BMW oil change procedure rant

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Quattro Pete

Quattro Pete

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[rant]

I just watched my car getting its oil and filter changed at a local euro shop. The guy drained the old oil first, put the oil drain plug back in, and then proceeded to opening the oil filter compartment (cartridge type, located at the top of the engine bay) and replacing the filter.

Personally, I had hoped he would do the filter first. That way all the old oil from the filter compartment would have a chance to drain down to the pan and pour out along with the rest of the oil while the drain plug was removed. The way he did it, that old oil from the filter compartment stayed in my engine. The refill only took 6.5 quarts, whereas normally it should have taken 7.
mad.gif
This was the cleaning phase from my AutoRX treatment, too. Right now I'm doing the rinsing phase.

So much for trusting a shop, even if they claim they specialize in BMW. I guess I have to take that MityVac out of the closet and finally put it to use by doing my own oil/filter changes...

[/rant]
 
I wouldn't sweat it.

My '99 528i has a 7 Qt. capacity, but I usually need 6.5 Qt to bring it up to full. (this is after about a 30 minute drain with oil hot and filter canister removed).

Interestingly, the last time I used my oil extractor (I have a Mityvac also), it took almost a full 7 Qt. to fill
dunno.gif
 
Probably ought to DIY. At least be happy you have a shop that lets you watch...
 
if your e39 has a metal cap on its filter, like my e30, the thing is REALLY hot.

In the interest of being meticulous, I open my plug, then pull out the filter later on (with the drain plug out) when it is cooler...

Not that much drains out from below when I do this - Ive watched. The bigger thing Ive seen is enough oil in the bottom of the cannister - you have enough to saturate 2-3 paper towels...

In my MB, I can loosen the bolts and pull up on the cannister top (that has the thing sticking down that makes the o-ring seal), but in the BMW, if I do that early enough - oil will spill out around the cannister top.

He might have been wrong about putting the plug back in, but IMO was smart about waiting for the filter.

Is your drain plug on the front of the pan???

JMH
 
Quote:

if your e39 has a metal cap on its filter, like my e30, the thing is REALLY hot.

In the interest of being meticulous, I open my plug, then pull out the filter later on (with the drain plug out) when it is cooler...

Not that much drains out from below when I do this - Ive watched. The bigger thing Ive seen is enough oil in the bottom of the cannister - you have enough to saturate 2-3 paper towels...

In my MB, I can loosen the bolts and pull up on the cannister top (that has the thing sticking down that makes the o-ring seal), but in the BMW, if I do that early enough - oil will spill out around the cannister top.

He might have been wrong about putting the plug back in, but IMO was smart about waiting for the filter.

Is your drain plug on the front of the pan???

JMH

Click to expand...

He has the plastic top...I personally drain the pan and then while it's draining get up and do the filter. I'm so nuts I actually suck the oil out of the filter housing which is not a lot but enough to help me sleep at night
grin.gif
 
the "proper" order is to open the drain plug, and when it stops "pouring", open the filter canister, wait a minute for the filter oil to drop, and remove the filter.

if you are doing an ARX rinse, i would waste a quart and pour it into the filter canister and timing case to flush a bit more of the old oil out of there and the sump.

always let the oil drain for at least 20 mins total.

I also pour oil on the new filter to get it wet prior to putting it back in the engine, and filling to the max mark on the dipstick, because the amount thats going into the filter is about the distance between the middle and the max.
 
at my work, whenever i do a vehicle with a canster filter, the filter housing comes off first and gets put to the side while i raise the vehicle up adn drain the oil. then while the oil is draining i go and check the tire pressures, then replace the o-rings and gaskets. usually get about 20 mins of drain time doing this. i take extra care with the canister filter setups, we mostly see german cars and ford 6.0 diesesls with them. on the ecotecs i do the same, but treat them like a regular car, drain till the stream turns to a drip. i always use a torque wrench on the drain plug and i always torque the canister housing. i have a complete set of canister sockets as well as filter cap sockets.
 
Quote:

at my work, whenever i do a vehicle with a canster filter, the filter housing comes off first and gets put to the side while i raise the vehicle up adn drain the oil. then while the oil is draining i go and check the tire pressures, then replace the o-rings and gaskets. usually get about 20 mins of drain time doing this. i take extra care with the canister filter setups, we mostly see german cars and ford 6.0 diesesls with them. on the ecotecs i do the same, but treat them like a regular car, drain till the stream turns to a drip. i always use a torque wrench on the drain plug and i always torque the canister housing. i have a complete set of canister sockets as well as filter cap sockets.

Click to expand...


wow, a shop worth going to!!! too bad youre on the wrong side of the country.

