As another grumpy old man, I appreciate seeing your oil change video. I don't prime filters, but everything else is good to go. Been doing this since 1970 and never had an engine wear our or fail, or leak due to an oil change, except for once at a Toyota dealer.
First: Thank you for your approach, sense of humor, and humility. This is intended as a "helpful comment," rather than a rant. I'm a fan. You've mentioned the oil/no oil on oil filter gaskets in several of your videos. Context: I started in auto repair when we were selling gas (in Bellevue, WA) for 16.9 cents per gallon (full serve regular). I continued that line of work (certified when it was still NIASE) to pay for a lot of education. I'm an amateur now. I was taught to wipe the flange, to make sure there wasn't a gasket stuck on it, as well as to clean it. I was taught to oil the gasket, not to make it seal but to make sure there was a gasket on the filter. ALWAYS doing this prevented zero gasket (probably very rare today) and the double gasket (always a possibility) events. I appreciate your steps 1, 2, 3 (open hood, open oil cap, pull dipstick) approach. There is a consideration I'd like to suggest. When the drain is complete, and the vehicle on the ground (or, if one is on his/her back in the driveway, standing at the engine bay), it only takes a second or three to wipe and check the dipstick. On a lot of vehicles there are multiple drain plugs, in close proximity. Checking the dipstick tells you that you've successfully drained the crankcase. If there's still oil on the stick, it's time to reconsider what you've actually done. This is a good time to find this out, rather than just putting in 5 quarts and finding the crankcase is way overfull. This is all about process, especially important for people working in production environments where repetitive, similar jobs can lead to losing track of where one is in a task. A recommended read for people who fly airplanes, repair peoples' bodies (surgeons), and repair vehicles is atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/ Thanks for being there. By the way: I recognize this is now an "older" video. It would be handy if there was a Google sheet or other index available to those of us who are simple RU-vid users (I don't 'do' Facebook and the like), like the one for Project Farm (docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRSdaMe-QIMjm-ZcfX8mdjY1srdCeJUg2m-IwjSWPKoRhzW5bWos35RGQ-YMR4iZA-iWB68wKegptex/pubhtml).
I always write what the amount of oil car needs for an oil change right on plastic over radiator with silver marker. and oil filter model number with wrench for drain plug size so i can just glance at that when doing oil changes. helps keep garages from overfilling oil i see lots of garages just throwing in 4 or 5 quarts when some small cars only take 3.4 for complete oil change. had car way overfilled already by garage doing mid-winter oil change when i was working too many hours to do it.
thank you for your video. Some of the things I saw in the past: I overtighten the filter on my ford bronco, 1980"s one, had to use a screwdriver to remove it; got new car, someone stripped the drain plug; got a new car, filter was so bad tight that when I put in the new filter had no place to tread in, the adapter came out with old filter, it unscrew from the engine block; always check the O ring on the filter, wife's friend changed the oil, drove home and oil everywhere, I don't think she drove too far.... O ring was damaged and leaking....One of my friends, someone used a impact to put in the drain., had the marks on the head...had to use a 6 feet pry bar to remove it and a new drain plug (was not going to reuse the old one)....
always a good idea to prime the filter I see so many people trying to use excuses to not fill filter. you can put oil in filters that are sideways till it soaks through to outside and pour in some more and slowly rotate to get all the oil to outside of the paper and if you keep slowly rotating it you can have filter 3/4 full on horizontal filter and have none spill out.
Great video. I will add one important step. When the engine is started after filling with oil, leave it running and look under the engine. If the oil filter or its gasket are leaking, you will see it while under pressure. I installed a brand new oil filter one time that had a pinhole in it.
You've got well thought out great habits brother, great stuff. If people that are watching want to learn this is the guy to watch, he not only is a real mechanic, he analyses what he does, that's a super important point that most don't do. He is the real deal. Cheers.
May I recommend that you also do the job when you can pay attention to. I did one once trying to distract myself from a horrible situation and did exactly what you described and drained my transmission in my Subaru, didn’t notice till I put in my new oil and got all kinds of warnings when restarting the engine.
I may have missed it in the video, but one thing I would be sure to check is when you take off the oil filter, make sure the o-ring on the filter comes off with it. Sometimes they'll stick to the filter mount on the engine. The new filter will have an o-ring on it, and if the old one is stuck on the engine, the two o-rings together WILL leak. It doesn't happen often, but it can make a mess if you don't catch it.
he mentions to clean metal of engine for dirt and check smoothness after removing filter hopefully at that time someone would notice a rubber gasket stuck on their or pieces of one. although he did not specifically mention the gasket.
