DIY- Oil and Filter Change

I'm at it again. I just successfully changed the oil and filter on my new (to me) 16M. A bit of a pain in the ass, but very easy. The worst part by far is the removal of the rear undertray. It's attached to the car by 23 ( yes, 23!) bolts. They are all identical, except two at the outside rear which have smaller washers. I was able to place the rear wheels on 8 inch ramps which allowed me enough access to remove the undertray without a lift. Once the undertray is off, the rest of the oil and filter change is quite straightforward. I purchased the filter kit from Ricambi America for $85, and bought Mobil 1 0W-40 oil at the local Wal-Mart for $22.66 for a five quart bottle. Super cheap. Far and away the best oil for the least money. I allowed the oil to drain overnight so that all the old oil could drain out. I then added 9 quarts and the new filter, crossed my fingers, and started the engine. After a quick drive to assess the integrity of the plug and filter seals, and to get the engine to operating temperature, I topped off the oil with two more quarts. That brought my total cost to about $137. The most tricky part of the process is the reinstallation of the undertray. Not too bad. Two drain hoses must be poked through grommets in the undertray. The one on the left outside is easy, and the middle one is also easy if you take off the right access panel. Altogether a royal pain, but worth every minute as I was able to take a good look at the whole underside of the engine and transaxle. So far, so good. The engine has not self-destructed, and I pocketed $400 for about an hour's work.

 

I honestly can't believe you did that on ramps - well done. I did it on a lift recently and it was still quite annoying. But, it is not a bad oil change overall with the right setup and patience. Agree with you that the worst part is the undertray. I used an air wratchet (for the removal) and it still took a long time.

I got around 10.25 quarts in my car, but I only let it drain around an hour tops. Supposedly system capacity is 10L, or 10.5 quarts.

I personally do it to take care of the car in between dealer visits and because I enjoy it. I don't view it as saving money, but that is definitely a plus! : )

 

Before you check the oil level on a F430, the oil must be HOT or you will get erratic oil level readings. Someone on this forum noted that if you can remove the oil filler cap without burning your fingers, then the oil is not hot enough. My most consistent readings have come with letting the engine idle for a few minutes after a run before checking the level. I'm not sure that the 10L capacity includes the oil in the filter or not. My car took 11 quarts to just a touch over the full mark. Everything is still OK. The engine is still running like new. No oil usage at all that I can tell.

 

Well done OP for your bit of DIY. It's nice to do these little things yourself and get to know the car's little details as you go.

Just a warning on the use of the air wrench though. If the bolts all go in to riv-nuts as is the case on the 360 I'd definitely recommend loosening all by hand before using any power tools. If you loosen up one of those riv-nuts which are fixed into the aluminium chassis you'll be starting off a whole new adventure!

 

That makes sense because mine is maybe a 1/4" below max when up to temp with the amount I added (10.25 qts) and less drain time.

 

None of mine are over-tightened or corroded, so there is no risk. The air tool exerts less force than me when I turn the torque all the way down. It's purely for speed. Agreed though - be careful with air tools. This is just a 1/4 air ratchet though - it's not going to hurt anything. I torque them back down by hand.

 

I have completed oil changes on my spider 3 times in the last few years. On a lift it's easy and as the OP says there are just lots of little bolts to remove. I use Redline oil.

 

I did the oil change (and much more than that!) on jack stands - see attached!
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Lolz. That's impressive. How the heck did you remove the undertray? That's a pain to remove, even with the use of a 4 poster hoist!

 

Yeah, but wouldn't you feel better about yourself if you bought your fresh oil like the rest of us do rather than stealing it from the poor guy who just happened to leave his car in parking spot number 103? I realize that 12 quarts of premium oil is expensive, but it's not all THAT expensive. Plus, it seems like a lot of work.

 

easy - place the jack to support the undertray while you're working on it, lay on the ground, get a screwdriver in your hand and off you go!

 

that poor bastard in apartment 103 never drives his car, it's always sitting undercover, with flat battery

 

Good job! I'm a wimp these days, or maybe spoiled. I've done a lot of service in parking lots, city streets, and terrible garages. Happy to have left that behind me : )

 

Very cool - best I've seen!

 

on any 430 - scud - 16m you don't need to remove the under tray. there are rubber grommets for the drain plugs and an access panel for the filter

 

I'm waiting for the cooling fan kit to come out for our 360's so I can do engine and tranny oil, install the fan, and be done with it. if the timing was right I could put my Fabspeed headers on at the same time!