Alright, so Im a total car noob, the extent of my car maintenance experience is pretty much limited to changing a tire and replacing my battery once.
I would really like to learn how to change my own oil. I drive a 2010 Subaru Forester. So far on my list of shit to get:
1. Riser ramps
2. Oil filter wrench
3. Oil funnel
4. Gloves
5. Oil pan
6. Appropriate oil (will determine from owners manual)
7. Appropriate oil filter (will determine from owners manual)
Any protips from you guys? From what Ive read the Forester is a little weird to change the oil on, so specific tips there would be especially appreciated.
Also Ive heard of "pre-filling" the oil filter before installing it to avoid damaging it, can someone explain how that works?
Some people use ramps some don't. It's all about were your drain plug is.
I think your drain plug is under your driver side, so just put one ramp under the passanger wheel and go.
Oil filter wrenches are not required if your a MAN. If your a pussy or don't wanna use the messy screwdriver trick then get one.
Anything can be a oil funnel. Even a piece of paper!
Gloves are for pussys.
Oil CATCH pan is a nice thing to have. Splurge on a good one not a cheap walmart one that WILL leak on the screw drain side....
Oil.... Use the best!
Oil Filter.... Use the best!
Protips? Learn!
Pre-filling filters is a hit and miss kind of situation depending on the vehicle, I give up doing it on anything that does not have a pointed straight up filter. Thankfully your subby has a straight up filter located next to your exhaust!!! Whoooo! So you will try to screw on a thingy wacker wile trying not to burn the shit out of your fingers! Whoooo!
You just dump oil into the filter until it fills up.... Quite easy.
This is one unhelpful post by DP.
Latex gloves are a big help, they can protect you a little from hot oil if you're doing it when the engine is hot. And to be able to peel them off and throw them away and have really clean hands afterwards is amazing.
Also be patient with the draining, you might be waiting 15 minutes and it will be still dripping out, but that depends on how anal you want to be with getting all of the old oil out.
Also change the filter while the oil sump is removed, I often notice that when I remove the filter a sort of vacuum is released and more oil will come pouring out of the sump.
Just watch a fuck load of YouTube videos on the process, even if they're not on your type of car, it's how I learned. (Also had a Haynes manual but that was just to check if there was any other part of the process I was missing, I didn't need it in the end).
Thanks a ton guys, any recommendation on oil/filter brands?
I always use Mobil 1 and try to get OEM filters. If you can't, Purolator, WIX, Bosch are all good brands. Stay away from FRAM filters. Since your car is under warranty, I would definitely recommend bringing it to a shop to change the oil until the warranty ends, or only using OEM filters.
[editline]24th October 2014[/editline]
I think your subaru may require full synthetic 0-20W, if so, walmart only carries mobil 1 in that formula, which is more than good for your needs.
Since it's a Subaru, you shouldnt have to use ramps. I dont have to use ramps or anything on my Impreza.
Change the oil while the engine is cold. The Boxer engine tends to hold about a quart of oil in the heads and such for a few hours after shutting it off.
As for pre filling filters, i have never done it. All i do is rub some oil on the new filters O-ring. Speaking of that, make sure the old O-ring didnt stick to the block when you took the filter off. It's rare that it happens, but it's worth checking.
For oil and filter, I use Rotella T5 10w30 and a Puralator PureOne filter.
Oils like Mobil 1 tend to burn more in Boxer engines. In my case, my engine is a bit worn out. M1 burned a quart every 350 miles. Switching to Rotella made it burn a quart every 500 miles.
Filters, quite a few out there are just Honda filters with a different number slapped on. Honda filters have a much lower oil bypass pressure than a Subaru filter, meaning your oil is filtered much less. Puralator filters have been tested and shown to have the right oil bypass pressure.
[editline]24th October 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=>VLN<;46320401]I always use Mobil 1 and try to get OEM filters. If you can't, Purolator, WIX, Bosch are all good brands. Stay away from FRAM filters. Since your car is under warranty, I would definitely recommend bringing it to a shop to change the oil until the warranty ends, or only using OEM filters.
[editline]24th October 2014[/editline]
I think your subaru may require full synthetic 0-20W, if so, walmart only carries mobil 1 in that formula, which is more than good for your needs.[/QUOTE]
2010 models call for 5w30.
Mobil1 is piss water, it's great for a low mileage car in a warmer climate which needs a good oil for a high revving motor. I opt for Castrol GTX, it won't burn as much in my high mileage cars and its cheap since I burn 2qt per OCI.
Parts stores are garbage for buying oil or filters, Walmart is great for oil however they don't sell filters worth buying unless you really don't care about your motor.
