With 10.8 inches of ground clearance, standard four-wheel drive, and great low-end torque, the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6 is the off-road trail boss. But to avoid getting stuck out in the middle of nowhere, you’ll want to know how much oil your Wrangler needs to operate smoothly. Here’s a hint: it’s five quarts.

Driving an off-roading beast like the 2018 Jeep Wrangler can come with many hidden expenses, from costlier

car insurance

to increased fuel consumption to frequent maintenance and repairs (depending on how and where you drive). But proper preventative maintenance will help you avoid unnecessary maintenance costs and offset your

Jeep Wrangler insurance cost

. And a good place to start is maintaining your Jeep’s oil level.

You can find everything you need to know about the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6’s engine oil needs in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. But, if you lost your Jeep bible, fear not—we’ve thrown together this concise reference guide with all the oil info you’ll need to keep your Wrangler road ready.

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2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6 engine oil capacity

The first question on everybody’s mind is: how much oil does the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6 use?

The 2018 Jeep Wrangler was made available with two engine options—a 285-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 and a 270-horsepower 2.0-liter mild-hybrid four-cylinder motor. In either case, the 2018 Wrangler’s oil capacity is five quarts or 4.73 liters.

Be careful not to confuse your Wrangler’s oil capacity with its engine displacement. If you own a Wrangler with a 3.6-liter engine, that number indicates the total volume of your engine’s cylinders, not the amount of oil your engine requires.

What kind of oil does a 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6 need?

The next question that we need to answer is what kind of oil does the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6 need?

Here’s where the Wranglers with the 3.6-liter engine differ from the 2.0-liter models. Jeep recommends that Wranglers furnished with the 3.6-liter V-6 engine use MOPAR 0W-20 full synthetic engine oil. An equivalent oil can also be used so long as it meets API SN Plus certification.

Jeep recommends SAE 5W30 full synthetic oil for models sporting the 2.0-liter engine.

Feeling lost? Here’s what all of that means.

The Society of Automotive Engineers—the SAE—uses a number and letter system to classify motor oil by its viscosity, i.e. how easily the oil flows. The first number and letter combo indicate the oil’s low-temperature viscosity—the “W” stands for winter. The lower the number before the W, the easier the oil will flow in colder temperatures, and the less stress your engine will feel in cold temperatures.

Similarly, the second number in the SAE rating indicates the oil’s high-temperature viscosity. The higher the number, the easier the oil will flow at normal operating temperatures.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) develops technical standards for oil products. API SN Plus certification is a lubricant specification developed for gasoline direct engines.

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How often to change oil on a 2018 Jeep Wrangler 3.6

Your 2018 Jeep Wrangler is equipped with an oil change indicator system that tells you when it’s time to swap out your Jeep’s oil by illuminating an “Oil Change Required” light in your instrument cluster.

This system gauges your oil change intervals based on usage, so if you consistently put your Jeep in high-stress situations, your oil change indicator system may activate as soon as 3,500 miles. This is common for Jeeps that do a lot of off-roading or work in dusty environments.

Once your “Oil Change Required” light has come on, you should have your oil serviced within 500 miles. Jeep highly recommends not exceeding 10,000 miles or 12 months in between oil changes. For Wranglers that regularly engage in severe duty at low RPMs, Jeep recommends an oil change every 350 hours of engine run time.

You can find all the info you need on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler’s oil change indicator system under “Instrument Cluster Display” in the “Getting To Know Your Instrument Panel” section of your Wrangler’s owner’s manual.

No system is perfect, however, and you should still take precautions when it comes to your engine oil level. Jeep recommends checking your oil level monthly and before any long trips.

You should also keep an eye out for signs that your oil may be nearing the end of its life such as:

Dark brown or black motor oil. Clean motor oil should look like a cup of tea, but dirty motor oil will more closely resemble a cup of coffee.

Gritty oil. Good motor oil will have a silky-smooth feel to it, while bad oil will have a sandy feel.

Strange noises. Dirty oil may cause your engine to make new noises.

Burning smell. Bad oil can lead to odd smells, like smoke and burning oil.

Reduced vehicle performance. Bad motor oil can lead to a reduction in your Jeep’s fuel economy

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How to change your oil and oil filter

If it’s time to change your Jeep Wrangler’s oil, you can do the job yourself with just a few simple tools. Here’s what you’ll need:

Oil drain pan

Socket wrench

Oil filter wrench

Replacement oil filter

Five quarts of 0W-20 synthetic engine oil

When you’ve got all the materials, start your Jeep to get the engine to normal operating temperature. This should take about five minutes.

Next, shut off your engine and place the oil drain pan under the engine. Remove the oil fill cap on top of the engine and then remove the drain bolt and washer underneath. Your hands will get dirty.

Let the oil drain into the drain pan and remove the old oil filter using that oil filter wrench that you found. Now, install the new filter.

When the oil has finished draining from your Wrangler’s engine, replace the drain bolt with a new washer and tighten it to 20 ft-lbs of torque. Now, you can refill the engine with five quarts of 0W-20 synthetic motor oil and replace the oil fill cap.

Start your engine and let it run for about a minute to allow the new oil to run through the new filter. Shut off your engine and check your oil level using the dipstick. Add more oil if necessary.

When you’re done, you’ll need to reset the “Oil Change Required” light. Here’s how:

Turn your ignition key to the on position, but do not start your engine.

Toggle to the “Oil Life” menu under “Vehicle Info” on your LCD screen in your instrument panel.

Push and hold the OK button on your steering wheel until the oil life gauge resets to 100%.

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Last but not least, be sure to dispose of the old oil by putting it in a sealed container and taking it to your local recycling center. Never, ever dump oil motor oil on the ground, down a drain, or into the sewer.