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How To Change A Cartridge Oil Filter On A Mini https://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=47609 |
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Author: | 1018cc [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:34 pm ] |
Post subject: | How To Change A Cartridge Oil Filter On A Mini |
1) This is the easiest part and ANYONE that owns a car and has a licence can do it. Take the car for a drive to warm up the oil a bit. 2) Find somewhere nice to drive to and admire the view This is a great mini road, this is as straight as it gets It also has a great view to enjoy. You can see Table Top Mountain from here. Looking down into the Lockyer Valley more (Table Top is just off to the right of the shot). 3) Return home, try not to make the trip too long, you don’t want so much heat in the sump that you burn yourself. For instance, My car usually idles about 22-23psi so I only let the idling pressure get to 30psi. That way the oil isn’t too hot. It can get A LOT hotter than that, 15psi just off the highway on a hot day. I wouldn’t be able to do an oil change then, I would burn my hands. 4) Things you will need: • A jack (if your car is really low like mine) • A ratchet handle (1/2” drive – it was the first one I picked up) • 1 x 9/16 socket (I use ½” drive because that’s what my ratchet handle is) • 1 x 15/16 socket (again, ½” drive) • AT LEAST 1 x socket extension bit (you may decide you need two, I only use one to do my car – again, in ½” drive) • Shallow bucket to catch the oil (make sure it is large enough to hold at least 5L of oil) • Petrol (or degreaser) • Phillips head screwdriver • Pocket Knife (not totally necessary) • Fresh Oil (need at least 5L) ($18 - $35) • Old oil bottle for a quick change over (so you can pour the old oil in while it is still nice and warm) • An oil filter to suit your car (I use a Ryco R2200P – about $11) • Some old rags • 2 x sets of wheel chocks (not pictured below) • Gasket Goo (I use Loctite Blue Maxx (I think it’s 587)) • You will also need some Gafmo Safety boots: 5) Safety first! Chock both the rear wheels front and rear on both sides. Also, do the oil change on nice level ground. 6) Remove the Phillips headed self tapping screws that hold the grille on. 7) Put the grille and screws off to the side, somewhere safe where there is no chance of you accidentally standing on it and stuffing it. 8 ) This is the oil filter that you are looking for. If you have a Cooper S the strengthing bar will be on a 45° angle starting at the top towards the centre of the grille area going down to the passenger side of the car at the bottom. My oil filter does have two rare earth magnets on it to help get all the little bits of metal that the oil filter can’t actually trap. Chances are your filter will not have any magnets on it (shiny silver bit on the left hand side). 9) I also had a rare earth magnet on my sump plug for a couple of days. They are only new for me. I will be putting this second one on the oil filter with the new oil this time. This also made it easier for you guys to see where the sump plug is anyway so it all worked out. 10) Jack the car up about 10 – 20mm so that you can actually fit your short bucket underneath the car. If your car is of normal height, you will not need to use a jack to do an oil change. Note: That is only 2 finger’s worth of space between the tread on the tyre and the bottom of the flare. I am not using jack stands because I will not be crawling under the car – if YOU are going to be crawling under the car, please use jack stands. If my jack collapsed it would fall about 10mm from that point. 11) Make sure you have enough room to fit your bucket underneath the sump. I only make the car JUST high enough to clear the bucket. If you are doing this outside it is a good idea to keep the sump close to the bucket, once the stream of oil thins out it can get whipped up by the wind and spray everywhere and make an even bigger mess. 12) Grab you ratchet and 15/16 socket and start to undo the sump plug. I only undo it enough to be able to undo it by hand. No oil should escape on you at this stage. 13) Start undoing the plug by hand. I did the last oil change on this car so the plug was really easy to get off. You may have more of a problem if someone who had no idea what they were doing has attacked your car before you. 14) Push in on the plug while you are undoing it. It will help keep the oil from getting out and running all over your hand. 15) Just as you feel it’s about to be able to be pulled away keep your arm (elbow and hand etc) as high as it can go. Work fast, undo the plug the rest of the way and pull out and upwards from the hole. Hopefully you shouldn’t get too oily and the oil should run straight into the bucket. Make sure the bucket is under the plug once you start to undo it by hand. 16) You plug should have a bit of swarf on it from the gearbox etc. This is normal. I am not concerned with that – normally it would be less than that but those Magnets are super strong and can pull crap out of the oil from further away. Even so, that’s not too much. 17) I had to go and get my Loctite Blue Maxx that I forgot to get at the beginning. This is good stuff and can seal just about anything. Well worthwhile for many mini jobs. 18 ) Clean the sump plug with a dry, clean, lint free rag to remove the swarf and oil. 19) Check the condition of the copper washer. Mine looks fine, but I never do my sump plug up tight at all. 20) Check on the oil and see if it is almost done. I waited about 15 – 20 minutes (you can speed it up a bit by removing the oil cap on the engine to allow air to enter easier so the oil can drain quicker). Wait until the stream thins down a lot. I never wait for it to totally STOP flowing, there will be drips for ages. A drip every couple of seconds is good enough to empty for me. 21) Remove the bucket of used oil and place a rag IMMEDIATELY below the sump plug to catch the small drips. Clean the thread of the sump plug with another clean rag. 22) Get your Loctite (or any other oil resistant gasket goo). 