Do you remember when was the last time you changed the oil in your car? Did you do it right? Here are some tips on this.
The issue of when and how to make the oil change auto is a matter that can generate recurring questions, but it never hurts to address, because of its correct understanding and application will depend, in turn, the conservation of the engine.
Among the various questions that hover around this “oily” issue, we have the following: How often should the oil change be made effective? How long is the oil? How to change the oil to the car?
Each and every one of these questions has an important bearing on the criteria to be used to make more efficient both oil and use in the preservation of the engine.
To begin with we must determine the period of time that has to elapse to perform the oil change, and for this, there is no better guideline than the deadlines established in the manufacturer’s own manual, since the type of car and particular characteristics of the engine will depend the variation of the periods. However, there is a common cause that can force us to make a change of premature oil: the deterioration of the quality of the oil.
The oil deterioration is linked directly to the number of starts in cold we do with the engine, but not so much the number of kilometers traveled by car. Thus, if we make several uses of the car in small sections that together do not reach the 5 km, but starting cold, the quality of the oil will inevitably decline, generating more wear and tear than if we made a 200-km interprovincial trip.
It is also important to emphasize that in many cases, oil that has lost quality does not notice symptoms in the short term, however, in the long run, the repercussions of this negligence will have an effect on increased engine wear and Increase in oil consumption.
What we recommend in any case, avoid cold starts the engine. We can also express that same amount of kilometers in units of time, being the maximum recommended interval to change the oil the 2 years if we use synthetic oil. In the case of mineral or semi-synthetic oil, the period is reduced to one year.
How to change the oil to the car?
With regard to how to change the oil, we can roughly mention that the first step is to unscrew the plug and remove a filter, leaving the remains of the old oil to drain. Then, place a new filter, if necessary, and after that, install the plug and add new oil.
However, it is a priority to emphasize elemental details such as the fact that at the time of the oil change, the engine is at rest and cold, in addition to the car is standing on a flat surface with the parking brake.
Now we go step by step, following some basic criteria for oil change:
The first thing to be clear when the change, is the location of the drain plug, located in the crankcase. In case the cap is not in the lower part of the crankcase, the car can be lifted with a hydraulic jack so that the cap is repositioned at the lowest point.
Next step: start the engine, between two and three minutes, until it reaches a moderate temperature. Pay attention to the cap on the crankcase, which is located at the bottom of the engine. Unscrew the plug with a wrench until it is about to fall, then give it an additional twist and remove it immediately so that the old oil drains over a container that you must have placed previously.
In the course of emptying the oil, open the bonnet and locate the oil filter container. Most likely, you can unscrew by hand. Then moisten with new oil the seals of the new filter and replace it with the previous one, also manually. When all the old oil has been expelled, close the cap again with the wrench so that it is tight.
The next move is to seek entry to fill the oil, which is at the top of the engine, and a funnel to pour the new oil until it is positioned between the maximum and minimum levels of the dipstick.
Once the filling has been completed and the oil inlet is closed, we are ready to start the engine for a period of one minute to check for leaks. At 20 seconds the oil indicators must be activated, showing an efficient state.
Then turn off the engine and wait for 5 to 10 minutes to allow the oil to flow through the system, including the oil filter. And finally, check if the oil dipstick indicates an optimum level, to proceed to remove it, made the test.