Just finished my first DIY Oil Change...

Well... not my first ever - there's an old '73 Fiat Spyder out there that has that distinction... Used the opportunity to install the Spin-on Oil Adapter from Flat6. Filled it with Mobil 1 15W50 High Performance Synthetic (for the spontaneous mid-summer run to Las Vegas) and a K&N Gold High Performance Oil Filter... Wasn't bad at all, after I recover the cost of the adapter (I figure two oil changes) I should be ahead on projected maintenance costs... Next thing on the list is a spark plug change... trying to figure out if I should change all the coil packs as long as I'm in there... Rudy

You are the man!!!

Good job on the oil change. It's really not too hard at all, is it?

Cheers! Did my first one recently too. Pretty easy, but not quite prepared for how fast the oil comes out . . .

Rudy, What are your initial impressions of the spin on filter adapter? I'm thinking about ordering one in 2 wks.

Is the spin on adadpter a worthwhile improvement?

What's the difference between the standard filter and the spin-on?

The spin on adapter allows you to use better filtering spin ons like the Mobil 1 filter or the K&N, as well as use a magnetic sleeve that traps magnetic particles in the filter can. Down side is it's hard to inspect the filter pleats.

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Mostly, I would just like to not have to wrestle w/ the stupid plastic OEM housing. Search YouTube for "Flat6 innovations" for a video. I can't seem to get YT to work at the moment.

Thanks guys! Not too bad at all... I thought the spin-on was worthwhile just from the viewpoint that I could get an over-the-counter, high performance filter at just about any retail outlet. Plus the stuff about the magnet - and if you get the K&N Gold filter you can get rid of whatever flavor filter wrench you use - K&Ns have a molded 1" socket on the end, which I really like because you can torque it right to spec (which is a lot better than hand tight plus one quarter turn...) There was nothing to the installation - they give you an installation tool - it's pretty much as easy as installing the oil filter - you just got to make sure it's seated right and that there's no gap in the seam after it's screwed in... the video was really helpful and it's on the Flat6 website. Rudy

Cheers, it's a fun and relatively easy DIY. Plus you get the satisfaction you did it yourself. I did it on my car back in November. I was surprised as to how easy it was.

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+1 on both... the only downside is that it was messy because I didn't realize how fast the oil came out... I had heard about that and I was really careful about slowly unscrewing the drain plug but it didn't seem to matter - there probably wasn't a 1/16th of a turn difference between no drain and deluge - enough to knock the plug out of my fingers and into the drain pan/jug... and my wise idea of using a gooseneck magnet to fish it out of the collection jug wasn't that wise - the plug is aluminum... but the mess wasn' anything that a couple of 4 lb. containers of that absorbent stuff wouldn't fix... Rudy

I see the need for a product here... someone could come up with a device to remove the plug and catch it w/o touching it, that was cheap.... could sell them ! <I am putting my thinking cap on>

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How about this? Afterwards you could reuse it to make donuts!

This ratchet has a thumb wheel,so your hands are away from the flow when it comes out, a little duct tape with that donut maker and we have outselves a "product!"

Just to give you a heads up on the spark plug change, remove the cans to gain a ton of access to the coil packs. It is only 3 nuts on the bracket (the one connected to the motor) and 2 for the pipe clamps per side.

+1 cans come off real easy and gain a TON of space - BUT spray the nuts on the clamp with something like WD-40 the night before if they look rusted, then again when you are ready to take it apart...if they heat up while removing, spray again and work them back and forth keeping them lubricated and cool!! (they might get hot if you just try and froce them off over the rusted part) mine were pretty rusted up, but now they are good and I can take them on and off without worry... the first time was a challenge and I sure didnt want to have to go get new ones if I didnt have too. I access the nuts on the brackets from the bottom with a wobble socket and a LONG LONG extention.. At this point I think I could pop them off in 10-15 minutes total.... Be sure and start the car at least once w/o your mufflers - then you know almost exactly what muffler by-pass pipes sound like!!

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You guys are good! But I think you're going to need a little more alcohol to finish your design... Alright - dumb question alert - what are you referring to when you say "cans"? Are you talking about the mufflers? (Don't say I didn't warn you...) Thanks, Rudy

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yes... cans are mufflers in this case.... always good to loosen that nut/bolt... they have a tendency to rust fairly quickly.

I'd love to change my oil myself; is the a clear set of instructions that I can get my hand on for an 04 Carrera ???