I suggest Denso filters if they make them for your application, Denso has made Toyota's filters for ages and everyone swears by them in the truck community as you can't beat their OEM filters for the price. Denso also bought up Filtech's tooling for Honda's NSX specific filter and is the only company to make a NSX spec filter period as Honda discontinued it and now gives you a S2000 application filter if you go to a decent dealer that doesn't opt to fuck you with the one-size-fits-all OEM Fram shit now.
I buy filters all 4 of my family's Hondas for $3 a pop and they are almost as good as the now ridiculously priced $13-14 Mobil1 filter.
Buy a good jack, I can vouch for the $99.99 Arcan red XL jack from Costco. I've used a bunch of cheap jacks and I wouldn't ever remotely trust my limbs or life to them. Having a quality jack is very important as cheap jacks can drop your car or slip and seriously damage whatever the jack hits when the car falls onto it. Jack stands are super important of course, proper lifting safety is the utmost importance since people die or get injured all the time due to simply not using jack stands. You'll want to research the proper lifting points on your vehicle as well.
Don't bother with ramps, just go watch videos on youtube of accidents with ramps where people drive off them and all sorts of silly shit. Add in loading and trailer for similar results.
Make sure you put the drain bolt and new filter on after draining the oil, return the car to the ground then fill about 3/4 of the oil it calls for then go off where the dipstick says. DO NOT just dump in the spec for oil. Also make sure to not overtighten the drain bolt on the oil pan, if you strip it like a chump at a drive-thru oil change place that might as well used a air impact on it you're gonna regret it lol.
Really though, just go buy some basic tools from Harbor Freight. Pick up a good jack, some stands, oil pan(open ones suck), funnel, your oil/filter and just do it. Don't bother with the gloves unless it's hot, wear some clothes you don't care about and grab some paper towels and Purple Power(buy some) because you're gonna make a mess period. Just go get dirty already, it's always a good day when you're wearing used motor oil as cologne!
[editline]26th October 2014[/editline]
Oh, and Rockauto is a great site to buy parts from. It's basically the Newegg of auto parts.
[QUOTE=slayer3032;46333267]Mobil1 is piss water, it's great for a low mileage car in a warmer climate which needs a good oil for a high revving motor. I opt for Castrol GTX, it won't burn as much in my high mileage cars and its cheap since I burn 2qt per OCI.
Parts stores are garbage for buying oil or filters, Walmart is great for oil however they don't sell filters worth buying unless you really don't care about your motor.
I suggest Denso filters if they make them for your application, Denso has made Toyota's filters for ages and everyone swears by them in the truck community as you can't beat their OEM filters for the price. Denso also bought up Filtech's tooling for Honda's NSX specific filter and is the only company to make a NSX spec filter period as Honda discontinued it and now gives you a S2000 application filter if you go to a decent dealer that doesn't opt to fuck you with the one-size-fits-all OEM Fram shit now.
I buy filters all 4 of my family's Hondas for $3 a pop and they are almost as good as the now ridiculously priced $13-14 Mobil1 filter.
Buy a good jack, I can vouch for the $99.99 Arcan red XL jack from Costco. I've used a bunch of cheap jacks and I wouldn't ever remotely trust my limbs or life to them. Having a quality jack is very important as cheap jacks can drop your car or slip and seriously damage whatever the jack hits when the car falls onto it. Jack stands are super important of course, proper lifting safety is the utmost importance since people die or get injured all the time due to simply not using jack stands. You'll want to research the proper lifting points on your vehicle as well.
Don't bother with ramps, just go watch videos on youtube of accidents with ramps where people drive off them and all sorts of silly shit. Add in loading and trailer for similar results.
Make sure you put the drain bolt and new filter on after draining the oil, return the car to the ground then fill about 3/4 of the oil it calls for then go off where the dipstick says. DO NOT just dump in the spec for oil. Also make sure to not overtighten the drain bolt on the oil pan, if you strip it like a chump at a drive-thru oil change place that might as well used a air impact on it you're gonna regret it lol.
Really though, just go buy some basic tools from Harbor Freight. Pick up a good jack, some stands, oil pan(open ones suck), funnel, your oil/filter and just do it. Don't bother with the gloves unless it's hot, wear some clothes you don't care about and grab some paper towels and Purple Power(buy some) because you're gonna make a mess period. Just go get dirty already, it's always a good day when you're wearing used motor oil as cologne!
