BMW Oil Change
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 07 August 2012 14:23
Changing the engine oil in your BMW is a relatively easy job, so we have compiled a few important steps to help you do the draining and replacement of the oil and filter with ease. Your BMW oil change is simple and not much different to any other vehicle. Leaving oil changes to go past the regular changing intervals may cause sludge to build up and reduce engine power, causing damage to your engine.
There are many different engine oils on the market, each with a different viscosity for different applications and climates. Synthetic oils are better and are more expensive and recommended for many reasons which benefit an engine. The first and foremost reason for using synthetic oil is friction reduction which reduces engine wear, and helps improve fuel economy. We recommend that you change your oil every 10,000 km’s for best results.
1. Park your BMW on a clean flat cement floor or in a place where you have space to maneuver around the vehicle. For safety place the gearshift in gear and
pull up the hand brake to stop the car rolling away. Many mechanics recommend using wheel stops or chokes to lock and block the tyres from moving.
2. You need a set of tools before you start the oil change process. Make sure you have and oil pan for spillage and an oil-drain pan for the oil you are draining
out. You will also require the correct size socket and a ratchet or ring and open end spanner, and a flat head screwdriver.
If you have a six cylinder N52, N54 and M54 engines as examples, the oil filter housing is located in the front of the engine bay, near the intake manifold. The older engines such as M10 and M30 motors use a more traditional screw on cartridge which is located on the right side of the engine block.
To speed up the oil draining it is best to unscrew the oil filter housing cap first, so that the oil in the housing can drain out easily and also open the filler cap and pull up the dipstick to prevent air locks. Remove the sump plug and the oil will flow out into the oil pan under the sump.
BMW V8 engines are a little different to the fours and sixes. The M60 and M62 engines which are fitted to the BMW E31, E38, E38 and E53 vehicles which are similar to the six cylinder engines with a separate oil filter housing with a cartridge oil filter. These are fitted to the engine bay, with oil feed and return pipes. The N62 engine which is fitted in the E60, E61,E63, E64, E65, E66 E53 X5 4.8iSA and E70 vehicles has the oil filter and housing located vertically in the sump.
The sump has an 8mm hex plug which needs to be removed to drain the engine oil. The oil filter housing cap can be removed with a 24mm spanner in order to change the old oil filter cartridge, which should come with a new ‘O’ring.
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