DON'T Make These Common Oil Change Mistakes With Your Car!!

If you think you know everything about changing the oil in your car or truck, think again!
In this video you'll learn 9 of the most common mistakes people make when changing their motor oil.
Each tip could save you time and money so make sure to watch until the end!

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[michaelm]

One major issue that was never mentioned was removing the oil filler cap beforehand. Doing this lets atmospheric pressure aid in draining the old fluid without creating suction. I learned this in trade school 40 years ago. The theory is obvious, yet no one ever mentions it. Try it yourself, the difference in drain flow is dramatic with a more efficient and complete drainage.

[coastalbeer]

Having done over 500 oil changes in my life, I can tell you that all that really matters, is actually doing an oil change and then doing it at least once a year or every 5000 miles. Thats it! You Don't need to warm up the oil, you drain it for 30 minutes and you are good. It it makes you feel good to pour some oil into the filter, go ahead! I am all about feeling good! It's really not necessary at all, but it feels good, so go ahead! Don't waste money on flushes. Better, start changing your oil twice a year, every six months. I do mine in the spring, then six months later. Keep it simple. Remember, fresh oil is all that matters. Expensive oil gets dirty and toxic the same as cheap oil. Change it often.

[jimmybrown]

Your points were fine & correct except for one. Overfilling the crankcase will not cause high oil pressure. Crankcase pressure may climb a bit but a proper working PCV system will compensate. Biggest problem would be the crankshaft will slap the oil causing aeration. Then oil can't lube engine properly.

[DavidSimpsonSpecialForces]

There's nothing wrong with priming the filter, but it's not really needed. Moreover, you really don't need to worry about a dry start after changing an oil filter unless the car has been sitting a long time; there will be enough oil left coating the internals for that brief period of time before oil is recirculated. I have a Toyota Tacoma with 324, 000 miles on her and never once primed the filter!

[sergiyg]

The first mistake is having an Apple watch on your wrist when changing oil.

[tornticket]

Lots of information. Delivered quickly but concisely and easy to follow. No extraneous self-centered junk about “me me me”. Well done video. Keep it up.

[RJAH]

If you drain the oil when it’s still hot or warm there will be still some in the engine. If you do it after the car as been left over night you’ll get nearly all of the old oil out. It will just take 5 minutes to drain it instead of a couple minutes. And telling people run there engine to get it warm then drain it is ridiculous. You will be leaving a lot of your old oil in the engine as it takes a couple of hours for all the oil to drain back to the sump.

[yjynfil]

Tip for using Havoline boxed motor oil, the bag inside uses a standard gallon jug thread, and they sell an adapter with a shut off and a thick clear hose to pour in the engine spill free. Since there's six quarts, I keep a clean empty oil bottle to drain off 1 qt. so don't overfill if it takes 5 qts. and keep the extra in trunk to top off when checking oil.

[bigedslobotomy]

The “filling your oil filter before installing it” thing is a hotly debated idea on the internet. Of course, there is this guy’s view that it’s necessary. There are others that point out that if you do this, you must be METICULOUS about not allowing the smallest particle to get into the oil before screwing it back in place. If there is even the tiniest speck of dust or dirt, it will immediately circulate through the engine (as it will be post-oil filter) and modern cars with variable valve timing do NOT like that!

[georgegravette]

Good points. I always warm my car up to operating temperature; then by the time I jack it up and get it on stands, the engine and its oil's cooled off enough to handle without getting burned. Because my oil pan does not use a crush washer, I use a torque wrench to tighten the drain plug to specifications. Also. I do use a cap-style wrench to install the new filter, but only because the filter is mounted at an angle; in changing filters, my fingers get so much oil on them that I need the wrench just to grip the new filter and get it hand-tight.

