Does anyone here change thier own oil?

[Hoo024law]

I'm tired of getting taken at the dealer and service stations for oil changes. I have an 01 SE 4banger and want to start changing my own oil.
I switched to snythetic oil and dont want to pay 50 bucks everytime i get an oil change.I was thinking about taking it to the dealer at least once a year so i can get my serivce manual stamped (whatever), but the other times I'd like to do it solo.

Can anyone give me any pointers or put me in the right direction to becoming an oil changing stud?

gracias.

[Jackass-Jeff]

damn... someone is a jerk! i bet he gets banned from here for a while lol


under the car, you will find the oilpan bolt... where you can drain the oil. Drain it...

After it is drained, take out the filter (looks like a funky shaped cup... look at the new one to see what it looks like... duh lol)

put the little bolt thing back

replace with new filter. be sure to fill up the filter a little bit when you replace it... so your engine doesnt run w/o oil for a bit... and make sure you put some oil on the grooves... so that it forms a nice seal when you put it back in... tighten it HAND TIGHT (as tight as you can with your hand... not with a tool)

then put oil back into your engine (on top of the engine under the hood... duh) 4 banger is about 4 bottles... i'm not sure about the v6

those are pretty basic instructions... but you might still screw up... so I'd recommend asking a friend that knows how to do it to watch you and guide you throughout the process

[_nkx1]

$50 for an oil change!? That's way 2 much. Since I don't change my own oil, I don't have any tips, but I do have some tips to save $$ on oil changes.

1. Look in local publications for coupons. In CA, we have the Penny Saver, which often has oil change and other coupons at local Toyota dealers. The Toyota dealer by me (Buena Park Toyota) always has coupons for $22 oils changes that I use.

2. Once you go to the dealer for service, keep an eye out for mailings from the dealer. Ever since I started going to Buena Park Toyota, they always send me coupons in the mail.

Hope that helps if you want to avoid paying $50 for an oil change. Also, if you use a quality filter (such as Toyota) and good oil, you'll probably pay close to $10-15 to do it yourself. Might as well pay another $7 and have someone else get all dirty and change the oil.

[dbanker]

I do my own and it's not hard at all, I enjoy it actually. IMO The hardest part is getting the pan in the right place so you can catch all the excess oil when replacing the filter. But this is with the V-6, I'm not sure where the oil filter is on the 4 cylinder, it may be easier to replace and less of a mess.
I'd say go for it- all you need is a filter wrench (I use the one w/o the handle, it's better for the V-6 due to the lack of space available), oil drip pan/container, plenty of shop towels (I just use the ones on a roll), and about 15 minutes of your time. Also, a good rule of thumb is to tighten the oil filter until the gasket reaches the metal surface, once it does then tighten it an additional 3/4 turn. Which is pretty much the same as hand-tight but more precise.

BTW- The V-6 holds approximately 5 qts.

[Yanks0114]

$50 is what i pay also for the price of an oil change AND synthetic oil.

The V6 should take 4.5 quarts, but some ppl but in 5 (not supposed to)

Synthetic is about $6 a quart after tax

[krook]

can someone pleeeeease take a picture of the oil pan drain plug??? i kept asking this before, but with no reply. i'm pretty sure i have the right bolt, but it's ON THERE like a sum-a-ma bitch! i even tried to remove it with an impact wrench!?!

[Peter]

krooked, i had trouble removing it too, i got out my torque wrench, and it gave me enough leverage. im sure you could do it, just go at it again. cant be that hard....

[Jackass-Jeff]

can someone pleeeeease take a picture of the oil pan drain plug??? i kept asking this before, but with no reply. i'm pretty sure i have the right bolt, but it's ON THERE like a sum-a-ma bitch! i even tried to remove it with an impact wrench!?!

there are 2 bolts

one is oil
one is trans fluid

the oil is the only one you can remove... the trans fluid isnt a bolt.. its more like a hex screw... you have to put something into it to turn it... you can't grip it at all from the outside... i'm due for a change next weekend so ill take a pic for you then...

i'm assuming the v6 and i4 plugs look similar.. hehe

[808Camry]

can someone pleeeeease take a picture of the oil pan drain plug??? i kept asking this before, but with no reply. i'm pretty sure i have the right bolt, but it's ON THERE like a sum-a-ma bitch! i even tried to remove it with an impact wrench!?!

I can take a pic of it and show you, just put an extension on the end of your ratchet and that should give you more leverage. I'll email you the pic on sat.

[joezee]

hello hoo : oil changes aren't real tough.just the first time if you haven't done it.just pay attention to what you are doing......my suggestion would be to buy a CHILTONS MANUAL for starters.get it at a auto supply store like napa,autozone,checkers.shows you a lot of stuff.everyone should learn to change their oil as well as check their fluids regularly.learn the basics yourself.i did.if the weather gets bad have somone else change it if you want but you want to learn it yourself first.i liked someone's suggestion to have a friend show you how.buy him a beer or pop and you'll be happy.hope this helps you.....joezee

[Slipstream]

I wouldn't bother with synthetic. Just change your oil every 3k and that's just as good.

[Yanks0114]

I wouldn't bother with synthetic. Just change your oil every 3k and that's just as good.

It really depends on what you are runnnig. I have a supercharger and I definately want reccomend sythetic. Maybe its only for the peace of mind, but I know that if I drive my car hard, I won't problems with breaking down the oil and getting sludge. For the couple extra bucks for the gallon, i'd reccomend if you plan to keep the car for a long time. There really are no proven positives to sythetic yet, but it is just an overall better product

[mattacosta]

your better off getting someone to do it... cuz synthetic oil should last you 10,000 miles and regular oil should be changed every 3000, so you would be paying almost the same amount every 10,000 miles... plus if you do it yourself you gotta worry about getting rid of the oil...

[Yanks0114]

your better off getting someone to do it... cuz synthetic oil should last you 10,000 miles and regular oil should be changed every 3000, so you would be paying almost the same amount every 10,000 miles... plus if you do it yourself you gotta worry about getting rid of the oil...

I agree with the letting someone else do it, but i don't reccomend stretching synthetic to 10k miles. I still change mine every 3k miles because i drive moderate to hard. It really depends on how you drive

[mattacosta]

your better off getting someone to do it... cuz synthetic oil should last you 10,000 miles and regular oil should be changed every 3000, so you would be paying almost the same amount every 10,000 miles... plus if you do it yourself you gotta worry about getting rid of the oil...