Oil change

[donniep]

Hi, I'm thinking about trying to change the oil in my 1.9tdi passat myself. I know which oil I'm going to use but not sure how much I'm going to need to refill.

Never done it before so looking for any handy hints or video's.

Thanks

[phil miller]

hi mate you will need a 19 mm spanner for the sump plug and an old washing up bowl to collect the oil in, run the engine and get it hot (helps drain the oil) switch engine off jack car up remove sump plug (oil will be hot and have the bowl ready to collect the oil in) then remove the filter with the correct filter wrench, once the oil has stopped coming out of the sump and filter, fit the new filter and then refit the sump plug, add 4 lts of oil and check level on dip stick, maybe just over max, dont worry the filter is still empty, start engine and let the oil light go out, then switch off and check for leaks on sump plug and filter if all well, let car off jacks and re dip the oil, top up as needed, holds between 4 and 4.5 lts mate

[caldirun]

You do not need to jack the car up and if the engine undercover is fitted it needs to be removed and replaced after the service, dont forget to change the 2 "o" rings on the filter cover!

[phil miller]

You do not need to jack the car up and if the engine undercover is fitted it needs to be removed and replaced after the service, dont forget to change the 2 "o" rings on the filter cover!

be an interesting sight trying to remove the lower engine cover without jacking the car up..........

[caldirun]

be an interesting sight trying to remove the lower engine cover without jacking the car up..........
Done it many times, no prob as long as you have not eaten all the pies! and a damn sight easier than removing the sump plug with the cover on as your post read!

[phil miller]

Done it many times, no prob as long as you have not eaten all the pies! and a damn sight easier than removing the sump plug with the cover on as your post read!


That would be another interesting sight, common sense on removing the lower cover tbh, was there really any need to get offensive! Also the op has asked for help as never having changed oil on the car, so there for jacking the car up means he will be able to see it clearly as he won't be ofay with the whereabouts of things, but I guess some on here can do anything spot on, first time, blind folded with both hands tied behind there backs

Shakes head and walks away wondering why some bother to pick fault with good advice

[donniep]

Thanks for the advise guys. I watched a video on you tube last night on Passat oil change & it looks easy enough. Maybe more difficult in practice?

1. Let car runs for approx 10 mins.
2. Jack up car/ use ramps.
3. Remove plastic undercover.
4. Remove sump plug, use container to collect the oil. Leave for 10 mins until empty.
5. Remove filter & replace, including o rings.
6. Re-insert sump plug & fill engine with oil.
7. Check oil level.
8. Attached undercover & lower car.

Have I missed anything?
Also when you buy the filter does it usually come with the 2 o rings?
Best way of disposing of the oil?

Thanks again.

[creedxup]

You should check the engine oil level with the car level/on it's wheels so you should :-

1. Let car runs for approx 10 mins.
2. Jack up car/ use ramps.
3. Remove plastic undercover.
4. Remove sump plug, use container to collect the oil. Leave for 10 mins until empty.
5. Remove filter & replace, including o rings.
6. Re-insert sump plug & re-fill with approx 4L of oil
7. Run car and check for leaks
8. Attached undercover & lower car.
9. Check oil level with car level.

All the filters that I've used have come with the seals

The place you should dispose of the oil is at your local tip in the receptacles provided.

[caldirun]

You should check the engine oil level with the car level/on it's wheels so you should :-

1. Let car runs for approx 10 mins.
2. Jack up car/ use ramps.
3. Remove plastic undercover.
4. Remove sump plug, use container to collect the oil. Leave for 10 mins until empty.
5. Remove filter & replace, including o rings.
6. Re-insert sump plug & re-fill with approx 4L of oil
7. Run car and check for leaks
8. Attached undercover & lower car.
9. Check oil level with car level.

All the filters that I've used have come with the seals

The place you should dispose of the oil is at your local tip in the receptacles provided.
Now that is what you call good advice!

[chipped3]

All good sound advice but there is a simpler and more environmentally sound way using a Pela 6000 Oil Extractor.

It removes more oil than draining through the sump plug as it sucks the waste oil out through the dipstick. There is no need to buy a new sump plug copper washer, B5..... or new sump plug, B5.5. Neither do you need to remove the under-tray or get under the car. All can be done from under the bonnet.

With the waste oil in the Pela it is easy to pour into the waste disposal tank at recycling.

Been changing my oil since 1962.......Wished I could have bought one sooner.

