlinegts85, how much did that oil filter cost? You bought it from the parts department, right?


Yeah man I got it from toyota for $4.95

[SlamminS85]

dont get a fram
you can go directly to a synthetic, however if you have a higher mileage engine it is recommended that you go with a synthetic/conventional bland first, like valvoline dura blend... it says for trucks and SUV's but it works for all cars. The reason for this is because your piston rings are conditioned for conventional oil and if you switch immediately then you might burn off a lot of oil in the next 100 or so miles

[redlinegts85]

Changed my oil last night. We were on pace to get done in about 15 minutes until it came to the filter. I honestly believe that Toyota (where I have always got my oil changes before) has never (or at least not in a long time) changed the oil filter. This thing was like glued on there or something. Me, my dad, my friend, and my cousin each spent like an hour trying to twist it off. We even used a rag with some brake cleaner sprayed on to get some grip, and that still didn't work. Finally I decided to hammer a screwdriver right through the middle of the filter (and oil started gushing out in the process) and I hammered it in there pretty good so I could then hit on the screwdriver to get it to budge. Finally about about 10 minutes it finally moved, and then we eventually got it off.

I don't know if it's the fact that I went to synthetic, or the possibility that I have a new filter on there that replaced a filter that was on there for so long, but my car runs so damn smooth now. In the upper RPM's there is a lot less weird noises, etc.

All I know is that I'm going to change my oil ALL the time now because I do not trust anyone to change it for me. Maybe I'm just worried but it seems like toyota has kept a dirty, used filter on there for a while now.

[verbal272]

what is wrong with fram filters?

also about the oil 5w-30, I understand what the numbers mean, but what about 10w-30 or 10w-50, would those be too thick for our engines?

[mnellis2957]

How do you get the underbody pannels off, Do you just pull and the litle plastic fasteners come off or what???????

[verbal272]

How do you get the underbody pannels off, Do you just pull and the litle plastic fasteners come off or what???????


yep, you just undo the fasteners and it should come right off

[vegeta4ss]

toyota brand filters have a way of sticking themselves on better than any other filter. Thats why I reccomend lubing the O-ring, it makes it easier to break loose, or you use a bandwrench.

[foolsama]

If you're used to paying wal-mart prices, there's no real reason why you can't use a Fram filter. The little sand-papery part is kinda handy, after all. However, if you plan to push your engine at all, i wouldn't use anything less than purolator or Toyota filters. Fram's filter is like the difference between a stock air filter and a K&N air filter replacement. The stock part will work, but the K&N works smarter! If 'good enough' is what you want, than that's exactly what Fram is.

5w-30 oil is best. There's no reason to use anything else, as far as I'm concerned.

And you should expect ALL old filters to be locked on there tighter 'n a (well i won't go there). ALL of them, wether they were changed 3 months ago, or 3 years ago. The best tool in the world to get them off is those plier-type filter wrenches you can get at a parts store for 5 bucks. Find them in the oil-change section, with all the other nifty tools. Don't get the thing that looks like a belt for the filter, I've broken two of those trying to figure out the damn things. The tool I use has grips that crimp into the filter. You just squeeze and turn, and off comes the most stubborn of filters. (And in a pinch, you did the right thing, a screwdriver through the filter is what other's resort too, as well!)

[SickCelica696]

what is wrong with fram filters?

also about the oil 5w-30, I understand what the numbers mean, but what about 10w-30 or 10w-50, would those be too thick for our engines?
Fram filters have been known to have the filter cotton break apart and ruin the filtering element.

The numbers correlate to the oils viscosity at cold and hot temperatures. A 5w-30 flows like a thin 5 cold and like a 30 weight oil when hot. Back in the day engines were designed alot differently because the oil companys didn't have the science and only had one "weight" of oil. If you put a 50w in it would actually be too thick and put strain and resistance on the engine. However depening on the climate you live you might want a 10w not a 5 for cold starts in winter. the 30 should stay the same though.
toyota brand filters have a way of sticking themselves on better than any other filter. Thats why I reccomend lubing the O-ring, it makes it easier to break loose, or you use a bandwrench.
All filters should have the o-ring lubed, It's not a toyota thing.. it's for sealing properly
If you're used to paying wal-mart prices, there's no real reason why you can't use a Fram filter. The little sand-papery part is kinda handy, after all. However, if you plan to push your engine at all, i wouldn't use anything less than purolator or Toyota filters. Fram's filter is like the difference between a stock air filter and a K&N air filter replacement. The stock part will work, but the K&N works smarter! If 'good enough' is what you want, than that's exactly what Fram is.
Actually K&N filters are just as bad as fram, they do more damage to your engine and cost close to $8 more than a bosche by me so it's a ripoff. They don't work "smarter", oil filters all have the same basic design.

