Change Your Engine Oil and Oil Filter: interactive 3D repair guide

All 11 steps

1. 1Warm it up, chock the rear wheels

   Run the engine for two or three minutes with the bay door open, so the oil is warm, not hot: warm oil drains more freely, but straight after a drive it can scald. Switch off, take the key out, leave it in gear or Park with the handbrake on, and chock a rear wheel front and back.

2. 2Bonnet up, filler cap off

   Open the bonnet and rest it on its stay. Unscrew the oil filler cap on top of the engine and set it on the air box: with the filler open, the oil runs out of the sump freely, and the way in for the new oil is ready.

3. 3Lift the front onto two axle stands trap

   Roll the trolley jack under the jacking point your handbook gives, here a pad under the middle of the front subframe, and pump until both front wheels are well clear. Set an axle stand under each sill’s support point, between its two notches, raise its column to just under the flange, then open the jack’s valve slowly until the car rests on both stands. Push the car firmly: it must not rock. Then lower the jack and roll it out of the way. Until the stands hold the car, no hand or foot goes under it. Avoid this trap: The sump is the lowest thing under the front, so it looks like a good place to lift. It is not: pumped against it, the jack’s saddle pushes its thin bottom in before the car moves, dents it around the drain plug and can split a seam; the oil then weeps out, and a dented sump can starve the oil pump’s pickup. Lift only at the point your handbook gives.

4. 4Find the sump’s drain plug, not the gearbox’s

   Under the front, with a torch: the sump is the pan bolted under the engine, below the dipstick’s tube and the oil filter, and its drain plug is at its lowest point. The gearbox, on the engine’s left end, has a finned casing with drain and fill plugs of its own; here they take the same 17 mm socket, so the socket is no guide. Follow the dipstick’s tube down to the sump, then slide the drain pan under the sump’s plug, a little to the side the oil will gush to.

5. 5Drain plug out, let the oil drain trap

   Fit the 17 mm socket on the sump’s plug and turn it anticlockwise to crack it loose. Take the ratchet off and spin the plug out by hand, pushing it up into its hole for the last turn, then pull it away quickly so the warm oil gushes into the pan and not your sleeve. Put the plug and its old washer in the tray, and let the oil drain until it only drips: five to ten minutes. Avoid this trap: Undo the gearbox’s plug by mistake and red gearbox fluid drains into the pan while the sump stays full. Pouring the new oil in on top overfills the engine, which whips its oil into a froth that the pump cannot feed properly; the gearbox, run with too little fluid, is quickly damaged. Check you have the sump’s plug before it comes out, and if the fluid runs red, put the plug back.

6. 6Old filter off: its seal must come with it

   Move the pan under the filter. Put the filter wrench round it and turn anticlockwise (seen from below) to crack it loose, then spin it off by hand; oil runs out of it and the mount. Turn the old filter over and look: its rubber seal must be on it. If the seal is not there, it is stuck on the engine’s face: peel it off. Tip the old filter into the pan to drain.

7. 7New filter: face wiped, seal oiled, ¾ turn trap

   Wipe the engine’s filter face clean and look once more: no old seal on it. Smear a film of new oil round the new filter’s rubber seal, never grease. Screw the filter on by hand until its seal just touches the face, then turn it a further three-quarters of a turn by hand, or what its box says. No wrench to fit it. Avoid this trap: The old filter came off, but its rubber seal stayed stuck to the engine’s face, and the new filter is spun on over it. It feels tight. Start the engine and the oil, under the pump’s pressure, forces its way out between the two seals and sprays from the filter. The oil light comes on as the sump empties, at idle within about a minute (our estimate), and an engine run on like that is wrecked. Check the face is bare before the new filter goes on.

8. 8Plug back in with a new washer, 38 Nm

   Take the plug from the tray, pull off its old crush washer and slide a new one on. Start the plug by hand, at least two turns, run it down with the ratchet, then tighten it with the torque wrench to the handbook’s figure: here 38 Nm. Wipe the plug and the sump around it clean, so a fresh drip will show.

9. 9Pan out, off the stands, down to level

   Slide the pan of old oil out. Roll the jack back under its pad and pump until the sills just lift off the stands, slide both stands out, keeping hands and feet clear, then open the valve slowly and let the car down onto its wheels. Roll the jack out. The car must be level for the dipstick to read true.

10. 10Fill with new oil to the dipstick’s mark

    Put the funnel in the filler and pour in a little less than the handbook’s capacity: here about 3.8 of its 4.2 litres (4.0 of 4.4 US quarts). Wait a minute, then pull the dipstick, wipe it, push it fully back and pull it again: the oil should reach between MIN and MAX. The gap between the marks is about a litre on many cars, so top up a little at a time; never over MAX.

11. 11Run it, check for leaks, recheck the level

    Take the funnel out and screw the cap back on. Start the engine: the oil warning light should go out within a few seconds; if it stays on, switch off at once. Let it run about a minute while you look under the car with a torch at the drain plug and the filter: no drips. Switch off, wait a few minutes, check the dipstick again and top up to near MAX: the new filter has taken some oil. Take the old oil and the old filter to a collection point, never down a drain.

