How To: Oil Change

Hello all, Today I decided to change my own oil in my Cayman S . I currently have 5,000 miles on the odometer and felt that it was time to get the original oil out of the car. The original oil has been through the break in and some-what aggressive driving. I am mainly changing the oil for 'peace of mind'. From now on I will probably change the oil every 10,000 miles. Time Required:[/quote] 30-45 min. Tools/Parts Required:[/quote] - Porsche Cayman S Oil Filter with O Ring: $24.76 (At Dealership) - Porsche Crush Washer for Drain Plug : Free (Asked Technician for one) - 9 Quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 Synthetic Oil: $78.21 (8.69 X 9 at Dealership) - 8mm Hex Ratchet or 8mm Allen Wrench: Free (I had one) - Oil Filter Removal Tool: Free (I had one) - Oil Container (for drained oil): Free (I had one) - Dirty Rag: Free (I had one) - Car Ramps: Free (I had one) - Chock Blocks (X2): Free (I had one) * Note: You can see all of the tools in the pictures below. Total Cost: $102.97[/quote] Step 1:[/quote] Warm your car up. I just brought mine for a 5-minute drive to get the oil warm so that it would flow out of the oil pan better (and quicker). Step 2:[/quote] Back your car up onto ramps. Step 3:[/quote] Put Chock blocks under your wheels. Step 4:[/quote] Take the Oil Filler Cap off (Located under your rear trunk hatch - to release pressure for draining). Step 5:[/quote] Use a 8mm Hex Key or Allen Wrench to take the Oil Drain plug out (make sure the oil spill-container is below the oil pan). Oil will begin to pour out rapidly. Step 6:[/quote] Use a filter wrench (filter removal tool) to take the filter off. Pull the black plastic filter shell off and place it upside down on your oil container. Pull the old filter out and discard it. Step 7:[/quote] Wait 20-30 minutes for all of the oil to drain out. Step 8:[/quote] Remove the old O-Ring from the black plastic oil filter housing and replace with a new one. Insert your new filter into the filter hole and then screw the black plastic oil filter housing on over top of it. (I'm sure there is a torque value associated with this but I just used German guten-tight. I put it on a lot tighter than I do normal car oil filters to make sure that the filter housing seated and sealed properly with the O-Ring.) Step 9:[/quote] Put the Oil Drain Plug back in with a new crush washer. Once again I just tightened it down with the old German guten-tight. I don't know the exact torque specification. Step 10:[/quote] Fill the car with 8.189 quarts of oil. (The manual says 7.75 Liters for an oil change with oil and filter changed). I converted it using google. I just put in about 8.2 quarts and it worked perfectly. I drove for 10 minutes, shut it down, checked the oil, and my oil read exactly 1 Bar below the very top (Perfect!). Step 11:[/quote] Remove chock blocks, and drive your car off the ramps. Drive for a few minutes and then shut the car down so you can check your oil. Overall, it was very easy. It took me a little longer than usual because I've never changed the oil on a Cayman S or on any Porsche . Very easy. Highly recommended. Pics: [/quote] Hope this helps some of you, Shane Edited by - Helo Driver on 06/25/2006 5:15:09 PM

thanks! that was what i was waiting for.....

Very good Shane, thanks. I've always done this myself but was a bit put off by the chance of overfilling the Porsche . I think Zornet posted the torque requirements so we can add that info to your how to. It is probably good to check the oil the next day after it has cooled down just to make sure it isn't overfilled.

Shane, Thanks for the info. I have a question on the oil filter housing. Is it more sturdy than a normal oil filter? The reason I ask is that I have a strap type oil filter wrench (seat belt like strap) that is very good at removing filters, but sometimes will crush them a bit if they are on tight. Does it looklike the filter housing is sturdy enough to stand up to it? thanks, Dave

If you do this often you will want to invest in http://e-partssales.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=P&Product_Code=00072192040&Category_Code=caymanmaintenance

I would have thought that the car would need to be more level than that. I wonder how much, if any, old oil was left after draining.

Dave, The Canister is thick plastic and seems relatively tough. You can see in the picture the kind of tool that I used. Is yours like that? If so, just be careful and take your time. If it doesn't start to turn with quite a bit of force I'd invest in the kind that the Porsche Dealership uses. (Ratchet Type). See Santa Fe's post above and click on the link to see a picture of the Oil Filter removal tool that Porsche uses. yz250, The car is actually almost perfectly level due to the slope of the driveway in front of my garage. The picture was taken from a low angle so it makes it look like my car is not level at all but it is. Shane PS. I edited my original post from a 10mm Allen Wrench to the proper 8mm wrench (I double checked). It is: 8mm. Shane Edited by - Helo Driver on 06/22/2006 6:43:47 PM

The car ramps look as though they counteract the slope in the driveway, the car looks pretty level to me.

go topep boys or advance autoparts and get the same oil cheaper...

btw, nice post HeloDriver. I've bookmarked this thread

Do you have to order it to get 0W-40 Mobil 1 Synthetic ? Is it in stock on the shelves? Shane Edited by - Helo Driver on 06/22/2006 6:51:59 PM

Helo Driver would you mind copy/pasting your first message as an article submission to the How To section in the Articles area please? Thanks!

