Process Paper
The Money Saver Growing up with a mechanic in the family has been very beneficial to me. I have learned different procedures on how to fix a vehicle. The main procedure that has stuck with me throughout the years is how to change oil in a car. I chose to write about this topic because it’s the one thing I’ve been able to do since being old enough to twist the bolt off the oil pan. With my dad being a mechanic and owning his own garage, I see oil changing being done on a regular basis. Changing your oil yourself is simple and saves you money. Materials needed to change oil in a Dodge Neon include: a car lift, oil pan, 16mm (metric) socket wrench, oil filter, 5 quarts of oil, (my car, a dodge neon, uses 5W-30) (See figure 1 page 3). You would still need the same materials if you don’t have a car lift, replacing the lift with a hand jack. First, you need to pull your car into the garage, and make sure your front tire is sitting in between the yellow positioning plate bolted into the ground (Figure 2 page 3). If you do not have a car lift then you will want to take a car jack and start cranking the handle to move your car in the air. If you don’t have your front left tire in the center of the positioning plate, then your car will be uneven when you lift it into the air. Next, you need to slide the lift arms (Figure 3 Page 3) underneath your car; first walk over to the side of the lift that has the control box on it. Then press the green circle that makes the car move vertically in to the air. You should have enough room to stand and walk completely under your vehicle; if not, you will have trouble getting the oil drain pan under the car to drain the oil out. Now take your metric socket wrench and untighten the bolt fastened into your oil pan that is on the bottom of your car engine (figure 4, page 3). Once that bolt comes loose, don’t let the bolt fall completely out unless you have a screen over the oil drain pan, because the bolt will end up swimming in the 5 gallon bucket attached to the bottom of the funnel (Figure 5 page 3). Next unscrew the old oil filter located towards the rear in the center. Get some of the old oil and pour over the new filter to lubricate the rubber ring and