DIY: Oil Change for 2.5L

[salsa-man]

I just changed the oil in my 2006 NBC w/2.5L engine. This was THE first oil change for my Beetle (at 5200 mi) and THE first time I’ve changed oil in a New Beetle. I’ve read various posts on changing oil but very few pictures and no start to finish procedure. So I put the following together for whatever it’s worth and hope it will be helpful to someone. It is specific to the 2.5L 5 cylinder for 2006. The way I did this was very easy and very clean – unlike any of the other oil changes I’ve ever done on other cars.

The maintenance schedule for the 2006 2.5L requires the oil be changed at 5000mi, at 10,000mi, and every 10,000 miles thereafter. Volkswagen specifies 5W-40 under all conditions and the oil must meet VW 505.01 or 502 specs. VW says that if you can’t find 5W-40 that 5W-30 can be substituted. I used Valvoline SynPower fully synthetic.


Tools that I used to do this job:

1) Torque wrench that can measure 25 NM (Newton Meters)
2) 12” 3/8-drive extension
3) Oil Filter housing removal tool (14 “flats”, about 73mm diameter) (I bought OEM Oil Filter “B” Cap Wrench from AutoZone)
4) Oil filter housing drain tool ( can be purchased here -> GermanAutoParts.com )
5) Oil evacuation tool (thru the dipstick)
6) Low rise car ramps

Parts:

1) Oil Filter element
2) 6.3 quarts (6 Liters) Oil

[salsa-man]

This procedure uses a specific tool designed to drain the oil filter housing and a tool to vacuum the oil out through the dipstick.

Oil filter housing drain tool - There are some who use or recommend using a screwdriver to pry open the drain valve. I don’t recommend this for 2 reasons. 1) There is no drain tube to divert the oil into a container so the oil will drip onto the inside of the splash shield and nearby A/C hose. (messy) 2) a screwdriver has sharp edges which could damage the sealing ability of the valve. That valve is critical to keeping the oil system sealed from the outside elements as well as help maintain the pressure in the filter housing. Do you really want to risk damaging your engine because of a failure of this valve because it was butchered by a screwdriver? For heaven’s sake buy the drain tool. I bought one from here for $35.

Oil evacuation tool – The oil drain bolt in the oil pan cannot be easily accessed and removed on the ’06 convertible without removing the metal splash shield under the engine. Removing the oil through the dipstick tube is an elegant and very clean method. I bought an EXCELLENT tool for this job from West Marine. It is a Moeller “Fluid Extractor”. There are cheaper tools available but not quite the quality and capability this one has. (Aug 8 2010 update - West Marine no longer sells this unit. You can search online and still find it. I believe Amazon may sell it.)

[salsa-man]

Step 1:

Drive the car onto the ramps. If the engine is stone cold, warm it up for about 5 minutes. Do not allow the engine to get up to operating temperature. You just want the oil warm to the touch. This will make the oil flow more easily and will help suspend any particles, sludge or otherwise, that will get sucked out with the oil. (FYI, you do not have to use ramps to to replace the oil filter. You can certainly get to it while the car is level on the ground. However, if you haven't done it before, you might want to use the ramps in case anything goes wrong. It will be difficult to see all the way up to the top of the filter housing unless you really have a small head and can get slide under the car. )

Step 2:

Assemble the Fluid Extraction tool per the instructions. If you use the Moeller, you can use the larger 5/16” tube that will fit into the dipstick tube. Remove the dipstick and insert the extraction tube as far as it will go. Follow the instructions for the extraction tool and begin sucking the oil out. If you use the Moeller, it can only hold about five quarts so you will have to interrupt the extraction, empty the container and start the process again to complete the extraction. Remove the extraction tube and replace dipstick when the extraction is complete.

[salsa-man]

Step 3:

Unscrew the oil filter housing drain cap. Insert and screw in the oil filter housing drain tool taking care to make sure the pinch clip on the tube is set to the closed position. Insert the end of the tube into a collection container and open the pinch clip to drain the filter. When the oil is drained, remove the drain tool.

[salsa-man]

Step 4:

Use the Oil Filter housing removal tool to unscrew the oil filter housing. Make sure the filter element is removed with the housing. Discard the old filter element. Remove the gasket ring inside the housing and discard. Use some fresh oil to coat the new gasket thoroughly and insert into the housing. Take care to make sure the “tab” is installed “UP” and visible inside the housing. Install the new filter element into the UPPER filter housing (on the engine) making sure it is pushed all the way in. Fill the lower filter housing with about ½ cup fresh oil. Install the lower filter housing onto the engine and hand tighten. Make sure you don’t cross-thread the housing. It should screw in very easily for several turns before bottoming out. Use the torque wrench with the filter housing removal tool and tighten to 25 NM (about 18.43 ft-lbs). Finally, screw in the Filter housing drain dust cap.

[salsa-man]

Step 5

Install 6.3 quarts of oil taking care to NOT overfill. Follow the directions on how to read the dipstick in the owner’s manual. Start engine making sure oil light goes out on the instrument panel and check for leaks. Back the car off the ramps and shut off the engine. Wait a few minutes and recheck the oil level. Add oil as appropriate. If you overfilled, just use the Fluid Extractor tool to suck out the appropriate amount of oil.

