DIY: Let's Change the Engine Oil

[Sapper_M3]

Originally Posted by PrimoM3

It's not a T40 like some numb nuts have said. Both drain bolts are hex/Allen wrenches.

So, I'll dredge up this old (but useful) thread again to post an interesting finding I made today:

I followed this thread before I did my first mid-BMW-interval oil change, and I found--like many others here--that the two drain plugs were hex/allen bit.

I got underneath the car today to do my second mid-BMW-interval oil change (meaning the dealership conducted an oil change after my last self-service oil change), and I found that the front drain plug was 6mm hex as usual....but the rear drain plug appeared to be stripped so badly I couldn't fit the 6mm hex. After a quick freak-out because I have a track day tomorrow, I took a closer look at the grooves and noticed that they weren't stripped. They were Torx. I pulled out a T40 torx, and it fit perfectly.

I'll take a picture of the drain plug in the next few days, but it is 100% a T40 Torx drain plug. After all the harsh words and fierce back and forth debate, I think we overlooked the possibility that BMW dealerships sometimes use either (or in my case, both) Torx and Hex/Allen.

[xpunisherx]

Originally Posted by BMWguy206

TIS says 8.8L with oil filter.

So I just want to share my experience changing the engine oil today on my 2011 E92. Before I begin, I am curious how many others have experienced what I am about to describe, so please let me know.

I just want to thank Bimmerblog, the creator of the YouTube video at the following link for creating a DIY video for changing the oil

Also want to say that the kit from ECS tuning is the BEEZNEEZ!

With all that out of the way....

Changing the oil on the car was a breeze. I am by no means a trained mechanic. I enjoy DIYing most regular maintenance on my vehicle (cars, truck, and motorcycles). I just followed the directions in the video, and applied tips from things I read here on the forum.

Unfortunately, the facility I was using didn't allow me to fully warm up the car before I drained the oil. Not sure how bad this is, but it is what it is. The oil was hot, but not all the way to operating temperature.

I removed the filter and the fill cap then raised the car on the lift.

I removed both drain plugs and allowed the oil to pretty much completely drain. I let the oil drain from both plugs until there was almost nothing coming out of either. The rear plug was still dripping, but the front was done.

After replacing the drain plugs (using new crush washers), I lowered the car. I used an ass load of paper towels soaking up the remaining oil in the filter housing. In hindsight I would have done this before draining the oil out of the bottom of the car as some of the used oil in the housing went back into the engine compartment...not much, so no worries.

Then I filled the oil.

I emptied 8 liters into the car and then started it. I let it idle up to operating temperature at which time the check engine oil monitor began to read the oil level...

it warned me that the oil was BELOW minimum level.



I freaked...and shut off the car immediately.

I added another half liter and turned the car back on...

BELOW minimum level...



I was like OMG...really???

So I added the remaining half liter, bringing me to 9 liters of oil put back into the car. I turned it back on and waited...

and waited..



and waited...

Finally it read at half way between minimum and maximum. Good enough to drive to the store to buy some more oil because I only brought 9 liters with me to the shop.

I ended up adding an additional half liter (total of 9.5 liters) for it to read at the maximum line. JEEZ...lol

Anyways, I am just curious how many of you have experienced this? I know that the fill with filter change is supposed to be 8.8 liters, but that wasn't my experience.

So that was my experience doing my fist DIY job on the M3.

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by xpunisherx

Finally it read at half way between minimum and maximum. Good enough to drive to the store to buy some more oil because I only brought 9 liters with me to the shop.

I ended up adding an additional half liter (total of 9.5 liters) for it to read at the maximum line. JEEZ...lol

Anyways, I am just curious how many of you have experienced this? I know that the fill with filter change is supposed to be 8.8 liters, but that wasn't my experience.

So that was my experience doing my fist DIY job on the M3.

The electronic system is notoriously slow to respond after oil changes. I would not install more than the stated capacity until you've driven it for a couple days and if still reading low. Being down a half liter or so is not big deal; being overfilled can be a big deal.

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by GregW / Oregon

The electronic system is notoriously slow to respond after oil changes. I would not install more than the stated capacity until you've driven it for a couple days and if still reading low. Being down a half liter or so is not big deal; being overfilled can be a big deal.

