Engine Drivetrain 2nd Gen Most liked posts in thread: Topside oil change

If you....

A. Change your oil regularly and frequently enough
B. Warm the engine up thoroughly

You should not have sludge in your oil pan in the first place, and everything that's in there will be held in suspension and come out thru the tube with the oil.

And, if you do have thick sludge in your pan, it won't come out when you drain it thru the plug either. It will just lay in the bottom of the pan.

I see no issues with using one of these.....

 

Old Mobil 1 was good stuff back in the day and that's all I used for years but the syn blend has changed a few times over the years and it is not as good as it once was.

Castro and Amsoil both make an excellent euro spec low, mid and high SAPS oil that meets BMW LL -01 and LL-04 specs.

I switched to Motul syn 300v but it was getting hard ro find and expensive to have shipped to me so I switched to Amsoil a few years back and have been very happy customer.

Amsoil 100 % synthetic signature series. 5w-30.

AMSOIL SAE 5W-30 Signature Series 100% Synthetic Motor Oil


Have have used the above for years and have switched to this when it came out for Euro spec cars.

AMSOIL European Car Formula 5W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil

European Car Formula 5W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil
Full-SAPS European Oil for European Gasoline and Diesel Engines
Formulated for the lubrication needs of European gasoline and diesel cars and light trucks. Its full sulfated ash, phosphorus and sulfur (SAPS) formulation provides excellent protection and performance for a wide range of vehicles.


As just to stay on topic any of these oils can be used in a top side oil change program.

 

I use this...

Mityvac 7400 7.3 Liter Fluid Evacuator : Amazon.com : Automotive

Pricey but I've been using it for 4 years. I'm old so doing it standing up is good.

Uhhhh, and, changing the oil standing up is good too.

 

0W40 Mobile 1 for 118,000 miles yes it is not very good....

 

I've not used this one but I've used another brand for years. I love it! I have a friend who bought one of these. He was pleased with it the first time he used it but I haven't heard from him since. Looks like it should work great and the price is good.

 

:cornut: Mine is the one that you have pictured. Have used it several years and no problems

Jason

 

I tried one some years back, but was not happy with it as the tube was such a small diameter it took forever to get all the oil out.

 

But easy can make the difference between staying on schedule or putting it off for awhile.

 

This has the potential to be a MAJOR hijack! :biggrin5:

Might want to start yet another thread on what oil to use......:wink:

 

People are all worried about getting that Euro LL designated oil, then they change it every 3500 miles!

If you're going to change your oil that often, you really don't need to worry about long life oil, do you?

Any good synthetic like Mobil 1 will work just fine in these conditions.

I'm up to 10K /once a year on my changes now - just like MINI now prescribes. I used to go twice a year or every 7,500 but the oil was so clean it seemed a waste to do it that often. When you peek in thru the oil cap opening it looks like it's brand new in the top of the head. If it's clean up there, it's clean in the pan..... leaving a cup of oil in the bottom of the pan does not mean it's going to turn to sludge, it will be mixed into the new oil as soon as you start the motor the first time.

I had the pan off of a 170K mile car recently and it was clean as can be inside, and this was a car that followed the oil change indicator on the dash, rather than a schedule. I was very surprised at how clean it was inside......

However, the turbo motors are a little more prone to sludging in the turbo drain tube, so just pay attention to what you drain out and you'll be fine.

 

Ummm did you miss the parts about I run my with Meth? Oil gets dirty sooner.

I am not worried about the "Long Life" spec of the oil, it more about meeting and exceeding the BMW motor oil standards.

I have a couple grand in performance parts in my motor and being cheap on oil or oil change intervals is not an option.

 

Don't understand why those are so much money......but I have used one and it worked well, I wouldn't hesitate to use it again.

 

Rhino ramps for me.........

Don't like the idea of the heavy sludgy stuff staying in the pan.

 

Question don't you guys worry about not getting all the crud out of the bottom of the oil pan? I have thought about doing the topside oil change many times but I want to make sure everything drain down and out with the assistance of gravity.

 

Cool thanks for the feedback. I change my oil every 3000 or 3500 and I have no oil sludge at all but my oil gets dirty much faster because I run Meth. I only us Amsoil but oil is cheap insurance for expensive performance parts.

 

One other thing is those topsiders while easy can't get all the oil out. I drive my cars up on ramps pretty easy even for this old fart. Justa my .02 here....

 

I have the same view. So far, so good.

If not a topsider I would definitely get ramps.