Preparation for an oil change

Before you would "pull the plug", always make sure, that you have available everything you need. Here are a few points, kind of as a self-made checklist to minimize the chances for any glithces during the process:

1. Check the manual of the car for the type and the amount of oil you will need. In case the manual is not available, check on the internet, I am sure you will find this information very quickly. In case of some vehicles, the type of the oil is also printed on the oil cap. See below an example from a 2004 Toyota Sienna: the oil type (5W-30) printed on the cap

2. Check the manual of the car for the type of oil filter you will have to use on your vehicle. If you do not have a manual available, in the stores where you can purchase an oil filter there will be catalogs where you can look up the part number that fits for your vehicle.

3. You will need an oil pan to capture all the used engine oil. Make sure to confirm that the capacity of the oil pan will be sufficient to capture all the used engine oil.

4. Confirm the location of the key parts. It would be very bad if you would start looking for parts in the middle of the process.

The key parts are:

- drain plug (located somewhere at the bottom of the engine block => this is where you let the used engine oil out)

- oil cap (located somewhere on the top of the engine block => this is where you have to add the oil to the engine)

- oil dipstick (located somewhere on the side of the engine block => this is what you use to determine how much oil your engine has)

- oil filter (located somewhere on the side of the engine block => this is a part you will have to replace)

5. Make sure you have all the necessary and proper tools. Be careful, different vehicles might require different size of wrench or other type of tools. Also in most of the cases it should be possible to loosen the oil filter by hand, but in some cases you might have to use a tool. I remember when a friend of mine purchased a Honda CRV, we end up struggling a lot to loosen the oil filter and the first tool we have purchased could not fit to the small area where the filter was located, so we end up purchasing another one. Learn from our mistake. :-) For reference, please see pictures of two completely different oil filter wrenches (took the pictures from www.autozone.com), so that is why it is important to locate all the parts you will have to work with.

6. If your hands are sensitive, make sure you have gloves available as this process can make your hands very dirty.

7. Purchase some automotive paper towel. Believe me, it worth it and will help you much more than the regular paper towel you would use in the kitchen. Paper towel is also very handy to keep your work area clean as well as the parts you work with.