impee's DIY BMW Oil Service & Filter Change

DIY BMW Oil Service
& Filter Change

impee's DIY Engine Oil Service & Filter Change BMW 318i e46 N42
How to change Engine Oil and Filter yourself!

Prices:

Professional labour costs for Oil Service & Filter Change - £30 (private - without parts) or £115 (BMW - Parts inclusive)

Please Note: Tools required below will also be useful for other DIYs

Difficulty Level: Easy / Medium

Approximate Time For This Project: 60 mins

REQUIRED ITEMS
items	INFORMATION	OUTLET	QUANTITY	PRICE*
Original BMW Engine Oil	Castrol SLX BMW LL04 0W-30 - Part # 91350000040 This is the Oil sold by BMW. It only comes in 1 litre bottles.	BMW	5 Litres	£80
Alternative Engine Oil	Castrol Edge Sport 0W-30 This is the alternative Oil, as recommended to me by BMW. It comes in 4litre and 1 litre bottles.	http://www.halfords.com http://www.castrol.com	5 Litres	£60
4 Cylinder Oil Filter	Part number: 11427508969 Part #2.	BMW	1	£9
Cup Oil Filter Wrench	Laser Cup Oil Filter Wrench 86mm / 16 Flutes - Part # 4234 Flutes are the number of flat sides the Oil Filter Cap has.	http://www.lasertools.co.uk http://www.toolsdirect2you.co.uk	1	£5
Socket Wrench / Torque Wrench	It is recommended to use a Torque Wrench to avoid damage to the drain plug. For more details, please refer to this page.	http://www.halfords.com http://www.screwfix.com	1
10mm Socket		http://www.halfords.com http://www.screwfix.com	1
17mm Socket or 6mm Hex Bit	Either of them will open the Sump Drain Plug.	http://www.halfords.com http://www.screwfix.com	1
Oil Drain Pan	Atleast a 5 Litre capacity.	http://www.sealey.co.uk http://www.toolsdirect2you.co.uk	1	£13
Trolley Jack	Should support upto 2 Tonnes.	http://www.halfords.com	1	£30
Jack Stands / Axle Stands	Should support upto 2 Tonnes. To lift car on stands, refer to this page.	http://www.halfords.com http://www.argos.co.uk	4	£30
Funnel	Recommended, to avoid making a mess in the engine.		1
Tissues			6
Disaposable Rubber Gloves	Pair		1

OPTIONAL ITEMS
It is a good idea to go and buy an extra V8 Sump Plug from BMW before you start the DIY. Past DIYs (and my impatient nature) have taught me to always have atleast 1 extra of each screw, bolt or clip! Some times you could simply loose one, break or even strip it! They only cost from £0.70 upto £3.00 a piece, depending on what you buy.
items	INFORMATION	OUTLET	QUANTITY	PRICE*
V8 Sump Plug	Part number: 11131742994 Part #2 (see Section #2)	BMW	1	£2
Engine Flush & Cleaner 400ml	Art no 0893 558 Use only if you wish to flush the Engine and Sump.	http://www.wurth.co.uk	1	£8

*prices correct at time of publication

Assemble Your Kit + Notes

This DIY enables you to change the Oil in your car and also change the Oil Filter.

Unfortunately this DIY will be completed (i.e. I willl add all the missing photos) in June 2010...when I change my car's Oil. Otherwise the text is complete and can be used as a complete DIY guide.

The oil capacity for this particular engine is about 4.5 litres, however the correct size for any other e46 model can be found by looking in the car manual.

Change Duration: I personally believe that the Engine Oil should be replaced no sooner than every 7,000 miles or every 8 months., which ever is sooner.

Below is detailed information about the Synthetic engine Oil that should be used. The alternative engine oil as specified below was personally recommended by BMW when I spoke to them. As you can see the price difference is only £20, so it is really upto you which one you prefer to go for. Further, BMW also said that they have now stopped using the below Castrol oil and instead use / sell Shell branded oil.

Original Oil sold by BMW

Castrol SLX BMW LL04 0W-30

Technical Specifications

API SM/CF
ACEA A3/B3/B4
C3
BMW Longlife-04

For further information regarding Castrol Oils, visit: http://www.castrol.com

Alternative Oil, recommended by BMW

Castrol Edge 0W-30

Technical Specifications

API CF
Meets the engine test requirements of API SM
ACEA A3/B3/B4
BMW Longlife-01

Additional Information

Replaces Castrol SLX Longtec 0W-30
Latest specification for Vauxhall, BMW, Mercedes and most other modern engines

2)	More Notes
	Below is the complete set of Oil Filter that you buy from BMW, it has all the washers and rings that you will need.