Yes..I wasn't even looking for the oil, it was just there. (pep boys). It impressed me

K-Man S, I just sent it in to the 'How To' section in the 'Articles' section under 'Miscellaneous'. Shane Edited by - Helo Driver on 06/22/2006 7:04:52 PM

Thanks, just approved the article and it will make the next monthly newsletter as well!

Great article. Questions concerning the ramps. What brand are they? Rating? It looks like a really tight margin to ascend them, do they stay put? Did you place jack stands under the jacking points ? I have seen this kind of ramp collapse before, and know that the clearance on our cars is not alot and there are many, many expensive things beneath that can be damaged (us included) ... so, how safe would you rate this operation?

Nice post. Thank you. fmarshall's concern about ramps failing is right on - I had some fail years ago - I was lucky. There were also some safety recalls on a number of brands. After than, I built my own using solid 2x12 sections of wood - Solid and heavy as hell - no chance of failure.

Shane - Feel free in using this information in your article. A little edit by K-Man S would do the trick. Torque specs are 37 ftlbs for the drain plug and 19 ftlbs for the filter. This was given to me by Phil of Suncoast Motorsports one of our sponsors. zornet

Thank Zornet! fmarshall, They are just some I bought at 'Auto zone'. I have jack-stands but didn't use them. I've used my ramps for a while now with other cars that are just as heavy (or heavier) without a problem. I guess placing jack-stands underneath would have been more safe. I didn't think about it being a problem though. Shane

It is good to be REALLY safe. I like the 2x12 idea. I may make a couple of full-lenght ramps to run up on. I'm real safety conscious. When I was 17, I was a little less safety conscious and had a 56 Studebaker fall on me. Fortunately, I only have a cosmetic reminder of a scar above my left eye to remind me. It cut through my eyebrow and gave me a clear view of my skull, which isn't exactly Carrara white. Twenty for stitches later, making a nice letter 'C' adds a liitle grit to my demeaner. But every dark cloud has a silver lining, and that event allowed me to miss finals in my senior year of high school. And that friends, is the only way I managed to pass my government class!! Edited by - fmarshall on 06/23/2006 11:21:20 AM

I spoke with my trusted European part supplier. He gave me a Mahleoil filter withalmost the identical part number : 996 107 225 52 MAH. The only difference are the letters at the end. They are the original OEM. He sold it to me for $10.00. I realize in the scheeme of things $12 or $14 X-tra is not a lot of money. It just runs against the grain to pay more for the exact same product. The only difference is the Porsche seal. He told me to go buy an original and I will see it is manufactured by Mahle .

Great write-up! Thanks /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thumbsup.gif

Simple, well written and right to the point. Finally, the one picture was worth 1,000 words and then some. I think I speak for some of the other members when I say, you shed a very, very large light bulb on what was a somewhat dark subject. My point being, you showed us it's just like doing a Chevy or a Ford, nothing magic about it. Thank you again for helping us all. Regards, riamga

Great article Helo! Super informative pictures. Our local CostCo sells 6 qts. Mobil1 for around 22 bucks. I'm not sure if they have CostCo's in your area... but checking your local region's equivalent (Sam's Club) might be worthwhile. Also, the picture of your CS on the car ramps has a blue-green car off to the side a bit.. Just curious, what kind of car was it?

That Blue-Green car is my daily driver. It's a 1998 Subaru Legacy GT. Shane

Helo Driver how was the oil?How much of a color change, smell , particulate? I am thinking of changing oil at 5 or 6K miles like you. Thanks in advance

When using a strap wrench, grab the housing at the base and you'll have no crushing problems. It's very solid there.

No more oil left in engine if oil change done with car horinzontal... I checked once -- not with Cayman (just changed its oil Sunday) but with Boxster. Drained oil with car on ramps, then raised front end and maybe maybe a half a cup of oil drained out and it might have drained out anyway cause oil was still running out when I raised car's nose. I was looking for a big flood of oil. Maybe a quart or two of oil remains in engine even if car perfectly level. Even if a bit of extra oil remained in engine with car on ramps it matters not. Sincerely, Rockster.

Walmart is even less ~~~