You would make a big mess of the engine in my 318i though... oil seeps out of the cannister when the cover gets loosened and the oil is not drained!

JMH
 
dont get your hopes up, its only me. i constantly have to yell at the other techs about not being super anal about their work. i throw huge fits when i find the shop torque wrenches not wound back, cause then i have to wind them back and wait for the spring to settle.

its nice though, i have a group of people that request me for all their work at the shop. they see how i am with making sure everything is perfect and appreciate it.

its amazing how lazy some of the other techs are. a few are 18 or 19 and just work cause their parents tell them they have to work. true im only 23, but im ASE certified and spend almost all my off time reading pages like BITOG for useful little tidbits of info. the other techs refuse to check or set air pressure on oil changes because "it takes too long". i have a MATCO digital readout inflator. you can get a lot done while you let oil drain properly.
 
My only QL disaster was at PepBoys when they failed to replace the o-ring on my canister, 1996 BMW. The thing sprayed oil out all the way home and then dumped it's oily bounty onto my cement driveway. PB said not to drive it, to tow it in. I actually got a ride there and recovered the o-ring along with a refill of gooder oil and some kitty litter. Since then I do 95% of OCs myself.
 
Jeez, I never go to such lenghths on my M54 engine.

I use the topside oiler to get all it can get, pull the filter cap and replace the filter, suck the oil out of the oil filter housing, install the new filter and torque to 18, let the topside oiler have a last crack at the sump, and then dump 7 qts of GC in and it's done!

I also suck out the PS resevior and refill with Dexron III. Piece of cake! Now my wife's Miata is a whole 'nother animal.......
 
Unfortunately shops are only as good as the guy who's turning the wrenches, it doesn't matter how smart or talented the owner is.
I won't worry about it too much. I ARX'ed our bimmer and the filter was a bit dirty but not loaded up with sludge or anything.

On our '01 530i (E39) I pop the cover on the oil filter first, but I don't remove it, I just let the oil drain. Then jack up the car to drain the oilpan. It's simpler and quicker that way. The mechanic in question was either too dumb or too lazy to run the car up and down on the lift twice. I've even watched a mechanic jack up an E46 from the passenger side (that's the side with the drainplug) to drain the oil. That oil change only took 6qts instead of 7. Now I don't trust anyone but myself to change the oil, half the time shops don't even know what oil to use anyhow (ie. oil wouldn't last 8k, much less 10-15k).

The last time I changed the oil I was really anal and siphoned about 1/4-1/2qt out of the filter canister. But that was who knows what oil that a local shop put in (90k Inspection).

Lately I've been wondering if it's possible to replace the o-rings on the tube that comes down from the canister cover? Mine look dried and squished.
 
Quote:


Lately I've been wondering if it's possible to replace the o-rings on the tube that comes down from the canister cover? Mine look dried and squished.

Click to expand...

On the older setup they had replaceable o-rings, but only one. When I did an oil change on the newer style canister (some years back) I thought they had forgotten to pack the o-rings in the filter box but then I realized they are meant to stay.
 
The procedure in the BMW service manual (not the owner's manual) is to undo the filter lid before draining the oil. Personally, my dipstick pump takes long enough that I start it running, change the filter while it's running and about the time the filter cap is torqued back down, the sump is empty.

The procedure minimizes lost motion, and more important, it drains the half-liter of oil left in the filter canister into the sump and out.

Cheers
JJ
 
This may depend on the make of car- I'm not familiar with the BMW configuration, but evidently the OF is changeable from up top. Not so with SAABs- but I always pull the drain plug first and allow the crankcase oil to drain, but there is no further drainage from the sump after I take off the OF. I follow this procedure because on these cars, this gives the sump a chance to drain out a few more minutes while I change out the filter.

Also (and this is a question, I don't know), even in top-mount filters isn't there a non-return valve that won't let the oil in the filter run back into the engine? This may be a different proposition when dealing with a cartridge system. I did changes on that kind of system many years ago with a 1967 Mercedes 250S; not that difficult, just different.
 
If the BMW setup and procedure is anything like Mercedes, where the canister is at the top of the engine, you're supposed to first loosen the oil filter cap, allow the oil to drain down, and only then remove the cap. This precludes most of the mess when changing the filter.
 
I loosen the cap, remove drain plug, let oil drain down, then remove filter. As Kestas stated, the filter has less oil therefore less mess. BTW, I place a plastic grocery bag next to the filter housing and directly drop the old filter in with very little mess. Easiest car to change oil i have ever done. Unlike my wifes 98 Ford Explorer OHC V6
 
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