23) Smear the Loctite on both sides of the copper washer and on the thread of the plug. Try and keep the magnet Loctite free. 24) Put the sump plug back in the hole and do it up as far as you can by hand. This is to ensure the plug is not CROSS THREADING in the sump. If you only get ½ a turn before it gets hard, don’t keep turning! The alloy in the gearbox is MUCH softer than the thread of the sump plug, you will damage the box before you damage the plug thread. After you are happy that it is going in straight and it is NOT cross threaded then do it up with the ratchet and 15/16 socket. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN IT!!!! I repeat, DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SUMP PLUG. I do it up until the end of the plug is fully home against the gear box housing and then do another 1/8th of a turn (or there abouts). I rely on the Loctite to help seal the hole, not how tight the sump plug is crushing the copper washer. That is me but MANY people don’t use gasket goo on the sump plug at all. My car does not leak oil from the sump plug and I have never stripped the thread on the gearbox from over doing a sump plug. I reckon, method wise, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. 25) After the plug is done up and has compressed the excess gasket goo out, wipe away the excess gasket goo. 26) It should look like this: 27) I emptied the oil out of the bucket into the second, empty oil bottle I had. That step isn’t necessary but I find it makes it easier for me. I then moved the container under the oil filter. 28 ) Get your ratchet handle, an extension and your 9/16 socket 29) Feed the socket / extension and ratchet up from the bottom of the car up to the bottom of the filter housing. You will be able to feel the hexagonal head of the bolt underneath. IF YOU ARE GOING TO LIE UNDER THE CAR FOR THIS PART PLEASE USE AXLE STANDS, DO NOT RELY ON THE JACK TO KEEP THE CAR RAISED. 30) Start to undo the bolt. Once the seal is broken oil will run down the sides of the canister. That is why I moved the container underneath the oil filter. 31) Keep undoing the nut. This is just before I am about to pull it off. It is probably held on by a couple of turn here. 32) Undo the canister the rest of the way and pull away from the filter head. You need to tilt the canister to get it out. Make sure that the oil container is underneath where it will spill. You need to remove the canister out the bottom of the car, just in front of the passenger side engine mount and behind the horn. My hands were very oily at that point and didn’t want to get my phone to oily. You will work it out once you are in there giving it a go. 33) Put the whole thing into the container. If you never emptied the container, don’t bother putting it in there. I do this to allow most of the oil to drain out before I start to pull it apart. 34) This is the bottom of the filter head, if you were to stick your head under the car and look (I just put the camera under and took a shot). 35) Give the filter head a good clean with a lint free rag. Get rid of all the oil and any debris that is there. 36) I then grabbed my pocket knife to get the thin seal out of the filter head. I used the can opener attachment. FFS, if you are doing the same as me (using a can opener on a pocket knife), DO NOT DAMAGE THE FILTER HEAD while trying to get the seal out. I have done this enough times that I can get the seal out first go without touching and metal of the filter head. You will find the seal running around the outside of the filter head. It’s pretty easy to see and feel in real life, that last shot is a bit too grainy. 37) You need to kind of stab the seal (but not too far through), and then pull it along so that it bunches up and you can grab onto it with your fingers for the rest of the way. This is just after I got the pocket knife onto it. 38 ) This is the old seal, out of the filter head. 39) Give all the different bits and pieces from the canister a good clean in the petrol (except for the gaskets) including the canister itself and also the filter head. 40) This is the contents of a Ryco R2200P oil filter. You need to check which one YOUR PARTICULAR car needs. There is another similar filter to this, the R2180P which goes in cooper S and 850 (I think). It has two open ends on it. There will be another plate in the filter assembly that is used in that filter (to kind of make it look the same as the end with the small hole in it in the R2200P oil filter shown here. There SHOULD also be two little gaskets in there but for some reason Ryco aren’t putting them in there anymore. They are currently rectifying that problem so you will have to re-use your old gaskets. If you are like me and don’t like re-using and re-using gaskets then buy some new seals from SuziSpares in Seven Hills in Sydney ((02) 9674 7000 or info@suzispares.com). 