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bbc5167 · Joined: 17 May 2002 Posts: 3 Location: Bellflower, CA USA

I bought a oil filter from AutoZone few days ago. After I open the box and I realized that the oil filter is like an airfilter.
How do I change the oil filter and what are the things I need to pay attention?

Thanks for your help.

edjack · Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Posts: 3887 Location: San Jose, CA

Is it a round filter, or a square one?

Do you have an aluminum canister on the engine, with a black plastic top?

bbc5167 · Joined: 17 May 2002 Posts: 3 Location: Bellflower, CA USA

It is a round filter. It also come with a copper washer and a rubber seal.

I have not look into the engine area yet?

Where is the aluminum canister locate? Is it underneath engine?

Thanks.

edjack · Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Posts: 3887 Location: San Jose, CA

The canister should be at the front of the engine, just behind the radiator. You'll need a 36 mm socket to remove the black top. Let the oil drain down into the before you remove the filter; it'll be far less messy that way. Have a rag or papaer towel ready to put under the filter.

The copper washer is for the pan drain plug, and the rubber O-ring is for the black cap. Replace both, and smear some fresh oil on the O-ring.

The filter snaps into place on the black cap.

bbc5167 · Joined: 17 May 2002 Posts: 3 Location: Bellflower, CA USA

Thank you very much for all the detailed information.
I will pop up the hood tonight to locate the canister and will change the oil and filter sometime this weekend.
Thanks again for your big help.

Eton

donaldan · Joined: 01 Jul 2001 Posts: 1881 Location: Ft. Myers, FL

It is a good idea to change oil long before the indicator lights come off. I do it every 3,000 miles. It is the best insurance for engine longivity. Some BMW engines, if not all, have a reputation of building up carbon deposit fast and you want to minimize that. Use the best oil you can afford. I use Mobil 1 full synthetic oil. I pay $18 per five quarts at Wal-Mart when it is on sale. I also stick to using BMW filter which is known for its unmatched filtering efficiency. I paid $8.50 for mine, not much more than any aftermarket brand. I also use a topsider pump to suck out the oil so that I don't have to crawl under the car to unscrew the drain plug. With the pump, I can remove all the used oil down to the last drop. In my case, with the M52 engine in a 1997 528i, it sucks out 7 full quarts. Finally, inspect the interior of your filter canister before you place the new filter in. Some plastic parts may break lose in there as the oil circulates under some.