Going to change the oil and filter for the first time

monkeypants

When I say first time, I mean that it's my first attempt, not that it's the first time that it's been done on the car.

This weekend I'm going to change the oil and oil filter on a 03 Mazda 6 1.8. I have a jack and axle stands that I picked up in Lidl a while back and I'm going down to the local motor factors later in the week to pick up the oil and filter. Might as well change the air filter while I'm at it I suppose.

I've read the servicing thread and I think I have the basics down. I have a belt wrench to get the filter off. I need to get a couple of pieces of plywood or something similar to spread the load under the axle stands. Do I need wheel chocks and are the Halfords ones okay? For undoing the sump, so I need a ratchet, or could I get the job done with a regular spanner?

Are there any pitfalls that I should be wary of?

colm_mcm

Oil stains are a pain to get off your driveway. Put something like a plastic sheet under the car.also get some sort of pan to collect the oil
I use an old big paint tray.

You may need a sump plug washer.

Prenderb

My 2c:

Use a spanner and socket for the sump plug.

If you have a second car, don't block it in the drive with the car you're servicing - it's something I would do if I weren't careful and you'd be sure to need an extra litre of oil if you did, wouldn't you!

Have a big deep bucket to catch the oil in - I did a car for the first time recently and it took longer to clean up the oil I spilt than to do the job (!), so my lesson is to make sure that your bucket is big enough and deep enough to catch the oil without splashing. I'd also put some old sheets or something under the catchpan to reduce the chances of oil staining the drive.

Make sure the car is adequately supported - use the jack or some timber blocks as back up for the axle stands.

Get yourself some rags if you can, you'll find oil has a habit of spreading so might be handy to soak up spillage from the oil filter.

And get some disposable gloves, saves that nasty oil getting on your skin and makes cleaning up (yourself) a lot easier.

I suggest renew the washer for the sump nut - this might come with the oil filter.

Hand tight should be fine for the oil filter, be careful with the sump nut though, if you can get a torque wrench with the appropriate settings then that'd be a good idea - you don't want to swing out of the sump nut to find that next time you change the oil you can't get it out. A cheap funnel will help get the new oil into the filler hole.

At the end, make sure to allow some time to bask in the glow of a job well done.

fasttalkerchat

monkeypants wrote: »

When I say first time, I mean that it's my first attempt, not that it's the first time that it's been done on the car.

This weekend I'm going to change the oil and oil filter on a 03 Mazda 6 1.8. I have a jack and axle stands that I picked up in Lidl a while back and I'm going down to the local motor factors later in the week to pick up the oil and filter. Might as well change the air filter while I'm at it I suppose.

I've read the servicing thread and I think I have the basics down. I have a belt wrench to get the filter off. I need to get a couple of pieces of plywood or something similar to spread the load under the axle stands. Do I need wheel chocks and are the Halfords ones okay? For undoing the sump, so I need a ratchet, or could I get the job done with a regular spanner?

Are there any pitfalls that I should be wary of?

Give it hours to cool down and make sure the car is level when you fill the oil. When you undo the sump, it could take anything between tweezers and a sledge hammer! A regular spanner may fit but it could be hard to free.

nungesser

a spanner will work just as well as ratchet, sometimes the drain plug might be tight, so as you put pressure on the plug to loosen it, it might not budge. give the spanner or ratchet a sharp crack with your hand, the oil filter might be in a tight spot so you may have to turn just a little bit at a time, as it comes loose and you unscrew it try to keep it up right cause it will be filled with oil. you can use just about anything to chock the wheels, piece of timber, a block ect... a good rule for tightening the oil filter is get it finger tight then give it a 1/4 turn with the filter wrench. with the oil plug finger tight then move it one flat of the hex, tight is tight you dont have to make a vein pop out of your neck for it to be tight, and some kind of tray or old plastic wash basin to drain the oil in, its not a big deal just a little messy sometimes, dont forget the job well done Beer! at the end!

CJhaughey

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Give it hours to cool down and make sure the car is level when you fill the oil. When you undo the sump, it could take anything between tweezers and a sledge hammer! A regular spanner may fit but it could be hard to free.

You are better off changing the oil while hot, it runs freely and any contaminants in the oil won't settle out.
Yes it may burn your hand but if you wear nitrile gloves (you should) it won't be that bad.
Most sump plugs are 14mm or near it.
I use a socket to loosen the plug, and a short extension to undo it, this allows me to keep my hand away from the hot oil as it comes out the hole.
OP don't forget a sump plug washer as well as the filter and oil.

Atlantic Dawn

Give yourself plenty of time, first time I did mine it might have taken me the guts of 2 hours, now I can do the whole thing in under half an hour and most of that time is waiting for the old oil to drain out. When your finished check and double check that the oil filler cap is on and that the filter and sump plug are secured before starting the car and check for leaks. Make sure the car is secured and put it in gear with some stoppers also under the wheels to stop it moving.

Compare your old oil filter with the new one you got to check they are the same size.

You should look under your car prior to starting to see if the oil filter wrench you have has enough room to remove the filter, some cars will work better with other styles of wrench so you may need to purchase another one.

Make sure you know how much oil your car takes, too much oil can cause as much damage as too little, the correct amount should be listed in your cars manual or else if you try the likes of www.castrol.co.uk it will list the amount of oil required. The sump nut washer is important to change, make sure you get one, also you should look at the condition of the sump nut itself and if it's rounded or excessively rusty replace that also. Don't over tighten the sump nut when putting it back on, this can cause damage.

Plug

The bung is a 13mm, use a 6 sided socket if possible. These can be fairly tight you may struggle with a spanner. It takes 5w30 and about 4.3 litres of the stuff. same engine as the Mondeo. There is no washer as such on these bungs only a rubber seal. They can be used many times but if the rubber is cut or damaged you should replace it with a new bung.
Filter should screw off handy enough. But make sure the seal comes off with it. Rub a bit of oil around the seal of the new seal on the oil filter and hand tighten it(don't use the tool).
Good luck.