Oil gauge was showing 1 step above the min line (no warning) - added 1/4 qt 2 days ago and still no change. The systems lack of consistency across the board perplexes me

[Beemdog]

If you consider that the difference between the bottom line on the oil display and the top line is one liter, and that the display is rounding to the nearest quarter mark, you can make a conservative guess as to how much oil to add. However, by adding only a quarter liter there can be times when there is no change in the reading due to the rounding. I would say if the oil display is at the min mark or one quarter up from min, it is generally fine to add a half-liter and check it again after a day's driving with the expectation that another quarter- to half-liter may be needed.

[xpunisherx]

Originally Posted by GregW / Oregon

The electronic system is notoriously slow to respond after oil changes. I would not install more than the stated capacity until you've driven it for a couple days and if still reading low. Being down a half liter or so is not big deal; being overfilled can be a big deal.

So going on 3 days after the oil change and still reading at max level. So just to recap...

fully drained oil...changed oil filter...soaked up excess oil in the filter housing with paper towels...

9 liters filled it half way between min and max...

9.5 liters filled it to the max line.

That's just my experience...

On another note, anyone have any information about the difference between the two Castrol 10w-60 oils in the picture below?



Just curious. Thanks.

[Exclusivs]

Originally Posted by Beemdog

If you consider that the difference between the bottom line on the oil display and the top line is one liter, and that the display is rounding to the nearest quarter mark, you can make a conservative guess as to how much oil to add. However, by adding only a quarter liter there can be times when there is no change in the reading due to the rounding. I would say if the oil display is at the min mark or one quarter up from min, it is generally fine to add a half-liter and check it again after a day's driving with the expectation that another quarter- to half-liter may be needed.

Was aiming conservative since next oil change is in about 700 mi and did not want to effect blackstone w/ new fresher oil. Though I doubt 1/2 L would have a profound effect.

[red998]

This thread is great. Thank you for placing the steps, details and all.
I am worried 10 nM is not enough torque to keep oil drain bolts in place. I did see a video from BMW blog stating 25nM as required torque. I left it at 10, so far so good. Oil blackstone. I put in 8.2 of 0-40 and it is registering at the middle line.

[waldron80]

Originally Posted by S1RC

Did my first change today, went smoothly just took a while for the oil to drain.

Used a MityVac to suck out the excess oil in the filter housing and adding a bit back in before tightening.

I put 8.25l back in and waited for a measurement.

When I started the car the first time it got loud (about 2-4 clicks of the engine) for a second then went back to normal. I would think this is oil circulating again correct?

Hoping I didn't damage anything. Done many oil changes before on other cars, drain, replace filter, fill oil. This was no different.

Second time I changed the oil and I got the engine click noise this second time.

[waldron80]

Originally Posted by xpunisherx

So going on 3 days after the oil change and still reading at max level. So just to recap...

fully drained oil...changed oil filter...soaked up excess oil in the filter housing with paper towels...

9 liters filled it half way between min and max...

9.5 liters filled it to the max line.

That's just my experience...

I'm having a similar experience but mine is a little more extreme.

Car was level and hot, fully drained oil from both sumps, soaked oil from housing. Added 8.5 liters...drove car around and was told I was at minimum level...Add half liter...Still being told I'm at minimum level. So I've put in 9 liters total and I'm still being told to +1qt. This just doesn't seem right to me.

I also did what I think was the reset when the car was level and idle. When on the oil level screen I pushed and held in the scroll button. Is this correct?

I have an 08 with 107k miles so I'm thinking that maybe the oil level sensor is just old and warn out. I'm heading to the dealership today to pick one up and I will replace.

[1MOREMOD]

If you start the engine with hood open as often are after oil change, sound is different then normal.

[marksae]

Originally Posted by waldron80

I'm having a similar experience but mine is a little more extreme.

Car was level and hot, fully drained oil from both sumps, soaked oil from housing. Added 8.5 liters...drove car around and was told I was at minimum level...Add half liter...Still being told I'm at minimum level. So I've put in 9 liters total and I'm still being told to +1qt. This just doesn't seem right to me.

