2 hours!! Lol ...... It's tight but it does come out - once unscrewed you turn it so the threaded end is facing upwards then it should lower through the gap between the compressor and the block.......wear gloves cos it ain't clean!

If you do get the new one on its best to screw it on from the top as you can really get any purchase on it from the bottom....... Needless to say its a Friggin crap place to put a filter!

And I though I struggled, took me about half an hour of turning and messing about but it did come out, although the old filter was from euro car parts it was slightly bigger than the genuine fiat one I put back on, the old one was a bit of a scrape but it did come out! And as Gadge said, it's a messy job! Good luck

It'll come out a lot easier next time if you do it up hand tight only........ Some people like to tweak them up with the filter wrench but it'll be really hard to turn the next oil change you do. What makes it particularly messy is that you have to turn it upside down to lower it length ways past the air con pump and invariably empties its contents all over your arm lol.....I've often thought an oil filter relocation kit would be a good idea and may well fit one on mine when If I ever remove the engine

Access is a bit easier if you remove the lower half of the exhaust heat shield. And for goodness sake make sure the o-ring comes off with the filter. If it sticks on it'll leak like a sieve when you put the new filter on!

Thanks for the tips maybe I would have tried longer( the 2 hours was 10 minutes at a time) if it wasn't so hot, but a web search shows national doing oil(semi Synthetic) and filter for £50 I'm not sure I will try again, Any thoughts on spark plugs I've used NGK iridium this time and fitted a K&N air filter. Next job discs and pads any Italian quirks I should be aware of.

packman said:

Next job discs and pads any Italian quirks I should be aware of.

Click to expand...

Yes. Approach replacement of the rear pads with care. You must back off the handbrake first and you will need a winding-in tool to compress the piston in the caliper. Look in the Guides section, pretty sure it's covered there.

Front pads are straightforward.

I also use NGK irridiums in mine and its never missed a beat. Coincidently I also have a K&N too but it's the panel filter version (direct replacement or the paper one) purely because its better at filtering air and just like the oil filter its a swine to fit every year so one in you kind of forget about it for 6 odd years

Nippon Denso iridiums me. Plus K&N panel like Gadge...

just did rear discs and pads on my multiwagon, well my mate dave did but i was the offical tool passer lol.... my near side rear caliper was a little seized but got it freed.... thats the main thing they like to seize up but i wind back tool is a must.

also remember to take the brake fluid cap off and put a old rag round it to stop it over flowing as you wind the piston back in.

i had these fitted



just bedding them in now