Free OIL Change!!(sort of) in NC dur/ch

[MrWednesday]

I’d like to start changing my own oil , not because it is going to be a big money saver but because I want to have that skill and to be more self-reliant.  Of course there are great tutorials on youtube, and this is what I turned to when I needed to replace a door handle on my car a few years ago, but doing it this way inevitably involves a certain amount of trial and error and often a higher waste of money as you purchase ineffective/incorrect tools and supplies for the job. Sooo- if you live in in NC near Dur/CH and want a total noob to change your oil for you some Saturday or Sunday while you supervise and demonstrate, I’m your man!

I'm also interested in learning how to do a brake and coolant flush.

Let me learn something while you kick back and keep your hands clean!

[peppermint]

Did you get any responses on this? I'm in Durham and want to learn how to change my own oil too, if it's not too weird I'd like to come watch.

[MrWednesday]

No I haven't had any response on mmm, but I did find 2 thorough videos that are specific to my 2 cars and plan to attempt it soon. I also have a handy friend I might be able to rope into giving me a demo in exchange for a few beers. I still need to buy a few more supplies, filters, washers and what not. If you would like to stop by and watch me bumble along you are welcome to. PM me and Ill send you my details. My next 3 weekends look kinda full so I'm not sure when I'll be able to set it up, but I'm happy to let you know.

[Paul der Krake]

I'm down, for either or both of you. I already have the oil and the filter, they've been sitting in my car for a month. More than willing to help you figure out how to do it, it's pretty easy on mine, or even help you on yours if need be. I'm close to downtown Durham.

PM me, I'm basically available whenever you want.

[peppermint]

Hi guys. Just wanted to update back that, under the supervision of another friend, I changed my own oil today. :)

Thanks to Paul for showing us how it's done. :)

[MrWednesday]

Nice! I changed mine about a week ago and so far so good! Took me about 2 hours. I'm still not sure I put the oil filter on tight enough (my car manual said tighten only 2/3 of a turn once the filter makes contact with the crank case, or something like that, to avoid causing a crack and an oil leak) anyway it hasn't fallen off yet and no puddles under my car so far. Thanks again Paul and good luck in your future changes Peppermint!

[ketchup]

Nice! I changed mine about a week ago and so far so good! Took me about 2 hours. I'm still not sure I put the oil filter on tight enough (my car manual said tighten only 2/3 of a turn once the filter makes contact with the crank case, or something like that, to avoid causing a crack and an oil leak) anyway it hasn't fallen off yet and no puddles under my car so far. Thanks again Paul and good luck in your future changes Peppermint!

The oil change shops overtighten everything, so whatever you do will be less tightened than that.  Keep in mind that when you're taking off the drain plug and filter, it takes a fair amount of turning before anything starts coming out.  They do not have to be insanely tight.  A good "rule of thumb" I use is hand-tighten the filter (loosen with a wrench, tighten with your hand), and hand-tighten the drain plug, and then go back and tighten the drain plug slightly more with a small wrench.  This gets both "tight enough" but still loose enough that they are able to easily come off next time.  I've never had anything leak, but I did once get a filter stuck on that wouldn't come off because I tightened it with a filter wrench too tightly.  That was bad.

[MrWednesday]

Thanks Ketchup, that is reassuring and sounds like a reasonable tightening procedure.

[Paul der Krake]

Excellent! Glad I could help get the ball rolling. While you're down there, remember to take a look around to

a) understand how the different components interact (usually you can figure that out by following pipes around)
b) look for wear and tear and be able to spot potential issues in the future

Bam, you are now in the top 10% of the population in auto knowledge.

[Left]

I don't know how useful this would be or practical... but do you have salvage yards you can go to and "tinker" on the old cars? Say you are looking for parts or something then see how the oil pans are put together and such, no need to worry about breaking anything either. Or if you don't want to lie about pulling parts, maybe explain to owner that you are looking to practice changing the oil and looking to see what the cars look like under it. I don't see why they would say no, you can't break a wrecked car anymore :S well liability issues aside if you get hurt :S