41) This is the order in which all the parts go together 42) These are the bits that go on the OUTSIDE of the oil filter: They go in the order shown here (right to left obviously) i.e. the curved metal bit gets threaded on to the bolt, and then the smallest seal get threaded on after the curved metal bit and then the canister gets threaded on after that. 43) This is the order in which the stuff goes INSIDE the canister: The order is (once the outside bits have been threaded through) is spring, flat washer, the 2nd smallest rubber seal and then the oil filter, small end goes next to the rubber seal. Note: the oil filter shown here is the NEW one, the old one will come out black. 44) Put the new seal in the filter head (this is the really big thin one, that actually still does come in the oil filter box still). 45) The fitting procedure for fitting the seal into the filter head is as follows. DO NOT put it in at one place and then run your finger around to push it in the rest of the way! This will bunch up the seal and you will have over hang when you get around to the end. You need to work around the seal like you are doing up wheel nuts. Put it in at one side, then push it in at the diagonally opposite side, then go half way in between those two (i.e. 90° to where you have already pushed in, either side) and repeat the process all the way around until the seal is fully seated in the filter head. This method will ensure no overhang of the seal and proper sealing once it is put back together. Do not damage the seal putting it in, only use your fingers to put it in. 46) This is the canister all nice and clean after getting the petrol treatment. 47) First step in putting it all back together, just to make sure you do it the RIGHT way. Grab the bolt and thread on the curved bit of metal. 48 ) Next, put on the smallest seal after you have threaded on the curved bit. 49) Then put the canister housing on. NB: The little seal is hidden under the curved metal bit, trust me, it is still there. You need it, do not take it off 50) Then thread the spring onto the bolt. 51) Followed by the METAL flat washer 52) Followed by the medium sized rubber gasket 53) Then comes the new oil filter, big end towards the open end, small end goes into the canister 54) The canister is now all assembled correctly 55) I prime the canister with some new oil so that getting oil pressure once the car is started doesn’t take as long. 56) Don’t fill it too fast, the oil needs time to be absorbed through the oil filter. 57) Put the filter back into place and start to do up the bolt. It might take you a couple of attempts to line up the bolt going into the filter head. 58 ) You will only be able to do it up a few turns. After a few turns the spring in the canister starts fighting back so you have to get your 9/16 socket, extension and ratchet out to do it up. 59) When you are doing it up make sure that the canister is going to line up straight with the filter head. Make sure the end of the canister is going to seat on the new gasket that you put in the filter head. DO NOT let it go in crooked otherwise you will damage the filter head and it won’t seal as well. In order to make sure it’s going in straight make sure the amount of overhang (while looking at the filter) is the same all the way around. You can also feel the amount of gap at the back if you want. You will be able to determine if it is going in straight or not. This is it all back together. I only do it up tight enough to stop leaks when the engine is running. If you’ve never done it before, do it up, then once you eventually start the engine (NO, DON’T START IT NOW) go and have a look at the filter housing to see if it is leaking, if it is do it up a bit tighter. Try not to strip the thread. 60) Take the oil cap off of the top of the engine 61) Pour in your choice of oil. I use Penrite HPR30. Whatever oil you choose, make sure it is a mineral oil. Mini’s need at least 20W50 oil if in good condition, worn ones could quite easily take 40W70 oil. There are many threads on here about oil, so do not ask me what other brands to use. I think, that no matter what oil you use (as long as the grade etc is right) that cheap oil, changed often is MUCH BETTER than expensive oil that’s never changed. You will need 5L for a mini. This is the perfect amount for the sump and oil filter and the end result will mean that the oil level on the dipstick is about 1mm past the MAX line. If you have an oil cooler you will need more than this (I’d add on at least ½L to 1L extra for the oil cooler). I have never done an oil change on a mini with an oil cooler so I don’t know if it’s even worth it to detach the oil cooler and drain it. 62) I put my magnets back onto the oil filter. 63) Put the Oil cap back on and put the dipstick back in its hole. 64) Lower the jack and remove from under the car. 65) Put the grille back on with its Phillips headed self tapping screws with the screw driver. You can skip this step and put the grille on later if you want to check for leaks. 