	Further below is a photo of the V8 sump Plug that I bought.

3)	Oil Filter - Removal 1
	Remove the 2 bolts as below. You will need a 10mm Socket . Next lift up and pull out the plastic cover.

4)	Oil Filter - Removal 2
	Remove the Oil Filter cap. You will need a Cup Oil Filter Wrench and a Socket Wrench. When the cover has been removed, remove the old Oil Filter and also the black rubber O Ring from the Filter cap.

5)	Oil Filter - Fitting

	First take the new O Ring and lubricate it with some new engine oil and then fit it back to the Oil Cap. Next lubricate the oil filter with some new engine oil and then fit it back onto the Oil Cap and fit it back in to the engine. Tighten it to 18.4 lb .ft. or 25 Nm (or what ever it says on the cap itself) using the Torque Wrench. Using a Torque Wrench reduces any chances of damaging the nut.

6)	Car On Jack Stands
	I recommend that the car be lifted on 4 Jack Stands so that it is level and all the oil can drain from the chamber. 2 Jack Stands at the front and 2 at the back. I personally leave the actual car Jack / Trolley Jack still raised under the car, close to where I work, just to provide me with some insurance incase any of the Jack Stands fail! For more details on lifting the car on Jack Stands, please refer to this page.

7)	Sump Plug
	Below is the actual Sump Plug. Mind you, there should be no oil like in the photo. This oil is due to an oil leak from the sump itself. It is a good thing I took this photo and noticed the leak.

8)	Sump Plug - Open
	Remove the Sump Plug. You will need either a 17mm Socket or 6mm Hex Bit.

9) Oil - Draining

Catch the oil being drained. Once you take out the Sump Plug, the oil will pour out and may take a while. You will notice the oil will be filthy.

Once all the oil has drained, connect the Oil pump to one of the D4 ATF oil bottle and pump some new oil into it (about 4 pumps), to remove any remnants of the old oil.

10) Sump Plug - Fitting

Next fit the Gasket Ring on the Sump Plug, fit it back on the sump and tighten it to 18.4 lb .ft. or 25 Nm using the Torque Wrench. You will need either a 17mm Socket or 6mm Hex Bit.

Using a Torque Wrench reduces any chances of damaging the nut.

11) Oil - Filling

Next open the Oil Cap and using a funnel pour in 4.5 bottles of oil.

12) Oil - Checking Levels

Wait for 5 mins and then pull out the dipstick, wipe dry it with a tissue and then re-insert it back into it's hole.
Wait for 30 seconds and then pull it out again and check if the oil level is correct, i.e. between the Min and Max indicator at the bottom end of the Dipstick.

If not, keep adding more oil, repeating the above steps, making sure you do not over fill it.

13) Final Checks

Now lower the car and remove it from the Jack Stands.
Start the car and ensure the Oil Pressure light goes off within a few seconds...if it does not, turn of the engine immediately and check the oil level again.

Let the car run for about 5 mins and then check for any oil leaks, i.e. from the Sump Plug and the Oil Filter Cap.

Next in reverse order, fit everything back into place.

13) Oil Service Light Reset

Please see this page.

DIY BMW e46 Oil Service & Filter Change by - impee www.impee.co.uk

Any questions please contact me

9)	Oil - Draining
	Catch the oil being drained. Once you take out the Sump Plug, the oil will pour out and may take a while. You will notice the oil will be filthy. Once all the oil has drained, connect the Oil pump to one of the D4 ATF oil bottle and pump some new oil into it (about 4 pumps), to remove any remnants of the old oil.

10)	Sump Plug - Fitting
	Next fit the Gasket Ring on the Sump Plug, fit it back on the sump and tighten it to 18.4 lb .ft. or 25 Nm using the Torque Wrench. You will need either a 17mm Socket or 6mm Hex Bit. Using a Torque Wrench reduces any chances of damaging the nut.

11)	Oil - Filling
	Next open the Oil Cap and using a funnel pour in 4.5 bottles of oil.

12)	Oil - Checking Levels
	Wait for 5 mins and then pull out the dipstick, wipe dry it with a tissue and then re-insert it back into it's hole. Wait for 30 seconds and then pull it out again and check if the oil level is correct, i.e. between the Min and Max indicator at the bottom end of the Dipstick. If not, keep adding more oil, repeating the above steps, making sure you do not over fill it.

13)	Final Checks
	Now lower the car and remove it from the Jack Stands. Start the car and ensure the Oil Pressure light goes off within a few seconds...if it does not, turn of the engine immediately and check the oil level again. Let the car run for about 5 mins and then check for any oil leaks, i.e. from the Sump Plug and the Oil Filter Cap. Next in reverse order, fit everything back into place.