I also did what I think was the reset when the car was level and idle. When on the oil level screen I pushed and held in the scroll button. Is this correct?

I have an 08 with 107k miles so I'm thinking that maybe the oil level sensor is just old and warn out. I'm heading to the dealership today to pick one up and I will replace.

If you know you've put in 9 liters in, don't keep putting in more! Oil levels take a while to register. For my car, it takes about 15 minutes of highway driving after an oil change.

[xpunisherx]

Originally Posted by waldron80

I'm having a similar experience but mine is a little more extreme.

Car was level and hot, fully drained oil from both sumps, soaked oil from housing. Added 8.5 liters...drove car around and was told I was at minimum level...Add half liter...Still being told I'm at minimum level. So I've put in 9 liters total and I'm still being told to +1qt. This just doesn't seem right to me.

I also did what I think was the reset when the car was level and idle. When on the oil level screen I pushed and held in the scroll button. Is this correct?

I have an 08 with 107k miles so I'm thinking that maybe the oil level sensor is just old and warn out. I'm heading to the dealership today to pick one up and I will replace.

Yeah..so basically what I ended up doing was removing about 0.7 of a liter from the oil filter housing to bring me back down to 8.8 liters. After driving for about two days, the sensor leveled off right in the middle of min and max. I drove it that way for about a week, and since I didn't see any change, I added 0.25 of a liter back to bring me right to about 9 liters. This made the gauge jump back to the max line. I've left it like that for now and haven't had any change in level. At this point I am satisfied with 9 liters of oil in the car, and the gauge reading at max.

In the end, I wasn't comfortable running 0.7 liters over the recommended 8.8 liter fill when changing the oil and the filter. Nine liters total ended up as the sweet spot for me (or for my finicky digital oil gauge I should say )

[GregW / Oregon]

Originally Posted by xpunisherx

Yeah..so basically what I ended up doing was removing about 0.7 of a liter from the oil filter housing to bring me back down to 8.8 liters. After driving for about two days, the sensor leveled off right in the middle of min and max. I drove it that way for about a week, and since I didn't see any change, I added 0.25 of a liter back to bring me right to about 9 liters. This made the gauge jump back to the max line. I've left it like that for now and haven't had any change in level. At this point I am satisfied with 9 liters of oil in the car, and the gauge reading at max.

In the end, I wasn't comfortable running 0.7 liters over the recommended 8.8 liter fill when changing the oil and the filter. Nine liters total ended up as the sweet spot for me (or for my finicky digital oil gauge I should say )

Regardless of what the electronics say, trust that the measured capacity is correct. Do not put in more than 9L.

[Konig]

Changed my oil today, thanks for the DIY. I also used this guide, which has helpful photos / video:

http://www.bmwblog.com/2014/08/13/ch...dge-tws-10w60/

As a data point for others trying to judge how much oil to add and when:

1. I did my oil change in my flat garage. I jacked up the front of the car and left the rear wheels on the ground. The car was at operating temperature, weather was about 50F.

2. I drained the rear plug first, opened the front plug about five minutes later. I let everything drain for probably 45 minutes to an hour since this was my first time and I wasn't in a rush. The front plug was done dripping, the rear one was dripping very slowly at that point.

3. Buttoned everything up and added 8 liters before leaving the garage.

4. Drove around for what seemed like an eternity but was actually about 8 miles before getting a "add 1 liter" message. Added just under 0.4L.

5. Car still said "add 1 liter." Parked car, turned off and restarted to see if I would get a different reading. Car still said "add 1 liter."

6. Added an additional 0.1L to get to 8.5L added total from empty. Car now shows the level right in the middle.

[waldron80]

Originally Posted by xpunisherx

Yeah..so basically what I ended up doing was removing about 0.7 of a liter from the oil filter housing to bring me back down to 8.8 liters. After driving for about two days, the sensor leveled off right in the middle of min and max. I drove it that way for about a week, and since I didn't see any change, I added 0.25 of a liter back to bring me right to about 9 liters. This made the gauge jump back to the max line. I've left it like that for now and haven't had any change in level. At this point I am satisfied with 9 liters of oil in the car, and the gauge reading at max.

