DIY first time oil change toyota camry

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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
A lot of engineers have no clue what-so-ever about car and maintenance. Many of them have no interest in learning how to keep their car(s) running properly.

I know a very smart engineer, he didn't know that he needed to change oil in his car once in a while. The first oil change was more than 20k miles after he bought a brand new Camaro, and only after I told him to do so.


I was thinking if it was someone smart enough to be an engineer, and has an interest in something he would know how to maybe crack open a book or search online and teach himself instead of asking what a crush washer is and where does it go.
 
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Originally Posted By: silverrat
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
A lot of engineers have no clue what-so-ever about car and maintenance. Many of them have no interest in learning how to keep their car(s) running properly.

I know a very smart engineer, he didn't know that he needed to change oil in his car once in a while. The first oil change was more than 20k miles after he bought a brand new Camaro, and only after I told him to do so.


I was thinking if it was someone smart enough to be an engineer, and has an interest in something he would know how to maybe crack open a book or search online and teach himself instead of asking what a crush washer is and where does it go.


It usually comes down to pure arrogance. Stupid and smart people can be equally arrogant.
 
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Engineers don't spend this much time parsing through such a simple task as an oil change.

From your questions, you don't sound like the hands-on problem solver that most engineers are.

So I don't mind your banal, simplistic, trollish questions but just don't call yourself an engineer while you offer them up.

And I'm certain most degreed, practicing engineers on this forum feel the same way that I do.
 
I bought some oil on sale today! o'reilly's had a sale
but at walmart, mobil 1 is usually 25.17, but today, it was 22.27 for a 5 quart jug, so I bought two of them. I heard that oil has a shelf life of 4 years, and from looking at oil forums, the price of oil has really increased drastically, so I guess it's a good idea to get a lot of them now and have an oil stash for later use

pennzoil platinum, at kmart was on sale for 4.60 a quart (quite a steal, this is like the price of Penz yellow bottle, for platinum, which is usually 7.74 at walmart and 7.69 at meijer and 9 dollars a quart at autozone/o'reilly's/auto parts store, so i got quite a good deal and bought more oil today

was the deal I got really good? 22 for q 5 quart jug of mobil 1, and 4.60 a quart for peenzoil platinum 1 quart bottles (bought 7 of them)
 
o'reilly's is also having a Pennz Platinum sale

it's a penz platinum 5 quart jug with a wix filter (i heard were good) for 34.99, plus a 10 dollar rebate in the form of a 10 dollar oreilly's gift card) so a 25 dollar oil change with a quality filter and synthetic oil (compared to 25.99 for an oil change at my quick lube place, using castrol GTX, which they discontinued and they use golf conventional motor oil, which is, i believe a store brand and fulfils the minimum API standards, unliek a quality synthetic, and a champs lab cheap filter for the same price as a DIY synthetic with a good filter)

is the wix with PP a good deal and what i should use for my next oil change and is it good to keep a "stash" since oil can last for up to 4 years? Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
and what i should use for my next oil change


I don't think the recommendations for your next oil change are going to be any different than the recommendations given in the last 7 pages.
 
Originally Posted By: rustypigeon
Originally Posted By: engineer20
and what i should use for my next oil change


I don't think the recommendations for your next oil change are going to be any different than the recommendations given in the last 7 pages.


...or the 4+ pages on other forums...
 
You're right about one thing, the price of oil has gone up lately. Just like the price of gas, you need to pay attention to the news & what's going on in the world.

You Ask if it was a good price, are you happy with how much you spent on the purchase? If so I'd say it was a good price.

Only you can make some really difficult decisions,and make them all by yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit
You're right about one thing, the price of oil has gone up lately.


Name brand conventional 10w-30, the standard oil in the last century, typically sold for $2-3 a quart (I recall Valvoline was about in the $2-2.50 range, Castrol at the $3 end of that range)

....today's standard 5w-30, is often on sale for half that, and that's for synthetic! [of course, that's in the US, and doesn't consider that $1 bought more back then.]

And this...It also makes me laugh that people spend hours discussing and miles driving to spend a dollar less on a oil, and then change it too soon, wasting the savings.
 
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I'll type out the steps of what I do, so perhaps this will be of some help:

1.) Gather the necessary supplies for your oil change. This includes your oil (a name brand SN-rated oil is all you really need), an oil filter, socket wrench, shop towels, funnel, oil drain pan, wheel chocks, drain plug crush washer (if applicable), ramps, and an oil filter wrench (if necessary).

2.) Drive car up onto ramps, being careful not to overshoot the landing and drive over them and damage your vehicle. Just take it slow and try not to gun it up the ramps. Take your time and if you start to roll back, just hit the brakes and put the car into neutral (or reverse) and roll back down and try again. Once you get good enough at controlling the throttle and managing the inclined ramps, you shouldn't have to do this very often, if at all. Set the parking brake on the vehicle and chock the back wheels.

3.) Open the hood and remove oil filler cap and/or dipstick to allow the oil to drain easier.

4.) Remove oil pan drain plug and allow used oil to flow into your drain pan and drain until it's a slow drip.

5.) Replace the crush washer on the drain plug if applicable. I also take this time to fill out a new window cling sticker and my maintenance log. As long as you have some sort of record of the date/miles of the oil change, you should be fine.

