Change the Oil on a BMW E46

Oil is a crucial element for any healthy engine. It lubricates moving parts, prevents carbon buildup on internal surfaces, and helps to dissipate heat evenly. Considering the high compression and tight clearances in your E46’s M54B25, all of these functions are especially crucial, so changing your oil when needed is vital.

Steps

Setting Up

1. Prepare the workspace. Run the engine for a few minutes to warm the oil. Warm oil flows better, but hot oil will burn you, so don’t bring the engine all the way up to operating temperature. Let the engine run until the temperature gauge indicates about halfway to operating temperature.
   • Park the car on a flat, level surface, and set the parking brake. To prevent staining the surface on which you are working, lay some cardboard or newspaper out underneath your oil pan.
2. Raise the front end. Roll the floor jack to the front of the car, and carefully slide it underneath the front lip until the pad is lined up with the jack point at the center of the front crossmember.
   • Slowly raise the jack. Check the alignment of the pad and mounting point as you bring the pad up into contact, and adjust it as necessary. Lift the front end as high as necessary to slide your two jack stands underneath the frame jack points on the two front corners of the subframe.
   • Slowly lower the jack until the car rests evenly on the jack stands. Lower the jack the rest of the way, and move it aside.

Changing the Oil

1. Remove the filter. Put on some nitrile gloves, open the hood, and locate the oil filter housing. Using a 36mm socket, or a large pipe wrench, remove the cap and set it aside.
   • Remove and inspect the oil filter for large particles, as this could indicate internal component damage.
   • Place the oil filter in a plastic bag in preparation for disposal. Never reuse an old filter, since they are only designed to last for one service interval.
2. Drain the old oil. Slide under the car and locate the oil drain plug. With a 17mm socket or wrench, break the plug loose until it can be spun by hand. Position the oil catch pan below the drain opening, and position yourself so that you don’t catch the oil instead of the pan. Slowly loosen the plug by hand until oil begins to drip from the opening.
   • Mentally and emotionally prepare yourself for a deluge of hot, viscous motor oil. Remove the plug and allow the oil to drain into the pan.
   • While the oil drains, replace the copper washer on your drain plug with the new one that should have come with your oil filter kit. These washers are designed to be crushed between the drain plug and the oil pan, and are one-time-use.
3. Replace the drain plug. When the flow of oil tapers to a slow drip, replace the oil pan drain plug. Do this now so you don’t forget before you pour in the new oil. Thread it in by hand, and then tighten with the socket or wrench.
   • Once the oil pan, washer, and inside bolt face are making solid contact, tighten them down about a half-turn of the wrench to properly crush the washer.
4. Inspect the old oil. Used oil is a great indicator of your engine’s overall health. A handful of services exist to test samples of your used motor oil for the trace presence of different metals and compounds, indicating wear or imminent failure of certain components.
   • If you choose to forgo these services, it is still worth swiping your finger along the bottom of the pan after the oil has settled, to check for large particles of metal. Chunks of metal in your oil is a very bad sign.
5. Fill the engine. Remove the oil fill cap from the top of your engine, and place the funnel in the opening. Make sure you replaced the oil pan drain plug, and then slowly fill the engine with your fresh oil. Leave a quart aside, and replace the oil fill cap.
6. Insert the new filter. Place your new oil filter in the oil filter housing. Grab the cap you removed earlier, and locate the o-ring at the top of the threads. Carefully remove it by rolling it off with a screwdriver or similar tool. Wet the tip of your finger with fresh oil, and lubricate the new o-ring before rolling it onto the oil filter housing cap.
   • Remember the quart of fresh oil you set aside? Pour it carefully into the oil filter housing, in order to immerse the new filter and prevent a hiccup in oil pressure upon first startup.
   • Replace the oil filter housing cap, and torque it down lightly. BMW specification is 10 Newton-meters, which is a little less than 7.5 foot-pounds. The plastic threads are easy to strip, and the cap is not required to be any tighter than necessary for the o-ring to seal.

Finishing Up

1. Lower the front end. Place your floor jack back into position, and raise it up to lift the car just high enough to remove your jack stands. Once the jack stands are safely aside, slowly lower the car back to the ground and remove the jack.
2. Reset the service indicator. Before you finish up, it’s a good idea to reset the ECU’s service countdown indicator. Originally intended to remind you to take your E46 to the dealer for regular service and inspection, it can be a useful tool to keep track of your own service. Once reset, it will count down from 15,000 miles, which is BMW’s standard service interval. While modern synthetic oils boast lifespans of 10,000 miles or more, it’s really better practice to change your oil no later than 7,000 miles. To reset the indicator:
   • Insert the key into the ignition, leave it in the OFF position
   • Press and hold the trip odometer button on the lower left of the instrument panel
   • Turn the key to the first position
   • Hold the trip odometer button down for five seconds, until either “OIL SERVICE” or “INSPECTION” is displayed on the screen, with “rESET” illuminated in the upper corner
   • Release the trip odometer button
   • Press and hold the trip odometer button again until “rESET” begins to flash
   • Release and press the trip odometer button once briefly to reset the service interval
   • The display will show the new interval, and flash a readout of “END SIA” to confirm that the procedure was successful.
3. Dispose of used oil and filter. Pour the used oil from the catch-pan into empty milk jugs, using your funnel to avoid spillage. Take the used oil and filter to your local auto store, where they will dispose of them (usually free of charge).
   • It’s important not to pour your used oil down the drain as this is bad for the environment.
4. Clean up. If you end up spilling onto your work surface, scoop some kitty litter onto the spill, grind it in with your foot, and let it sit overnight. The kitty litter will soak up the oil and lessen any potential staining.

Warnings

• Always use jack stands. Never work under a car supported solely by a floor jack. Floor jack failures happen.
• Wear gloves and eye protection

Things You'll Need

• Floor jack
• Two jack stands
• Oil catch pan
• Shop rags
• Nitrile gloves
• 36mm socket (or a big pipe wrench)
• 17mm socket/crescent wrench
• 7 quarts of 0W40 “European Formula” full-synthetic motor oil
• A funnel
• Canister-type oil filter, replacement o-ring, replacement copper drain plug washer (these should come as a kit)

See also

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• Purchase the Right Gasoline
• Store Ethanol
• Do an Oil Change on a Freightliner DD 15 Gen 5 Engine
• Change Engine Oil on a Chevy Avalanche
• Remove the Fuel Filter From a Ford Sport Trac
• Change the Oil on a 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 250R
• Make Your Own Synthetic Oil
• Add Coolant to a Ford Freestar
• Operate an Enerpat Oil Filter Crusher Machine

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