In the end, I wasn't comfortable running 0.7 liters over the recommended 8.8 liter fill when changing the oil and the filter. Nine liters total ended up as the sweet spot for me (or for my finicky digital oil gauge I should say )

To follow-up with my experience...My gauge continued to tell me I needed to +1qt even though I knew I had put in 9qts. Following everyone's feedback I did not add more oil but kept driving for a few days. While driving down the interstate I would hold the reset and surprising the gauge would go to 3/4 full, so I would reset again and it would say 1/2 full and I continued to do this and it would just eventually tell me to +1qt. Sitting in the garage I would continue to reset and I would get +1qt.

Conclusion...Change the oil level sensor. So...Captain Obvious headed to the dealership and picked up a new oil level sensor. I dropped the oil into a brand new oil pan because it only had a couple hundred miles on it and replaced my oil level sensor.

With the new sensor I am now, consistently, showing half way on the gauge which I feel is pretty true given I may have not captured all the oil when I put it back in the car.

Car is an 08 with 106k miles.

I plan on dissecting the old oil level sensor when I get my dremel back from a friend. I'll post pictures when I have some.

[xpunisherx]

Originally Posted by waldron80

To follow-up with my experience...My gauge continued to tell me I needed to +1qt even though I knew I had put in 9qts. Following everyone's feedback I did not add more oil but kept driving for a few days. While driving down the interstate I would hold the reset and surprising the gauge would go to 3/4 full, so I would reset again and it would say 1/2 full and I continued to do this and it would just eventually tell me to +1qt. Sitting in the garage I would continue to reset and I would get +1qt.

Conclusion...Change the oil level sensor. So...Captain Obvious headed to the dealership and picked up a new oil level sensor. I dropped the oil into a brand new oil pan because it only had a couple hundred miles on it and replaced my oil level sensor.

With the new sensor I am now, consistently, showing half way on the gauge which I feel is pretty true given I may have not captured all the oil when I put it back in the car.

Car is an 08 with 106k miles.

I plan on dissecting the old oil level sensor when I get my dremel back from a friend. I'll post pictures when I have some.

That will be cool to see if there was as issue with the sensor! Let s know...thanks.

[earth777]

did not see any post this in the thread. Bold red is relevant


Checking oil level: Your car is equipped with an electronic oil level monitor. The oil level can be displayed when the engine is warm. Continuous short distance travel or a very sporty driving style may make measurement impossible. A new measurement is taken automatically each time the engine is started. Delay time: This can take about 1 minute if the car is at a standstill on a level surface, or about 5 minutes while the car is moving. If engine oil was added, it may take up to 30 minutes to obtain an oil level reading. Min Oil: Add engine oil at the next opportunity, but no more than 1 US quart/1 liter. Add at least 0.5 US quarts/0.5 liters, otherwise the oil level monitor will be unable to display the new value reliably.

[Beemdog]

That would explain a few things. RTFM . The last line in red is debatable--the min to max display of the e-gauge has five discrete levels, so it should be able to register a quarter-liter change (when it finally gets around to it!).

[E92Brembo]

Just noting that I changed mine today...8 liters came out to the middle mark on cluster. I added another .5 with no change. I called my buddy who happens to be the lead master tech at the local BMW stealer ship and fellow enthusiast, and he said just drain both plugs and put in 9 liters and forget about it. That's what they do.

[vsix]

Originally Posted by E92Brembo

Just noting that I changed mine today...8 liters came out to the middle mark on cluster. I added another .5 with no change. I called my buddy who happens to be the lead master tech at the local BMW stealer ship and fellow enthusiast, and he said just drain both plugs and put in 9 liters and forget about it. That's what they do.

This is such an crazy coincidence! I was checking this thread minutes ago, because I was looking for info. When I checked the forum and hit the New post button I couldn't believe someone replied
Very special thanx to you fellow car-enthusiast!!!!

[E92Brembo]

Originally Posted by vsix

This is such an crazy coincidence! I was checking this thread minutes ago, because I was looking for info. When I checked the forum and hit the New post button I couldn't believe someone replied
Very special thanx to you fellow car-enthusiast!!!!

That's great! Forums are awesome aren't they?