6.) Wipe down the area around the drain plug so that the plug has a clean surface when you put it back on. Replace oil drain plug back into the vehicle and tighten it by hand until it will not turn anymore without excessive force. Be careful not to cross-thread it when putting it back on.

7.) Remove old oil filter. If a gorilla mechanic put it on last, it may be on there tight enough to warrant the use of an oil filter wrench. Make sure that the old rubber gasket from the old filter is not stuck to the engine block. Wipe down the mating surface where the oil filter's gasket connects with your engine block and screw on the new oil filter after wiping some fresh oil on the rubber gasket of the new oil filter. Tighten this the same way you did with the drain plug, until it won't turn anymore without excessive force. Also, you may want to wipe down the engine block as old oil will likely be all over it and will leave old oil drips on your garage floor for a few days if you don't do this.

8.) After the drain plug is back on the engine and the new oil filter is screwed onto the block, refill the engine with the required amount of oil as outlined in your owner's manual. Be sure to use the capacity with oil filter change as most manuals will tell you the capacity with a filter change and without. Put the oil filler cap back on and put the dipstick back into the tube.

9.) Start the engine and make sure that the low oil pressure light goes off after a few seconds and check under the hood and under the vehicle for any leaks.

10.) Remove wheel chocks and release the parking brake and back the car down off the ramps. Shut down the engine and wait a few minutes and check the oil level on the dipstick. Usually, if you put on what the owner's manual says, it'll be right at the full mark or just a hair over. As long as it's between the low and full marks or just a hair over, I call it good. I prefer it to be as close to the full mark as possible, though, in case the vehicle consumes or leaks some oil.

Someone please correct me if I missed something as I'm half-awake right now.
 
Originally Posted By: ThirdeYe


Someone please correct me if I missed something as I'm half-awake right now.


Yes...good work...nothing to correct, but...just to add:

...change HOT oil so it will flow out more readily...but...

Another warning...and suggestion...

HOT OIL BURNS...so be careful...
...and used oil is caustic, so wear nitrile/latex gloves to protect your hands...even Edd China now wears gloves...good for him.
 
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thanks for the advice. I think I got the oil for a good price. 4.60 for pennz plat
and 5 quarts of mobil 1 for 22 dollars
but yeah, i'll follow through with them
i already did a semi-oil change and let oil drain out and added some new oil, but as I said, oil leaked out because I only hand tightened the drain plug

now I know to use a wrench but I'm still not too sure about filter tightness
will look into that
i'm going to change the oil on the taurus later on this weekend with a motorcraft filter and motorcraft syn blend

i also saw ac delco synblend at oreilly's
i know ac delco filters are bad but what about their synthetic blend oil
what about mopar filters? i herad they were bad and that motorcraft was the only domestic that made good OEM products
 
Originally Posted By: engineer20
... but as I said, oil leaked out because I only hand tightened the drain plug...

now I know to use a wrench but I'm still not too sure about filter tightness



You hand tightened the drain plug? How did you get it off in the first place? Come on....

My advice, is to return all the items you bought at the store and go back to using the quick lube facility. You're going to blow up your 148K mile engine or worse, drop a car on yourself.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam

...and used oil is caustic, so wear nitrile/latex gloves to protect your hands...even Edd China now wears gloves...good for him.



One question, I have yet to wear gloves when changing my oil, I've had used oil run down my arm and onto my back and it stayed there til I was done, then took a shower.

To the best of my recollection I have never had anyone else change my oil. I'm now 70+ years old and have been driving my own cars since the age of 15.

Neither of my hands have withered up and fallen off, nor have I gotten unknown patches of something growing on my body anywhere.

Maybe I'm just lucky.
 
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Originally Posted By: Zaedock
Originally Posted By: engineer20
... but as I said, oil leaked out because I only hand tightened the drain plug...

now I know to use a wrench but I'm still not too sure about filter tightness



You hand tightened the drain plug? How did you get it off in the first place? Come on....

My advice, is to return all the items you bought at the store and go back to using the quick lube facility. You're going to blow up your 148K mile engine or worse, drop a car on yourself.


I agree, or take it to the dealer. They won't do you wrong.

http://www.lafontainetoyota.com/service-center-service-specials/

This dealer in Detroit is running a $9.95 oil change special. When I have used these specials on cars at the dealer I check the oil before leaving (seeing it's golden and fresh) and I look down at the filter and see it's a shiny new one (AC Delco from the dealer I took my moms Buick in for an oil change)

That's it...
 
Originally Posted By: jcwit

One question, I have yet to wear gloves when changing my oil,
Maybe I'm just lucky.


There's always one...

I would have thought it was clear that of all the threads, and with all these pages of posts here meant to sincerely help someone who appears clueless, that sarcasm would be the last thing needed...the least helpful response.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: jcwit

One question, I have yet to wear gloves when changing my oil,
Maybe I'm just lucky.


There's always one...

I would have thought it was clear that of all the threads, and with all these pages of posts here meant to sincerely help someone who appears clueless, that sarcasm would be the last thing needed...the least helpful response.



And that was the least intelligent response to my question.

No sarcasm was intended.

You are correct about the OP being totally clueless
 
Tightened it with the wrench. Life is all about learning. This is a learning process.
Don't fgive up just because you fail at first. I refuse to take it and give my car up to others and wanna diy i may have made a few mistakes but we learn from them. Like the tortoise ans the hare.

Typed on my cramped phone keyboard
 
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