Thank you. I just found your channel and your videos are quite enjoyable. Although I already know how to change oil. Nobody knows everything. There's always something new to learn.
Great video Kenny! If I may add, it's good to also inspect that the old gasket came off with the old filter so you don't end up with a double gasket. And for us shade tree mechanics, please don't dispose of the dirty oil in the trash! Any auto parts store (Autozone, O'Reilley does anyways) will accept the dirty oil at no charge.
You need to turn OFF the "Save selfies as previewed" option so it's not mirrored on playback. That way all the steering wheels will be on the left side.
RJM!! I just figured it out!! I actually didn't know that was a thing lol !! 2 years of doing videos and you taught me something today!! I can't thank you enough !!
The procedure is correct - I do it myself as well. Well, I recommend a torque wrench to tighten the drain screw. Next, I always clean the remaining oil in the oil pan with brake cleaner.
are you talking about outside of oil pan on car or oil drain pan for changing oil? I just wipe it clean with all the paper towels i use from cleaning up since i had 4 cars It is only going to get dirty again it is pretty clean with just paper towels.
That's is good advice for most car. I have a Britsh Triumph Spitfire. Where the bonnet (hood) opens bulk head towards the front. Like a XKE. The dip stick is short and locate on rt front on motor.
Yep, have the right capacity "old oil" of your vehicle. Over here in France (no, I'm a Texan not "French") my C6Z06 LS7 has a capacity of 10 liters ... and 2 separate cavities that needs to be drained in series. But on new old stock vehicles, I do like to add a bit of old school "+4 ATF" to the Oil when getting the Oil to temp ... helps clean out possible sludge ... but wait longer to let it completely drain out. Great advice on a simple task.
there is always oil left in engine no matter how long you wait lots of nooks and crannies won't drain so you are leaving some transmission fluid in the engine oil. I like to throw a bit of fresh oil in to rinse out old oil a few ounces after most of oil has drained out as an extra flush.
great advice there, i always use break cleaner to disperse the oil around the drian plug and the filter if i spill any oil. i always run the engine for awhile and then check to make sure there are no leeks too
Back in 1975 I bought a new 75 Honda Civic with the 1488cc CVCC engine. That engine is the only one I've owned that the filter had to tightened quite tight or it would work loose. Found out the hard way. All the other cars I've ever owned and there were many, hand tightening was perfect. And they were always tighter when it came time to remove them and a wrench had to be used to get it off.
William White, I have a ‘16 Honda Civic and do the oil changes myself. But because I have arthritis in my hands, hand tighten is not viable for me. So I’ll spin on the new filter just until the rubber o-ring gasket makes contact with the engine block, then tighten with a tool 3/4 turn after that. Which is also industry standard.
Great to see your system. Many cars have a clear flood mode where if you floor gas pedal it turns off ignition when cranking. If so you can prime the oil system that way.
Being in the automotive repair business for over 45 years it’s amazing how so many people have different was of doing oil changes You added a lot of great tips and I’m sure you have had many successful oil changes with no issues but I would like to explain a few things I do differently I always replace the drain plug gasket because some have a crush style one that should only be used once I never fill the oil filter unless the manufacturer says otherwise because it provides no benefit and if did the manufacturers would tell us that. The other reason is and the video shows you wiping the oil filter that you just installed because the oil was leaking from the new filter because it was oil that was trapped between the gasket and the outer lip of the filter I have had hundreds of mechanics and do it yourself people complain about a oil filter leaking and when asked if they pre-filled the oil filter every one of them said yes when I explain it to them why and how it happened they understood The only reason why the filter manufacturer tells us to wipe off the base of the filter mounting area is to make sure the old gasket comes off , and you don’t double gasket it. The reason why they tell you to put one drop of clean motor oil on the new gasket is to make sure there is a new gasket on the filter. I have found some of those and some that the gasket was in the bottom of the box This might be like water of a ducks back info but I thought it might be helpful to some Keep those wrenches turning
Amazing! I have the same experience with my tires!!! I inflate them at 38 psi. The ride is amazing and it seems they last longer... and the car shows a little bit higher. (In a Saturn Ll1 1999 I sit so low that each mm higher is a bless ) Thought I was the only one kind of over pressuring it. Thanks again for the sharing.
