idelines recommend changing the oil and oil filter every 7000-10 000 miles. This can cost you about £50-£60. If you are on a budget or just want to know how your van/car better you would be pleased to know that you can do it yourself. Just find those clothes you once used to paint your auntie’s kitchen, and prepare to get dirty!
Make sure that before starting you have:
- a set of sockets of different sizes,
- a container to drain the oil into,
- a new oil filter (you should be able to get a new one by just giving your van/car make and model at your local auto parts store),
- new oil (check your owner’s manual to know exactly how much you’ll need)
First you’ll need to drain the old oil. To do this:
1.PUT THE HANDBRAKE IN
If the van is cold, leave the engine running for 5-10 mn to warm up the oil. Wear some rubber gloves as you will most definitely get dirty.
2.REMOVE THE OIL CAP
Aka here you pour the refilling oil.
3. FIND THE SUMP PLUG
Look for a flat metal pan under the engine. I could easily access mine by crawling under the Kangoo. If can’t fit under your van, you will need to jack it up,
4. UNSCREW THE PLUG
With a socket (i used a 8mm one), unscrew the plug by turning it anti-clockwise. You might need the help of a mallet for this. Make sure you have a container big enough to contain the used oil next to you.
5. DRAIN
Place the container under the sump plug and wait until the oil is drained,
6. LOCATE THE OIL FILTER
Find the oil filter by looking around the engine. You should look for a white/blue/black cylinder about 10cm wide,
7. UNSCREW THE FILTER BY TURNING IT ANTI-CLOCKWISE
You should be able to do this by hand. If you can’t, go and eat some spinach and then try again (joking, there are handy oil filter removing tools such as this one). Make sure the oil container is still under the van as some trapped oil is likely to escape when you remove the filter,
8. PREPARE THE NEW AIR FILTER
Dip a finger in clean oil and rub it on the gasket ring. You can also simply pour some on it. This will help lubricate the gasket and help make sure that you’ll be able to get it off next time,
9. SCREW IN THE NEW FILTER
Careful not to damage the threads!
10. REFIT THE SUMP PLUG
Make sure it’s well tightened.
11. REFILL THE OIL
How much oil you will need depends on your van capacity, you can usually find the exact amount on the user manual under “capacities”. If in doubt, buy more rather than less, it will come handy later on. Make sure you are using the correct one! If you are not sure, you can find it by entering your plate number here,
12. REPLACE THE OIL CAP AND RUN THE ENGINE
Let it run for a minute or so. Check that there aren’t any leaks and check the oil levels.
13. TURN OFF THE ENGINE
Wait for 5-10 mn for the oil to settle. Check the oil levels with the dipstick. You might want to double check this again the morning after you changed the oil to make sure everything is right.
14. DISPOSE OF THE OIL
Place the used oil in a sealed container and dispose of it at an oil bank or at your local recycling center. Do not pour it down the drain!!!
Now you are ready to brag with your friends about you just saved some pennies by changing your own oil filter with a cool guide found on the internet (don’t tell them it was written by a girl, or you’ll lose credibility!).
If you haven’t already, check the blog post “Changing the air filter for Dummies - Kangoo”.
-A ridiculous amount of coffee has been sacrificed to write this blog post so if you are feeling particularly generous, you can buy me one HERE –
– You can also support Pamthevan’s adventures by visiting my Etsy shop HERE –
Good onya girl.
It’s not always an 8mm socket, sump plugs vary a lot. Your “8mm socket” looks more like a square key! Often a 19mm ring spanner is used.
If you jack the car up do NOT get under it unless you support it with axle stands or very carefully with something like bricks. Jacks FAIL and will kill you. An easy way to get under a car is to run 2 wheels up onto a kerb 🙂
Keep on trucking
Oil filter is one of the most essential part of a car engine. It is useful in cleaning the oil as it passes through the filter and prevents abrasive contaminants from damaging various parts of car engine. That is the reason why it is very important to choose a high quality oil filter as the internal combustion and quality of filter has a huge effect on the life of the car engine. Apart from oil filter, oil is another factor that must be taken into consideration as it is helpful in engine lubrication. Though it is very common to replace it after 3500 KM but this is the not the real as it depends upon the type of running as well as running location. So, overall I can say that it is good to take the car to an authorized service center on a regular basis for the inspection of both oil and oil filter. Thank you.
It seems that the 3,000 mile myth extent reaches only the US. Good to see that.
I loved your oil drip pan. Hey, if it does the job it ain’t stupid is it?
In any case, you only need to run the engine for about 5-10 seconds. In fact, if you let it running for so long and there’s a major leak (let’s say, the oil filter didn’t fit well) you run the risk of spilling the whole thing out. Just my 2 cents!
That’s really good to know Alex Thank you!!!
My pleasure! Just realized I double-commented, sorry for that haha.
You only need to run the engine 5-10 really, it’s enough for the oil pump to move the oil throughout the engine. Running it longer is a risk, for if there’s a leak anywhere (let’s say the oil filter didn’t fit properly) you can spill a lot of oil everywhere. Just my 2 cents!
People almost never pay too much attention to engine oil. Regrettably it tends to be either ignored or forgotten till it dribble on to your driveway or smokes heavily from your car exhaust system. However, this negligence is actually prove to be a costly one. All engine oil and oil filters should be replaced regularly for the benefit of your car’s engine life. Manufacturers recommend oil changes at an interval somewhere between 3,000 and 10,000 miles. But the truth is, there is no hard or fast rule about when your engine oil or your filter should be replaced, it depends upon a numerous factors like age of your engine and mileage, but the one thing which is certain is,that it needs to be replaced. Please visit https://www.baydiagnostic.com/oil-leak-repair-brooklyn/ for more information.