66) Check the dipstick, this currently is up to the ‘M’ on MAX because the oil filter is only ½ full. It will even out once the engine is started and the oil filter is filled. 67) Get in the car and watch the gauges as you start that car. My car ran for about 1.5 – 2 sec before it got oil pressure (longer than usual but after an oil change it is ok). This is normal for an oil change because the oil filter is getting filled with oil and the engine can’t build up pressure. You engine may take longer to build up oil pressure due to thinner oil than what it had in it previously (if you just guessed the grade) or due to worn bearings. If you engine runs for more than 5 – 7 seconds I would shut it down and try and find why it isn’t building oil pressure. While you are waiting for oil pressure, DO NOT REV THE ENGINE, just let it idle. Make sure you keep an eye on the gauge and/or the idiot light at all times. 68 ) Beautiful! We have oil pressure. 69) If you don’t have an oil pressure gauge, check that the idiot light has gone out. I run a ‘T’ piece in my oil line, so I run a gauge and the standard light. For those of you that want to know, the standard light goes off at 9psi of oil pressure. 70) Stop the engine, and allow the oil some time to run back into the sump and check the dipstick again. As you probably can’t see (couldn’t get it in focus) the oil level is now 0.5 – 1mm about the MAX line on the dipstick. Beautiful! 71) Check for leaks at the sump plug and the oil filter. I just felt the oil filter, it was still dry. Once you do it a few times you will know how tight to do it up the first time. 72) If you are pretty good at changing the oil you will make very little mess. I don’t bother putting down anything on the floor. The floor already has oil stains and I don’t tend to spill very much oil when I do an oil change. That is the extent of my spillage on the floor. I didn’t even get any oil down my arms. 73) Next is to see if the bottle of oil you use has a sticker on it for your next service. I particularly like this and I use them to remind me when it needs to be done. Write on a date / mileage or both. 74) Peel the label off the back of the bottle 75) Stick it on the window to remind you when you next need to do another oil change. Generally just the mileage will be sufficient to tell when you next need an oil change. I know that I do about 1,000 miles a month in my car and that is how often I change the oil and oil filter. It’s that easy, add a month onto the date and 1,000 mile onto what your odometer is currently showing and you are set. The only other thing you might want to do is have another bottle of oil on standby just as a top up oil. I also will go out and buy another bottle of oil and a oil filter tomorrow so that I don’t have to think about it next time I want to do an oil change, but that is up to you. Job Done! Congratulations, you have changed the oil on a cartridge mini in only 75 easy and simple steps. I personally like the cartridge oil filter better than the spin on ones. The spin on ones are less messy and easier to change (I have also changed spin on oil filter mini’s before). The cartridge ones allow you to judge the condition of the engine easier and can withstand a greater pressure and don’t spin off. You also get a bypass light with some cartridge filter heads (I have one, it’s the wire running off of the head in the pictures) to tell you when the filter is being bypassed, you can’t tell if the filter is being bypassed in a spin on filter. Some spin on filters are crappy and the bypass valve in them will open really early. Personally I think the pro’s outweigh the con’s with a cartridge filter. I am also able to get cartridge oil filters from AutoBarn, Repco and a couple of other smaller auto shops (off the shelf, no ordering needed). Super Cheap does NOT stock Either Ryco R2200P or Ryco R2180P oil filters. Oil is the best mechanic, change it regularly and your engine will love you. I change it more often than I need to. My original Passport to Service for my car states than you can leave it 3,000 miles in between oil changes. Personally, I would do a oil and filter change at a maximum of 2,000 miles. But I’m not going to tell you guys how often to change the oil in your own cars. |
Author: | 1018cc [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:37 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
In case some of you were wondering, it was 77 pages in a Word Document, 4,300 words and 79 pictures. I forgot to include a time. That took me two hours, but stopping every couple of minutes, wiping my hands, getting the camera, taking a photo, putting the camera back and then continuing on with the oil change. Even if you have never done this before I still reckon it shouldn't take you longer than about 1hr 15minutes (obviously depending on how long you let the oil drain for). Please dispose of your oil thoughtfully. Our local council disposes of oil, $3.50 to dump up to 20L. |
Author: | justincase42 [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 3:43 pm ] |
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Thanks for that, awesome work, next time I wont get the order mixed up when re-assembling the oil canister! |
Author: | doogie [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:17 pm ] |