[Benderbeetle Rodrigues]

Great DIY photo posting. What happened to the good old spin-on filters? Even my scooter has a spin-on filter. I guess changing the filter only is more eco-friendly but what a PITA. I haven't changed a filter like that since my '83 Honda twin.
Cheers.

[Danbike]

OK, VERY NICE set of photos and discussion. One question, where did you buy that oil filter drain tool?

[salsa-man]

Originally Posted by Danbike

OK, VERY NICE set of photos and discussion. One question, where did you buy that oil filter drain tool?

Thanks. There is a weblink in post #2 above.

[AzDivr]

Originally Posted by Benderbeetle Rodrigues

Great DIY photo posting. What happened to the good old spin-on filters? Even my scooter has a spin-on filter. I guess changing the filter only is more eco-friendly but what a PITA. I haven't changed a filter like that since my '83 Honda twin.
Cheers.

Actually this is so much cleaner than the spin-ons. I just use a long flat tip screw driver and a funnel in a just. Pop the plug over to the side and all the oil drains out. Not a drop on the hands. The spin-ons always run oil down my arm and on the channels of the cars which then drip off all over the place.
I'm still not convinced that you get all the oil out of the pan with the extractor though. The lowest part is where the plug is and I'm not sure you can get all there going through the dip stick, but what works for you.

[cep]

The best thing about a cannister filter is that the manufacturer can't hide shoddy materials and workmanship. You get to see every square inch of it; nothing is hidden.

[salsa-man]

Originally Posted by cep

The best thing about a cannister filter is that the manufacturer can't hide shoddy materials and workmanship. You get to see every square inch of it; nothing is hidden.

That is an EXCELLENT point!

There are vast differences in the internal construction of conventional filters. I read a great report done a few years back comparing the various makes of oil filters. They cut open each one and outlined the good and bad. Folks would really be surprised.

[Danbike]

One trick I use is that when the extractor has emptied the crankcase, I put in about 1/4 quart of new oil and restart the extractor. When I see the clean oil coming out of the engine, I know it has been emptied.

[uwharrie]

Thanks for posting the DIY photos.
What I am really impressed with is you just hit 5000 miles on a three year old car!
(we just put 5000 miles on Shutter in less than two weeks!)

[salsa-man]

Originally Posted by Danbike

One trick I use is that when the extractor has emptied the crankcase, I put in about 1/4 quart of new oil and restart the extractor. When I see the clean oil coming out of the engine, I know it has been emptied.

An EXCELLENT tip!

[salsa-man]

Originally Posted by uwharrie

Thanks for posting the DIY photos.
What I am really impressed with is you just hit 5000 miles on a three year old car!
(we just put 5000 miles on Shutter in less than two weeks!)

well believe me, this is not my doing. I love driving this car waaaayyy too much. I am blessed to have found this little gem at a local Honda dealer this past May with 3170 miles on it. I haggled with the dealer a while and got the price down to something I could live with - still probably a tad more than it was worth. The owner that bought it new just never drove it. I feel like I got a new car! I have every key, every document, accessory and whatever the car came with. I even have the original window sales sticker.

And I just LOVE this little car! But y'all understand my obsession.

[turr520]

This is nice. Thank you. I may give it a try.

[littlebugger]

This is a great DIY on how to change oil on a 2.5L Beetle. I'll probably use this one the next time I try to do an oil change! Thanks...

[moongrrl]

AMSOIL - Synthetic Oil, Motor and Engine Oil, Lubricants, Air Filters, Oil Filters and Greases

seriously...a good friend turned me on to this stuff and i am amazed. immediately i had improved response and driving experience. it was like the hand of god came down and touched my little car and gave her a whole new engine!!! i swear i drove around wearing a permagrin for a couple of weeks! even after finding that the wonderful guys at firestone who did my last change put an entire quart too much oil in there. they are so lucky and they don't even know it!!!!!

so here's the deal:

The lovely lubricant...amsoil itself: Extended life motor oil delivers exceptional protection for 7,500-mile/6 month oil change intervals or longer. Provides peace of mind for owners of modern vehicles where drain intervals exceed conventional oil recommendations of 3,000 miles. $6.80 a quart

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AMSOIL Ea Oil Filters (EaO): have the best efficiency rating in the industry. EaO Filters provide a filtering efficiency in accordance with industry standard ISO 4548-12 of 98.7 percent at 15 microns, while competitive filters containing conventional cellulose medias range from 40 to 80 percent efficiency. Guaranteed for 25,000 miles or one year when used in conjunction with AMSOIL motor oil in normal service. $13.40 and worth every penny in my opinion.

no...i am not a dealer, but maybe i should be. after 2 months my oil is still golden as the day i put it in there. it's a dream come true!

bluebonnet hearts amsoil

melanie

[cep]

after 2 months my oil is still golden as the day i put it in there. it's a dream come true!

That isn't necessarily a good sign. Detergent oil is meant to hold a fair amount of contaminants, mainly the stuff that the filter can't trap. Discolored oil is a sign of it doing its job.

It could mean that your engine is so clean that there is nothing for the oil to catch. That is not true of most engines, though.