Right. The problem IMHO is that we don't trust anyone anymore. Lower pressure will be a little softer ride, but I often feel there is a bit of quicker wear for the manufacture to sell more. lol
I go a few pounds higher for firmer ride and better maneuvering less sloppy when turning but going too high will increase braking distance and sliding out in turns some cars even have it in owner's manual to add a pound or two if driving at high highways speeds since many roads are 70 or more now not 55
I check the oil filter & drain plug for leaks after the test run but otherwise this is good. Also I don't prime my oil filters quite as much as you do haha... clearly that filter mount has a slight tilt so you need to prime the filter a tiny bit short. Thanks Kenny for another good video.
You turned me onto a fix for the problem I'm having with my gmc 5.7 vortec oil pressure drops after it gets to temp and idle drops right down to almost zero but a small increase in rpm right back up there. Turns out engine is out of wreckers yard and I'd be surprised if it wasn't the strainer tube into the pump is loose like what you experienced . Thanks
Hey Kenny, fun channel! I don't know if your Kia has it but there is supposed to be a "Flood Start" feature on the newer cars. Basically, you hold the gas pedal all the way to the floor and crank the engine and the computer withholds spark to clear a flooded condition. That seems like a handy way to crank the engine over and build oil pressure without the engine starting for people stuck with horizontal or inverted oil filters.
Like you do with the oil fill cap, whenever I service a differential or transfer case, I make sure I can remove the fill plug first. If you can’t refill it, you really have problems.
I have a Sorento with that same engine. It blew at 32k. Tried to blame that I didn’t have a Kia oem oil filter on it. I had a higher quality one on it. Once they knew that I’m not an idiot they replaced it & said I have to use full synthetic or it’ll void their warranty. And I recently noticed the book says to use Quartz full synthetic oil.
Conumdrum: If 5W30 oil is a 5 viscosity rating cold and 30 viscosity rating hot why heat it up to drain it? Shouldn't it be a lower viscosity when cold? What do you think? 3am thoughts.
I read that Ford 3.2l Ranger (if you come across one) oil pump may lose prime if drained for more than 10 minutes. Also many ecm's have a flood crank mode that allows you to crank the engine with no fuel delivery. This can be used to fill a new filter when installed. This won't work on a carbureted engine though. Happy Wrenching!
Something not mentioned is if you don’t prime your oil filter. Which I do not. You fill the engine until it reads full on the dip stick and start the engine. It will go down about half a quart as it fills the filter
Most owner’s manuals will say how much oil is needed both with and without a filter change. Use the right number and the level will be really close to correct after the engine has run and filled the filter.
I like to go a few pounds high on tire air pressure since they are always losing some pressure and it is less bouncy and sloppy steering. but going ten pounds high might be a bad idea for stopping distance and sliding when cornering since they have shown stopping distances increase if you get too high on air pressure. the big square transmission funnels with a mesh pad in it is great for oil changes since it is easier to get both filter and drain pan drips. but it also keeps you from having to fish drain plug out of oily mess if you drop it or the filter won't splash when dropping it.
Fist time I changed the oil in my truck needed one of those pliers to unscrew the filter, fist tough was too big to my hand now I know was just overtighten, ended up crushed now I just tight it by hand and never had a leak. And for the drain I got a nice magnetic socket with a nice knurled handle, jus need to brake it free with the ratchet and loose it with just my fingers.
vvince, I use an aluminum washer with my drain plug. If it’s not crushed or deformed, you can re-use it….just check for leaks underneath when starting the engine after the new oil is filled.
whoever said that is an idiot. You ARE supposed to, contrary to what he says in this video, impact the filter on. you must impact for at least 5 seconds without moving to make sure its tight.
I think the garage who did mine mid-winter used a pipe wrench I had to replace drain plug it was so badly chewed up. really hate having garages do my oil change they usually assign the newest guy to do them who knows nothing.
I wont lie, I used to prefill my oil filters. Ive heard one good argument to never prefill oil filters, and it goes with the risk of any contamination in the oil that you dont want in your engine is now in the clean side of your filter and has now bypassed filtration and entering the engine for lubrication. Even Caterpillar, a huge company that has, compared to a car, huge oil filters and they tell you to never prefill the filter. If you have a concern about dry starts, except maybe in a car thats sat for a very long time (4 or more months) the oil film thats already in place will be enough lubrication for the 5 ish seconds it takes for the pump to prime the whole system again
I go by the filter manufacturers recomendation. They design those filter specifically for that component so they know if it's full flow or bypass system. Even genuine Cat filters recommend priming on certain filters. If you have good shop hygiene habits it's not an issue, but not all mechanics/techs are clean so I can sort of see their point.
