No luck finding link with specific instructions/tool sizes etc. Thanks.

 

http://www.tech-esq.com/MINI/MINIOilChange.htm

 

Here is the How-to at Randy Webb's site ...

http://www.webbmotorsports.com/forum...topic.php?t=10

I followed the instruction in my first change, and don't need it any more once you tried it, and it is relatively easy.

 

Just and FYI, I have never had an oil plug torqued down so hard, I had to wrestle the thing off. Also getting the filter back on is tricky, force it all the way on in the housing then try to screw it on... there is a spring so it can take a little time to get it on right.

 

Use this, works great for those in between oil changes

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=10122

 

Thanks for all the info and your support. Nick

 

But thanks to NAM there was nothing to it!
I bought 6 quarts of Castrol 5W-30 Syntec (I'll need to add a quart at 8 or 9 thousand miles). (Yes, Castrol Syntec, the bottles are black to match my car). I had a filter & o-ring from when I bought the car (tough negotiator, eh?). I tried my biggest asa socket on the filter and it was too small, so I went to Checker and bought a 36mm for $10. I hunted up a picture of the drain plug (brass colored, 13mm, near a little fan, you can't see it from underneath the front of the car because it's on the back side of the oil pan) (what's the little fan do??). I read the filter changing instructions (EXTREMELY helpful!) and then went looking for the filter. I opened the bonnet and peered down beside the motor on the MINI's right-hand side (the passenger side in the U.S.A.) and there it was, with plenty of room to get at it.
I ran two wheels up on the sidewalk so I could get under and peek around; next time I'll try on flat ground, which might drain a little bit more oil. The drain plug was barely snug, and it came out easily. I had the backside of the drain pan raised so all the oil stayed in the pan! I rescued the plug and wrapped it in paper towel, and went after the filter. I loosened it and went away for a while (per instructions), and when I unscrewed the cartridge casing it was nearly oil-free. I take back the premature chewing-out of MINI for using cartrige refills instead of spin-ons: this beats the heck out of a spin-on filter mounted at an angle on the bottom. Although, I bet a spin-on filter could be used here...
I mounted the filter as instructed: shoved it on and took it off and shoved it in the housing and shoved the whole thing against the mount and turned. Piece of cake! but without being aware of what was going to happen it would have been a lot tougher.
And then the drain plug goes back in and the exactly 4.8 quarts of oil (yeah, I put in 5), and it's ready to go. As soon as I get the oil poured into the bottles so I can give them to the garbage man.

 

It provides air flow to cool the power steering pump. On the 2005+ cars, there is a little duct that draws air from the front of the car (cooler) that bolts up to the pump. The duct will conflict with accessory products like Fumoto, however.

 

Thanks, caminifan.

 

Please take used oil to an appropriate disposal site (any shop that does oil changes) and do not “give to the garbage man” unless equipped for this type of waste. All automotive fluids are potentially hazardous to the environment within a relatively short period of time if disposed incorrectly.

 

Anyone know if they have changed the fan design again on the 2006 MCS? I changed the oil in my '06 MCS today and there is no plastic duct going from the fan to the plastic bumper covers. On my wife's '05 MCSa, the plastic duct is there.

 

Any chance the service dept. removed the duct? It is a tiny bit of a nuissance (4 mounting screws to remove to get at the oil pan drain bolt, plus you have to make sure the duct aligns up to the mounting screw holes), but personally, I like the duct as a source for cooler air to the PS pump.

 

That's what I'm trying to figure out. It has never been in for service so it was either never installed or removed at the VDC or the dealer at delivery time. It makes changing the oil a little bit easier. I felt lucky as my oil cartridge cover went back on very easy. I used a Purolator cartridge and it went on smoothly the first time.

 

I was going to check to see if the duct was discontinued for 2006, but realoem.com doesn't have data after 10/2005. I guess you could check with the dealer's parts dept about the absence of the duct on your 2006. As I mentinoed earlier, I personally like the duct providing cooler air to the PS pump.

Regarding fitting the oil filter cartridge, if you pre-fit the cartridge in the housing by pushing it on, the cover will not fight your efforts to spin the cover onto the housing.

 

Yup. The Garbage Man's rule: oil only, clear container. No mixing with other refuse. (Which makes the Castrol bottles unusable for the recycling purpose). I'm old enough to remember when we spread our used motor oil on the ground to keep down the dust. Bad, bad idea.

 

Just as a ByTheWay, my car is an '05 MC; there is no duct, nothing to move out of the way to reach the oil drain plug.