[donniep]

Hi mate, that looks like a great little gadget & looks a lot less hassle. Might just order one of them. Cheers

[donniep]

Would this work for coolant as well?

[chipped3]

In theory yes it would but you would need to ensure the end if the suction pipe is at the lowest point of the system to effectively drain all fluid.
I'm sure others will wade in with the comments and opinions so I will not offer any advice about other uses of a Pela.

[donniep]

In theory yes it would but you would need to ensure the end if the suction pipe is at the lowest point of the system to effectively drain all fluid.
I'm sure others will wade in with the comments and opinions so I will not offer any advice about other uses of a Pela.

Thanks mate, does the Pela have a single tube?

I have just read a forum of someone with a 2 piece hose on a different pump with one part of the tube dropping into the sump.

[chipped3]

It is a two piece tube comprising a 43 inch or 110cm steel reinforced length (similar to a length of black cycle brake cable usually called 'Bowden cable'), that you insert into the dipstick tube that is joined to a see through section that attaches to the Pela Vacuum Container. There is an ample length of 110 cm that inserts into the dipstick to ensure that the joint doesn't need to go anywhere near the top of the dipstick entrance. The clear plastic tube measures a further metre.

The joint itself would not go down the dipstick tube and if you had any worries that it may become detached you could place a tight fitting 'o' ring beneath the joint on thr insertion tube or even an elastic band bound around. I have found that pushing while twisting the tube enables you to reach differnt parts of the sump floor in case your car isn't level. You can hear the tube gurgling into the container as it sucks out the last dregs of oil.

You mention it was on a different pump which implies it wasn't a Pela? Even if it had been a Pela insertion pipe that had become detached there is no way it would disappear with a 110 cm length available on a Passat engine. It could be retrieved most probably through the sump plug hole with a bent wire or removing the dipstick tube.

The other great benefit of not having to remove the sump plug is that there is then no likelyhood of stripping the sump plug thread..... or at worst the alloy sump.... of the B5.5 which is quite common even with Dealer servicing!

To drain the insertion pipe it is best to suspend the whole tube with its end in a jam jar or the full Pela container overnight to allow the small amount of old oil to drain.

[Hex69]

The only thing I've got about the pump extraction method, that it doesn't allow the hot oil to flush the bottom of the sump, like removal via the sump plug does.

(and the fact that a tight-wad like me would prefer to get cold and dirty lying on the ground, than spend money on a pump ;) )

[chipped3]

There is benefits in both methods I suppose and the Pela gives me a choice. When the sun shines the sump plug removal way is enjoyable in that everything can be checked.
Here in the wet and windy Welsh hills I've had more of the 'lying on wet cardboard in a freezing wind' scenario, so the speed of the Pela is very welcome. We used to keep an empty can with plastic funnel to drain the plastic bowl that sat on a concrete block near to the sump so the winds didn't spread the oil around. My wife used to steady the can and hold the funnel..... with gravel holding down the newspaper..........!

She loves the Pela too and gladly would have had it as a Christmas present!!

Re the effectiveness of the Pela, I read some posting that the Pela removes 250cc more than draining via the plug. On my B5.5 I can also suck out the oil from the filter housing that would otherwise remain.

[996jimbo]

I do about 3 oil changes a year and used the Pela for the first time this weekend.

The main hassle with the conventional method was removing the sump guard, but then I stopped replacing the guard a couple of years ago (with no problems whatsoever arising from that). I've been promising myself a Pela for a long time and having finally got one found that it is a simpler and much cleaner solution. It also means I don't have to root around trying to find a syringe and tube to empty the oil cooler. The only down side is that it's another bit of kit to try and store somewhere clean without loosing the bits, and that there will always be a bit of oil in the tube threatening to quietly seep out one day.

If only our other car had an oil filter at the top of the engine then the Pela really would be a complete solution.

P.S. it's worth buying the oil filter adaptor to unscrew the filter housing/cover

[Max-Power]

My brother bought one of these things, but i've not tried it yet. I've reached 150k miles on my 1.9TDI and pondering on changing my oil more frequently now to keep the engine running smooth more often.... I agree that it seems the better solution when the weather is crap! :)

[barnsy]

Hi all.
I need some urgent advice on using the Pela 6000. I read in a number of forums that the oil could be extracted via the dip stick tube so started to try this evening. With the engine warm (and reading oil full on dipstick) I have the narrow tube inserted to about 15-20 cm from the join. When I pump I either just get air or about a seconds worth of oil and then air. If I wait a while and twiddle the tube about the same happens again. Been going about an hour now and only got about a litre. Any advice would be gratefully received as I am stumped as to where I’m going wrong and don’t have any stands so going via the sump is not a very good option right now.
Cheers

[chipped3]

If you have the Pela Box it will give assembly instructions.

