First oil change..............help!

Okay, I’m ready to conduct my first oil change on my p-car. Don’t laugh now, I’ve completed many oil changes on other cars; however, after reading other posts on this subject, I want to be confident that I do this right the first time!

First thing, I have the single drain plug on the center of the round plate. There I know I can unscrew and drain a couple quarts from it, right? Now after I drain it from there, do I need to replace any gaskets or remove the sump screen for cleaning?
Now, I believe the PO modified the oil cooler from the right front fender to a larger one behind the front bump bar. A friend recommended that I unscrew the oil line from the rear, jack the car up from the front end, and drain the oil from the cooler and the lines. Do you guys suggest doing this?
The majority of the remaining oil can be drained from the oil tank, am I right again? I’m not sure on this one but is there a single drain plug on the tank?
Okay, if I’m right so far, I now R&R the oil filter. I’m not sure when it’s best to remove it, before or after draining the oil. Please let me know.
Now the important question, how many quarts do I add? I know there might be an unknown amount of oil in the lines and cooler, (that depends if I complete the above step of draining the cooler or not) so how much do I add before I can safely start it, warm it up, and check the level? Is 10 quarts a safe amount?

I apologize for the lengthy post. Thanks in advance for your comments.

John
'81SC Targa

remove filter after draining oil.
alot come out from both opneing plugs, get two oil pans.
replace the oil plugs, fill 7 quarts, then start car, warm up and add the rest.

normally while the oil is draining I have a beer, this is an optional step.


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Daryl 964 Targa

That's good advice from Daryl. I bought one of those big black drain pans from Discount Auto Parts. I also buy my oil from DAP (Castrol) because they have a used oil disposal tank for their customers.

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Allan Broadribb
'70-911E, 2.2l with Webers
http://www.cheaterswayside.com/uploads/Mvc-002s355.jpg

John,

Sounds like you have an earlier car (later cars do not have the round plate on motor) but its pretty much the same.

I used to get a couple to three quarts from the motor, the rest from the oil tank. Daryl is right, get big pans! I have a stainless one from an old kitchen, holds 20 quarts and works great.

One thing, drive the car for a few minutes to get it warm, THEN do the oil change. You also want it hot enough to get the valve to the front oil cooler to open. Yes, it will be hot on your hands when doing the plugs but it gets the rest of the crap out of the bottom of the motor and oil tank. I have started using the "medical" type of rubber gloves when doing this type of work, get them from a good pharmacy in a box of 1000 for under $10... keeps your hands clean.

I would not hassle with taking the oil line off of the front cooler, just drain it from the back. You will have a quart or so left in the lines but have not ever done this and never any problems with oil in my years of driving Pcars.

I usually stick around 10 quarts in the car, then start it up and let it idle until somewhat warm then check the quanity and adjust as needed. Your car may not like it totally full, as some seem to like it a half or one quart low. For highway driving I usually keep it fuller to provide more oil in the tank to help with oil temps, while short drives in town do not get totally up to normal temp.

Hope this helps...

JA

Get the gasket sump kit from pelican, with the washers for your plugs. it's like $3. get 2 oil pans, and drain the sump into one and the tank into the other. Wait untill you get most of the oil out of the tank and sump, than R&R the filter. There is discusion that you should disconnect and drain the cooler, both yeah and neah. i don't feel that you need to. anybody else feel free to chime in. if you have the Carrera style cooler, and you don't drain it, put 9 quarts back in then start it up and check your oil level.
I hope this helps, and thanks for the BK directions Schubee. I found out the mount will not fit my seats.


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Matt Chamblin
78 911 SC

In addition...

You might get a lot of oil in the engine bay when removing the filter. Allow plenty of time for it to drain before attempting removal - and give yourself a chance at a less messy job by fully stuffing the area with rags for absorption first.

On my 964 the oil fills veeeeeerrrrry slow. I don't remember it being that slow on my old SC, but to avoid filling too fast and overflowing again... I expand on Daryl's advice by adding an additional beer between quarts.

Let that thing get HOT before topping off the oil. I mean full on, stop and go, 100 degree driving temperature kind of hot. Otherwise, when you do get in that situation, it could overflow on you later. While waiting for that temperature to get up there, I recommend having yet another beer.

If using my procedure - don't do a test drive just yet - you might be a tad bit tipsy.

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Brian Smith
'91 C2

...buy a rubber strap oil filter wrench. Learned that one the hard way! I actually could not remove filter by hand, came inside, got on THIS very board, searched archives, found out the emergency trick is to jam screwdriver in side of filter and use as a lever. Worked perfectly.

