never changed oil
Stuff you'll need:
*4 quarts of oil - I go with a 5w 30, you can go with a 10w or 15w if it's much hotter in Mississippi at this time of year.
*1 oil filter - can't remember what # they are, but there should be a big booklet that you can look up the Lancer in, and it will specify what part #.
*Drain pan - to catch the oil in as it's draining
*Old newspaper
*Correct socket size (16mm?) to remove the oil plug
Directions:
*Let your car sit for a while if you've been driving it, as the oil will be HOT, as well as everything else underneath your car.
*Jack the car up and find the oil pan.
*Get the old newspaper and lay it under the drain plug, slightly forward (toward the exhaust), and put your drain pan on top of the newspaper. That way, in case you misalign the pan, there's the newspaper instead of your garage floor.
*Undo the oil plug, which will be on there super tight since it's the first time you've done it, and it's super torqued on there from the factory. Once the plug gives, you can just undo it with your fingers.
*As the oil is draining, locate the oil filter, which is above and to the right of the drain plug, behind some plastic covering.
*Once the oil has finished draining from the oil pan, replace the drain plug (hand tighten and then give it a few good turns with your ratchet) and get to work on removing the oil filter. Turn it counter-clockwise! This will be on there just about as hard as the drain plug, so don't get frustrated. A side tip that I used when first removing mine - I used a c-clamp! to get some grip on the filter and turned it loose.
*Before you remove the filter, be sure to move your pan underneath it to catch the oil that will drip from there also.
*Once that's done draining, get your new filter and be sure to lube up the rubber ring with some oil! That will prevent the filter from heat-sealing itself just as tight as the stock filter was. When you're tightening the filter, I just tighten it by hand as best as I can.
*Now for the easy stuff - pour in your new oil.
*4 quarts of oil - I go with a 5w 30, you can go with a 10w or 15w if it's much hotter in Mississippi at this time of year.
*1 oil filter - can't remember what # they are, but there should be a big booklet that you can look up the Lancer in, and it will specify what part #.
*Drain pan - to catch the oil in as it's draining
*Old newspaper
*Correct socket size (16mm?) to remove the oil plug
Directions:
*Let your car sit for a while if you've been driving it, as the oil will be HOT, as well as everything else underneath your car.
*Jack the car up and find the oil pan.
*Get the old newspaper and lay it under the drain plug, slightly forward (toward the exhaust), and put your drain pan on top of the newspaper. That way, in case you misalign the pan, there's the newspaper instead of your garage floor.
*Undo the oil plug, which will be on there super tight since it's the first time you've done it, and it's super torqued on there from the factory. Once the plug gives, you can just undo it with your fingers.
*As the oil is draining, locate the oil filter, which is above and to the right of the drain plug, behind some plastic covering.
*Once the oil has finished draining from the oil pan, replace the drain plug (hand tighten and then give it a few good turns with your ratchet) and get to work on removing the oil filter. Turn it counter-clockwise! This will be on there just about as hard as the drain plug, so don't get frustrated. A side tip that I used when first removing mine - I used a c-clamp! to get some grip on the filter and turned it loose.
*Before you remove the filter, be sure to move your pan underneath it to catch the oil that will drip from there also.
*Once that's done draining, get your new filter and be sure to lube up the rubber ring with some oil! That will prevent the filter from heat-sealing itself just as tight as the stock filter was. When you're tightening the filter, I just tighten it by hand as best as I can.
*Now for the easy stuff - pour in your new oil.
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Originally posted by fkrzo
3 are you kidding, with a filter I use 4.5
3 are you kidding, with a filter I use 4.5
About the hints about letting the engine cool down before changing the oil... This may sound good, but has some problems.
Letting the engine sit also allows particulate debris in the oil to settle out and sit as solid deposits on the oil pan floor -- not all of these deposits will come out when you drain the oil.
I would recommend changing the oil with the engine at near normal operating temperatures. Keep your head and face far from the oil, put on some safety goggles if you have them, wear some decent protective gloves to protect your hands against the hot oil and you should be fine.
When replacing the oil drain plug, also replace the crush washer which usually comes off stuck to the drain plug. Yes, I've changed oil without changing the crush washer, and you can often get away with it, but it really should be changed. And you might think about using a torque wrench to reinstall the plug. I'm not sure what the spec is on the Lancer ES, but it's not a lot -- you don't need to tighten the drain plug as tight as you can get it.
When adding the new oil, add the first quart and then watch the engine bottom end for a minute or two looking for leaks. If it turns out for some reason that you have to remove and reinstall the drain plug (for instance, if you put it in without a crush washer), better to waste one quart than a whole engine full. (Or if you were silly enough -- and some people have been -- to add oil before replacing the drain plug.)
And after filling it with oil, run the engine for 5 minutes and then check again for leaks. Better to find the problem in your garage or driveway than 5 miles down the road.
Letting the engine sit also allows particulate debris in the oil to settle out and sit as solid deposits on the oil pan floor -- not all of these deposits will come out when you drain the oil.
I would recommend changing the oil with the engine at near normal operating temperatures. Keep your head and face far from the oil, put on some safety goggles if you have them, wear some decent protective gloves to protect your hands against the hot oil and you should be fine.
When replacing the oil drain plug, also replace the crush washer which usually comes off stuck to the drain plug. Yes, I've changed oil without changing the crush washer, and you can often get away with it, but it really should be changed. And you might think about using a torque wrench to reinstall the plug. I'm not sure what the spec is on the Lancer ES, but it's not a lot -- you don't need to tighten the drain plug as tight as you can get it.
When adding the new oil, add the first quart and then watch the engine bottom end for a minute or two looking for leaks. If it turns out for some reason that you have to remove and reinstall the drain plug (for instance, if you put it in without a crush washer), better to waste one quart than a whole engine full. (Or if you were silly enough -- and some people have been -- to add oil before replacing the drain plug.)
And after filling it with oil, run the engine for 5 minutes and then check again for leaks. Better to find the problem in your garage or driveway than 5 miles down the road.
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Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Up to 80 miles north of Gilroy
Manual says the car requires 3.7 qts. That's pretty specific but I think you can manage. The socket size is 17mm and if you do as I do and use K&N filters, use a 1" socket to attach and detach your filters.
And the filter takes 0.32Qt, so 4 total quarts is a pretty damned good estimate. I bought a "filter socket" to get my filter off. As the name implies, it looks like a huge plastic socket for your filter. Indispensible!! They fit really snug so you might have to use a mallet to get it on enough to hold and then use a 1" wrench or a 3/8" drive ratchet.
Well, the never touched sinced the factory bolt is pretty tight for takin out the oil....i used a 1/2 inch breaker bar to take it out....make sure you use 17MM socket, 11/16 is the american standard, but it will strip your bolt on the corners...ONLY USE 17 mm...4 quarts should do it....the oil filter number is stated in a booklet where the oil section is...you should have no trouble....10/30 oil is good for temperatures 0 degrees and above, while 5/30 is used for winter...5/30 is 100 degrees and anything below.....Good Luck on your first oil change....Make sure you have lots of paper towels....I always use Synthetic blend oil to keep it runnin good....
I still use good old-fashioned dyno-juice