Anyone have some good hints to reduce or prevent oil spills when removing the oil filter from a 1.8T engine in a 2001 A4? I have placed paper towels under the filter, but that is not 100% effective. Also, the oil filter gets quite messy, and it is a pain to jockey it out past all the hoses. Perhaps I should be going in from the underside?
Don Borowski
Don,
I losen the filter with a filter wrench and then put an old coffee can under it. The filter drops into the can as I unscrew it w/ little mess. All this can be done from the top.
Bruce
2001.5 A4TQD>Anyone have some good hints to reduce or prevent oil spills when removing
Wow.
In 20+ years, I've never even heard of someone attempting to change an oil filter from above.
Guess I should get out more ;o)
(Conventional way is from below, unscrew, tilt, withdraw, tip contents into same drain tank as where the sump contents went. Most oil [in my experience] drains downwards. Something to do with a chap named "Newton", I think ;o)
Yes Hairy,
I just remove the 3 screws holding the coolant expansion tank, lift it out of the way and I can get my hands down to the filter. It drops into the coffee can and I just lift the filter up and out.
I have access to a lift so I do it from underneath. I use the box from the new filter to create a "channel" to direct the oil flowing from the old filter (as it is being removed) into a bucket below the car. Any oil splash is removed using a couple sprays from a can of brake cleaner and a rag. The filter is definitely in a very inconvenient location, even with a lift, as you still have to remove the splash guard below the engine compartment to get your hands anywhere near it.
Cheers,
CNo, the easiest way is to get someone else to do it for you
I think that most modern cars have this engine undertray. I find that on both of my Audis, the filter is in a very convenient location to get at from under the car, that the tray is easy to remove and re-install (once you have done it a couple of times. The first time is a pain) and I do all of this with the car on ramps in the garage. I have even used a jack to put the car's wheel on blocks, such that I could get under it. No big deal.
Funny, I never have oil spills, nor drips, nor any other kind of mess. It seems to work just fine collecting the oil in an old wash basin (the kind one might buy to wash dishes in the sink.)
-- Jonesy
Clanger-
Yeah, I did that during the warrantee period. Had to arrange a time to be without the car. Then they went ahead and lost half of the fasteners holding the belly pan. They overtorqued the drain plug. I didn't discover all this until I started doing it myself.
Yeah, it sure is easier to have someone else do it for me, if I don't care if they screw things up.
Thanks to all the others for the hints. I may try it from below next time, or move the coolant bottle out of the way.
Don Borowski
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