For those of you that read my previous post in its entirety, props to you! Hahaha, I have never written a post that long before without breaking it into different segments, but I hope that it will be helpful to anyone that coaches cross country or is interested in coaching cross country. It explains a lot of what I do during the months of July through October!
Today, I had such a great morning with my dad! I got to cross off one of the goals on my list of things I'd like to do before I turn 40 years old (in January 2022): Have my dad teach me how to change the oil in my car.
It sounds like an odd goal, but my dad has been an auto mechanic for his entire life; even now that he's retired, people still prefer to bring their cars to him. I wouldn't trust anyone else with my car!
Because of his expertise, I've saved literally thousands of dollars over the years by having him do the work (for free, because family discount, haha). My dad is getting older (so is everyone, obviously, but working on cars isn't as easy on his body as it used to be. He's not going to be around forever, so I wanted to learn how to do things for myself. (I also asked him today if, when he dies, I can have his garage full of tools! 😂)
I literally knew NOTHING about changing oil going into this. I may have learned something in Auto Shop class in high school, but mostly what I remember of Auto Shop was leaving class to get fast food with my friend Jake. (Our teacher was a first-year, and sadly, we took full advantage of that).
First, I had to buy the oil and filter. My dad explained that it would either be in the car's manual or I could look it up in a book at the store (they have books for a few different brands at the store so you can conveniently look up by car make, model, and year to get what you need.
Unfortunately, my car (a 2015 Jeep Renegade) called for an expensive oil: 0W-20. They didn't sell it in the big containers, so I had to buy several quart size ones (I bought five but it turned out that I needed 5-1/2, so I still have to add half a quart as soon as I can get one). My dad said next time, I can buy the 5W-20 instead, which will work just fine and and be much cheaper.
Sometimes my dad is very patient and sometimes not so much. I was glad he was very patient with me today, because I learned so much! He taught me how to check the levels of brake fluid, antifreeze, washer fluid, oil, air in my tires, the condition of the brake pads, fan belt, engine filter, and more. The engine filter was filthy! He said I should probably buy a new one, but for now, he used a high pressure air hose to clean it out. That's what I'm unscrewing in this photo:
He told me to wear clothes that I didn't mind getting messy, and once I got started, I discovered why. There is a lot of lying on the ground (he has carpets outside to make it a little more comfortable, but they aren't the cleanest, either).
After checking all the fluid levels and filling what needed to be filled, we got to work on the oil. After checking the oil level, he was shocked at how low it was. He said it wouldn't have lasted a couple more weeks and would have done some serious damage. Yikes!
Anyway, he said the very first thing I should do is open a window in the car so I don't somehow lock myself out. (Smart. He remembers all the times he had to rescue me in high school when I either ran out of gas or locked myself out of my car).
Then, he showed me where to put the jack lift under the car to raise the car up.
When I was a kid, I remember playing with the jack lift--one of us kids would stand on it and the other would jack us up, hahaha. The lift seemed so much bigger back then! I specifically remember one time I was standing on the jack, chewing root beer bubble gum (with a liquid center--ew! and some of the liquid dripped on my thumb. Apparently, a bee was attracted to the syrup I was stung. It's funny, random the things you remember.
Once I got the lift in position, it was time to jack it up. This is basically a good arm workout, pumping up and down until the jack lifts the car off the ground high enough to get a one of those small jacks underneath it.
Once I had two jacks under the car (one on each side) as well as the jack lift, I prayed that the car wouldn't fall on me while I was underneath it. My dad's been doing this for 40 years and has never had a car fall on him, so I was pretty confident.
Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the messiest part--removing the old oil. I had to unscrew the old filter and the oil came gushing out (it's not just a drip when you remove the old filter--it gushes!) into an oil pan, but while I was unscrewing the cap, the oil was pouring down my hand. My dad has a dozen (well used) towels lying around, thankfully.
Once the oil had all drained into the pan, I had to screw the new filter in. Thankfully, I'd bought the correct size! If it hadn't fit, I'd have to go buy another (with someone else's car). Screwing in the new filter was messy, too, because there was still a bit of oil dripping down into the pan (and all over my arm). After that, the mess wasn't too bad.
Once the new one was screwed into place, it was time to lower the car. Basically, I did everything backwards. I lifted the car just a touch so that I could remove the jacks, and then I slowly (well, he told me to go slowly, but it was tough to keep it from dropping down quickly!) lowered the jack lift.
With the car back on the ground, he said it was a good time to check the the air in the tires (which I did, and they were all at 30 psi--and they needed to be at 35 psi, so I added some air. Then he said it was a good time to check all the lights (headlights, brake lights, etc.). I checked them all and they all worked except for one fog light, which I'll have to replace (although I rarely use the fog lights).
If you have a Jeep Renegade, here's a short tip. Even after changing the oil, the oil change light will still come on when you start the car. To reset this, you just turn the key halfway (to where it's just the battery on) and then pump the gas three times within 10 seconds. Turn the car off. Then start the engine, and voila! No more change oil light.
Other than the air filter, the only other thing that needs replacing is my tires. I'm dreading it, because it'll cost a fortune, but it must be done. Preferably before winter.
Anyway, I'm glad to have knocked another goal off my list, and this was a fun one! I got to spend some quality time with my dad and learn all about my car. And now I'll be able to change my own oil the next time it needs it :)