[tssci]

Good video. Did you know in modern engines, 10-20% of old oil remains in an engine. I would agree to a point about warming the engine oil if you live in very cold climate. At normal ambient temps, it will not improve oil removal. Draining the oil after sitting for several hours achieves a better drain. I have been able to remove another 1/3-to1/2qt by letting sit. Also removing the filter first allows the oil to drain from the engine better. I park my car on ramps overnight, remove the filter, then drain first thing in the morning. I also recommend clear flood crank to refill and pressureized the engine before starting. I lived in Hawaii for 4 years, miss the weather and surf.

[patrickkerner]

Every 3k with a filter replacement, wix filter prefered! Good overall video!

[scrambler-xkkv]

Been changing my own oil since 1970. I always change it when I return home from a trip. Just buy yourself a good pair of rubber gloves and I always use ramps. I see so many videos with people using a jack and jackstands. Ramps are so much easier and safer. And I always prefill my oil filter. There is a reason oil filters have an anti drainback valve. So your car does not get a dry start. If your oil filter is horizonal on the engine, the first thing you do is fill the new oil filter and let it sit while you drain the old oil and remove the old oil filter. By that time the oil will have migrated from the center of the new oil filter to the space between the filter media and the outside wall of the filter. You can now install it without a spill. If your car holds less than five quarts, just add a little at a time and just keep holding the jug level and look at the on bottle gauge untill you have added the required amount.

[Funkydood]

You forgot to include the fact that one should use the motor oil viscosity & type specified in the Owner’s Manual. Thanks for your video, dude!

[michaeljohn]

Over filling with oil can encourage the crankshaft big end journals to slap the oil creating an aerated mix which lowers the oil pressure and destroys the bearings.

[MinionAtTheGate]

This guy got the title correct at least... If you are changing the oil to maximize engine life then here's the most important rules to follow: 1. always make sure the vehicle is level when you drain the oil. Pulling the front up onto ramps is the way to ensure your oil change is meaningless. Most all drain plugs are not at the very back of the oil pan and if you put your car at an angle all the sediment in the oil, sludge and fine metal particles that are doing all the damage and why you need to change the oil in the first place, will just sit in the part of the pan that is lower than the drain hole and not flow out with the oil. Keep it level. 2. always adhere to the mileage requirements listed for your vehicle and engine combination listed by the manufacturer. Only exemption from this is if you drive less than 3k miles per year then in most cases you can just change the oil once a year. If you drive 30k a year you should be changing it once every month or two. Consult your manual. Always change the oil by the specified mileage interval. 3. hot oil is hazardous to the human body. not just because of potential burns but it is also absorbed into the skin more readily than room temperature oil. 4. you don't have to fill the filter - it does nothing to prolong the life of your engine. most cars don't even have oil filters that are perfectly perpendicular and many are almost horizontal so don't worry over something that is a made up requirement. if the oil filter needed to be prefilled your manual and your engine compartment would state so in a very noticeable warning with huge lettering. 5. On newer vehicles with direct injection make sure you change the oil on time and maybe even consider adding an oil catch can. on older vehicles made before the year 2000 don't worry about it. These are the oil change rules I use. My 2007 Mustang GT does triple digits on an almost daily basis and sometimes has been known to kick in the rev limiter and 17 years later it still roars like new. Oh, and I use the manufacturer brand and grade oil filter and oil that my vehicles came with and are recommended in the manuals - not anything less and not anything more.

[dannybryant]

The oil filter only gets tighter with time & temperature cycling. If you hand tighten it like crazy your hand won't be able to remove it later. The rubber gasket makes the seal. Don't over tighten it.

[peghead]

Regardless if your oil filter mounts sideways or any other direction where completely pre-filling the filter is not feasible, at the very least, pour oil in the filter to saturate the filter medium, it's amazing how much oil is required to do this and when installed, the pleats are saturated and saves precious time for the oil to flow where it's needed and cuts down on "dry-startup" time.

[gordonenquist]

You may overlooked this step which is to wipe clean the filter mating surface on the motor block. Just in case some dirt or debris gets up there since most of us do our oil changes are done out of doors.

[TexasScout]

Regarding tightening your oil filter, most filters used to say on there “tighten three-quarter turn after making contact“. I haven’t seen that on a filter in a long time