If you’re the type of person who likes to change his or her own oil rather than leaving the job to a mechanic, you’ll need to know exactly how much oil should go into the engine after it’s been completely drained. This oil flow chart is perfect for this.

When to Drain Your Engine Oil Before the First Time

In the past, you would drain the oil before the first time you drove the car because oil is so brittle and doesn’t easily dissolve once ground down. This isn’t a problem when you have new oil that’s been sitting in your engine for too long and that it’s time to apply some fresh oil.

When the oil is completely dry it can be a matter of seconds or minutes, depending on how long it’s been sitting in your engines oil pan. Even so, don’t just wait for 30 to 60 seconds after finishing the car before draining your oil.

You should always drain all of the oil before driving it unless there’s a reason for saving fuel. If you’re driving a truck and aren’t a fan of being able to quickly drain your oil, then there’s not much incentive to leave oil in your motor to start with. After driving the vehicle a little bit to allow the engine to cool, start with about half of the engine oil drained.