I know this may sound crazy. But, when it's time to do an oil change in my car, I get excited! I have a girlfriend who does it with me. So, we plan a day to schedule our oils changes, and do all our cars. Yes, weird. But, that's how we roll. Before I start, please remember, I'm still a girl. And I don't know all the "manly" technical terms for tools, parts, and what have you. And THAT'S what makes this blog episode funny. So pardon my lack of technical terminology for the engine gurus out there and please forgive my ignorance. :)
Back when we had our old 88 lifted toyota (with a 93 engine), it was so much easier to do an oil change. For one, the truck is already lifted. No need to jack it up. She has a '95 toyota (I think thats the year) and though its not lifted, we didn't need to jack that one up either. Surprisingly, these puppies could fit under there without wreaking havoc. LOL! In regards to tools, all we needed was an oil filter wrench and we were good to go.
Now, we have a 2008 tundra and a 2008 sienna. My gf, Tris and I haven't had a "girls" day like this in a long time so we were a little rusty when it came time to do my van. I called her because I didn't want to pay the dealer $180 to do the service. Hell, I can do it myself for much less! So, I called her so we could spend some time together. I'm blogging this because the whole afternoon had me laughing so hard I swear I have to have at least ONE ab of steel now.
She comes over and we head to the store to get the oil and filter. I already had the engine air filter and oil eater boxes. She waited in the van while I ran in to get the goods. We come home and we were so busy catching up on things that we completely FORGOT that the engine had been running the whole time while she sat in the car. Duh!
So, we have to wait. For those who don't do their own oil changes, the oil will be piping hot. Not good. First, I drive my van up the ramp things. I didn't want to have to do this alone because I have this fear of driving right over the darn stopper and going right into my house! Tris guided me and while we waited for the engine to cool, we get under the hood to inspect. Can the engine space get any tighter? I thought my '06 civic was bad. Holy cannonballs, how do the mechanics get in the tiny spaces?!
Now we get under the engine to look for the plug and the filter. We were lost. Where's the darn filter? Thank god for youtube. Well, the filter is in a cartridge and from the bottom it looks like the top of a sewer line cap. We look at each other and start laughing, LOUD. How the hell do you take that off? The youtube video said to take a pipe wrench. Are you kidding me right now? LOL. We stood there and laughed. Oh how we missed the old regular tubular oil filters of yesteryear. Where they had the extra rubberized grip area to make it easier to install and remove.
Here comes my husband. Home from work. We yell THANK GOD HE'S HERE! I completely forgot his truck was the same year as my van. He enters the garage.
Romel: What are you two doing?
Me: I wanna change oil. I'm not paying $200 for the dealer to do it. How do you take the filter off? It looks different from what we've seen before on the old cars.
Romel: rolls his eyes. awmagahddddddd! sigh. and walks out to his truck. Comes back with this cap that matches that filter.
Me: Wow! Where'd you get that? How'd you know you needed that?
Romel: sigh.....you want me to do this or not!
Me: I just need your help. I wanted to do this myself. And wheres that skateboard thing?
Romel: What are you talking about!!!? What skateboard?
Me: That thing, that you can roll around on under the car. Here we are "sweeping" the floor with our clothes. LOL!
Romel: You mean this? (pulls out the gurney). It's called a creeper dummy.
All of us: LAUGHING OUT LOUD
Me: Whatever, let me try.
He goes into the house and I get under there ON THE CREEPER to try and loosen the drain plug. As I tried to loosen it, the creeper was rolling all over the place. I'm cracking up under there just laughing because I tried to grip onto the tire to keep me from rolling right down the driveway. I roll out and yell for Romel. HELP!
He comes out and loosens it. "oh my god how hard was that!", he says. I laugh. Sometimes, I know he was annoyed but I'm sure he felt good to be THE MAN. Just saying. I told him be careful, the oil is gonna be hot. I didn't intend on taking the whole plug off yet. I just wanted to see if I could loosen it myself.
He removes the plug and out came hot oil. OW! HHHHHOTTTTTTT!! We giggle cause we warned him. I bend down and go is it a third degree burn AGAIN?! lol.
So, the oil drains and he replaces the filter for me. Then I see him looking around under the car with his hands. Me: What are you doing? Him: Looking for the plug.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Yes folks, he dropped it in the oil eater box. Now filled with hot dirty engine oil.
Tris and I bust out laughing. It was just too funny. Tris made a point to tell him not to do that. But the oil came gushing out and it just happened.
Now, while the oil box is filling, he starts yelling WOH OH!! I need another oil eater box HURRY! I couldn't help but think of the the scene from Dumb and dumber where Lloyd was peeing in the beer bottle and Harry tells him to pinch it. I giggle and I jump up on the step ladder to quickly grab another box and open it up for him.
With the oil all drained, now we have to dig around for the plug. See pics.
He has to head out to paddling practice and the hard parts are all done. We just need to refill with clean oil and then replace the air filter. Now, Shelby comes out to see what we're up to. I said PERFECT! You can help us put oil in it. 5 quarts we go! As she pours it in, she learns the air bubble technique. Turn the bottle so the air doesn't make it go glub glub glub and spill oil all over the engine.
Now, before she pours oil in I start screaming to wait we have to take a picture! Shelby grumbles and Tris goes, just hurry up and take the picture! You know you're mom likes to celebrate EVERYTHING!! Cheese!!! LOL
Changing the air filter was easy peasy. Thank goodness for youtube! So, all I have to do now is rotate my tires and I should good to go! By the way, I also youtubed how to remove that annoying maintenance required light. All done!!
