I have a 2000 Toyota Echo ( 118,000 miles). My dad taught me how to change oil, but it's been quite a while since I've done it. I bought some low profile Black Widow ramps that will give me the extra few inches I'll need to remove the oil pan drain bolt/washer and the oil filter. If I outline the steps I'll take, will you please tell me if I'm doing it correctly. 1) Drive up ramps and chock back two wheels. 2) Let engine warm up at least 5 minutes. 3) Turn off engine, unscrew oil cap from top of engine to create a vacuum so old oil flows better. 4) Remove oil pan bolt/washer ( 14mm, turn counter clockwise to loosen). 5) Let old oil drain completely, then clean area where bolt was before replacing oil pan bolt and new washer. 6) Remove oil filter ( unscrew counter clockwise) and let it drain completely. 7) Clean area around oil filter & check to make sure the gasket on old oil filter came off with the old filter. 8) Replace oil filter using an Original Toyota oil filter ( the one I need has a pre-oiled gasket). Screw oil filter in till it seats, then turn an extra 1/4 to 1/2 turn. 9) Fill with new 5w30 oil ( I use Castrol high mileage semi-synthetic), replace oil cap. 10) Let engine run about 1 minute and check for leaks while it's running. 11) Turn off engine and wait at least 5 minutes before checking the dipstick to make sure oil is at full.
The things I need to know is: 1) Should I pre-fill the new oil filter with new oil before I place the filter back on the car ( my dad never taught me to do this, but I've seen many people do it on Youtube)? 2) I don't own a torque wrench so how do I make sure that I don't under or over tighten the oil pan bolt ( would it be worth it to buy one for this purpose)?
I changed oil on my 1999 Toyota Corolla years ago, and I never had any problems ( I had enough clearance to do this without ramps). I guess I'm just nervous about doing it again because it's been so long and I've never driven up on ramps before. That's why I chose to get low profile ramps.
I don't know if it matters, but I'm a 63 yr. old DIY kind of lady.
Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
You're doing fine. But if I had to nitpick ...
1) Drive up ramps and chock back two wheels.
yes and set the parking brake
3) Turn off engine, unscrew oil cap from top of engine to create a vacuum so old oil flows better
yes take it off, but it's doing the opposite .... preventing a vacuum.
10) Let engine run about 1 minute and check for leaks while it's running
Yes, I even rev it up a little bit (~2k RPM) to increase the oil pressure a bit, just to make sure.
1) Should I pre-fill the new oil filter with new oil before I place the filter back on the car ( my dad never taught me to do this, but I've seen many people do it on Youtube)?
most cars you don't need to. Anti-drain valves ensure the engine has enough oil on startup. But it doesn't hurt either.
2) I don't own a torque wrench so how do I make sure that I don't under or over tighten the oil pan bolt ( would it be worth it to buy one for this purpose)?
No you don't need a torque wrench. It needs barely any torque at all. Remember the oil pan isn't pressurized. Just snug it up with your wrench, like you would a soda bottle. If it's not enough, you will see when you do your leak check.
@imperator Thanks everyone. A couple things I should add is: Yes, make sure parking brake is on after driving up ramps. Make sure to check if oil is full AFTER driving off of ramps to level ground. I always tend to overdue stuff because I'm afraid of getting it wrong. In this case, I can't afford to "get it wrong" because this is my only car. Anyway, thanks for the advice and opinions.
As @imperator says, it sounds like you have it pretty much down. Some other things to watch out for:
Be certain the rubber gasket from the old oil filter comes out with the filter. If it's stuck on the filter housing you'll wind up with a leak. Put a film of fresh oil on the new oil filter's gasket before installing.
If you decide to pre-fill your oil filter make sure the oil you put into it and anything the oil touches is clean. That oil will be pulled into the engine without first passing through the filter and you don't want any debris getting in there.
If your oil drain plug has a gasket it's best to use a new gasket to prevent drips.
In addition to setting the parking brake I always use wheel chocks when putting a car on a ramp or one end of it on jack stands. Make sure your ramps are of good quality. An Echo is pretty light but you don't want the car rolling or falling on you.
@chucktobias #7 says "check to make sure the gasket on old oil filter came off with the old filter. " and her filters come prelubed. #1 says " chock back two wheels. "
Missed those!
@chucktobias also my drain plug has an integral rubber gasket. I've never replaced it, and it never leaks. However I know some cars come with hard plastic washers, which can eventually flatten and wear out.
Some also have copper washers on the drain plug. You can usually get a few uses out of them but they wind up getting chewed up and need to be replaced.