And those tools are nice if its really stuck but really the filter should be hand tight and then a 1/4 turn more.

[verbal272]

Alright sounds good, thanks for the advice, I wasjust wondering, I didn't know much about the fram type, but it makes sense. :)

[Orijinalx]

i changed my oil yesterday, and usually i used FRAM because thats all they had availible at advanced auto, but yesterday they had mobil 1 oil filer, so i decided to get that. I guessed if their oil is good, their filter must be good enough, so im runnin on mobil 1 syn. oil and mobil filter.

[riverrat087]

An easy way to get the filter off without spilling oil all over yourself is to use big channel locks.

[Danny049]

they sell oil filter tools at pretty much all auto parts stores for $10-15. Definately worth it if you're going to do them yourself.
I honestly believe that Toyota (where I have always got my oil changes before) has never (or at least not in a long time) changed the oil filter. This thing was like glued on there or something.
Anytime you EVER go to the dealer for an oil change, they ALWAYS change the filter. I'm about 99.9% sure this goes for any shop you go to.

[LightningRod]

Anytime you EVER go to the dealer for an oil change, they ALWAYS change the filter. I'm about 99.9% sure this goes for any shop you go to.

Proof?

[MrThundercleese]

[QUOTE=Danny049] they sell oil filter tools at pretty much all auto parts stores for $10-15. Definately worth it if you're going to do them yourself.
[QUOTE]

Ya know I went to the dealership when I picked up my Filter they sell a Filter wrench that attaches to a socket. It is the best fit you will find for the oil filter. Also I find that if you let the engine cool for a min it comes of easier Presssure buildup mabie?

One more thing if you are going to change your own oil. I HIGHLY RECOMEND investing in jack stands. If for whatever freak reason the jacks, slips or fails. Well you don't want to get killed by your celi. One of my father's cousins died that way.

I put mobil 1 synthetic in my firs oil change and it runs great.

[MrThundercleese]

1 more thing at walmart you can buy the oil in one large container(I think it is 4 quarts but I could be wrong).. or buy six quarts of Mobil 1 at sams for like 25

[LightningRod]

One more thing if you are going to change your own oil. I HIGHLY RECOMEND investing in jack stands. If for whatever freak reason the jacks, slips or fails. Well you don't want to get killed by your celi. One of my father's cousins died that way.

That's horrible. What a way to die. I have jack stands, but they're the cheapo ones from PepBoys ($40 set with a jack and rollerboard included) ... am I safe?

[MrThundercleese]

You should be safe.. The Idea is jsut to have a backup if for whatever reason your jack fails most Jack stands are pretty rigid so even if you get the cheap ones you would probally be fine

oh one more thing lol.. if you have never raised your car up before.. make sure and let the jack down slowly because if it comes down too fast it can pop the side skirt off or crack it if you have low grade fiberglass side skirts

[SickCelica696]

The pepboy set is fine. You wont break it.

[LightningRod]

^^^ Sweet. Thanks for your input.

[finalfantasy316]

i have always been told that K&N filters are some of the best ones to buy. i mean i prefer trd oil filters and stuff like that, but could somebody please go into depth on why they are not so good. thanks

[Zenith]

The numbers correlate to the oils viscosity at cold and hot temperatures. A 5w-30 flows like a thin 5 cold and like a 30 weight oil when hot. Back in the day engines were designed alot differently because the oil companys didn't have the science and only had one "weight" of oil.

the W in say, 5w30 means Winter. not weight.

[00celicagts69]

I do all my own oil changes and everytime i take the filter off oil comes out of the top of the filter when the seal breaks loose first time i did this it give me a bit of a fright jsut a head up

[redlinegts85]

Hmm...I've changed my oil like 4 times so far since making this thread. Stop bumping old threads lol.

[Nick2Shyy]

I use Amsoil 0w-20 and the stuff is like water :) and amsoil oil filter

[AcxiDenTe]

yea, i'm bumping this again, no real reason, thought i'd throw this 'why didn't they do that?' in there.. everyone seems to have problem pulling off filters, after they're a bit stuck.. i know when i change some filters on aircraft engines, the filter housing (its a 2 piece filter.. housing and element).. has basically a nut molded onto the housing, so alas, you can just turn that sucker out with a wrench.. why the hell don't they do that on car oil filters? someone afraid to design one like that and make money off of the patent? hehe. anyways.. that's my two cents... sorry to bump an old topic again.. lol

[Azn2nrBoi]

royal purple ftw