First Time Engine Oil Change-- Oy!

Catbert

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The first Saturday after receiving my 1975 CSi, I put it on my QuickJack lift to begin the VamVaketis inspection process. Changing ALL of the fluids was already on my to-do list. It was convenient that my 1960 Austin Healey 3000 has the same engine oil requirements as the E9. I use Valvoline VR1 designed for racing and classic cars. My engine oil drain plug is the port type with a temp sensor connected. This is due to the three auxilliary gauges mounted on the dash in the speaker opening with one being an oil temp gauge.

The car was going to be on the lift for a while, so I was in no hurry. I didn't do my homework and presumed a 1975 German car used a standard spin-on oil filter. Errrrrp! Not. Next, I could not remove the drain plug as it was on too tight with hex plug edges that were rounded. So, I would have to order another one. I removed the sensor bolt and drained the oil that way. Then, I attempted to remove the oil filter housing dropping it down. Everyone knows that doesn't happen. I quickly found out it won't lift out from above, either. What? It is truly baffling why the BMW process engineers would leave oil changes to a sloppy method like this.

The Mann H 1038 filter was not available at your LCPS. Amazon delivery was 4+ weeks. That left eBay as a faster option, but still a one to two week delivery timeline. So be it. I ordered the Mann H 1038 X. When it arrived, the o-ring was a flat type with a slightly larger diameter, but too large. What? So, I reused the old o-ring.

After more research, I learned that the replacement o-ring appears too big but supposedly fits into a groove on the housing lid. I don't recall a groove and will investigate this during the next oil change. The AI wizard explained a few tricks to get the flat o-ring to seat properly in the groove and tighten it without coming free and binding. As the Zen Master says, "We'll see." Just in case, I intend to purchase a supply of the standard o-rings as they fit perfectly inside the houseing lid.

Final comment. With the benefit of a car lift, I have plenty of room to work underneath. I discovered that I could rotate the oil filter housing 180-degrees to drain it completely and clean it thoroughly. This method is just going to
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get a little oil spilled onto the nearby chassis metalwork. No big deal. Just not a tidy process.
 
For a while the bottom bolt oil filters were hard to find. It will drop down but only if you have manual steering like in a CSL but it is frustrating. That is why I remove the housing from the block and have extra paper gaskets. Also, the rubber o-ring just sits on the filter can, there is no groove. On my e3 and e9 both have top bolt housings.
 
Do you have the older bolt on the bottom or newer bolt on the top type of housing? The bolt on the top is a bit easier to deal with, although I think many do what Chris suggested above and just remove the 4 bolts holding the entire housing onto the side of the engine. 4 bolts instead of 1 but easier to get to and less messy. Ireland Engineering also makes a spin-on adapter that makes the whole system into a more modern equivalent.
Also, nice to know you have an Austin - there's a fair contingent of us on here with an LBC in addition to our E9. I have a 62 MGA myself...
 
Do you have the older bolt on the bottom or newer bolt on the top type of housing? The bolt on the top is a bit easier to deal with, although I think many do what Chris suggested above and just remove the 4 bolts holding the entire housing onto the side of the engine. 4 bolts instead of 1 but easier to get to and less messy. Ireland Engineering also makes a spin-on adapter that makes the whole system into a more modern equivalent.
Also, nice to know you have an Austin - there's a fair contingent of us on here with an LBC in addition to our E9. I have a 62 MGA myself...
Bolt on bottom. Changing the oil is not a problem, just not a tidy process without taking some care to limit spills.
 
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