My very first oil change

[Platanos]

ok, now dont laugh. i have never done an oil change before, never. the last time i took the ti to the dealer and they robbed me blind. i think it was like 80 for the change. then they said something about the belts needed changing. total bill was 400sum. and all i went in for was an oil change!

so i want to do this myself. how do i do it? what do i need? a step by step would be nice.:redface: there is like a drain bolt under the car right? just take that out, let it drain, then close it and fill it back up? tia

[Slynke]

It's a little more complicated than that...

First you need to buy the filter kit, which comes with a filter and the little rubber thing (it's too damn early and I have the day off.. I can't remember what it's called!)

After that, I have no idea. I was looking to do my first oil change on the BMW very soon (within the next 100 miles) and was a little confused too. I've looked at all the different DIY on bimmerdiy.com but non of them are M42 specific, so I can't even find my filter in the engine bay...

[L84THSKY]

Follow this link. I gave alot of info on what you need to do and buy

http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3670&page=2&highlight=change


ok, now dont laugh. i have never done an oil change before, never. the last time i took the ti to the dealer and they robbed me blind. i think it was like 80 for the change. then they said something about the belts needed changing. total bill was 400sum. and all i went in for was an oil change!

so i want to do this myself. how do i do it? what do i need? a step by step would be nice.:redface: there is like a drain bolt under the car right? just take that out, let it drain, then close it and fill it back up? tia

[aceyx]

Planatos; unless you authorized the repairs, you didn't have to pay. It's actually a law.

[96ti]

Planatos, you will have to get an oil filter wrench. I got mine from Bavauto.com. I don't know if they still carry it. If they don't you can do a search on the forum. I know people bought it from other places too. Then buy an oil filer set, bavauto has one for like $7, the stealer has is for $13, and buy oil of course. you need 4 to 5 quarts of synthetic oil, the weight is depended on where you live and how you dirve. For a normal californian commuter like me, I use 10-30 or 15-40 Mobile1 synthetic oil. The first thing about doing an oil change is to get under your car (don't forget to support your car with jack stands). Unscrew the oil pan bolt to drain the oil. it is recommended to drain the oil when it's hot, so be careful. The way to do it is to apply pressure to the bolt when you unsrew it so the oil does not leak out to your fingers. Now you have drained your old oil to a container or whatever, don't remove the container, keep it under you car cos when you open the oil filter cap, there will be more oil coming down due to pressure release. Now open your hood and unsrew the oil filter cap with your oil filter wrench. Remove the old oil filter and place in the new one, replace the old rubber Orings on the cap's central rod (Idon't know what it's called) with the new ones that come with the oil filter. Put everything back on. Now get under the car and put the drain bolt back on with the new washer that comes with the filter. The last thing is to refill the oil. Check the oil dip to see the oil level. Close the cap and your done. I write this last sentence cz I myself forgot to put the cap back in once, so when I start my car it was choking as if it's gonna die. good luck with your first oil change. Don't spill.

[robcarync]

last time i took my car in for an oil change...they put normal oil in it...that pissed of my pops so we did it ourselves...

BEWARE...auto zone and advance auto parts etc THINK they have an oil filter for our car....but they dont...my pops got one from auto zone and the computer said it would fit our car...got home jacked up the car drained the oil etc...went to put the filter in and it didnt fit! same with advance auto parts too! my car was jacked up on stands in my garage for 3 days before i found a european performance store that had the oil filter and gasket...so make sure you get it from dealer or european performance shop!

http://www.bimmerdiy.com/diy/e36oilchange

i used that for a guide...though as slynke said it isnt an m42 or m44...it helps enough i suppose

[Platanos]

thanks for all the info guys. i will attempt this in the coming week after i get the tools and parts that are required.

Planatos; unless you authorized the repairs, you didn't have to pay. It's actually a law.

yeah, they actually asked me if i wanted the belts changed and i said ok. i didn't think it would be over $400. i think the oil change itself was $80:eek:
they also asked if i wanted a flush. haha, that would've been a few more hundred dollars. i want to be my own mechanic. i know there are things that i just can't do but i wanna do what i can.

[aceyx]

I just finished an oil change on the ti. Took some pictures, and could do a writeup specifically for this motor if anybody is interested.

If Steven wants to add it to the notebook, I'd be more than happy to oblige.


A coolant flush is one of the few things I'll pay for. I'm not a tree-hugger, but because you have to run so much water through the system and I don't have a place to store it, I get it done by people with the right equipment.

I also have people do alignment. I'm not sure what else I've paid to have done, but I'll give it some thought.

[robcarync]

i think a write up would be great for the m42 or m44 engine would be great....very helpful

[andrewsarg101]

For reference the oil filter number is CH8087 if I recall correctly for Fram filters. Its good to know the history of the oil used in your car if you aren't the original owner, or have service records from previous changes. If your car has used conventional oil its not a good idea to go to a full synthetic oil. Synthetic is a high detergent which will clean all the carbon build up that may be keeping some things sealed. The guy that owned my ti previously put conventional oil in so now I use a synthetic blend specifically Durablend 10w-30. I have used it for over 10,000 miles and my engine is still as smooth as butter. It kinda scary doin g your first oil change beacause it is the blood of your engine. After a couple times its quite simple and much easier on the wallet. I also gives you a sense of gratification knowing that you can now do something that many people are clueless about.

[Slynke]

So don't switch from full conventional to full synthetic? What would you suggest then?

[1996 328ti]

i think a write up would be great for the m42 or m44 engine would be great....very helpfulI need to find an article system so people can contribute. I'll get moving on it this week.

[andrewsarg101]

I use a synthetic conventional blend. I use Valvoline's Durablend, but have also used Castrol Syntec Blend. I guess it's just which company you prefer. Some people have gone from conventional to full synthetic and had no problems, but there are many people that have had compression problems and such after switching to synthetic.

[PettitWC]

I got lucky with my car. The guy I bought it from was real into it he was a bmw cca member and had all kinds of records and even included the reset tool, a filter wrench, and a few spare filter sets. He was lots of help with doing small things like that.

[Platanos]

Planatos, you will have to get an oil filter wrench. I got mine from Bavauto.com. I don't know if they still carry it. If they don't you can do a search on the forum. I know people bought it from other places too. Then buy an oil filer set, bavauto has one for like $7, the dealer has is for $13, and buy oil of course.

is this the stuff i need to do the job??



whats the filler set? and where can i get it?

[96ti]

if they are stated on Bavauto, they are the ones. This site sells good part, fast shipping, expensive though. But still cheaper than dealers.

[aceyx]

Does anybody need this right away? I'm swamped with work, and would like to put this off until after finals.

I'll likely churn it out in a fit of procrastination, but if somebody is relying on this I can make it a priority (while procrastinating).

[Platanos]

i haven't changed the oil yet. i guess i'm scared to do it. i have the filter wrench and two oil filters and two little o rings. i don't have an oil pan though. i guess i just don't have the brass yet to get under there and do it.....talk about procrastinating. i guess a step by step would encourage me some.

[aceyx]

There are some photos and a bit of a write-up in my gallery. I'll try and finish it soon.

Honestly, it's more troublesome to write the entire thing out than actually do it.

[Platanos]

I FINALLY DID IT!!!!!! :joy: :_pelvic: :mrhappy: it was pretty easy. i don't know why i was so scared to do it. thanks to those who gave me input on the how to and what to!!!

3000 miles and counting.....