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The easiest oil change I've ever done. I did mine without jacking the car, but the first time out it will be useful to jack it up so you can see better what you're doing. 1) Buy one of these large open top catch basins and an oil filter element which should come with a big rubber o-ring. Buy some oil too. You'll need 8.25 litres. 2) Jack up the car (optional) and locate the filter housing. It's black plastic and looks a lot like a normal oil filter. 2a) Put on some rubber gloves 3) Arrange the drain pan under the filter housing. 4) Use a strap wrench, or small clamping style oil filter wrench to loosen the filter housing to the point where you can spin it by hand. It's a small diameter so just any old filter tool won't work. 5) Remove the filter housing and pour the contents (about a cup) into the drain pan. 6) Pull the old paper filter element off the engine. Inspect it and then throw it away. 7) Remove the rubber o-ring from the housing and put the new one on. Set this aside for now. 8) Now slide the drain pan under the drain plug. The oil filter outlet will have stopped dripping if it even did at all. 9) Note the drain plug is removed using an allen (hex) key. Make sure there's no dirt in the socket and then find the key that fits just right. (6mm?) 10) Go ahead and crack that baby open. Remove the plug slowly, or quickly - it doesn't matter because you're likely to get oil on your hand no matter what. What is important though is that you want to retain the aluminium crush washer that's in there. Last time I did this it stuck to the motor. The time before it stuck to the motor for a while then dropped into the drain pan. I discovered this after the job was done so I ran without it. The drain plug weeped a tiny bit because of that. 11) If you've jacked the car now is the time to lower it slowly so that the car is level. Let it drain for a while - go and walk through the house with oily hands so the wife freaks out. Scare the kids if you got any. 12) Once drained, jack the car back up (optional). 13) Replace the oil drain plug with washer. I don't know the torque spec.....someone will pipe up. Carefully slide that oil pan well out of the way so you don't kick it or walk into it. 14) Push the new paper filter element onto the spout where the old one came off. It doesn't matter which way is up, but you do want to seat that sucker. 15) Put a little used oil on the o-ring on that housing you set aside and spin it on by hand until the o-ring begins to seat. It will be hard to keep winding by hand after that. 16) Tighten the filter housing until it's little shoulders seat against the engine. Make it tight but not crazy tight. There's probably a torque spec for this too but that will be difficult to do with the strap wrench. The o-ring makes the seal, so the housing torque isn't critical, but it does have to seat. 17) Lower the car if you jacked it. 18) Here's the fun part....pour 8.25 litres of new oil into the filler neck under the hood there. If you have a funnel, use it, otherwise you can unclip the filler neck from the air filter housing and tilt it up. Notice it's got that accordian thing there? That's to make it bendy. 19) Replace the oil cap, start the engine, let it idle, give it a rev, check for leaks. Check the oil level if you want, but 8.25 litres is what it takes. 20) Drain the oil from your catch tray into an old jerry can for disposal. 20 steps - you're done. The hardest part is finding the right tool to remove the filter housing, but once you have that, you're good forever. A quick note about these phenolic large diameter socket things. I bought one that was exactly the right size, but it still slips. So I've abandoned it. Your mileage may vary.

Is the drain plug location painfully obvious? I'm sure I'd be able to find the oil filter housing; but can you be more specfic about where to look for it? R-Side, L-Side, front, back, any locational help. Also what Mobil 1 oil should I put in the car...I only drive it in the spring and summer fall months. Thanks !!!

Use on of these for oil collection, did mine last weekend and it's so easy.... Drainmaster

It's all obvious once you're under there, we're not talking space shuttle remember. . The filter is about the same plane as the back of the rear wheel, offset to the passenger side. The drain plug is in the middle of the oil sump. That would be that large flat ribbed square piece of metal you see when you casually peek under the car. As far as oil goes - the factory fill is Mobil 0-40 (or is it 0-50?). There are other options (I use Motul 5-40) but it's hotly debated. These debates are a source of much amusement on this board. You manual tells you everything you need to know. I've recently heard threads suggesting dino (as oppposed to synthetic) oil is ok to use....it's not.

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Jasper, Great instructions, I think you pretty much took care of everything and I agree, I don't think I'm going to bother with jacking it up next time - everything was easily within arms reach (now with the adapter on there). I'm thinking the old oil was probably 0W40. I filled it with 15W50 Mobil 1 full synthetic and I'm noticing a wider swing in oil pressure as a function of RPM with the new oil compared to the old - am I just now noticing it or is this associated with the new grade of oil? An even better question - will these wide swings hurt the engine in any way? Thanks, Rudy

Well, oil is a bit of a hot button topic around here....both brands and weights are hotly debated. So I will refrain from taking a strong position. I do know that the 3.6 litre 996 needs a very lightweight oil in order for the variocam plus system to work properly. I wouldn't go heavier than 5W on the bottom end. The oil acts as a hydralic fluid as well as as a lubricant you see. I'm *not* sure if it's as critical with the 3.4 since it has the variocam system, but not the variocam *plus* system. The manual has some pretty clear instruction IIRC. I don't think you'll do damage with a heavier oil, in fact I think there's some benefits to lubrication. It's more an issue of smooth valvetrain operation. I know a bit about oil viscosity and the 996 requirements, but I am in no way an expert, so the above is somewhere between my opinion, and what I've learned. I'm running Motul 5W50 right now on the recommendation of my Indy. I gave up on Mobil. From what I've read there are better quality oils out there for the same money.

Im paid $ 275 fot THAT !

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I am guessing you just figure out how to save $175 !?