@@gregwellwood9386 Shop hygiene may or may not have anything to do with it. How do you know there's no pieces of plastic or other debris inside the oil jug from jug and/or oil manufacturing? I've seen that. Some oil jugs have plastic seals under the lid that you have to peel away in order to open the jug and small pieces of those can fall into the oil when you open it. It's just not a good idea to pour the fresh oil into the clean side of the filter. I used to prefill oil filters, as well. I don't anymore after having seen debris in clean oil from a jug.
one you tube channel tested brand new oil out of the bottle and found there was virtually no particles in new oil they filter it more than the filter in your car does so the filter in car only removes down to a certain size and used oil from clean side of filter still has tons of particles much larger than the new oil.
I let mine drain until it is dripping at a fairly slow rate, no more than 1 drip every couple of seconds. That is all I have patience for, except in the cases where I start the oil draining and then do something else for half an hour and come back. I always hold the plug in as you did once it is fully unthreaded and then remove it quickly to minimize the mess. Except on my new Equinox which for some reason starts dripping oil pretty quickly as soon as the gasket clears the pan. Not sure if this is just because the thread tolerances are too sloppy or if they designed it this way, but this is my only vehicle where it isn’t possible to screw out the drain plug without making a big mess. I generally now treat it like the oil filter and loosen it a couple of turns and then let it drain for 10 minutes or more.
I really like your advice to have the engine hot. The other reason to do that is because the top of the engine is recently bathed in oil. Then when you restart, the few extra seconds it takes to prime the system are no big deal. I use a transfer jug with all the capacities of the cars I service written on the side, so I know exactly how much to add. I also like your advice to slightly overfill tire air pressure. With 32 the target, I fill to 35, reasoning that I don't recheck every week and it's common for readings to sag over the year. The last point is to be absolutely certain the oil filter gasket comes off. In the darkness of a home garage, you might not notice. One time in a hundred that gasket will stick to the engine, and you could end up double gasketing the oil filter. It's the most important point because the engine could die as a result. The final thing I do is double check under the engine while it is running, mostly as a final check that there is no leak.
Spelunkerd, I had that happen to me last fall when I was changing the oil. I had on the cheapest Fram oil filter, and when I went to take it off, the rubber o-ring gasket had remained on the engine block! Thankfully I make it a habit to clean off that metal surface before putting on the new filter. Typically I’ll use the mid- to upper tier Fram and not have that problem with the o-ring, but I was using the cheapie one for a quick 3000 mile interval. That’ll be the last time I use the “orange can of death”! 😂
I agree it is better to drain when engine is a little warm (especially for conventional oil). However, for a beginner I think it is safer to drain oil on a cold engine until they learn the process of keeping clean (not getting oil on your hands/arms). I actually always do it cold because it works for me. Just did the 42nd oil change (full synthetic) on my 2006 Matrix with 210,000 miles (the car runs like new).
I hate it when someone changes my oil snd foes not clean up the outside to insure no leaks. Had some leave oil on the floor as still dripping iff the frame from the filter removal. Using the old metal drain plug seal that is crashed will not secure the drain plug from comming loose. Let someone close the hood and damage the plastic oil filler cap.
I’ve always filled my filters also when possible, but I did read an article a few years ago that suggested against that and the rationale is sound. The rationale is that with a dry filter, all of the oil gets filtered before entering the engine. If the filter is pre-filled, if any dirt gets into the filter with the oil, it will get circulated through the engine without first passing through the filter. I don’t worry about that much as I am quite careful to fill the filter from a clean jug with nothing on the outside that could fall into the center of the filter, but there is merit to the idea of not pre-filling.
Oh yeah? Most filters have a bypass feature that will function due to differential pressure while the media is absorbing the oil and filling. So, how does that old oil from the pan and pickup tube compare to a few airborne pollen molecules?
i have found when priming oil filters its not being empty that slows the oil pressure on start up its that the filter element is dry. so just wet the paper with oil. then you can do this in whatever position the filter is on the engine. it works. you dont get that rattling cavitation sound on start up.
No, it is being empty. You can’t build pressure until you are actually pumping oil through the engine and that doesn’t happen until the filter has filled.
I always use a tool and tighten that filter 3/4 of a turn after contact. I really doubt that you can do that by hand the way some of the filters are positoned. Tighten by hand is fine IF you can get that 3/4 turn.
