Oil filter

[Siempre]

Can n oil filter b change after d change of engine oil?is it POSSIBLE?or MUST d filter b change during d flushing of engine oil?

[manxman]

At oil change time, the oil filter is full of dirt. Most mechanics and home handymen drain the oil from the crankcase first. Then they replace the oil pan drain plug (or close their Fumoto drain valve), and the last step is to remove the dirty oil filter. Then the new oil is poured into the engine.

It is done this way because the oil filter is mounted horizontally on the engine block. Allowing the crankcase to drain first siphons some of the excess oil in the old filter, and when you loosen the filter to remove it from the block, it is a little less full and messy to remove.

You could just as easily drain and refill the crankcase with new oil before removing and replacing the filter, as long as you do not start the engine with the old, dirty filter still in place. Put the new filter on the engine before starting it.

[Siempre]

Thanks alot for the usefull n detailed info manxman.the reason i ask of thos is because recently i went for servicing n i m pretty sure the mechanic did not change my oil filter as he was busy attending to other cars n not focusing on mine alone.thats why i worry in case he really did not change my filter,m i able to just take out just my oil filter n change it or must i drain d out again n top up new oil?:confused:

[manxman]

If you have been driving with clean new oil and an old dirty filter, there is now dirt mixed in with your new oil. I recommend that you do this work yourself in the future- it is easy. That will prevent this kind of poor service from happening in the future.

If you shine a flashlight down behind your radiator, you will see the oil filter sticking out from the center of the engine. If it is new, it will be shiny with fresh paint, about 3" in diameter. If it is old, it will be dull with a coating of dirt covering the painted surface.

I suggest that if the filter is old, that you go to your nearest auto parts store and buy a new filter and an oil filter wrench. Go home and remove the old oil filter and install the new one. Add 1/2 quart of oil to the engine to make up the oil that was in the old filter when you removed it. If you don't have spare oil at home, buy a quart at the car parts store along with the filter and the filter wrench.

You will need the filter wrench to remove the old oil filter, but you only install new filters by hand (without the wrench). There will be install instructions either on the box or painted on the outside of the new filter. Usually, you screw on the new filter until the gasket on the front of the filter makes contact with the circular flat seal area of the engine block. Then you turn it about 1/4 of a turn past the first contact. Start the engine, and look for leaks from the filter. If you see a leak, tighten the filter a little more and the leak will stop.

Your engine will probably be OK if you change the filter soon. You can do this yourself in 10 minutes. It is not worth paying some other mechanic money to do it for you. You have already been ripped off enough.

[Siempre]

Manxman,thanks again for the detailed advice!!u gave me a very clear description of what to look out for man!!thanks!!:)

[manxman]

Any time, compadre.

[The JKS]

Sorry off topic here, but I remember the first time getting oil changed from a BMW dealer for my Z4. They didn't change my filter (they admited it) and didn't tight my bolt tight enough so I lost 2 qt of oil in a day... AND top of that they charged me $120 for oil change... So they gave me the next one for free, but I was like "would u come back again if u were me?" So they just gave my money back lol I agree with Manxman. Do ur oil change on ur cars :) Fit is super easy to change. :p

[horseybike]

Reason #48 to change the oil yourself: when I purchased my '08 a few weeks back it didn't really want to rev and fuel mileage was about 20. It turned out that the dealer had overfilled the crankcase by at least a quart (oil was at least 2 inches past full on the dipstick). After I drained off the excess oil it ran like it's supposed to. If they can't be bothered to check a dipstick after adding oil, I can't imagine trusting them with anything actually complicated. Grr...

[Siempre]

Thanks for d advice man!