Oil Change Remember To Put New Lube In
When doing an oil change on one's own it is obviously important to remember to put the lubricant in to replace the old. Read on to learn more.
It can be a lot of fun and highly informative to give your car an oil change on your own. Removing the drain plug and replacing the filter can be fun and messy and incredibly illuminating. The other aspects of doing the work are actually so much fun that is easy for one to forget a crucial step in the process. They get everything done and put back together and then never add the new lubricant. Of course this is not going to bode well for the successful operation of an engine and so before going any further and in fact before even letting your vehicle down off the jacks it is best to immediately add more fluids.
The first thing to check is what the owner manual recommends for quantity. Remember that whatever it states also one must add an extra quart if the filter was changed. Next it is necessary to consider the conditions and temperatures that the car will be operated in and determine from that what the best weight is.
There is much debate about what is best for when and where but to avoid a long debate on the merits of different viscosities suffice to say that 10W-40 is probably a safe choice for most drivers and their cars.
Before going any further it is necessary to dispel a number of misunderstandings regarding oil change and the fluids. Modern synthetic lube will not erode any gaskets. No part manufacturer would produce a product that was meant to go into engines that knowingly could cause potential damage. Modern lube will also not suddenly slough off all of the grime and sludge and cause a catastrophic failure. Instead the detergent action will gradually reduce the amount of gunk and grime in the chambers and cylinders and slowly make the whole system cleaner.
One of the things to consider when choosing a lubricant is the benefit that the higher cost of synthetic confers. Using this in your oil change will allow the car to start more efficiently and trouble free in the morning even when it is cold. It will reduce the amount of build-up of sludge and carbon and acid that naturally occurs during the combustion process. In short it will let the engine run cleaner for longer and in wider range of conditions all for a relatively small price increase.
Performing one's own oil change can save money and teach a driver a little more about the design and working of their car. It can be informative and fun while allowing a person to be actively engaged in improving performance and increasing life.
