Oil change

[rob/d]

I have just completed my first oil change .
Next time i will beg use of a lift !
I'm so used to crawling underneath 4 wheel drives that it was a bit of a shock how little ground clearance and access to filter available .
So after running around in circles to decide who amongst us is putting the correct oil in ( seems everyone is right and wrong ?) i went for Mobil 3000 fully synthetic 5W-30 @ £23 at halfrauds ..
Observations at 20 miles is definitely better oil pressure when hot , seems slightly quieter valves and headgear .
Discuss ?

[dapinky]

Next time i will beg use of a lift !

I'm so used to crawling underneath 4 wheel drives that it was a bit of a shock how little ground clearance and access to filter available .

Discuss ?

The oil choice seems okay to me - and if you're getting good oil pressure at hot in our current weather, with quieter top end, it can't be all bad

Changing the oil filter from underneath is definately easier on a lift - but doing it from the top is a lot easier without one! It is done be feel, not sight.....

..... approach the car from the front left wing (with the bonet up ). slide right arm behind and under inlet manifold from expansion tank. Swear because your sleeve gets caught on the hose clips on the intake pipe and heater pipes. Take off sweatshirt, try again. Swear again because you burnt you arm and wished you'd waited for the engine to cool down - but it needs to be warm to drain the oil ..... have a cup of tea.

an hour or so later, try again, but don't steady yourself with your left arm on the EGR pipe - it's still hot!

By now, you'll be gritting your teeth and hoping to get it over with, or take it to a garage with a lift. You can get a finger or two onto the oil filter, but it is greasy and you can't turn it. You wish you'd pushed a clean rag down there first, so withdraw arm to try again - you now notice the red grazes and burnt bits along arm, and realise that you have to do it again.....

....by now, you've got it sussed - hold a rag in right hand, push arm along behind engine, wipe the filter as best you can, withdraw arm just enough to tuck rag underneath filter to catch worst of the leaky oil, feed arm in to take a good grasp of filter, unscrew it.

Don't try and pull it out with your arm - you'll get oil everywhere. Tip it onto its back and prop it up on the alternator/chasis/pipes, withdraw arm a bit, stick finger into threaded hole and bring it a bit closer. Rest and do a bit more, easing it out slowly it is possible to avoid dropping it and spilling all the old oil.

Go back and retrieve the rag, wiping up as much spilt oil as you can, and the face of the pump.

Fitting the new filter is easier as there is nowt to spill, but getting it started on the thread can be a bit of a giggle.

Do it up just tight enough by hand - job jobbed!

When i do mine i generally losen the filter on a cold engine (or at least wipe it clean and make sure it will move a few millimeters), then warm the engine up, drain the old oil from the sump, allow it all to cool down, re-fit sump plug, change the filter, top up with oil, crank engine over to fill filter then fire it up. Check for leaks, top up to correct level, smile 'coz thats over for another 3000 miles.

The only issue is if the old filter won't budge and you can't get a good grip on it - it is possible to get a nylon strap type oil filter wrench in there, but it is easier on a cold engine - and once you've had to do it once it'll remind you not to overtighten it on the new one!

[rip]

I tried every type of filter removal tool I could find. I could get none of them on.
I now use a K&N filter. They have a 1" removal nut moulded into the casing. A 25mm spanner just about fits. This has turned a bitch of a job into an easy one.

You may find some useful tips on the wiki

[ccb056]

Also using K&N filter with Mobil 1 0w40.
The nut is very useful.

Here's a comparison of various filters
http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfil ... rence.html

[rob/d]

I am already planning my next oil change and if i can't find a K+N filter before then i will epoxy or maybe mig tack a nut onto a bog standard filter , or even a strip of metal / plastic and use it like a massive wingnut . Anything for grip .
I used a band type filter grip this time but i could only turn it very small amount at a time .
Oh and i got dripped on with oil off the old filter and just missed my eye , safety first boys and girls , goggles next time .
You need 2 elbows under there

[John_W]

the old filter and just missed my eye , safety first boys and girls , goggles next time

Not sure how you're doing it, but the conventional and easiest route is via the right hand wheel arch once you've removed the wheel. It's not possible to drop anything into your eye.
John

[rip]

the old filter and just missed my eye , safety first boys and girls , goggles next time

Not sure how you're doing it, but the conventional and easiest route is via the right hand wheel arch once you've removed the wheel. It's not possible to drop anything into your eye.
John

A good example of Elans being different: I took one look at that gap & thought 'no way'.

Rob: K&N's are available on e-bay. Model number is HP-1004.

[rob/d]

Thanks rip .

[Fetnas]

The tool I use to grab the oil filter looks like an oversized set of adjustable multigrip pliers. With the intake hose removed, I find it's quite straight forward to get to the filter (although still a bit of a reach) from above in the engine bay usinf this tool. Once the filter is turning (but not yet leaking) I put a couple of plastic bags over the filter and pushed back to the engine block, twist the filter off through the bag catching all the leaking oil as the filter comes off. I think that was a tip I read on here somewhere.

I always end up with a few scratches up my arm when reaching around the back of the engine, I guess that's just one of the sacrifices us elan owners have to make to keep these cars happy.

[rob/d]

It seems from other people's experience that "from above " is best .
This is what i will try next time .

[GeoffSmith]

http://wikilec.9600.org/index.php/Oil_change