oil change help
 

now that i own the ti, i wanna change my oil. i want to change to fully synthetic oil. most people says mobil 1 is good, so i will go wiht mobil 1, but the car is at 83,000 miles , and i really dont know what kind of oil they used before, my father took the car to some mechanic i think every 7000-8000 miles. i live in nj and it usually get around 30-35 degrees in winter and i was thinking about going with like 10w or 15w, i really dont know what kind of oil the mobil makes, so can u guys help me wiht the thickness of the oil. i also checked out the drain plug today and i saw that i dont even need to lift the car. i can get a racket and unscrew the plug.
do i have to get a special tool to remove the oil filter cap. i was thinkin of doing it with my dads wisegrip tools.
can u guys help me iwht the parts i need to change the oil. thanks any help would be awesome. also the car is 1997

You can get underneath the car without lifting it? *WHEW*
I would not suggest using a racket. Maybe a ratchet or box end wrench.

There are special sockets to use. Do yourself a favor and don't use the wisegrips. Errr, vice grips.

Take a look at this page.
http://www.unofficialbmw.com/e36/eng...il_change.html

hey im trying to do the same, do u need a torque wrench to be more accurate? how else would u get the 18lbs needed?

first, i don't think it's a good idea to switch to synthetic this late in the car's life. but, ask around and make your own decision.

second, just because you can slide an arm under there to reach the drain plug doesn't mean you can get an oilpan under there at the same time. i do the last part of the bolt with my fingers, so i don't get oil on my tools (but wear gloves) or drop the bolt.

you can get a generic filter cap wrench from most automotive stores. i've found them at autozone and walmart (between $2 and $4).


other than tools, your only consumables will be the oil and the filter (which includes new o rings and a crush washer).

I suppose a torque wrench would be helpful but I don't use one.
I tighten until it is snug, then a gentle extra snug. Don't crank it down. The crush washer will keep it in place.

ok thanks guys, maybe ill go search for cap tool, about the synthetic oil, so everyone thinks that it is now too late to switch to full sythetic oil. lets says its too late, what thickness regular oil do i need a 15w 40 or like 10w --??
thanks for the help

thanks steven

the only thing i use a torque wrench for (during normal maintenance) is checking the wheel lug bolts every so often and after i have the rubber changed.

i do what steve does. snug, then a little extra.

Mobil One 10-30 in winter. 15 -50 in summer.

Great stuff.

Good luck with the Ti.

Read my posting. I explain the whole process with tools necessary.

my question is that, is it ok to switch to full sythetic oil now. the car has been using regular oil and the car is at 83,000 miles. so should use mobil 1 or get regular oil
thanks

It will be fine. Go ahead and switch.

Yes. Switch,

You may want to change again in say 2000 miles just in case the motor is a tad sludgy.

Then you can just change at regular intervals.

In my post detailing the tools needed, I mentioned that I put in 1 quart of slick 50, and 4 quarts of Mobile 1. The car was always using regular oil up until my first oil change 2 months ago. You can always switch to a synthetic oil, just stay with it. Change the weight with the different seasons, if you have different seasons.


http://www.318ti.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3670

what would be the best oil for cold temperatures?