Another 5W-30 Case--And question

Can't believe this! As a result of this post, I decided to inquire with the shop that did the previous oil change on my car last month (while owned by previous owner), and found they too used 5W-30! (Mobile 1, but still 30!) I questioned them, and they are adamant that this oil is fine, and that they've got 20 porsches in the shop and are using it for all of them. I'm not taking chances, and hope to use this opportunity to attempt my first DIY procedure. Now, please understand I have NO experience working on cars....and my wife thinks I'm nuts beginning on this one. But from what everyone here says, it sounds doable. I found Loren's writeup on Renntech, but I had a few outstanding questions for those who have done it here: 1) Is the oil drain plug difficult to locate? Can anyone post a pic of what it looks like/where it is? 2) I understand car need to be at operating temp to change it...car should be turned off though, correct? 3) I plan to pick up some ramps and raise the rear that way...is this okay? 4) I understand I can go with the tighten by hand, then quarter turn further method when replacing the drain plug. Any other things to consider/watch out for? Thanks

1) Is the oil drain plug difficult to locate? Can anyone post a pic of what it looks like/where it is? Not at all, it's close to the center of the flat bottom plate of the oil pan. If you take a peek on your knees, you should see it. It's a bolt with a recessed hex hole. 2) I understand car need to be at operating temp to change it...car should be turned off though, correct? Definitely. 3) I plan to pick up some ramps and raise the rear that way...is this okay? No need. Assuming your car is not lowered. You can stack up two decent pieces of 2x10 and drive your right rear wheel over it. Remember to choke the left front and rear wheels and engage the parking brake and put the car in gear. The space will be tight but you may be able to get away with not jacking up the car. 4) I understand I can go with the tighten by hand, then quarter turn further method when replacing the drain plug. Be careful since this is an aluminum plug and it's very easy to strip. Not heard the quarter turn method for drain plug. Heard it for oil filter though. Any other things to consider/watch out for? You would need either a special oil filter wrench or an adjustable filter wrench to take out the filter if you need to change it. - Ahsai (Disclaimer: these are all guidelines only and you do it at your own risks)

I concur; I am not a mechanic by any means but enjoy changing the oil. I bought ramps at Wal-Mart for under $20 as well as the hex bit required for the drain plug. I also purchased a small adjustable filter wrench and have to work the filter housing off 1/4 turn at a time. I will most likely be purchasing the proper wrench for the next change. I get my filters from Pelican Parts and the oil from Autozone - 0w-40 Mobile 1 for the winter and Castrol 5w-50 for summer. Make sure you are ready when you drop the plug - the oil comes fast and it's hot. Good luck.

Thanks Ahsai...when you say to take a peek underneath, do you mean from the back? Or looking from behind the left or right rear tire? Also, do you happen to know the size of the hex hole?

I meant from the back between the two tailpipes. You should see a flat bottom oil pan plate with a hex bolt close to the center of the plate IIRC. You need a 8mm hex. There's a nice writeup here from Loren too http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7055 Should have pointed it out earlier... - Ahsai

Be careful if you use the autozone oil catcher/pan to recycle the oil. I used it and when the oil drain plug came out with the HOT oil it blocked the hole in the catch pan!!!pretty soon I had the oil overflowing on the garage floor. I suggest putting a screen (not a very fine one) to catch the plug so it doesn't do that. Remember the oil will be hot.

I concur. I would suggest you wait an hr after the engine shuts down or until the pan is warm to the touch, just to be safe. Don't scorch yourself! The reason for changing the oil when it's hot/warm is because oil flows best when hot/warm so you'll get most of the oil out (as opposed to cold oil sticking to the internal of the engine). Since you have new oil in the engine anyway, a complete draining is not as important anyway. You can always leave it dripping for as long as you like if you want to drain the last drop. - Ahsai

Makes sense, thanks guys

Remember to replace the sealing ring on the drain plug. Get the proper torque specification for the plug, use a torque wrench and DO NOT overtighten.

Use Loren's directions and you should be fine to change the oil. Easy job taking about 20 min. If you decide to get a filter wrench check other sources before paying Porsche dealer price. My local Porsche dealer wanted around $50 for it, at the local Mercedes dealer the same size wrench was $13. (I think BMW has a wrench that also fits) It looked almost identical to Porsche part and worked great. Good luck.

Ashai, Quote from above. �You can stack up two decent pieces of 2x10 and drive your right rear wheel over it.� That sounds like a safe simple idea! But shouldn�t the car be level since the oil pan is flat? Will all the oil drain if the car is sitting cockeyed? I have hesitated to change my oil since I tend to be accident prone  I just haven�t been able to figure out an extremely safe way to lift the car and have it level at the same time. I also have a hard time trusting jack stands enough to crawl under a car 

Can I get away with tightening the plug without a torque wrench? I've heard I can hand tighten and then turn 1/4 turn past that. Any thoughts? Or if not, any recs on the simplest torque wrench I could purchase and where?

 I see what you mean. I did it in my garage head in and the slight grade of the garage floor cancels out the slight tilt the wood make. However, I would argue even on a level ground, the slight tilt by the wood (2-3 inch under the right rear wheel) is not significant at all. Think about it, compare to 9 quart, any oil sitting cockeyed would be insignificant. Of course, ideally you would want the car completely level but hey, that would require way too much effort for me in a home garage. - Ahsai

Thanks Ashai, I guess I'm too picky about things :-) JLB, Sears has a nice wrench with a counter type readout. http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

The 1/4 turn method might just work but for first timer would be hard to judge. You could get a craftsman beam torque wrench 0-75ftlb, 3/4" dive for $25 from Sears. Read and follow the instruction carefully and be prepared to work in some weird angle though since the dial of the torque wrench will be facing down and you need to keep an eye on it while you're tightening. You could put some colored tape at the dial at 37ftlb to aid aiming. If you plan to do more DIY projects, I would recommend at least a craftsman clicker type torque wrench 10-75ftlb (~$60 on sale now). Hope it helps. - Ahsai

Will do, thanks again guys.

jlb - here is a pic of the drain plug (circled in red). I "borrowed" the pic from Orient Express.

I think the shop is right, 5-W30 is ok for normal street use. Leave it in and save your time, some money and environment.

gota911-thanks for the pic! I should have thought to check Orient Express's shots...probably cleaner than staring at a brand new engine!