What you need

• Engine oil · the grade, specification and amount your handbook gives (here 5W-30 full synthetic, 4.2 litres or 4.4 US quarts)
• A new oil filter · the one for your engine
• A new crush washer · for the drain plug
• 3/8-inch ratchet and a 17 mm socket · for this drain plug (check yours)
• Torque wrench, about 10–60 Nm · 3/8-inch drive
• Oil filter wrench · band or cap type
• Drain pan · bigger than the sump
• Funnel, rags, a torch, nitrile gloves
• Trolley jack, two axle stands, two chocks · rated for the car
• The car’s handbook · its oil, capacity, jacking points and torques

Questions

Safety

Work on firm, level ground with the handbrake on and the rear wheels chocked; lift only at the point your handbook gives and set the car on axle stands rated for its weight before anything goes under it, and never put a hand or a foot under a car while a jack alone holds it up. Run the engine only with the garage door open. Let hot oil cool to warm, wear gloves, and take the old oil and filter to a collection point.

• Jacks and axle stands: never get under a car, or put a hand or a foot under it, while a jack alone holds it up. Lift it only at its jacking point, on firm, level ground with the wheels chocked, and set it on axle stands rated for its weight for any work under it.
• Car batteries: a lead-acid battery gives off explosive hydrogen. No sparks, flames or smoking near it, eye protection on, and the last jump lead clamped to bare metal away from the battery.
• Hot parts and fumes: brakes, exhausts and engines stay hot long after a drive, and a running engine fills a closed garage with carbon monoxide: let parts cool, and keep the door open.

About this guide

3D Spatial Reconstruction: models are engineered from factual measurements to show the parts, the fixings and the order of the job before you start. Always check the handbook of your own car.

The car is a generic five-door of our own design and its engine a generic transverse four-cylinder of about 2.0 litres, also our own, with an automatic gearbox on its left; not any one maker’s model. The order is the one oil, filter and car makers give: warm, not hot, oil (Castrol; Valvoline says to run the car for two or three minutes); the car on firm level ground, chocked, on axle stands at the handbook’s points, never under it on a jack alone (HSE); the sump’s plug out and a new crush washer when it goes back (Toyota); the old filter checked for its seal; a film of clean oil on the new seal and the filter spun on until it touches, then about three quarters of a turn (WIX and MANN+HUMMEL say ¾ to 1 turn, FRAM about ¾; the filter’s own box comes first); the level read with the car level, between MIN and MAX, about a litre apart (Saab); the engine run and the plug and filter checked for leaks; the old oil and filter to a collection point (EPA).

Where the real job differs from a quick brief: the brief’s 14 mm/17 mm socket depends on the car (the plug here takes a 17 mm socket). The brief says a double gasket sprays all the oil out in 30 seconds; we found no maker who gives a time: MAHLE says a filter fitted over an old seal leaks, and FRAM that two gaskets cause sealing problems and leaks. Under pressure the oil leaves as fast as the pump delivers it, so a sump of about 4 litres can be emptied in about a minute at idle; that is our estimate, and the 3D speeds it up. Nobody needs to lie under the car in the 3D: the work under it is done with the car on its stands.

The figures are typical ones, not one car’s. The capacity, 4.2 litres (4.4 US quarts) with the filter, is the same as Mazda gives for its 2.0 litre SKYACTIV-G; check your own handbook. The 38 Nm for the drain plug is typical: Toyota gives 37.5 N·m for its 1.5 litre 1NZ-FXE’s plug with a new gasket and 42 N·m for the FA20’s. The 5W-30 full synthetic is the brief’s grade, and many handbooks give it, but yours decides the grade and the specification. The oil temperatures on the counters are illustrative.

The price on the card: $59.35 for six quarts of Mobil 1 5W-30 and $7.99 for a WIX 51356 filter, Summit Racing’s prices read on 27 October 2026, about $67 with a crush washer to add; your car’s filter and oil may differ. We found no garage price we could read for the whole job, so the card gives none. About an hour is Valvoline’s figure for most first-timers. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.

Sources: HSE: maintenance (never work under vehicles supported on jacks alone; axle stands, chocks, firm level ground), Valvoline: how to change your own oil (run it 2–3 minutes; ramps or jack stands; ¾ turn; check the light and for leaks), Castrol: how to change your car’s oil (warm but not hot), Castrol: how much oil does my car need (overfilling whips the oil into foam), Castrol: how to check your engine oil (overfilling as bad as running low), Filter Manufacturers Council TSB 93-3: installing spin-on oil filters (old gasket not stuck, never grease, check for leaks), WIX product update (oil the gasket, ¾ to 1 turn after contact), MANN+HUMMEL filter tech (¾ to 1 turn after contact), FRAM Tough Guard: fitting (a film of clean oil, no grease, the old O-ring not stuck), FRAM: a stuck oil filter (about three quarters of a turn; a double gasket leaks), FRAM: common oil filter failures (two gaskets cause sealing problems), MAHLE: installation note for spin-on oil filters (an old gasket left on: the filter leaks), Purolator: FAQ (the turn after gasket contact, check for leaks), Toyota repair manual, 1NZ-FXE: oil pan (drain plug with a new gasket, 37.5 N·m), Toyota/Scion tech tip S-TT-0106-16, FA20 (drain plug 42 N·m), Saab service manual: checking the oil level (MIN to MAX is 1 litre), Mazda3 owner’s manual: SKYACTIV-G 2.0 oil capacity, 4.2 L (4.4 US qt) with the filter, EPA: managing, reusing and recycling used oil (one oil change can contaminate a million gallons of fresh water), Indiana Department of Environmental Management: motor oil and oil filters (many retailers accept them), North Yorkshire Council: engine oil at household waste recycling centres, Summit Racing: Mobil 1 5W-30, six 1-quart bottles, $59.35 (October 2026), Summit Racing: WIX 51356 oil filter, $7.99 (October 2026).

The 3D models, drawings and text are our own. The car shown is a generic one of our own design, not any one maker’s model.