Need Help Finding Tools for oil change.

[ProjectM96]

I am trying to find the tools needed to change my engine oil and transmission oil. Both are 2000 miles overdue.

2000 Boxster 2.7L
5 speed manual transmission.

Wayne says they are for sale on Pelican Parts. I only managed to find the 17mm socket for the trans oil filler hole after looking through pages and pages of catalog.

I cannot find the 16mm tripple square tool anywhere for the transmission oil drain plug.

I cannot find the 8mm Hex Socket Tool for the engine oil drain plug for sale on the site. Else where I only see them for sale in expensive $50+ tool sets.

[s_wilwerding]

You can find the triple square on the auction site.

Sears sells individual hex sockets, but if you plan on working on your car much, it's worth the $30 to buy the whole set.

[ProjectM96]

I just got a quote from the Jiffy Lube I used to work at. They carry Mobile One 0w-40 oil and 75W90 transmission oil.

They quoted me $200 total for the entire job. That is a pretty good deal considering some people pay $120 alone for an engine oil change or transmission oil change.

I was suprised they had the oil required for my car. Though they did say there is a chance they don't have the right tools to open the drain plug for the trans.

Still though, I prefer to do the work myself.
I am estimating it will cost me $40 for oil, $10 for filter, $90 for sockets and tools needed, $10 for drain pan or bucket that holds 10 quarts, $15 for trans oil, and $60 for the 2 jack stands I need.

So if I do it myself, it will cost roughly $225 initially. But then I will save $120+ for every oil change afterwards.

[Super 90]

Now, I don't mean to sound snobbish, I really really don't.... but there isn't a single Jiffy Lube anywhere in the known universe that will ever see my car. It just can't happen. No.

[faverymi]

Please don't Jiffy Lube anything.

They stripped the oil pan in my honda when I was in college. No place to change oil in the dorms.

Nevermind the all aluminum boxster plugs and pan.

Just saying...

[BerneseMtnDog]

+1 on doing this yourself. It's one of the easiest engines for an oil change I've seen. I would highly recommend using a torque wrench when you re-tighten things and use the factory specs for this. My fear for taking this to a Jiffy Lube would be cross threading and over tightening. I also prefer 5W40 but that's another topic.

Steve

[ProjectM96]

I worked at Jiffy Lube for a year. We never made a mistake with a customers car while I was there. They trained us pretty good. We used torque wrenches on the drain plug. The only thing I admit that we did badly is that we did not let the oil completely drain. It is a quick 5-8 minute job. On my car, I wait until there are less than 10 drops per minute. At Jiffy Lube, they put the oil drain plug back on eventhough oil is dripping at 50 drops per minute.

In the 8 years I have been driving, I have never taken my car anywhere for an oil change. I have always done it myself.

This is the first time doing it on my Porsche though. I was holding it off because I did not feel like buying the special tools. I will finally be installing my magnetic drain plug during the oil change, which means I won't need the 8mm hex socket anymore.

[BerneseMtnDog]

That's good that the Jiffy Lube guys near you are good. The ones near me forgot to tighten the oil filter on my neighbor's car and he lost about half his oil before he noticed it. I know accidents happen but I still think if you do the work yourself you will do a more careful job than anyone else will and you'll take better notice of other things in that area that may need attention in addition to thoroughly looking over the filter pleats. Good call on the magnetic drain plug BTW.

Steve

[mikefocke]

Any mechanic, properly distracted, can screw up an oil change...even an owner. TG weekend I noticed my son's car leaving drops and that night, flashlight in hand, we searched his dipstick for oil. None. Added a quart. None.

Up on a rack, drain plug askew and $6 later and an oil change he was fine. Saved an engine.

Dealer had done the previous oil change.

I used to take my Boxsters to the local quick lube place. They did lots of other P-cars and I took them all parts and oils. I even took them a spare drain plug. Never a problem. But they knew I was watching them and good for frequent oil changes in all my cars. They took $10 off their cheapest oil change price so I felt the rack time charge was fair.

[Steve986]

Not everyone gets to change the oil on their very own Porsche. Don't take this privilege for granted. That's not snobbyness, it's appreciation of circumstance. You should do it yourself, IMHO.

Besides, Jiffy lube is from SATAN!

[mikewood]

Taking Jiffy Lube out of the equation (and getting back on topic)...

2003 986 S.

What special tools do I need to change oil? I have a pretty comprehensive tool chest in the garage, as far as normal stuff like hex heads and metric sockets.

[Meirschwartz]

You get:
1. Amazon.com: Neiko 10074A Metric MM Pro-Grade Allen Hex Bit Socket, 13-Piece: Home Improvement
2. Neiko 10-Piece XZN Triple Square Spline Bit Socket Set, Quality S2 XZN Bits - Amazon.com
3. 4 Piece End Cap Oil Filter Wrenches

[Fingal]

I take my boxster to jiffy lube, but I go into the pit and hand the guy the stuff. I once took it to a local European car dealer who forgot to put on the crush ring at the bung.

I also took it to a DIY garage with a lift for a few years and did it myself, until the lift broke with my car on it.

I get all the supplies from this site, including magnetic bung, oil filters and crush rings.

I wish I could get a cheap 4 post lift that would fit in my garage.

[mikewood]

Originally Posted by Meirschwartz

You get:
1. Amazon.com: Neiko 10074A Metric MM Pro-Grade Allen Hex Bit Socket, 13-Piece: Home Improvement
2. Neiko 10-Piece XZN Triple Square Spline Bit Socket Set, Quality S2 XZN Bits - Amazon.com
3. 4 Piece End Cap Oil Filter Wrenches

Thanks. I have the allen socket needed, so that's one item off the list. I don't have any XZN sockets...what size is needed? I think I might just buy one, unless there are bunches of those fasteners on the Boxster, in which case having a set makes sense. Finally, I have a number of oil filter cap wrenches. Anyone know what size is required?

Thanks again. I have to do an oil change in the next 500 miles, so it makes sense to get my act together. Hard to believe I've already put almost 5000 miles on the car since I bought it.