oil drain on valve adjustment?

[jurhip]

I do not want to change oil at the same time I am doing a valve adjustment (I changed it earlier...)

I am not sure I fully understand why one would need to drain the oil from the engine. Does it really hold that much oil in the oil pump pick-up area? Enough oil to actually keep a level in the head?

If so, I assume one could just drain the oil pick-up sump. Draining the oil tank seems pointless.

BTW, this is a 3.2 Carrera.

THANKS!

[Scott R]

It really does hold that much oil, and it moves through the return tubes as well. Some people jack the one side of the car up that their working on so it drains back to the sump. I find this to be a pain in the rear though.

[Peter Zimmermann]

Yep, if you don't want to drain the oil, jack up only the left side of the car, support it, remove the covers and adjust cyls #1-3, replace the covers, lower the car and...do the #4,5 & 6 side.

[jurhip]

Any issue just draining the oil sump and not the tank, or will I see all 12qt back-flowing into the sump?

[burgermeister]

The tank will flow past the oil pump and into the sump. Slowly, but it will - that's why the sump is full in the first place! Remember you need to let it sit for 4-6 hours before the valve adjustment - it needs to be stone cold.

I don't see the big deal jacking up one side of the car at a time - I frequently do it that way, as it can be convenient to separate the oil change from the valve adjustment. Less of a hassle than a partial oil change for sure.

[Scott R]

The "hassle" for me is not being able to just follow the firing order and having to jack up and down the car. I want to drain the thing, put it up on the lift once and do all 12 valves in short order.

[DaddyGlenn]

I change oil every 3k mles and adjust valves every 9k or 12k miles. That way when one is due , so is the other.

[burgermeister]

Originally Posted by Scott R

The "hassle" for me is not being able to just follow the firing order and having to jack up and down the car. I want to drain the thing, put it up on the lift once and do all 12 valves in short order.

Have you done a valve adjustment before? If not, unless you are superbly skilled, the term "short order" may need some re-definition ...

Jacking up the car and rotating the engine twice more is about 2% of the time it takes to do a valve adjustment for me.

YMMV

[Justin@Athens]

Why not just drain it, and then put the same stuff back in? Not that difficult or time consuming.