Thanks for reading!
Back when we had our old 88 lifted toyota (with a 93 engine), it was so much easier to do an oil change. For one, the truck is already lifted. No need to jack it up. She has a '95 toyota (I think thats the year) and though its not lifted, we didn't need to jack that one up either. Surprisingly, these puppies could fit under there without wreaking havoc. LOL! In regards to tools, all we needed was an oil filter wrench and we were good to go.
Now, we have a 2008 tundra and a 2008 sienna. My gf, Tris and I haven't had a "girls" day like this in a long time so we were a little rusty when it came time to do my van. I called her because I didn't want to pay the dealer $180 to do the service. Hell, I can do it myself for much less! So, I called her so we could spend some time together. I'm blogging this because the whole afternoon had me laughing so hard I swear I have to have at least ONE ab of steel now.
She comes over and we head to the store to get the oil and filter. I already had the engine air filter and oil eater boxes. She waited in the van while I ran in to get the goods. We come home and we were so busy catching up on things that we completely FORGOT that the engine had been running the whole time while she sat in the car. Duh!
So, we have to wait. For those who don't do their own oil changes, the oil will be piping hot. Not good. First, I drive my van up the ramp things. I didn't want to have to do this alone because I have this fear of driving right over the darn stopper and going right into my house! Tris guided me and while we waited for the engine to cool, we get under the hood to inspect. Can the engine space get any tighter? I thought my '06 civic was bad. Holy cannonballs, how do the mechanics get in the tiny spaces?!
Now we get under the engine to look for the plug and the filter. We were lost. Where's the darn filter? Thank god for youtube. Well, the filter is in a cartridge and from the bottom it looks like the top of a sewer line cap. We look at each other and start laughing, LOUD. How the hell do you take that off? The youtube video said to take a pipe wrench. Are you kidding me right now? LOL. We stood there and laughed. Oh how we missed the old regular tubular oil filters of yesteryear. Where they had the extra rubberized grip area to make it easier to install and remove.
Here comes my husband. Home from work. We yell THANK GOD HE'S HERE! I completely forgot his truck was the same year as my van. He enters the garage.
Romel: What are you two doing?
Me: I wanna change oil. I'm not paying $200 for the dealer to do it. How do you take the filter off? It looks different from what we've seen before on the old cars.
Romel: rolls his eyes. awmagahddddddd! sigh. and walks out to his truck. Comes back with this cap that matches that filter.
Me: Wow! Where'd you get that? How'd you know you needed that?
Romel: sigh.....you want me to do this or not!
Me: I just need your help. I wanted to do this myself. And wheres that skateboard thing?
Romel: What are you talking about!!!? What skateboard?
Me: That thing, that you can roll around on under the car. Here we are "sweeping" the floor with our clothes. LOL!
Romel: You mean this? (pulls out the gurney). It's called a creeper dummy.
All of us: LAUGHING OUT LOUD
Me: Whatever, let me try.
He goes into the house and I get under there ON THE CREEPER to try and loosen the drain plug. As I tried to loosen it, the creeper was rolling all over the place. I'm cracking up under there just laughing because I tried to grip onto the tire to keep me from rolling right down the driveway. I roll out and yell for Romel. HELP!
He comes out and loosens it. "oh my god how hard was that!", he says. I laugh. Sometimes, I know he was annoyed but I'm sure he felt good to be THE MAN. Just saying. I told him be careful, the oil is gonna be hot. I didn't intend on taking the whole plug off yet. I just wanted to see if I could loosen it myself.
He removes the plug and out came hot oil. OW! HHHHHOTTTTTTT!! We giggle cause we warned him. I bend down and go is it a third degree burn AGAIN?! lol.
So, the oil drains and he replaces the filter for me. Then I see him looking around under the car with his hands. Me: What are you doing? Him: Looking for the plug.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Yes folks, he dropped it in the oil eater box. Now filled with hot dirty engine oil.
Tris and I bust out laughing. It was just too funny. Tris made a point to tell him not to do that. But the oil came gushing out and it just happened.
Now, while the oil box is filling, he starts yelling WOH OH!! I need another oil eater box HURRY! I couldn't help but think of the the scene from Dumb and dumber where Lloyd was peeing in the beer bottle and Harry tells him to pinch it. I giggle and I jump up on the step ladder to quickly grab another box and open it up for him.
With the oil all drained, now we have to dig around for the plug. See pics.
He has to head out to paddling practice and the hard parts are all done. We just need to refill with clean oil and then replace the air filter. Now, Shelby comes out to see what we're up to. I said PERFECT! You can help us put oil in it. 5 quarts we go! As she pours it in, she learns the air bubble technique. Turn the bottle so the air doesn't make it go glub glub glub and spill oil all over the engine.
Now, before she pours oil in I start screaming to wait we have to take a picture! Shelby grumbles and Tris goes, just hurry up and take the picture! You know you're mom likes to celebrate EVERYTHING!! Cheese!!! LOL
Changing the air filter was easy peasy. Thank goodness for youtube! So, all I have to do now is rotate my tires and I should good to go! By the way, I also youtubed how to remove that annoying maintenance required light. All done!!
Thanks for reading!
P.S. For those that are wondering, the total cost of the materials to do the oil and air filter change was about $45 and 2 hours. If we didn't goof off so much, we probably
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