I changed my engine oil when my vehicle (1998 Honda Civic DX) was cold. I left the vehicle out overnight in the driveway, then changed the oil in the morning when it was 60 degrees. I read the car should run at least a few minutes before an oil change in order to get gunk, clumps of oil/grease, out. I forget to warm the engine!
My car is a 1998 Honda Civic DX with 168,000 miles traveled. I change the engine oil every 4,000 miles. My Honda manual says to change the oil every 7,500 for normal driving and every 3,750 for severe driving. My driving is sometimes normal and it is sometimes severe (stop and go, etc.)
Question. Should I change the oil again after the vehicle warms? Should I change the oil filter, too?
I prefer not to change it again since it’s a pain jacking up the car, getting a bit dirty, paying more money for oil, etc. If I need to do it, I will.
Don’t worry about it and drive on. Its really not such a big deal. I like to do my oil warm largely because it drains out better and more completely (its thicker when cold). But the difference in negligible.
(Presumably you do change the filter every time? It was a little ambiguous in what you said.)
Sometimes, I change the oil. At other times, I get coupons for cheap oil changes and have the local repair shop do it. I prefer to do it myself since I won’t over tighten the drain plug bolt/oil filter/be careless/etc.
Thanks for the answer!
I’ve always changed the oil in my cars cold. I feel safer working on a cold engine. Just takes a little longer to run out. I spend the time checking other things out. If you change at a reasonable interval there’s no thick gunk. When I sold my '88 Accord at 219,000 miles it didn’t burn any oil.
It used to be a matter of getting particulate matter stirred up instead of sitting in the bottom of the oil pan. I change mine when warm, after being run to operating temp, then letting cool till safe to change without getting burns. With the modern oils it may not be a factor, but I do not know for sure and continue in my superstitious ways.
Since the oil plug is at the bottom of the pan the particulate matter should be the first thing coming out.
I’m curious about the idea of ‘jacking up the car’ to change the oil in your car. If your car is not level when you drain the oil, all the old oil is not likely to drain.
Just a thought.
Should be fine. I put my old oil in 5 gallon buckets and pour it out into the big tank at the recycling center. I have not noticed any sediment in the bottoms of the buckets. As the man said, if there is any sediment in your crankcase bottom, it should come out first. The bigger stuff will be in the oil filter.
It would be good to give the oil enough time to drain until all you see coming out is a drip, not a stream.
You may need to jack up a car to get at the drain plug or filter, the drain plug on most cars is on the rear of the oil pan, so what do you perceive to be the problem?
There used to be sludge that would sit on the bottom of the pan and not drain out with the oil. Sludge does not flow with the oil.
I have always change my oil at full driving temperature and haven’t ever been burned in over 50 years. The hot oil can be a little uncomfortable on your fingers but I never got red marks or blisters. My oil drain container has a screen over the opening so I don’t have to hold onto the plug, just let it drop with the oil.
There is no “sediment”…There is no “big stuff”… There is no “small stuff, sludge or particulates”. There is just dirty oil, and since, after draining down overnight, it’s ALL in the pan ready to be drained. It flows out a little slower, but everything that needs to come out comes out…Cold drains are FINE. It just takes a little longer.
Did you post “Should I change the oil filter, too”? Well I think you did, and of course you should, curious thing is I don’t see anyone else responding to this question.
Always change oil on a engine at temp, this is a no brainer.
I don’t think you understood my question. Should I change the oil filter again since I changed the oil and the oil filter with the engine at a cool temperature.
On my vehicle (1998 Honda Civic DX), the oil plug is difficult to reach unless it is on jack stands. The oil filter is impossible to reach unless my vehicle is on jack stands.
You don’t need to change ANYTHING again…
At this point, just leave it until next time. It’s good.
All those saving you incur by changing your own oil won’t mean much if the JACK SLIPS!! NEVER jack up a car and crawl underneath it!
Buy a cheap set of RAMPS at Walmart, or jack the car up and put jackstands underneath!
Also, I would change the oil FILTER every time you change oil. What’s the point in leaving nearly a quart of dirty oil in the sump?
I used jack stands for the vehicle at all times. I also changed the oil filter during the oil change. I definitely agree, never get under a vehicle with just the jack.
Thanks; I feel better now.