Oil Tips to help keep your engine in perfect shape.

Check Your Oil

 This is very important! 

• Start by draining your old oil.

 • Then clean the drain plug on the oil pan, and wash off before you reinstall your oil plan.

• To check your oil run your car for at least 15 minutes so that the oil warms up. 

• Park the car on level ground. 

• Turn the engine off, wait 15 minutes so the oil can drain back to the oil pan. 

• Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean

• Reinsert it and push it all the way in. 

• Again pull the dipstick out and read the oil level. 

• It should be somewhere between the hash marks. If in the add region add oil according to your manufacturer’s specifications.  

Change Your Oil 

Today’s manufacturers recommend a longer period between oil changes, the fact remains the more often abrasive dirt and metal particles are removed from your engine the longer it will purr like a kitten. It extends your engines life. If you want to maximize your engine refer to the schedule for severe intervals in your owner’s manual. This is especially important if you drive in stop and go traffic regularly. For years it was recommended your oil be changed every 3000 miles. Those intervals are increasing but there’s no harm in sticking to the old numbers. 

Which Oil to Use 

There are a number of oils on the market. Let’s quickly review them. 

 Synthetic Oil – Almost all modern multi weight oils are detergent oils, which remove soot from the internal engine parts, and then suspend those particles in the oil. These particles are too tiny to become trapped by the oil filter so they stay floating in the oil. This is what makes your oil turn darker. These particles don’t hurt your engine. However, when the oil becomes saturated it cannot continue to hold these microscopic particles. Current oil change schedules occur before this happens.

Oil Viscosity – The viscosity of the oil is specified using two numbers. The first number is the viscosity when the oil is cold. You will then see the letter W followed by another number. The W stands for “winter.” Most people think it stands for weight. There will then be another number, which tells you the viscosity when the oil is at operating temperature. The oil gets thicker as the number gets bigger. 

Changing the Oil Filter 

When you change your oil you will also change your oil filer. The easiest is to follow what the manufacture recommends for filter, but there after also after-market filters. These filters will match to the manufacturer’s filters. Keep in mind the quality of manufacturers filters is much higher than the aftermarket filters. 

There are also what are referred to as trade brand filters, which are found at many of the quick oil change places. For those who use synthetic oil premium filters are often used. They are higher priced but the benefits have been proven.