[editline]26th October 2014[/editline]
Oh, and Rockauto is a great site to buy parts from. It's basically the Newegg of auto parts.[/QUOTE]
Like i said, he really shouldnt need a jack or stands of any sort.
My Impreza is a good bit lower and i have no issues changing my oil while its on the ground.
Unless his Forester is slammed to the ground, he should skip on ramps and jacks for now.
I dont see PSI ratings for a Subaru specific Denso filter. Unless someone finds one, SKIP DENSO. Subaru filters have a 23-25psi bypass (rather than average 7-11psi) for a reason. The low PSI filters will make it so your oil is only~50% filtered most of the time, if that.
You can get a good Puralator Pureone filter, with the proper bypass psi, at most parts stores.
You can find Purolator Classics at Walmart.
By the way, did they reduce the efficiency of them? I noticed on the box it says 97.5% efficient, I thought it used to be 98%+.
Don't know if anyone mentioned, but IMO the two most important things that aren't the 'norm' when changing oil;
1. Make 100% sure the seal comes off WITH the filter... sometimes it stays, and you don't want 2 seals left on there.
2. Take your finger and get a little oil on it and wet the new oil filter's seal with oil. Lets it make good contact when screwing it on.
I always dip my new filter in the dirty oil drain pan, the rub it into the seal with my finger
[editline]26th October 2014[/editline]
Just the tip
[QUOTE=>VLN<;46336043]You can find Purolator Classics at Walmart.
By the way, did they reduce the efficiency of them? I noticed on the box it says 97.5% efficient, I thought it used to be 98%+.[/QUOTE]
The Classic is lower grade than the PureOne.
The Classic is 97.5%, the PureOne is 99.9%
That's why I say it, Purolator PureOne is the best filter to use in a Subaru. Even the new OEM filters are FRAM.
Here's what the filter for my upcoming change says;
[t]http://i.imgur.com/WybWRel.jpg[/t]
[editline]27th October 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=clutch2;46338986]Don't know if anyone mentioned, but IMO the two most important things that aren't the 'norm' when changing oil;
1. Make 100% sure the seal comes off WITH the filter... sometimes it stays, and you don't want 2 seals left on there.
2. Take your finger and get a little oil on it and wet the new oil filter's seal with oil. Lets it make good contact when screwing it on.[/QUOTE]
Already mentioned, but doesn't hurt to have the same information twice.
My poor eyeballs couldn't focus tonight.. I was on lunch at work and just skimmin around :(
IMO the Classics are walmart crap, to specify on Denso filters, the 2010 Forester with the 2.5 specs out for a 150-1011. A 98 Impreza with a 2.2 specs for a 150-1006. The 150-1006 is what my Civic/Integra take and the 150-1009 is what the new K/R/J/L motors take. It also doesn't use the older C series/NSX application 150-1013. Which is what whoever has that early V6 Accord should be using BTW.
It seems like the Denso unit is likely to work acceptably, but the bypass valve rating is unknown. It also specs to a Miata and RX-8 from what I see, maybe check on what the bypass on those is.
[url]http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2-5-liter-litre-factory-motor/161726-denso-oil-filter-150-1011-a.html[/url]
[url]http://www.frsport.com/Denso-150-1011-Oil-Filter-Subaru-BRZ-Scion-FR-S-Impreza-WRX-STI_p_37900.html[/url]
[url]http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/2007-2012-nissan-altima-discussion-2-5-3-5/284172-denso-oil-filters.html[/url]
[url]http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f113/subaru-oil-filter-comparison-99130/index3.html[/url]
[url]http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f87/forester-xt-purolator-filter-293473/#post3117257[/url]
It seems like it's a somewhat known oil filter for the newer subarus, I don't know if the new motors spec differently or anything and I'd listen to anything FordLord says as far as Subarus come but there is no possible way you can go wrong with a PureOne as they are among the best on the market and for sure make a Subaru specific filter.
Dont use FRAM filter
[QUOTE=insistent;46385067]Dont use FRAM filter[/QUOTE]
Exactly. I use WIX on my car, but that's the only good filter that will fit right without touching the head.
There's lots of videos on youtube of people cutting open fram's and I'm surprised that most of the filter elements aren't even held together all the way simply allowing oil and metal and everything else through.
regardless of what filter anyone thinks is "best" it's important to see that the quality control for FRAM is nonexistant. This is completely regardless of the design. From everything I've ever seen though, Fram and Royal Purple seem to be the cheapest made pieces of paper garbage ever. Everything but those 2 seems fine.
I just used a fram... Ran the engine about 30 min and threw it way. That's as far as I trust anything fram on my vehicles.
(Breaking in a new engine for something)
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