The purpose of this article is to review the tools that are essential to help make the job of changing oil much easier. In this article I feature a few oil changing tools that I find useful and functional as a do-it-yourselfer.
The seven tools that are essential to any oil change include a proper funnel, a bright an effective work light, oil catch pan, a good socket wrench set, a functional pair of filter pliers, a good maintenance creeper and a properly sized set of vehicle ramps. Without these tools in the proper type, size and form, the task of changing oil can be very difficult.
A large capacity oil funnel and a bright utility light are self explanatory. You cannot perform that task without a bright, low profile work light and an you cannot ensure the accurate placement of oil without a proper funnel.
When it comes to oil drain pans I highly recommend the FloTool 16-Quart Drain Container featured in the video and also in the link provided below, (see link for price and reviews). This pan is wonderful and has made my oil changes far easier. It is particularly helpful in reducing cleanup as the basin is designed to drain the oil into a contained compartment. This fantastic design greatly simplify the task of filling recycle containers with the used oil when the job is finished.
The Kobalt Socket Set is great for this and other tight spaced jobs as the sockets are designed to attach inside the wrench. This design results in making the combined depth of the socket and wrench much more shallow than a standard wrench. Additionally, these sockets are designed to fit both standard and metric bolts so you do not need to invest in both types of sets.
A good maintenance creeper is essential to making the job more effortless. You should look for a crawler that rolls easily and has sufficient padding. In the video below, I feature a homemade crawler that does the job nicely.
Finally, proper vehicle ramps are essential to provide the necessary clearance to properly access the oil pan plug and oil filter. One thing to be mindful of when selecting a ramp is to ensure that your car's spoiler will not get damaged when you attempt to drive up the ramps. You can purchase low profile ramps or you can adopt the solution that I featured in the video that turned my higher profile ramps into a functional and effective solution.
I feature these items in the follow video and provide some additional valuable tips for helping to ensure that your oil change is done efficiently and and with minimal frustration.
Amazon reviews and price information for Tools I used in the above video:
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