The engine should be warm
so that the oil is thin enough to drip out of the engine quickly, but
not hot enough to burn you. If the oil pan is too hot
to hold your hand on, then the engine is too hot to be worked on. Oil
thickens when it is cold, so the oil may cling to the inside of a cold
engine and not drip out readily.
| 1. Lift the front
of the car and support with jack stands. |
Remove the oil cap from the top of the engine before lifting the
car.
Front end supported by two stands and a jack
Set the emergency brake. Lift one side of the car with the floor
jack and slide a jack stand under a solid location on the chassis.
Do the same on the other side. I placed the jack stands under
the silver triangular plates located on either side of the subframe.
I've replaced the saddle on my hydraulic jack with a pinch weld
adaptor from the Eastwood
Company. The adaptor makes lifting the car so much easier
and safer, and also allows me to leave the jack at one side of
the car for extra support.
Pinch weld adaptor from Eastwood
|
| 2. Remove the sound
deadener (belly) pan. |
Belly pan screws (image from Bentley
Publishers)
The plastic belly pan is held to the bottom of the car by 6 silver
and 4 black rivet screws. The 4 black rivets are located in the
wheel well on both sides of the car just in front of the wheel.
The silver rivets are on the underside of the car.
Loosen each screw. Pull downward on the belly pan and toward the
rear of the car to uncover the oil pan.
|
| 3. Remove the oil
drain plug. |
Oil drain plug
The oil drain plug is located on the right side of the oil pan
(sump). The torque spec for the plug is 22ftlb so it should not
require much force to remove.
Position a drain pan to catch the oil
Since the plug is located on the side of the pan, the oil will
squirt out sideways (6-8 inches) when the plug is removed. As
you can see from the photo above, this can cause a bit of a mess
if you're not expecting it. Position a large tray or funnel to
the right of the oil pan to catch the initial squirt, then reposition
it directly under the drain when the stream of oil slows down.
Position some rags around the immediate area to soak up any stray
oil.
Oil drain pan with funnel
While the oil is draining, lower the car to the ground so that
the car is level. If your car is on lowering springs like mine,
there may be no room for the drain pan when the car is completely
sitting on the ground. If this is the case, use the jack to hold
one corner of the car up just enough to allow the drain pan to
fit. Allow 30+ minutes for the oil to finish draining.
|
| 4. Remove the old
oil filter. |
Unscrew the coolant expansion tank (yellow arrows)
The filter is located under the intake manifold
on the back side of the engine. The filter can be reached from
above if the coolant expansion tank is moved out of the way. Remove
the 3 screws holding the tank and lift the tank toward the front
of the engine, taking care not to stretch the coolant hoses too
much. The coolant level sensor is located on the underside of
the tank. It must be detached before the tank can be moved completely
out of the way.
With the coolant tank out of the way, the oil filter is accessible
With the oil filter pliers, reach into the engine
bay and clamp firmly onto the oil filter. Be careful not to clamp
down on any of the wires and hoses that surround the filter. The
torque spec for the filter is 15ftlb so it should not require
much force to remove; however, using the right tool will make
the job much easier. I used a set of long-handled offset pliers
which can be purchased at most automotive stores for as little
as $12. The jaws bite into the body of the filter providing a
firm grip, while the long handles provide the leverage needed
to remove a stubborn filter.
Offset oil filter pliers
The filter is filled with oil. Try to keep the filter
oriented vertically when pulling it out of the engine bay. Make
sure that the rubber gasket which surrounds the opening of the
filter comes off along with the filter; otherwise, you must peel
it off from the engine. It may be a good idea to place some rags
in the engine bay directly underneath the filter to catch spills.
Remember to remove these rags when you are done.
|
| 5. Replace the oil
drain plug. |
Old and new drain plugs and washers
When the oil is finished draining, lift the car and install a
new drain plug and washer. The crush washer should be replaced
each time since it deforms (see photo) upon tightening to provide
a tight seal. The drain plug can be reused, but it is so cheap
($2) that there's really no reason to reuse it and risk an oil
leak.
The oil drain plug should be tightened to 22ftlb with a 19mm
torque wrench.
|
| 6. Replace the oil
filter. |
OEM-quality oil filter
Replace the filter with a new OEM-quality filter. Mahle, Bosch,
and Mann make suitable replacement filters. I went with the Bosch
72150 filter.
Lower the car to the ground. Fill the new filter with fresh oil
and apply a light film of oil to the rubber gasket surrounding
the opening. Position the filter over the oil cooler and hand
tighten it. If you have an oil filter wrench attachment for your
torque wrench, then use it to tighten the filter to 15ftlb. Otherwise,
just tighten the filter until the rubber gasket just touches the
oil cooler, then tighten the filter another 3/4 of a turn. This
should be fairly close to 15ftlb.
|
| 7. Fill the engine
with oil. |
5 litre jug of Pentosynth 5W-40
Pour fresh oil into the engine. Use a funnel to make pouring
easier. The oil capacity is 4 litres, but it may be a good idea
to pour just 3.5 litres to start, in case there is any old oil
still lurking in the engine. Overfilling the engine can cause
damage.
Pentosynth label
Run the engine on idle for about a minute to allow the oil to
circulate. Check for leaks. Check the oil level using the dipstick.
The car must be on level ground when checking the oil level. Ideally,
the oil should be at the max mark on the dipstick; however, anywhere
between mid and max should be fine. Add more oil if needed. Siphon
some out if it is above the max mark.
|
| 8. Replace the sound
deadener (belly) pan. |
Lift the car and replace the belly pan. Reinstall all 10 rivet
screws.
|
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