Oh, also, MAKE SURE YOU PUT BOTH GASKETS ON PLATE/SCREEN. Learned that one the hard way too!

Joe '68L, Sporto, Targa with $26 spark plugs.

Or a less elegant solution is to use a short length of old serpentine belt and a pair of vice grips. It works the same as a strap type oil-filter wrench in a pinch.

Charlie

John,

Since you are at the 'planning stage' for this oil change, are you also planning to adjust/check your valve clearances at the same time? Valve adjustment is part of a major service done at the same time as oil changes.

The major service gasket set that includes graphited valve cover gaskets with the green silicone bead, sump plate gaskets, and drain plug sealing rings ... generally is around $20. You will also need the P-213 factory feeler gauge tha is curved to fit the hand and curl around the little finger for stability ... if you don't already have the tool. Get a spare set of 0.004" blades, and disassemble and clean the tool with brake cleaner/degreaser, then use blue Loctite thread locking compound on the tiny screws and nuts! New P-213 tools sometimes have a habit of having the screws amd nuts coming loose at inopportune times and falling into the engine nether regions, as one board member found out last year!

When I do my oil changes and valve adjustments, I drain the oil after a 30 minute or longer drive, then park the car where the valve adjustment will be done, and drain the oil overnight into two pans, assuring a cold engine for the valve adjustment. I don't remove the oil filter until the next morning, and I always put a 8-9" aluminum pie plate under the filter to catch any spillage ... typically 1-2 tablespoons. I leave the oil filter off during the valve adjustment for more elbow room to move around in. The A/C compressor gets unbolted from the mount and draped over a padded service cover over the rear panel with the factory service stickers ... during the valve adjustment.

Good luck with your first major service!
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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 05-24-2001).]

Warren,
How long does it take to adjust the valves? Throw out the "first" time as us neophytes tend to take drastically longer the first go around and then get better. Just wanted a ball park figure. How much is the feeler gauge? Does it make much difference over s 3 inch feeler gauge?

For the first timer, a valve adjustment will take quite sometime. After I did mine for the first time, I can now do it ( the valve adjustment) in an hour or so.

But Warren makes a good point that you should adjust the valves while in there.

The more you do it, the easier it gets.

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Matt Chamblin
78 911 SC

911s dont use oil, they use hydrogen gas so you shouldnt have to worry about doing your own oil change any time soon.

Joe,

Pelican has the P-213 tool for $10.90 and spare blades for $4.40, and I deel the tool is ESSENTIAL to do the job right! A 3" feeler gauge has too much flex over its' entire length, and a look at the picture of the Pelican tool listing shows that the brass handle is rigid right down to the end that hold the little feeler blade. I believe that many of the first-time difficulties are the result of using conventional feeler blades!

I think 4-5 hours is a reasonable time to figure for the first time, though some have taken longer over a two-day period, and many with VW Beetle or other air-cooled engine experience have reported a couple of hours. The VW experience is very helpful, though not essential! The propensity for your neck to develop aches and pains while bent over doing the intake valves is a major factor if you are over 40! I find a 30-minute break for a Coke to be helpful, and sometimes a Parfon-Forte DSC tablet, as well ... between left & right banks!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

I picked up an oil filter wrench from Pep Boys that fits over the top of the filter, and has a hole that a wratchet fits in to. Cost me about $3, if I remember correctly.

I even dug out the appropriate Fram filter for my car to make sure I got the correct size filter wrench. It fit on the Mahle flter just fine.

Tom

A Parfon-Forte DSC tablet??


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Doug
'81 SC Coupe (aka: "Blue Bomber")
Canada West Region PCA
members.home.net/zielke/911SC.htm

Maybe I'm missing something, but how tight are you guys tightening the oil filter? I can loosen it with my hands. I also tighten the filter with my hands, and I've never had an oil leak (from the filter) and I've been changing oil for 20 years (not as a job).
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Paul
78SC Targa

A couple of added thoughts:

Drive a centerpunch thru the filter end at 12 o'clock and then give it a couple blasts of compressed air with the rubber tipped air hose nozzle. Drastically reduces any spillage when the filter is removed.

Save gallon jugs so you'll have something to discard your oil in. Here in California we just leave it at the curb. AND they leave new empties!

Use first class Mahle oil filters. Hand tight always works for me.

Limit beers--or check everything again the next morning BEFORE taking off!

A Parfon-Forte DSC tablet??

Does that raise or lower your compression

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Allan Broadribb
'70-911E, 2.2l with Webers
http://www.cheaterswayside.com/uploads/Mvc-002s355.jpg