Fourth Gear

I want to talk about the lifeblood of your ride. There are up to nine fluids that keep your car or truck running. I will be hitting on some important ones that you can do yourself and save money on labor charges and or high priced service calls from your local "stealership" or garage.

The good news is that the fluids you require can be found at most auto part stores. If you do not have one of those handy then Wal-Mart, Meijer and Kmart stores also carry a decent selection of name brand and staple fluids. Even some gas stations will stock the very basic stuff, but I would only use them in an emergency.

First, let us start with oil. Oil is one of the easiest fluids to change and one of the most argued over. If you go on to any social media car enthusiast website and ask what brand of oil you should use you are going to be mixed results. You will get at least 5 different opinions about what to use and 10 opinions saying why the first five are wrong. It is one of those questions that only you can answer. You have to do your own research, perform your own tests and make your own well-informed decision. There are many different brands of oil, some better known than others, some much more expensive than others, but they all do the exact same job. They keep your engine components properly lubricated. I have found for my needs that Mobil 1 full synthetic works great. It is readily stocked at all my local stores and sits in the middle of the road for price. I always go to the local Meijer's to get oil. I have found that they sell oil at below cost, same at Wal-Mart. This is around a $10 difference when I purchase the gallon-sized container, which also happens to be the most commonly used amount. That extra money is not saved however, it goes towards the oil filter.

Ah yes, the oil filter. Another very simple to replace item that is argued about until the cows come home. I have had many friends swear buy certain manufacturers. This brand is better than this brand because of this. Yet again, this is one of those questions you will have to answer. I, again, use Mobil 1 as my brand of choice. Only because I have been using it for so long and have never experienced a failure. They come in various sizes and each brand is made of different material. Some offer better features then others and some even have special exterior features to aid removal and instillation.

To do most automotive oil changes here is what you will need. The correct oil and oil filter for your make, model and year of vehicle. A jack and jack stands, alternatively you can use a pair of ramps that allows you to drive the car onto thus raising the front end for better access underneath, a socket set or wrench set that has a variety of sizes in both standard and metric for the oil drain plug. A few shop rags or paper towels to clean up with, a funnel to aid in pouring the oil, a container to catch the used oil in and finally, an oil filter wrench. The filter wrench is a great tool for giving you the extra torque needed to loosen the oil filter. It is also nice to have handy as the engine and exhaust are hot and the farther away you can keep your hands the better the chance of not being burned. 

Note: It is better to change the oil when the car is warmed up or shortly after driving to aid in fluid drainage. Be careful, automotive engines commonly operate at or above 200* F.

If you have ramps then these will help you not only with an oil change, but also with many other preventive maintenance tasks. Either place the ramps at your front tires and carefully drive up or use your floor jack and jack stands to lift and support the front of the vehicle. Once you have positioned the vehicle allowing for enough room to maneuver underneath for the task at hand, be sure to set the parking break and chock the rear tires so the vehicle cannot move. Locate the oil pan, place the drainage receptacle underneath, find the right sized socket for the oil drain plug, and remember righty tightly, lefty loosey. Carefully remove the oil drain plug and set aside. At this point hot oil should be coming out of the engine and filling the drainage container. Once the drip has slowed, re-insert the plug and tighten down to the recommend torque setting. If you cannot find the setting, then make sure the plug is snugged down tightly. It is critical that this plug not fall out under vehicle operation. Once the plug is in place move the oil pan under the oil filter. Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, this could be anywhere. It is always best to find the item that needs attention to make sure you can perform the work with what you have. For most cars, the oil filter is screwed onto the bottom or side of the engine block. Utilizing the filter wrench, carefully loosen the filter until oil starts to pour out. I always let the filter sit on the last few treads and let the remaining oil drain out. Once that has slowed or stopped, remove the old filter along with the old gasket if it did not come off already. I wipe the area down with a rag before re-assembly. Take your new oil filter install it back on to the motor. Each filter has directions with it and each is installed differently, take note. Before I put mine on I always check to make sure the old seal came off, and prior to installing the new filter, I always put new fresh oil on the gasket of the new filter. I feel that it creates a better seal, just my opinion. Tighten the new filter down, remove the oil fill cap, place a funnel in the fill tube and carefully add the new oil. Inside your service manual or owner’s manual, it will tell you the specifics of how much oil and what type to use. Replace the oil cap and you are done! Congratulations, you just changed your own oil. It is easy and the first step of preventive maintenance. Once you are complete, make sure to start the vehicle and check for leaks. Make sure you dispose of your used fluids correctly and according to local laws.

Many of these decisions will be based off the limits of your wallet and while some of these fluids are not that expensive, the indirect costs can get pricey and just plain tiring. So make sure if you decide to change to a different brand or type of fluid that you take good mental notes of how the vehicle responds and jot down or remember your fuel mileage and vehicle mileage so you know you are performing service at the correct interval and not too soon or too late.

I cannot guarantee the same results that I have seen nor do I recommend that anyone just blindly take advice without asking a professional or doing their homework. A certain level of common sense applies here and I would hope that everyone does their own research and makes the right choice for themselves, their car and their wallet.