DIY Oil Change on 35d

[Destination: Moon]

Hi,

Thinking I might do the in between changes myself. The extraction method looks very interesting. Seems relatively clean? Like I won't get bathed in oil lying on my back or leave a mess in the garage?

Looking for opinions, feedback and some hard information. Such as, how much oil does a 35d require? Can you get most of it out via extraction? Any hitches or tricks or worries?

I have a pancake style compressor. Rated at 3.5 SCFM 90 psi. 4 gallon tank. Is that enough? I saw a couple of 8 or 10 liter extraction devices on Amazon. My thought is to change the oil and leave the filter change to the service dept. That way I change the filter every other oil change. In highschool shop class (a VERY long time ago) that was deemed OK. Thanks!

[JCL]

If you are going to change just one thing, change the filter and not the oil. Oil (and filters) have come a long way since high school shop class. New washer on the drain plug, new O-ring on the filter cap.

Lots of threads on extraction devices, do a search. Yes, they work. Disposing of the oil and cleaning out the tank is too much of a hassle for many of us; I won't use one if I can get to a drain plug. You need one that holds 8-9 litres. Don't know why you would get oil on yourself using the drain plug, unless you were lying directly underneath it. Just use a shallow 20 litre pan, and you likely don't need to lift the vehicle.

[motordavid]

Moon,
I haven't done an oil change on an E70, but on our E53, that large volume of
oil comes out like a gusher, when the drain plug is pulled...if you are doing it
in the garage/driveway, I would rec'd some newspaper/flat cardboard as a
"mat" under that area, and make sure the catch pan has enough volume and
a substantial lip on it; I have come to use a cardboard "funnel/trough" to direct
that stream of hot oil toward the catch pan.

All of the above may be moot, if you are using an extractor.
As JCL noted, use Search Tab for DIY oil changes: the info is applicable
regardless of model year, engine, etc.
GL,mD

[vinuneuro]

Originally Posted by JCL

If you are going to change just one thing, change the filter and not the oil.

[Destination: Moon]

Originally Posted by motordavid

Moon,
I haven't done an oil change on an E70, but on our E53, that large volume of
oil comes out like a gusher, when the drain plug is pulled...if you are doing it
in the garage/driveway, I would rec'd some newspaper/flat cardboard as a
"mat" under that area, and make sure the catch pan has enough volume and
a substantial lip on it; I have come to use a cardboard "funnel/trough" to direct
that stream of hot oil toward the catch pan.

All of the above may be moot, if you are using an extractor.
As JCL noted, use Search Tab for DIY oil changes: the info is applicable
regardless of model year, engine, etc.
GL,mD

Thats why I was thinking of the extractor. Never even seen an extractor. I do the oil and filter on my motor cycle. I always seem to get oil on the floor etc. That is why I don't really want to crawl underneath the X5 and mess with the drain plug lying on my back.

[whyireef]

On my VW diesels, I use a Pella extractor and it works perfectly. Pulls every last drop out (I hope) and makes the filter change pretty simple too.

I agree, you should change the filter each time you change oil.

My Pella 6000 is manually pumped and it works best if the engine is just above warm (not too hot); otherwise, if not warmed up, the oil is super thick and doesn't come through the tubing (ala molasses on a cold January).

If you're going to use an air pump/compressor, you'll still need to warm it up a bit, and you'll also likely finish in 2-3 minutes!

I (knock on wood) never make a mess and small clean ups around the tubing is a breeze. It's nice going through the engine bay (dip stick tube) rather than getting beneath the car.

[Lubehead]

The best way to change the oil in my opinion is using a Femco No Spill Drain. It replaces the OEM drain plug and then you change the oil, you screw an adaptor that opens the valve, allowing controlled flow with absolutely no mess and you can dorect the oil into a receptacle. Once you've changed oil using this valve, you'll never want to do it any other way.

All we need to know is the thread size of the drain plug. They usually cost in the area of $45.00 plus a few bucks for the accompanying drainer required to open the valve.

[Destination: Moon]

Originally Posted by whyireef

On my VW diesels, I use a Pella extractor and it works perfectly. Pulls every last drop out (I hope) and makes the filter change pretty simple too.

I agree, you should change the filter each time you change oil.

My Pella 6000 is manually pumped and it works best if the engine is just above warm (not too hot); otherwise, if not warmed up, the oil is super thick and doesn't come through the tubing (ala molasses on a cold January).

If you're going to use an air pump/compressor, you'll still need to warm it up a bit, and you'll also likely finish in 2-3 minutes!

I (knock on wood) never make a mess and small clean ups around the tubing is a breeze. It's nice going through the engine bay (dip stick tube) rather than getting beneath the car.

So, has anyone done a change on the 35d? How much oil? If you use an extractor, is there any issues or things to know about? Do you just feed the tube into the dip stick as far as it will go?? Also, when changing the filter, do you need to replace the o ring every time? I have never replaced o rings unless damaged or worn out (stretched) in other situations (mostly plumbing and compressed air). Thanks!

[Penguin]

> do you need to replace the o ring every time?

Need to? No.

Wise to? Yes.