Oh yes. The expert priming the filter on the CLEAN side of the filter! Hopefully you will never get any debris in new oil (rare, but it does happen in any/all automated filling processes.
That oil jug was pretty crusty on the outside. I always wipe down the outside of the jug as it is very easy to have some grit from a dirty jug fall into the filter as you add the oil. Cleanliness is the key to long engine life.
almost all cars are designed so you can check your oil while at gas station with engine hot and just shut off for a minute. My daughters Honda civic has you check transmission at that time too since it makes sense it could be a lot more after siting for hours.
I never bought into the "it will suspend any molecules..." If the oil hot, it's not drained down from the engine into the pan. If it's cold, it's had that time. The only issue with the cold change is more particles are at the bottom of the pan instead of being suspended in oil inside the pan. I believe it to be tit for tat. I usually change mine frequently and cold, my oil is much cleaner than most others I've seen. I don't see a difference in the oil hot or cold honestly... So, there's that.
Kenny, do you change the washer on the drain plug? I bought a filter at the Kia dealership, since I was there for another reason. The parts person gave me a washer with the filter.
I have a question. I staryed using full synthetic oil thinking it was better. I just read an article about high mileage older engines being better to use conventional. I have been using valvoline max life high mileage full synthetic oil in a 2004 jeep wranger and a 66 f-100. ( 352 fe). Am I ok still doing that? I change the oil every 3000 miles regularly. I just want to take care of my vehicles as best I know how. Thanks
@Daizen Thanks. I came to the same conclusion awhile back. I read and re read the labels on the jugs and decided to let go my hesitation. I am a bit frugal with my oil changes though🙂Thank you for the help. I may go 4000 or 5000 now. 👍
I drained the trans oil on a Nissan pulsar a few years ago. It took me a few seconds to notice the oil color was different. By then it was already draining. Lucky i was able to just put it back in through the dipstick for the trans. It was my first time changing oil on a car.
Love a video just on tires and tire pressure, good new tires, not so good. Alignment, balancing, safety. I put mine at 5 over spec. Also your thoughts on tires and towing.
To be honest it just depends on what is available in the shop & what is called for. If the customer specifically asks for synthetic or a synthetic blend then I make sure that's what they get. Keep wrenching
@joe-hp4nk , I should have clarified my answer better . My apologies. If a vehicle calls for standard or conventional oil , I will use that or a synthetic blend if that's what we have in the shop at the time . The synthetic blend to me has slightly better cleaning agents then conventional, but not so much better that i would recommend it because the benefits dont outweigh the costs. I personally don't see any other benefits to using a blend . There is certainly no downside other than cost , but , with that being said , if I use a blend where conventional is recommended because I didn't have conventional on hand , the price to the customer is the same as conventional. If I only had full synthetic, I wouldn't use it in that type of vehicle. If a car calls full synthetic, then that's what it gets . I wouldn't switch a car from conventional to synthetic because I don't see any added benefits if the car didn't call for it . I hope this cleared it up for you
Looks like you have enough to put it together. . Pull all the wire, get a universal painless wire harness, all glass and junk yard seats, rad and you’re well on your way!
Tire pressures- I agree! I use the max tire pressure listed on the tire itself. The vehicle tire pressure specs are for the most comfortable ride, not tire life.
My 7.3L diesel holds 4 gallons... Fram's suck, they are just a step above window screen. Wix are good filters. I would not be surprised if Wix or Champion make the Carquest filters. They both do a lot of private label manufacturing. Since I do my own oil changes. I use a paint marker and write the date and mileage or date and hours on my filters. I have a farm so a lot of my equipment does not have an odometer.
I stopped watching after you said that you prime the filter. I have watched your videos for awhile now and after this one I probably won’t watch another one. Thanks for the advice and tips on several occasions and situations.. my pops taught me that oil filter priming was incorrect when I was very young helping with maintenance on momma’s vehicle and I personally will never do it. I hope everything continues to go well for you.
Kias are pretty good little cars. My sister in law drove hers 13 years before the Ohio salt rusted it out. I run my tires the psi on the side of the tire.
I torque all of my oil drain bolts to Hyundai factory spec on every oil change that I do. I have a 3/8 drive torque wrench that i leave out on my oil change cart and it is already pre set. the fac spec is 25-33 ft lbs on all Hyundai kia and gens
Do it yourself, buy the oil filter, oil and crush washer and trust yourself! Spray rubber preserver on bushings and boots and check axles. Its your car and no one will do it better!
