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Changing Oil Myself For The First Time!

865 Views 13 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Andrew Caple
has anyone ever heard of "engine restorer" it's supposed to restore engine compression/horsepower/reduce oil consumption/and restore engine life......just wonder if anyone has used this? Does it live up to what it says it does?

Also, i am going to try and change my oil and coolant myself for the first time......im using han's instructions from the FAQ link.....i may have read too fast but i seem to have not read the part about how many quarts of oil you should use........please keep in mind that i have never done this before.......i usually take it in and let someone do it for me........i never bothered to ask how much oil they used.....i just tell them what type......so i figure now would be a good time for me to learn about what goes under the hood.......and maybe save a little more money :D thank you to anyone who helps me out.......:D
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Put in 4 quarts and check the dip stick to see your at. add 1/4 of a quart each time, then re-check. Do this till tis full.
About the engine restorer, unless you got insane mialgae, dont bother with it.
Dont forget you change your oil filter while your down thier.
It should be visable when under your car, its the size of a small coffe can, and should have numbers on it. Cant really miss it, when you unscrew it (it screws in and out) Make sure the rubber seal comes out with it. When you install your new one, with a finger lub up the seal with some used oil (to make it easy to take off the next time)
Welcome to the world of auto mechanics (sorta)
-Jess
One other note about changing oil. After adding the 4 quarts, start your engine and let it run for 5-10 seconds (30 seconds for turboed cars). This allows the oil to get into the new filter and/or turbos.
pinoyboy3000, i need to flush and change coolant soon too, let me know how that goes. Good luck
><i>One other note about changing oil. After adding the 4 quarts, start your engine and let it run for 5-10 seconds (30 seconds for turboed cars). This allows the oil to get into the new filter and/or turbos.</i>

Well, uh, yeah, but that's gonna happen anyway the next time he starts his car, so what's the need for doing it concurrent with the oil change?

See my FAQ for how much oil, and, if Hans' FAQ doesn't tell you enough, see mine for how to change the oil.

The reason Lurkers92vr4 says what he says is that too much oil is bad for the engine - the crankshaft will froth it up like a milkshake, and then your oil pump will be pumping bubbles, rather than oil. As per his instructions, however, after you add a little more oil, give it about ten minutes or so to trickle its way down to the oil pan, otherwise your dipstick will read less than what's in their.

Also, because your oil filter is inverted when it screws in, you can pre-fill it with oil, which means oil will get to your heads a few seconds sooner when you next start your engine.
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i appreciate all of the information you guys have given me....ill let you know how it goes....wish me luck....:D one other thing.....where can i get the oil filter? Napa? Should i know what kind it is? Also where can i get the oil filter wrench in case i need to use one? Please keep in mind that i am seriously mechanically impared.....:D i don't even know where to begin to get the parts i need.....:D thanks again for the support....:D
Where you get the oil filter depends on what filter you want. I get the Mobil1 (M104 for our cars) from KMart, but it's ten dollars. Some guys use the OEM ones from Mitsubishi for around 5 or so. After that, the sky's the limit. Just make sure you get one that has an anti-drainback valve in it (which the Mobil1 and Mitsu ones have). Avoid Fram.

A variety of oil filter wrenches are at WalMart or any auto parts store. I like the kind that has a metal strap loop, that wraps around the filter and grips it. For those times when you can get at the top of the filter but not the sides, you can also get a wrench that looks like a big plastic end cap that you attach to your socket wrench and slip over the end of the filter.

When you put the new filter on, spin it on and then snug it up - do not tighten it so much that you need to use the filter wrench. I put mine on juuuuust tight enough that I can take it off by hand again 3000 miles later.

You'll want a drain pan for the old oil. I use an old cat litter pan, because it is low enough to slide under the oil pan. An oil drain pans that you get in an auto parts store may be too tall. Measure first, then get your drain pan.
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i really do appreciate the support and information.....i have one last question:D where can i go to get rid of the old oil?
Go buy some corn meal and use it to fry catfish and hushpuppies.

You can take it to any parts store and they'll recycle it.
One of my neighbours and I recently had a property dispute. He now runs a used oil recycling centre. And, one day, when I move away, I'll let him know.
Fill the filter with oil

Don't forget to fill the filter with oil before attaching it!! This is done so the turbo lines are not starved of oil on startup...all turbo cars should follow this

Just helping
D
No

For NA it is not an issue since there are no oil lines to the turbo that will be starved of oil at initial starat up

D
Sure it's an issue for NAs. It's an issue for any car.

The purpose of the anti-drainback valve in the filter is to prevent any oil that is in the filter, or in the engine block higher than and connected to the filter, from draining back out of the engine and into the oil pan when you shut the engine off. Lucky for us, the filter is at the very bottom of the whole engine, so this is no small consideration. This means that, next time you start the engine, your oil pump does not have to first spend time filling the filter with oil and then spend time pumping oil that extra two feet or so to get to the heads, because it is already in the filter and the line (above the filter) waiting to go. Thus, your heads get oiled sooner, and spend less time at start-up rubbing bare metal against bare metal.

Anything that gets the oil out of the pan and to your engine sooner is a Good Thing. When you're putting on the new filter, if you shove a bunch of oil into the line above the filter mount, it will all fall out before you can smack the filter on, but you *can* pre-fill the filter, and at least save the time it takes your pump to fill the filter with oil when you first start your engine after the oil change.

I believe that there are now commercially availabe pre-oilers, devices that can pump oil straight into the heads before you start the engine, thus eliminating most of the wear-and-tear of startup.
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