So my car is really low on oil. I keep forgetting to put some in. But what do i put in? Having never done this before i thought i better make sure i do it right! My car is an 89 Toyota Corolla and im not sure if i can just throw anything in it or if i need something special

You can't take it to the dealer? I always get my Corolla serviced at the dealer, and an oil change is only around $40.

castrol GTX in the engine and mix in clutch fluid into your gas tank when you next refill...

Quote from atlantian :

mix in clutch fluid into your gas tank when you next refill...

huh?

i heard that it cleans ur engine up real good

Perhaps a full oil change is whats needed seen as it hasnt been done for years

baby oil

i dont know anyone who has babies and i doubt i have the time or energy to squeeze the oil out of them.

Motor oil?

You avatar doesn't include the country you live in. In the USA, there are places like EZ-Lube or Jiffy-Lube that will do oil changes while you wait. You should get the oil filter changed as well.

Since I don't know where you live, I don't know if it's very hot or very cold. In the USA, 10W-30 is usually the cheapest multi-grade oil, but you could use 5W-30 for colder climates or 5W-40 to handle colder and warmer climates.

Unless you live where it's extremely cold, there's no point in getting a synthetic oil.

And don't put anything into your gas tank other than gasoline. There are already additives to help clean the engine.

Quote from March Hare :

Motor oil?

Oh i was just about to round up the babies

Jeff my countries flag is next to my name

We dont get overly cold or hot here. maybe 30F min and 90 F max.

Quote from sil3ntwar :

Jeff my countries flag is next to my name.

Sorry, I didin't realize I could mouse over a flag to see the country name. I learned something today. The flag thing is clever.

If there isn't a significant price difference, I'd probably go with 5W-40 oil anyway.

The little book that comes with the car with the words "Vehicle Handbook" on it tell you how much oil and what grade they recommend. They don't make it up, so stick with it unless you know what you're doing (and even then you're probably wrong, but at least you won't be complaining to us if you screw up! ).

Oil filters usually available from any motor factors.

To change the oil yourself:

Warm engine up with a 10 minute gentle drive (skip this step if you really have no idea what you're doing as burning yourself looking for the right bits is worse than the oil taking ages to drain and not taking all the crap with it).

Locate oil drain plug on the bottom of the engine. NOT the bottom of the gearbox. It will probably be a 14mm AF taper plug, so get your 14mm spanner ready.

Place an old contained under the plug to catch all the oil.

Remove aforementioned plug, and let oil drain into the container.

Whilst that is doing what it does, open the bonnet (hood) and search for the oil filter. It's a round cylinder, probably about two inches tall, on the side of the engine. It'll look a bit like the new one (but might be a different colour).

Use an oil filter strap (or other oil filter tool) remove it by unscrewing it anti-clockwise. When it comes off you will spill some oil, so mop it up quick! The filter may be tight!

Once that's off, clean up the seat of the oil filter area on the engine.

Take new filter, and apply a drop of engine oil onto the seal and spread it over it. This will help the seal.

Screw the oil filter on, being careful not to cross-thread it. Tighten it BY HAND, NOT WITH A TOOL, but quite tight.

Go back under the car, and put the plug back in if it's finished draining. Don't overtighten it as they are taper threads into cast/pressed sumps, and you will crack it. But a normal size spanner and normal human effort will be about right - just got the judge it really.

Go back to the top and unscrew the oil filler cap (the plastic thing with a picture of an oil can on it on the very top of the engine). Fill it with oil - your book will tell you how much.

Every so often check on the dipstick if you've got the right amount in - too much is worse than a bit too little, so don't overdo it.

When it's at the right level, check all caps, bungs, plugs and stuff are done up. Check for leaks (wiping up old oil is a help here). Then go for a short drive to get the oil up to temperature (10 minutes), and check for leaks again.

You are done! Hurrah!

Should take about 10 - 15 minutes, maybe a bit longer if you've not done it before and/or the oil filter is in a hard to reach place.

I'd say it takes a little longer than 10 minutes to get the oil up to operating temp. but for the rest, nice write-up

Depends on the car and the drive, admittedly, but 10 minutes would be warm enough to drain oil and check for leaks. Any hotter and it's just a pain to work on the car.

true, I know my car's warm when the idle oil pressure is just above 1 bar, if it's too hot you'll burn yourself anywhere if you want to change oil or something

People look at me funny when I tell them I'm checking my oil level. Pretty necessary with an Alfa T-Spark engine, best to maintain it at the max for long engine life.

Has engine design advanced so much on modern cars that no-one needs check the vital fluids between 12 thousand miles? Unheard of 20 years ago and I wouldn' trust it. People assume the bonnet gets lifted only when there's a problem.

Quote from sil3ntwar :

Perhaps a full oil change is whats needed seen as it hasnt been done for years

It's a Toyota. You don't have to worry about anything. No need to change it, no need to check it. Just drive


Seriously, just don't do ANYTHING that atlantian suggests.

Quote from P1lot :

People look at me funny when I tell them I'm checking my oil level. Pretty necessary with an Alfa T-Spark engine, best to maintain it at the max for long engine life.

Has engine design advanced so much on modern cars that no-one needs check the vital fluids between 12 thousand miles? Unheard of 20 years ago and I wouldn' trust it. People assume the bonnet gets lifted only when there's a problem.

No, and neither has oil science. ALL car engines should have their engine oil changed, with a new filter every 5000miles or less. There isn't a car engine on the planet that can sustain 12k miles (or even 20 - 30k miles) between changes despite what the marketing man might try and tell you.

Anyone who knows anything about cars (other than model numbers or basic specs, or colours) will change their oil every 5000 miles or every 6 months. More frequently if it only does short journeys.

BTW: Tristan... can I order you for doing my car?

Slightly off topic: I fear that my cylinder head gasket is damaged, as oil smells a bit after gas and it's leaking tiny bits of water when the engine is cold (not when warm). Any chance of changing that myself safely or better let it change (costs?, as money seems to be an issue)?

If you pay for the plane ticket

To change it yourself you'll need some experience with engines (cambelt will have to come off, so you need to understand timing marks). You'll also need a torque wrench and a torque from the manufacturer of the head bolts. Plus, obviously, replacement gaskets for anything you need to separate, like exhaust manifolds, cam cover etc.

But if you know how to use a spanner, take your time, and have some tools and ingenuity you could do it yourself. But it might be easier to take it to a garage you trust.

HOWEVER...

If the head gasket is leaking, chances are the head itself is warped and will need machining flat. This isn't a job you can do at home (unless you happen to have a milling machine and a fly cutter attachment!), so you might end up taking bits of engine to a garage anyway.

Quote from atlantian :

castrol GTX in the engine and mix in clutch fluid into your gas tank when you next refill...

Never do this.

The only ones who do this are the same type of people who spray WD-40 on themselves because of joint pain, or who claim they were abducted and probed by Martian flying saucers.

Morons, in other words.

Quote from tristancliffe :

If you pay for the plane ticket

it's not like flights are this expensive this days

The ones I demand are

If it keeps burning oil and you just simply add it more sometimes. Then the thing what your car needs isn't adding more oil. It needs to get it's engine rebuild.