I'm getting ready to take delivery on my 05 MC/S and am amassing the proper tools to work on it since I am nowhere near a dealer. I've seen people say they can't find a cheap 36mm socket and I am amazed. Anyone who has ever worked on an air-cooled VW has one because you need it for the gland nut and rear axle nut, Can't do a rear brake job without one!

If anyone needs a 36mm socket, any good aftermarket VW store should have one. I looked one up just now on the net and it was only $5.99! And remember, the rear axle nut on a VW was set to like the highest torque in the world - sometimes you needed a six-foot breaker bar to loosen that sucker, so those sockets are tough. If you look for a 36mm socket at yard sales and the like, you may find a VW rear axle nut wrench, its about a foot long, 3/4 inch thick with a fulled enclosed 36mm hexagonal hole on one end, and two big lugs on the handle. These were for beating with a sledge hammer to get the nut off. Good for self defense too.!

I am kind of amazed that the car uses metric nuts - all the old English cars I've owned cars used Inch based bolt heads. They also used to use what was called Whitworth bolts - metric threads with inch heads - they were something to find when one broke! Guess the EEC requires all metric now.

 

Careful, the socket has to be very shallow to fit. There is a guy that sells the correct ones on Ebay for about $25. The Mini engines are made in Brazil. I hear what you are saying about metric. Most British cars switched to metric in the late 70s to early 80s, including the classic Minis. Some of the cars made during the transition had both metric and SAE! I see a lot of Whitworth sizes on old British bikes.

 

Very shallow to fit? I got one for $8 and change at Sears and it works perfect.

So, I don't understand the big deal either.

 

Not that shallow, mine is 2" deep and works fine. It's also from Sears, and was under ten bucks.

 

Mine is a regular depth socket and is nowhere near 2" deep. I'm sure that the regular depth or the deep socket would fit.

 

Are you speaking of the oil filter socket? I have been told by more than one person that it requires a very shallow socket to fit an S. Is this wrong? Did I spend too much? If so, sorry to perpetuate bad information.

 

Yes, the oil filter socket. I use a standard 36mm socket with a 1/2" drive. Now this is on a 2004 MCS with a build date of 10/03, so maybe its different on earlier models?

 

Go to Advanced Auto if you have one near you.
They have a 36mm that is just right in a 1/2 drive.
Cost me like 6 bucks and some change. Works great!

 

i guess i spent too much as i got mine from a matco guy in one of those big tool trucks.

 

I have a socket from Sears, but the socket is alittle to deep for me, so I use a 36mm open ended wrench. This should be a very easy socket to find. Many 4wd vehicles in the last 15 years or so have used this size for their hub nuts.

 

socket.

 

Whitworth, ah fond memories. Actually an English (as in UK), not American or Metric standard. Dimensions are in fractional inches, but the thread is peculiar in terms of pitch and thread form; and of course, the hex sizes and nomenclature were weird. I'm sure it's been discontinued years ago...probably along with Lucas electrics, SU carbs and Girling hydraulics.

 

I have determined that some of the confusion has to do with other BMW's that use the same 36" hex on their oil filters. BMW sells a Hazet shallow socket for this purpose, and I guess some BMWs may require it, but lets face it, if you have to fit the socket, with the socket wrench attached to the top of it in there, it can't be too cramped! Hazet tools are just expensive to begin with, as anyone who has ever bought an air-cooled VW spare-mounted tool kit knows! I doubt that the "Special shallow" socket is a "need" - just a snobby BMW "want."

 

The "snobby" socket is a BMW canister oil filter specialty tool around $25.00. The big deal is the deep well sears flavor is 1/2 in. drive. Some owners don't own a 1/2" ratchet or extensions. Thus, up the cost. Some guys had a shop chop the socket in half for better clearance. Others get tweaked trying to adapt their torque wrench to various swivels and extensions. Yes, there's a torque spec for the canister. Call me a ninny but I got the 3/8 shallow socket for $18.00 (shipped) and use a 3" extension - fast and easy. The top of the wrench has nearly zero clearance and about 2" of ratchet swing before whacking something. I tighten by feel and leave the torque wrench out.

One guy posted he uses a 12" cresent wrench, not sure about that technique. I think a $20 tool is not a major issue for a $20,000+ car and I't pays for itself after X oil changes.

 

The way my car runs, (idle, yo-yo, etc.) I wouldn't be at all surprised if some old Lucas engineers were running the MINI program at Siemens!! Hell, for that matter, give me back the old SU's....at least we could tune those! Or, at least have a reason for the crappy idle!!

 

i dunno. a 36mm socket with 1/2 adaptor and wrench just barely fits to allow tighetning and loosening. worked fine for me.

 

I purchased my socket from Sears and it works great.

 

I also use a Craftsman standard 36mm socket for the oil canister. A bit of a cramp, but not annoying enough to warrant a low-profile socket purchase.


Actually, I've found the 16mm bolts that hold most of the car together (subframe, engine, etc.) fit a 5/8" socket better (15.875 mm equivalent), go figure!

 

That's what I used, I 've had that 36 mm socket in my tool box for years. It's a good thing I didn't get rid of it when I sold all of my other VW tools. :smile:

 

what about resetting the computer and such?

 

You CAN reset the computer, but then you lose the free oil change from the dealership. From what I read on here, and what I did myself (with my $7 craftsman 36mm socket that worked just file thank you very much), most of the home oil changes are because people are concerned about going 10,000 or 15,000 miles between changes. If you do a change at 5,000, and don't reset the computer, the dealer will change it for you at about 10,000. If you reset the computer, you'll never get a free oil change.

 

having finally found a 36mm that fit betwen the nut an the cowl wall, i scampered off to perform my first diy MINI oil change. HELL. the socket was good for a half turn before the wall behind it started reversing the directional switch on the ratchet. One lube nightmare (threading the damned thing back on) later, i ran it over to the local machine shop for a slight $10 alteration. Now i have a tool with a 1/2" depth and i'm getting rid of my MINI.

curious to see if anyones canister top has welts on the top of it where the seam is, denoting where the thread start is.

 

I've changed the oil in my wifes Mini about four times now, and sure I had a bit of a problem doing it, but hey, I sometimes have problems with my wife too but I'm not getting rid of her.

 

Has anyone considered changing to the spin on style filter that Moss MINI sells or is this just unnecessary??

http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...26&SortOrder=1

 

Is this the socket you have??


http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...&bidsite=CRAFT

Cause I need to get one.

Thanks