How do I change the oil and filter on my car?

Under the vehicle you will see a plastic cover under the engine, remove the 4 13 mm bolts and drop the cover (they give you an access port but its cleaner and easier to just take the cover off) the bolt to drain the oil is also a 13mm on the bottom of the oil pan facing the ground. drain the oil, put the drain plug bolt back in and tighten, don't over tighten! the filter is located up the front of the oil pan on the passenger side, only accessible from the bottom, remove the filter let the oil drain, put some fresh oil on the rubber seal of the new filter and install, make sure to follow the directions on the filter because it will tell you how many turns to put on the filter, overtightening will make it extremely difficult to take off next time! after that, clean up any oil left on the frame and oil pan and install the plastic cover with the 4 13 mm bolts, locate the oil fill cap, remove and refill the engine with the right oil (i believe its 5w30) untill it reads full on the dipstick, put the cap back on and start the engine and let it run for about 10 seconds, shut the engine off and recheck the oil level and fill as necessary. (if you have the 4.2 i think it takes 7 quarts, check your owners manual for the oil type and capacity to be sure) remember to turn the key on with the engine off and pump the gas pedal 3 times to reset the oil life indicator after the oil change is done, hope this helps!

The oil filter and drain plug should be easy to locate, but what you need to know how to do is reset the oil light. on your model vehicle you have to turn the key to the run......not start but run position, depress the gas pedal 3 times, then turn off, and start the vehicle. thats the process to turn the oil light off.

Basically changing the oil is quite simple. To start you'll need clearance to get underneath the engine area. you may already have enough. You can use the drive on ramps that will elevete the front of the vehicle about 11 inches. Just be very careful so no one gets squished. You'll need a drain pan to drain old oil into, 5 quarts or whatever your cars calls for of new oil and an oil filter. ,On the bottom of the drain pan there is an oil drain plug, you'll use a wrench to turn this plug counter clockwise to remove it. Be ready once the plug is ready to come all the way out the oil will start pouring out so have the drain pan ready.Once the oil is all drained then you can reinsert the plug, tightening until it's good and snug. To do this properly you should have a torque wrench when you are tightening this plug so you don't over do it and damage the threads. Next use a oil filter wrench for your vehicle so you can loosen the filter then remove it all the way off. Take the new filter, wipe a little oil around on the new rubber seal of the new filter, to help seal better.And tighten this up so it is good and snug, but you don't want to do the muscleman approach. You want it tight, but not overdone. Get out from under the car, remove the oil cap on top of the engine and pour in all of the oil recommended except for 1 quart. Start the engine, let it run for a few seconds, shut off and check the oil level. Add your remaining oil to fill it to the upper limit. I would really suggest getting a Chilton or Haynes manual for your vehicle. It'll give you very good info on this and many other maintenance issues, many of which you can do yourself and save alot of money. Good luck. Colin

Pretty simple. You should have enough clearance to crawl underneath but if not, drive it up on ramps or jack the front end up a little. You didn't post your engine size L-4 or V-6, but all you have to do is put a oil drain pan under the engine where the drain plug is. Unscrew it carefully and drain the oil. Then, slide the pan over to the oil filter. Use a rag to help you unscrew it. It should only be on hand tight...but will feel tighter. There is about less than a half a quart in it. Remove it. Now put the drain plug back on the oil pan. Get the new oil filter and apply fresh oil on the oring that is part of the end that fits against the housing. You can pour about a half a quart of oil in it and then screw it on hand tight. It doesn't get "smoked" on. Squeezing too hard will collapse the filter canister.

Open the hood and remove the oil servicing cap and refill with up to 4 quarts of oil (you put some in the filter already).

That's it.