Most people who change their own oil can tell you the moment it goes wrong. The plug drops into the pan, warm oil runs down your wrist, and the black lines in your knuckles last until the weekend.
None of that has to happen. Below is how to change your oil from start to finish, in the order a shop works: supplies first, gloves on, car up safely, drain, filter, refill, then cleanup. We sell disposable gloves by the case to auto shops, so we also cover which glove suits each step.
The short answer
Warm the engine for a few minutes, lift the car onto jack stands, drain the oil into a pan, swap the filter, then refill to the level in your owner's manual. Wear 5 mil or heavier nitrile gloves for the drain and filter, change to a fresh pair for the refill, and take the used oil to a collection point.
Why motor oil belongs on gloves, not hands
What used oil leaves behind
The oil you drain is not the oil you poured in. The federal ATSDR fact sheet on used engine oil says it picks up metals from engine parts, small amounts of gasoline and antifreeze, and chemicals formed by heat and pressure inside the engine.
The same fact sheet notes that mechanics exposed to used oil from many cars have reported skin rashes, though they also handle other chemicals. In lab studies, mice whose skin was exposed to used oil for a year or longer developed skin cancer. Used oil contains PAHs, and some PAHs are known cancer-causing agents.
In one line
The worry is the habit, not one drip. Bare-handed oil changes keep putting used oil on your skin, and a glove that costs a few cents ends that.
Gloves help with the cleanup too. Bare hands leave oil prints on the fender and the steering wheel. Peel off a dirty pair before you touch anything clean and the mess stays under the car.
What you need to change your oil
Lay it out before you start
Half of learning how to change oil is having your oil change supplies in reach before the car goes up. Check your owner's manual for the oil grade, the capacity and the filter that fits.
- Nitrile gloves, 2 to 3 pairs5 mil or heavier for draining, a fresh pair for the refill.
- Motor oil & a new filterThe grade and quantity from your owner's manual, plus a funnel.
- Drain pan & oil filter wrenchA pan that holds more than your engine's capacity.
- Wrench or socket for the plugPlus a new drain plug washer if your car uses one.
- Jack, jack stands & wheel chocksOr a pair of drive-on ramps rated for your car.
- Rags & a sealed containerFor drips, and for carrying the used oil to recycling.
Step 1: Glove up before you touch the drain plug
Pick a glove that grips oil
Gloves go on before you slide under the car, not after the first drip. For this job we suggest mechanic nitrile gloves of 5 mil or more, because the drain plug edge, the oil pan lip and the filter housing all snag thin film. Our black heavy duty industrial nitrile is listed at 5 mil and 6 grams, $79.95 for a case of 1,000, and the black hides oil stains. Some sizes sell out, so check yours on the page. Fit matters as much as thickness: a loose glove bunches at the fingertips and makes a small drain plug harder to catch.
Step 2: Warm the engine & lift the car safely
Warm oil, cool parts, solid support
The first rule of how to change oil in car engines at home: warm, not hot. Run the engine for a few minutes so the oil flows, then shut it off while you set up.
Park on flat, hard ground and set the parking brake. Chock the wheels that stay down, lift at the jack points in your owner's manual, and set jack stands before any part of you goes under the car. OSHA's rule for jacks says a raised load must be cribbed, blocked or otherwise secured at once. That rule is written for workplaces, but it fits a driveway just as well. A jack lifts a car. Stands hold it up.
Shake the car gently once it sits on the stands. If it moves, lower it and start over.
Step 3: Pull the oil drain plug over a drain pan
Let gravity do the work
Find the oil drain plug at the lowest point of the oil pan. On many cars the transmission pan sits nearby, so make sure you have the right one. Set the oil drain pan a little behind the plug, since oil arcs out before it falls straight down.
Loosen the plug with a wrench and turn the last few threads by hand. Push it in toward the pan as you turn, then pull it away fast once it comes free. Your glove takes the splash, not your wrist. Let the oil run until it slows to a drip, and keep your face out of the stream. Exhaust parts and the pan stay hot for a while after the engine stops, and a thin glove is no oven mitt.
Wipe the plug, fit a new washer if your car uses one, and thread it in by hand before you snug it to the torque in your manual.
Step 4: Swap the filter with an oil filter wrench
Grip matters most here
Slide the pan under the filter first. It is full of oil too.
Most cars use a spin-on can, and here is how to change oil filter cans like that: break the old one loose with an oil filter wrench, spin it off by hand and tip it open end up into the pan.
This is the slipperiest part of the job, and glove texture pays off here. Our orange diamond grip nitrile is listed at 8 mil, with a raised diamond texture its page calls suitable for oily or wet environments, at $99.95 a case. Orange also shows oil fast, so you can see when a pair is done.
Wipe the mounting surface, rub a film of fresh oil on the new gasket, and tighten the new filter by hand as the filter box directs.
Step 5: Refill with fresh motor oil & check the level
Fill, wait, then read
Peel off the oily pair and put on a clean one before you lower the car, so used oil stays off the fill cap, the dipstick and the paint. With the car level, pour a little less than the capacity in your manual through a funnel, wait a minute and check the dipstick. Add oil a little at a time until it reaches the full mark. Then start the engine for about a minute and look under the car for drips at the plug and filter. Shut it off, wait a few minutes and read the dipstick once more. If your car has an oil life monitor, reset it as the manual shows.
Step 6: Change gloves & recycle the used oil
The old oil has a second life
If you have wondered how to dispose of used motor oil, the short answer is never down a drain or into the trash. Per the EPA used oil recycling guidance, the oil from one oil change can contaminate one million gallons of fresh water, and used oil can be re-refined into new oil instead. Pour it from the pan into a clean plastic container with a tight lid. EPA's do-it-yourself brochure says never to reuse a container that held chemicals, food or drinks, and not to mix the oil with antifreeze, solvents or paint. Let the old filter drain in the pan, then bag it.
Take both to a service station, lube center or auto parts store that collects used oil, and call ahead. Last, strip your gloves inside out so the oily side stays in, and toss them.
Oil change questions
What our customers ask
Quick answers to the questions that come up on a first oil change.
How long does it take to change oil?
Our rule of thumb, not a measured figure: plan on about an hour the first time, counting setup, draining, the filter, the refill and cleanup. Waiting for the oil to drain is the longest pause. Once your tools have a spot and you know where the plug and filter sit, the same job usually goes much faster. Never rush the lift or the jack stands to save time.
How often should you change your oil?
Follow the interval in your owner's manual. California's recycling agency, CalRecycle, says the old 3,000 mile rule is out of date for most cars, and many can go 5,000, 7,500, 10,000 or even 15,000 miles between changes. Short trips, towing and dusty roads can shorten it, so check the severe service schedule too.
Is it cheaper to change your own oil?
Usually, once your tools are paid for. Add up the oil, the filter, a drain plug washer and two or three pairs of gloves, then compare that to a shop's quote. A pair of our 5 mil black heavy duty gloves costs about 16 cents. The jack stands, drain pan and filter wrench are one-time costs.
Sources: EPA, Managing, reusing, and recycling used oil · EPA, You dump it, you drink it (used oil brochure) · ATSDR ToxFAQs, Used mineral-based crankcase oil · OSHA 29 CFR 1910.244, Jacks · CalRecycle, Check your number
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