Part 1. Preparation and safety
Objective
- Drain engine fluids and remove oil filter.
Personal safety
Whenever you perform a task in the workshop you must use personal protective clothing and equipment that is appropriate for the task and which conforms to your local safety regulations and policies. Among other items, this may include:
- Work clothing - such as coveralls and steel-capped footwear
- Eye protection - such as safety glasses and face masks
- Ear protection - such as earmuffs and earplugs
- Hand protection - such as rubber gloves and barrier cream
- Respiratory equipment - such as face masks and valved respirators
If you are not certain what is appropriate or required, ask your supervisor.
Safety check
- Drain oil into a container designed to hold oil.
- Make sure that you understand and observe all legislative and personal safety procedures when carrying out the following tasks. If you are unsure of what these are, ask your supervisor.
Points to note
- Dispose of oils and filters in an environmentally approved way.
- Use separate containers to drain oil and coolant.
Part 2: Step-by-step instruction
- Drain the sump
When you undo the drain plug, make sure that you drain into a container that will hold nothing but oil. When it's full take the used oil to a recycling facility, or dispose of it in an environmentally approved way.
- Remove the oil filter
The oil filter is often not easy to remove by hand, so use a filter wrench. The oil filter is not reusable, and it will be disposed of anyway, so if you do not have a proper filter wrench hammer a long Phillips head screwdriver through both sides of it. This will become an effective lever to loosen the filter with, but be careful and keep the catch container underneath when you puncture the filter, because it will probably squirt some oil.
When the oil has drained, put the plug back in to contain any remaining drips.
- Drain the block
Although the radiator was drained to remove the engine from the vehicle, there will still be coolant in the block. Near the top of the oil pan on either side of the block there will be some plugs. These are drains that let the coolant out of the engine block, and they are sometimes corroded and difficult to remove. You may need some additional leverage to get them moving. If you strip one of the plugs, leave it, and deal with it later.
Make sure you have a suitable container ready, not the same container you used for the oil. Sometimes the drain hole is blocked with dirt, but a long screwdriver can usually get the coolant flowing.
When the block has been drained, put the plugs back in to stop any further drips.
