Oil Change

[tux2006]

going to do and oil change this weekend (if the weathers any good )
I've got all the bits just wondered if anyone had any tips for making it easier or the process smoother because judging by the weather out there I won't get alot of time!!

Also what can you use to remove the filter? is there a special tool? or is it just a case of elbow grease and alot of swearing?

[jameslxdt]

dont do it
no seriously its never a nice job changing oil on axle stands
depending on what engine you have i cant tell you how best to remove the oil filter, on my 2.0 16v RFV engine its easiest just to use my hands to unscrew it, and i found it easier to undo the sump plug with a 6mm allen key socket but i think this only applies to the early 406's

[tux2006]

its a 1997(old) 1.8LX so i guess what your saying would apply

I have to do it myself I don't even have enough money to pay a man!

*goes off with hose to syphon the next tank of petrol*

[jameslxdt]

essentially the same engine as mine, so it will apply, good luck and prepare to get messy!

[wes1001]

As long as your on level ground i found you don't even need stands. Warm her up , pop oil catch tray under sump - at least 5L capacity, take off oil filler cap and take out dipstick, lie on your back directly in front of the car and scooch under so your head is just behind the rad, reach back and using a 6mm allen key ( could be 8mm - can't remember ! ) undo sump bolt anti-clockwise and get ready to hold the bolt as all the oil pours into the tray, clean off bolt and fit new copper crush washer -VERY important for the sake of pennies,place bolt back in and hand tighten clockwise, nip tight with allen key and move tray to under filter, undo filter anti clockwise , clean the mating face, wipe a bit of clean oil around new filter rubber and tighten back on - Only has to be hand tight as will tighten itself anyway over time due to vaccum effect of engine, pour in required amount of oil, start her up and idle for a few mins , turn off again and wait a few mins,replace dipstick, check level and top up oil if necessary. Replace filler cap and away you go :-), pour old oil in now empty oil container and recycle at local land fill.

As i tend to do mine on the sly when i'm at work i've got it down to about 7 mins from bonnet up to bonnet down - hope this helps.

[Welly]

I mashed up my hand really badly undoing the old filter

Not being funny here, but I do have a very strong grip and undid the thing with my hands but wearing some 'inspection' gloves

I ripped all the skin off between thumb and forefinger. Could not use hand for over a week, lost a lot of skin layers

Have a go at the filter with a strap first (the webbing one with a socket drive on it if you can borrow one).

I also had a lot of trouble with my undertray which I wanted to keep on the car. Had to get right far back to near the gear lever end under the car so I could fabricate some new fixings for the tray.

Some people just reach back to the sump plug and let the oil piss out all over the tray but I didn't like that idea.

All in all I managed it but it took ages and was a shitty job. To be fair if you had the benefit of some ramps so you could stand up under the thing it would be pretty easy.

[tux2006]

cheers for the tips guys!

I don't have an undertray lost it last year in an incident involving a ditch and some gypses bt the less said about that the better...

i'll give it ago sounds easy enough... but we'll see

[neildavies]

In the xmas - new year break, I decided to top up the oil and over done it. So had to drain a bit befre I dar start a 2.2HDi (too much to damage). What an arse of a job to get to the drain plug!!

I'll be getting mine serviced by someone with a ramp and more patience than me!!

[tux2006]

All done! went really smoothly alot easier then I had expected!!

didnt spill any either... cheers for the how2's guys

definatly a job i'll do again in the future

Now just need to find some petrol to use the bugga hmmmmm

[Welly]

Well done fella

[mjb]

Had my exec up on some ramps this afternoon (slapping kwik-fit monkeys around a bit) and it seems straightforward enough to get to the plug. Couldn't see a way to the filter from underneath though looks like a right bastard to get to from on top too. Definitely going to take it over to national tyres tomorrow to take them up on their £15 change+filter offer - sod doing it myself! http://www.national.co.uk/specials.asp

[trem1]

Had my exec up on some ramps this afternoon (slapping kwik-fit monkeys around a bit) and it seems straightforward enough to get to the plug. Couldn't see a way to the filter from underneath though looks like a right bastard to get to from on top too. Definitely going to take it over to national tyres tomorrow to take them up on their £15 change+filter offer - sod doing it myself! http://www.national.co.uk/specials.asp

thats a good offer thanks MJB
just printed one off for my son and if that goes ok i'll get an oil change done about easter

[mjb]

Just got back from National Tyres where they did me a semi-synthetic oil change, flush and filter for £25. All in 20 minutes - brilliant!

Guess who's getting my business next month when I need a new pair of tyres? Kwik-fit monkeys who take 4 visits and a load of sh*t to get an exhaust right (and then it's only a hack, but hey it's a suitable hack and looks nice), or National who were polite and knew how to get a job done with no fuss

[Welly]

Jesus, I just cannot go on with this old oil any longer, me crank is killing me............*moments later* > Oooohhhhhh, that's nice, Oh Yes, new oil for me, that's hit the spot, oh yesssss, this guys a star..........

[406 express]

Has anyone used any engine flush treatments whire changing their oil? any benefits?