Oil Change Dumb Question

[Canefan]

Is it better to have the car level when draining out the oil or is it ok to use ramps? If the car is on ramps will some oil remain in the crankcase?

[rogm]

good question, i hope someone chimes in

[Eddie135]

The last service I had, the mechanic left the car on the hoist, no levelling.

They left it them until all the oil is drain out from the sump by itself.

[cedavis34]

I would imagine leveled is better, but I don't think it really matters too much. A friend of mine is a BMW mechanic, and all of the guys at his dealership drain the oil stone cold. It comes out slower so it doesn't overshoot the opening and make a mess, and they don't mess around with making a baffle to deflect it.

That obviously goes against all oil diy's that say to do it warm, but in the end it really doesn't matter.

Back to the question though, the 100 or 200 mL's that stay in because the car is on a ramp is nothing compared to the almost 7 quarts you put in.

[tracer bullet]

Agreed, it's so little difference as not to matter.

I haven't changed the oil in this car yet (tons of times on all my other cars, just haven't had this one long enough) - is the drain plug at the back of the pan? If so, I see no reason not to have it at an angle. Unless there's any baffles in the pan or nooks & crannies in the engine block that would hold oil in place at that slight angle. But I doubt there are, it wouldn't be good for oil return to the pickup tube in the pan in general.

[fboutlaw]

Changed my oil this weekend. The drain plug is where it should be, at the lowest point of the pan in the center. If you can get the car level, that should be best for draining the oil.

Do not make the mistake I did and get yourself a huge drain pan. Must fit at least 7 quarts and have spare room to not splash over the sides. Messes may ensue. Also, it drains way faster warmed up a bit.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by cedavis34

I would imagine leveled is better, but I don't think it really matters too much. A friend of mine is a BMW mechanic, and all of the guys at his dealership drain the oil stone cold. It comes out slower so it doesn't overshoot the opening and make a mess, and they don't mess around with making a baffle to deflect it.

That obviously goes against all oil diy's that say to do it warm, but in the end it really doesn't matter.

Back to the question though, the 100 or 200 mL's that stay in because the car is on a ramp is nothing compared to the almost 7 quarts you put in.

Perhaps it doesn't matter to those techs to change the oil on customer cars when its stone cold.

I bet you though they change their own oil(in their own cars) when its hot! I've seeb techs do all kinds of dumb things. Like oil changes w/o changing the oil filter(to get a free one for themselves) or doing a four wheel alignment with only setting/checking the toe ..."set the toe and let her go"! Just bc a tech does something doesn't mean its the correct way of doing it. They get paid on commision so fast and cheap is best for them.

[chachacha28]

im more worried about the oil that stays in the oil cooler/lines than the residual in the oil pan.

[Dackelone]

Originally Posted by ezeedee

im more worried about the oil that stays in the oil cooler/lines than the residual in the oil pan.

...an other good reason to change ones oil often.

[JimD]

I nearly always change my oil with the engine cold but I let it drain a long time. I have two cars so I can use the other one if I need a car while I'm working on one. I often let it drain for 30 minutes or so. There is no real difference other than it takes longer to drain cold. Working on a hot engine is not something I enjoy. The bimmer wouldn't be a big deal, however. The biggest opportunity for pain will be when the hot oil comes out of the engine. No need to work in close proximetry to exhaust as I experience on other cars.

I change the SUV (non-BMW) with it on the ground. I raise the front of the bimmer but not the rear. If you stretch oil changes to the absolute limit, like BMW seems to now recommend when they are paying, I would want to get every last drop of "bad" oil out. But if you change it at 5000-8000 miles like I think you should, a little residual is not going to hurt much of anything. The oil analyses I have seen even with long intervals have not indicated the additives in the oil were all gone or the oil was otherwise unsuitable for service. And if you dilute 6-7 quarts with a few tablespoons of old oil.....

Jim

[Canefan]

Thanks for all the great answers.

Funny story about changing the oil when it's hot and the reason why I now do it when cold instead. I was changing the oil on my E46 M3 a couple of years ago like I had done many times in the past. I loosened the drain plug and placed the drain pan in position under the car. I then loosened the plug by hand ever mindful of the flood of scalding hot oil that was about to come pouring out, so I was tensed to remove my hand quickly as the plug came loose. Well, the plug came off but in my haste to get my hand out of the way, I dropped the plug and it landed squarely in hole in the center of my drain pan occluding it completely. The top of the pan filled quickly and there was nothing I could do but watch the oil overflow and pour onto my garage floor. Most helpless feeling I've ever had. There was no way to reach into the scalding oil and remove the plug which was wedged firmly in the hole. I had no other receptacle that I could quickly slide under there either. Talk about a mess. Used kitty litter to clean it up and learned a valuable lesson.

[jdm135]

personally i put it on a lift at work and let it drain

[Dackelone]

Since the question of what oil should I use in my BMW always seems to come up... I thought I would post (again) these two pdf's oil BMW approved oils. Also take note of the viscosity oil chart too. Engine oil weight makes little difference really. its more important to use an oil that carried a BMW Long Life 1 (LL-1) rating.