So there I was, working on my car. I have a 36 mm socket to get the oil filter cover off and everything. Car's drained, I've got 5 quarts of Red Line ready to go in and I screwed up the oil filter cover. I feel like a real dolt (and in this case, I'm one hunnernt percent corecto!).

But what it comes down to, is that this cast crap doesn't have the strenght to pull the cover down with a new o-ring. What's the trick, besides not being an idiot!

Matt

 

well you should get a replacement oil filter whenever you change your oil.

 

With some advice from norm03s, it's all fixed. And that was a new filter, just put on and off and on and off and on and off and on and off. It got a bit dirty. So now the Red Line is in, the garage is cleaned up, and I'm waiting for my morning commute.

Matt

 

ok glad to hear all is well! motor safely!

 

I'm sure your next oil change will go smoother and faster.

Besides, it isn't as much fun unless it gets messy.

 

So don't be stingy - tell the secret to us oil change virgins! I've read threads in the past saying that it's not as straight forward as the ol' Honda spin on filter...

 

Visit Webbmotorsports and check out Randy's How-To section on his web site. He has a great section on oil change with pictures. It takes you through the process step by step.
Larry

 

Here is the link:

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

 

Did you cross thread the cap? It takes a few tries before the cap will freely rotate by hand a turn or two. If it locks up during the first turn, it's cross threaded.

BTW, how did you fix this...it looks like the thread is ripped off

 

Did you buy a new oil filter canister (the cast aluminium piece)? It looks like it must have gotten cross-threaded at the start, and when you cranked on it with the socket it started to shear off the first thread of the canister. It is tricky (you would think that with those big threads that the canister wouldn't cross-thread so easily, but it can; my first oil change was a total pain until I learned the trick about making sure that the canister is completely square with the mounting on the engine block). Like was said, if it is not-cross-threaded, and you lubed up the new O-ring with a bit of oil, then the canister will screw on all the way using just hand pressure; then torque it a nudge with a torque wrench).

It is stupid of BMW not to use a "modern" (like the last 4 decades!) spin on filter. (But, maybe they were trying to keep the MINI traditional; did the original Mini come with a canister type oil filter?)

 

On my first oil change, I had problems with the new oil filter going back on. It didn't want to screw on straight. So, I took a look at the old oil fitler and noticed that the paper like material around the hole that fits over the shaft had a few cuts in it and the diameter of the hole was larger than the new filter. So for practice I put the old oil filter back on and the oil filter cap screwed back on with no probem. So, I took the new oil filter and worked the paper-like material around the shaft hole so that the hole was slightly larger in diameter than when it came out of the box. It allowed the oil filter to fit more easily over the shaft and as a result screwing the oil filter cap back on was a piece of cake.

I think part of the problem screwing the oil filter cap back on is that the new oil filters fit so tightly over the shaft that it makes screwing on the cap difficult.

PS. I followed Randy Webb's oil change guide (mentioned in a previous post above). Great instructions, however the problem I had was not mentioned. Maybe the BMW MINI oil filter I bought was an anomaly.

 

When I first did an oil change on my MINI I ordered the oil filter from Mini Mania. They in turn sent me an oil filter for an 03. My MINI is an 04 and the shaft is larger. I hope that you didn't "work" the filter so far that it no longer serves it purpose as a filter.

 

At first I dreaded the thought of my MINI having a cartridge style oil filter. Even worse, it was oriented such that at first glance it seemed a sure bet that the back of the engine and everything below would be drenched in oil upon the canister's removal. Well, I was wrong. Once I knew about the 'technique' of loosening the housing just past the o-ring seal and waiting for the filter to drain, I can change the oil in this car without spilling a single drop or having to deal with a sloppy filter.

The open oil filter element can drain off excess oil to a much greater degree than a spin-on filter, which needs to be crushed to get rid of most of the oil remaining inside, or at least drained for several days.

I have had some difficulty in restarting the threads when replacing the filter. I figured out a 'feel' of the cartridge that lets me know when it's on there properly. When it's on correctly, I can screw it all the way down by hand. If it's not, it wont go more than a turn or less. It takes a bit of wiggling it to get it right, as well as turning the element in the housing sometimes and trying again. When it's right, you should have no problems turning it down by hand at least to the o-ring engagement point, and if you have a strong grip, going all the way down. Snug it with your wrench a bit and you are done. There is no need to crank down on the thing as if it were a lug bolt. Same goes with the oil drain plug. Both of these have rubber seals, and are threaded into aluminum. Too much torque makes it only much harder to remove, and risks thread damage and stripping.

 

I bought the filter from the dealer and they knew it was an '04 (which it is).

I didn't work it all that much - I only bend the paper a bit and did not enlarge the actual structural hole of the filter. The paper overlaps quite a bit over the structural hole and is meant to be 'bent' to some degree. It still fit pretty snug over the shaft and definitely more snug than the old filter fit.

It was odd that the old oil filter (the orginal from the factory) had slits in the paper to make the filter fit more loosely over the shaft.