How to change an oil filter

quick guide on how to change an oil filter....

(pics will appear eventually; they take me ages!!!)

car should be run to let oil warm but left for long enough for engine to cool

removal of drivers wheel can help

you need;

jack, axle stand, wheel lock nut, wrench, new oil 5 litres, 'top up' oil 1 litre, 1/2 inch spanner, an old oil bottle with one side panel cut out, new filter, (new sump plug just in case), carb cleaner aerosol, rags, old cardboard box, latex gloves (oooer)

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jack up car enough to get under but leaving as flat as possible.... (remove wheel if needed) i always jack a car on a solid suspension component cos if you dent the chassis by accident it aint replaceable!!!

place spare bottle with side removed on its side to act as a catch tank (with a spout; aaaaaah! u see!) use cardboard underneath to soak up any stray oil

use 1/2 inch spanner (a 13mm will knacker the plug) to undo plug; careful; rags needed!!!

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whilst draining you can undo filter; front of engine facing radiator. should be hand tight; apply pressure....wait...should slowly start to turn..... (if its solid your getting messy.... big flat screwdriver; hammer it through one side, out the other and use it as a handle to turn the filter....)
rags needed; can be messy as filter is full of oil....

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dip finger in clean oil & rub it over rubber seal on new filter... screw on...hard but hand tight; '1 grunt' is fine (check it a few days later; iv had mine back from a mids based 'specialist' & it was loose as a ....!!!)

when oil has finished draining replace plug (has a rubber seal on it; check it & replace if needed, if not keep spare just in case you need it next time...) again 'one grunt' is fine.

move dirty oil to under the filter; blast around filter with carb cleaner aerosol......wait, do it again....wipe up....ta-da; clean!

use the 1 litre 'top up' oil to fill engine....when empty refill from 5 litre tub... until 5 litre tub is half empty...then you can tip it over the engine without spilling it all over the place.....!

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its about 4.2 litres so at the 3 litre point start checking the dip stick; give it 1 min to let oil drain to bottom of engine then check.... (do some cleaning up whilst your waiting to check dipstick)
should end up towards the top of the dip stick marks, not over the top one...

fill your 'top up' oil and keep in boot, pour dirty oil into 'new' oil container, take to local tip for recycling....

technically you should add some oil into the filter when replacing it to keep the engine healthy on its first start....dont fill it more than half tho as it bolts to engine at an angle...so youl get v messy!

first timers; allow an hour.
old timers (me!); 20 minutes...with a cup of tea!

Great start :d

Excellent guide Jacko, stickied k:

coolio... taken pics just need to change size & add to gallery etc....

finito

any questions just ask....

I'll be doing this at some point in the coming weeks for the first time :hide:

latex gloves & lots of rags!!!!!!!!!!!! and fairy liquid & a stiff brush!!!!

jacko said:

latex gloves & lots of rags!!!!!!!!!!!! and fairy liquid & a stiff brush!!!!

Click to expand...

Sounds painful!

makes a good weekend tho..........!

Cool beans..... After talking about it for years, and thinking about it for couple of months, about to do my own 'full, self-service' tomorrow.

Here's hoping!!

This sort of write-up will make it all much easier.

Gonna attempt my first oil change on my own this afternoon

Small addition to this if your having trouble getting a good grip on the oil filter better access can be gained removing the drivers side headlight through the hole where the headlight would have been

or just use water pump pliers!

how easy can this go wrong for a 1st timer ive had my new oil filter sitting waiting in the box for 4 weeks now and this thread makes me wanna go get greasy

its v easy

only 2 things that can be a pain are if the filter or plug are stuck... then you might get a bit messy / have to do some swearing!!!

only ever had 1 like that tho on sis's micra which hadnt been serviced in years!!! done more than i care to remember and thats the only one so the odds are good!

Thx for this topic, it helped a lot

did it today within 30 minuts, first timer , the old oil was black en very easy to measure on the dipstick
now I have to take a very close look if the level is correct, so clear is the oil now. :grin:


best rgds

gijs

Wow this is not as easy as I had hoped, the sump plug will not budge for love nor money, I actually just snapped my 13 mm wrench trying to loosen it, the 1/2 inch did nothing either, gonna have to take it to the garage they put it on far to bloody tight. Rocker cover was easier to change lol

Finally got it sorted, the oil was treacle black

If the sump plug is a bit tight give it a few gentle taps with a hammer, sometimes the plug corrodes to the sump much like alloys do to the hubs.. :wink: