How to make an oil change complicated . . .
 

Right,

I have the oil and Greasemonkey's instructions, I know where the crank sensor and front jacking points are for the trolley jack (via SN search!), I have the tiny tardis of an oil filter and am ready to go. It seems easy enough but my brain can't cope with simple things and wants to make it complicated.

So, I've just been thinking about oil changes whilst sitting on the toilet (as you do) and every possible nightmare oil change scenario ran through my head (as usually happens). Having not done an oil change before I need to know what to expect and Greasemonkey's clever instructions don't cover this area.

Before I even start, should I buy one of those thing-a-ma-jigs for removing oil filters? I'll be mad if I get the engine warm, everything prepared, car on axle stands and find I can't get the pesky filter off and have to go to Halfrauds for a new tool.

What happens when the oil drops - is it going to be like a small wee or is it going to be a Niagra Falls? Should I loosen the sump plug at arms length just in case? I don't want to be drenched in a raging torrent of potentially hot oil, my neighbours would never stop laughing.

Do I need to buy a new washer for the sump plug and if so where do I get one from?

Thanks in anticipation of ridicule and potential advice. :D

pay someone else to do it.

oil filters normally can be undone by hand. put on a pair of latex gloves before you undo it - these allow you to get a vice like grip on it. the oil will go everywhere bar the container so make sure you have an old carpet or something under the area to soak up the spills.

clean the sump plug hole/washer and plug before refitting. never bother with new washer unless the old onle looks knackered (very rare). tighten the new oil filter us tight by hand - do not use any tools. think it is 4.5 litres of oil to refill. be very very warey of putting in more oil than this.

If the last service was done at a garage there is a good chance they hired King Kong to put the filter on! If you intend to do this regularly then invest in a filter removal tool. There are many types but the best is the version that uses three arms that grip the body and the more force you apply the tighter it grips. They are expensive but you can always hire it to your mates?
Punch a hole in the bottom of the filter and allow to drain before attempting to remove.
There is oil held above the filter and will make a mess unless you allow some to drain.
JohnD

Not necessary I don't think. I bought one just in case, but didn't need it. Use rubber gloves instead. You'll need to remove the sump guard for easier access.
Niagara falls. Don't - under any circumstances - waste money on a Halford's waste oil container with built-in oil tray on the top: the drain hole is woefully small, and the tray overflows very quickly. http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/images/icons/icon11.gif Use a sacrificial washing-up dish instead.
It won't hurt - you can buy one from a Subaru garage for (I think)around 70 pennies.

there is a good chance they hired King Kong to put the filter on!


John D, you are so right but I could not stop laughing at this mate.

Thanks for your advice everyone, you've provided some good information. I've got a sacrificial washing up bowl for the ensuing oilfall, I did see those catch-containers in Halfrauds but laughed at how shallow the upper tray was - even I could see that wasn't going to be sufficient! I think I might buy one of those filter removal tools just in case, I'll be doing the oil changes myself in future so it may come in handy.

JohnD - was PMSL at the King Kong reference, that's who must have put my original backbox on. This is where the complexity stems from, I got all set up to remove my backbox - piece of cake I thought, 2 bolts and 3 rubber bits. Well, those bolts wouldn't move at all, it took a mechanic under a ramp 20 minutes to get them off. So, simple jobs don't seem to exist in my life which is why I can imagine my oil filter having been fitted by King Kong. :D Punching a hole in the filter is a great idea!

I'll do a follow-up post to let you know what chaos occurred. (Wanted to do it this weekend but the weather is too pathetic.)

Good luck! Follow Greasemonkey's advice ( and those above) as he is ace.

Everyone starts somewhere, but I served my 'apprenticeship' on my first Lambretta...not an Impreza!

Sorry, that dates me.

Think yourself lucky, my 911 has a huge 16 litres of oil in it. You don't know the meaning of excitment when you drop the oil from one of those for the first time....

911 :norty:

Like Niagra falls at first, then a wee trickle afterwards. You'll probably need to move whatever you're catching it in as it slows down, so keep your eye on it

Oh...and don't drop the sump plug in the catch container. ;) :D

I use one of the Halfords oil containers along with a sacrificial bit of carpet because once you've got a container full of oil it's easier to pour into an empty oil can and dispose of, but yes, some oil sloshes all over the sides. As long as you're prepared for it, its fine.

I always punch a hole in the filter with a screwdriver to drain it, and then use said screwdriver to unscrew the filter rather than wear rubber gloves.

Don't use a Halfords filter, the rubber sealing ring is a different design to the Subaru OEM one and can be dodgy (I've had 2 leak).

To be honest, I wouldn't bother warming the car up, the oil is thin enough to run out as it is, less chance of burning yourself on a header pipe ;)

OK, surely it's done by now? Or is there a thread titled "lost sump plug, what do I do now?" somewhere?

LOL! No today I had other stuff to do so I had planned on doing it tomorrow if the weather holds out. If I do lose the sump plug expect a text message from doom! :D

Get Kel to stick her finger in it :norty:

if she isnt too busy with the horses :)

LOL you two!

OK, I did the oil change today, the actual dropping oil/changing filter/dry cranking bit was easy. The hardest bit was jacking the bloody car up (too low for trolley jack) and getting the pesky under-tray off. Much swearing went on in the first 15 minutes, but I managed to get the car on axle stands and get the under-tray thingy off.

Then the 17mm socket for the sump plug was the last one in the bag, but it was great fun getting it off. It was a Niagara Falls incident but it all went into the bowl with no spillage. Oh, and I dropped the sump plug into the bowl! PMSL! I stabbed the old oil filter in the bottom with a big spiky dangerous tool and I'm glad I did it because loads of oil poured out, and even more gushed out when I unscrewed it a few minutes later.

How much oil does that tiny filter hold?! My god, I must have filled it 4 or 5 times and it just kept soaking it up! All seems okay, I did a total of about 30 seconds dry-cranking (in short bursts) and the oil light never went out but when I re-connected the crank sensor and turned the ignition on it went out straight away. So I left the car to idle for a few minutes. My next adventure will be the gearbox oil.

:D

I look forward to you putting the fresh box into the dipstick tube.:D
911 :norty:

Ha that's a pesky thing to say! I had a look at the gearbox dipstick whilst I had my head under the bonnet yesterday. Talk of hosepipes, turkey basters, funnels, rolled-up glossy magazines . . . it all made sense. What an awkward place to try and pour oil into! :D Watch out for the next episode 911. Whilst I was doing the oil change I was thinking about the logistics of dropping 16 litres of oil from your car, do you put a bath tub under it? :p

Close! Old baby bath is VERY useful!!!! (I'm not kidding..)
You can take the intercooler off to fill the gearbox, or use a long length of tube and allow ages to fill it. Real bore of a job!
911 :norty:

Just pop down to B&Q or similar, and buy a length of 8-10mm i.d. tube, tape a stick approx. 50cm long to it to keep it straight (leave 3cm free to enter the dipstick hole) You'll need an oil dispenser that will take the tube (Castrol Driveline (Syntrax) is ok) Warm the oil first to make it flow easily by standing the container in a saucepan of simmering water (DON'T let the wife see you do this!)
JohnD

Blimey, a baby bath?! LOL, that's hysterical! Does it take a long time to fill the gearbox with oil?

Taping a stick to the tube - ingenious! Is the oil quite thick? Warming it up is a great idea, Scoobess will think I've finally crossed the fine line into madness when I start doing that. :D I've bought 4 litres of Syntrax and am hoping it will smooth out a few of the MY00 gearbox foibles.

It's good oil. All advice above good, I did mine when the gearbox was changed (again) so the TMIC was off, nice and easy.
Even with the access, it took about 30 mins too generally fill, then trickle fill till just over the 'max' mark.
Warming the oil is a good move.
When the first 'can' of oil went in, I cut the base off the container so I had a funnel all connected to the tube. Just kept pouring oil in....

Remember to do the rear diff (which IS a doddle)

911 :norty:

Nah, I'm telling you: Tesco turkey baster, remove rubber bulb, stick a funnel in the end and away you go, takes about 5 minutes per bottle of Syntrax ;)

I think we've got a race!
Funny how many domestic items are used to fix these cars!
What a game.
911

I reckon using my method I can do bottle of Syntrax in 4min!! ;) While I'm squeezing one, the next is on the stove, warming nicely:)
Syntrax (Driveline as it's now called) sorted problems on my 99my after I made the mistake of trying fully synthetic (Silkolene Syn 5)
JohnD

PS Don't be too frightened by the slivers of steel on the drain plug magnet - unless they're accompanied by a couple of gearteeth!

Yes...
Add lots of sawdust to the oil if you find teeth in there...
We must be mad.

911 :norty:

Pah, warming is for girls :p

Oooooooh! - You must have such a strong squeeze! ;)

you mention turning it over without the crank sensor attached? why not just disconnect the coil? so whats the general method for an oil change? you mention filling the new filter up? never done one before

Cheers

Disconnecting the crank sensor removes fuel and spark. Disconnecting the coil only cuts the spark so unburnt petrol is washing the bores.