Basically attach the connector fitted with the clear pipe to the Pela side connector. it is a push fit and there is no need to force it on as the vacuum will pull it on in use. Assemble the vacuum pump with its screw-in handle and fit it onto the top connector of the Pela.....again no need to force on. Insert the black reinforced end of the extraction tube into the dipstick tube, turning ii if it shows resistance, until it hits the floor of the sump.

Keep pushing the black pipe for another 10 cm or so turning if necessary so it lies parallel on the sump floor. This prevents the tube end from 'sealing' itself on the sump floor causing a partial blockage. Holding the pump body onto the Pela, operate the pump to create a vacuum which will quickly suck the hot oil from the sump and will be visible in the clear plastic tube an seen filling the Pela. When the oil is all out you will hear the pipe sucking air. You will need to operate the pump a few more times to maintain the vacuum

Finally, after you hear the sucking of air....Play with the extraction pipe in different parts of the sump to find any furter pockets of oil. It is also very useful to remove the oil that remains in the alloy oil filter housing if you have the PD engine that accepts the filter element. Any further help needed post again.

[barnsy]

Hi thanks for responding. I think I did everything exactly as you described. From the start it behaved as though I was doing the last bit, going around sucking up the last few pockets of oil. Its as if there was none in there to start with. Over 2-3 hours I managed to reduce the level from the shaded area on the dip stick to a point about 4mm from the bottom of the stick. Only about a litre came out. Every time it started to flow nicely it would only last a second or two and then gurgle and then just air. I can't think what it could be. One thing I have noticed is that the resistance in the pump (i.e. how hard it is to pump) changes dramatically from stroke to stroke. The pump section itself seems good but maybe its not getting a very good seal with the top of the bottle? I will have to have a look tomorrow afternoon in the light. I don't really see the link between lack of suction and it gurgling all the time but I can't think what else it could be.

[chipped3]

It can only be that you are losing vacuum somewhere in the connections that is causing it to fail to suck up oil but instead sucking in the lighter air which is gurgling through the oil in the pipe?

With the Pela not connected to the car but fully assembled..... seal the end of the collection pipe by holding a piece of rubber or polythene against the end and see if the vacuum is maintained? It will become harder to pump as would any vacuum pump ie the VacuVin pumps for sealing wine bottles. You may be able to hear the air getting in from the 'vacuum' failing.

Are you leaving the pump attached or removing it? There is a small valve on top which should seal the flask if the pump is removed, maintaining pressure

You should be able to suck out all the oil in 10 mins easily! Let me know how you get on.

[barnsy]

Hi again
Managed to sort the problem in the end. It was all a bit strange but what I think happened was it was partially blocked, with the effect that it hardly sucked up any oil at all. When I moved the hose around I think I must have moved the end out of the oil so the air could get in which did suck up due to obviously being much thinner. The whole system seemed to keep good pressure and when testing with waste oil it seemed to gradually suck the oil up faster each time over three attempts until it was working pretty much as it should. I then went back to the car and it emptied the oil no problem. I suspect it maybe had a slight occlusion due to crap in the tube either strait out of the box or something I sucked up immediately after assembling it. If anyone had a similar problem I would recommend and idea suggested by 996Jimbo of sticking some wire or similar down the reinforced section of the tube just to check for blockages.
Thanks to those who offered advice and another (eventual) thumbs up for the convenience (one working) of the Pela 6000.
Cheers

[chipped3]

I'm pleased that you fixed your Pela and all is now well.

On a different note I was undecided at the weekend whether to use my Pela for removing my 6-speed gearbox oil as I had bought 3 litres of VW transmission oil a while ago. I had visions of getting the extraction tube stuck between the 'cogs' not knowing the layout of the innards so drained instead using the plug. The oil removed was a brownish orange with a metallic sheen and was the oil I put in at 100k, which has now done 156k.
The replacement oil is nearly clear so it has deteriorated somewhat in 56k so its wise to replace as I do every 50k It's not even recommended by VW to change gear oil but the gearchange is now much slicker than before. I found the easiest way to refill with the 2.3 litres needed was to use a length of 20mm ext diameter clear plastic hose pushed onto the gearbox filler hole and its then easy to pour the oil down, as it is quite thin......from inside the bonnet .