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Very comprehensive, but i prefer my spin on oil filters anyday. Doogie |
Author: | Super-mini [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:24 pm ] |
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excellent guide, but the correct method is to replace the copper washer every time you take the sump plug out rather than seal it with silicone |
Author: | 1018cc [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:27 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Super-mini wrote: excellent guide,
but the correct method is to replace the copper washer every time you take the sump plug out rather than seal it with silicone When my sump plug eventually starts leaking, I will replace the copper washer. It never leaked before with no gasket goo, I just didn't like having to do it up that tight, so I change my method. People can do it any way they want, that is my method, if you want to follow it, great - go ahead. You can do it another way if you want, I'm not stopping anyone |
Author: | Boyracer [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 4:50 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Here's another helpful handy hint for those with sump guards. I usually butcher a takeaway container lid with a bit of a kink in it. It guides the oil out and into my container as opposed to letting it run back down and across the top of my sump guard. Another thing I do is to loosen off my oil filter and wrap a plastic bag around it just as it starts to get messy. Saves a lot of cleaning up. |
Author: | Morris 1100 [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:06 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
That is an epic! Very well done. When I am changing the oil I run the car up onto a short plank about 2" tall under the left wheel, this gives me the required clearance to fit the drain tray under the car and also tilts the sump so the oil runs towards the drain plug. I like the idea of sealant on the sump plug. I do this on my car. I tried changing the copper washer but it always leaked due to the gearbox surface not being flat or smooth. I have drillled the sump plug to take a lockwire so that it can't undo. I gave up on HPR30 and switched to KMX. The rear seal no longer leaks (It was a slight weep before) and I had less mayo in the rocker cover over winter. My oil drain tray is a beauty, it has a spout and a lip around the edge that makes it hard to spill, it looks like this... |
Author: | 1018cc [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 5:11 pm ] |
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Morris 1100 wrote: That is an epic!
Very well done. Thanks Morris1100, An epic, you're telling me That was the longest oil change I have ever done! It took 2 hours from start to finish, then I spent about 3 hours typing up the how to. It's all I've done today In regards to the oil catch pan, I'm too cheap to buy one like that and that green one does the job I'll get one like that when the green one busts. |
Author: | matt van'74 [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:19 pm ] |
Post subject: | |
Nice work Nick, very very comprehensive. I often anneal my copper washers if I am going to reuse them. By this I mean heat them up to red hot and then cool them down as quick as you can. A tub of water to dunk them in is all I use or run them under the tap. It makes the washer "soft" or malleuable (spelling?) again and should seal if it isnt too destroyed. |
Author: | drmini in aust [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 7:27 pm ] |
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That rivals War and Peace!! I face mine downhill in the driveway and run the LF wheel onto a housebrick. This gives height to change the filter and and tips it to the right a bit, helps it to drain.. |
Author: | 64cooper [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:08 pm ] |
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Well done Nick and yes, it is a nice mini road. Checked it out yesterday whilst I was up there. |
Author: | EAB [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:16 pm ] |
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matt van'74 wrote: Nice work Nick, very very comprehensive.
I often anneal my copper washers if I am going to reuse them. By this I mean heat them up to red hot and then cool them down as quick as you can. A tub of water to dunk them in is all I use or run them under the tap. It makes the washer "soft" or malleuable (spelling?) again and should seal if it isnt too destroyed. i thought it was the other way around, slow cool to anneal, quick cool to harden? awesome how to by the way, will be using it when i do my oil from now on! thank you very much! |
Author: | drmini in aust [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:19 pm ] |
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Nope, copper is fully annealed by heating to red, then dropping it edge on into cold water. Opposite to carbon steels... |
Author: | ronhic [ Sun Nov 16, 2008 8:30 pm ] |
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Fantastic! I have never done an oil change.....but at least I feel armed that I can attempt to do one now..... Thanks Nick..... |
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