Technical Oil filter change

[BrianMcL]

I had a look at changing the oil filter on my 8v JTD at the weekend (who the h**l thought it was a good idea to put it there!) and would like some advice about what's involved please.

Is it simply a matter of undoing the 32mm nut on the end of the filter assembly or will I need to undo anything else to change it? Besides a 32mm socket will I need any other tools to get it out?

 

[s130]

Could not agree more with you! (as a side comment I'm told GM built Fiat 1.9 16V engines have the oil fitler above the horizontal drive shaft at the back of the engine and Fiat built 1.9 16V engines have it somewhere else....? other may care to comment).

Back to the Croma. NOTE! I'm assuming the 8V engine has the oil filter in the same place as the 16V engine!

This is how I do it and the tools required.

1) 1/2" inch rachet drive
2) 32mm socket
3) 1/2" universal joint
3) 2 or 3 1/2" extension bars
4) length of rubber tube to connect to the filter housing drain pipe

With the above you can get the socket square on the (stupidly) plastic 32mm filter cap. Into the socket you place the universal drive. Into the universal drive you place as many extension bars as is required to go out into the O/S wheel arch. Then attach the ratchet.

This is where is gets messy.

In theory with the drain tube attached to the filter housing you can slowly undo the top cap. One released from fully tightened position you may be able to use the cap edge ripples to unscrew by hand. Never really worked for me so I just carried on with the ratchet. At some point in the unscrew process oil will start to drain out of the tube. (this is in theory ..... often a lottery). Once the oil stops flowing you car on removing the end cap. With luck the housing will be drained down. If not "splat".

The splat is not so bad as the oil that lands on the back of block horizontal drive shaft, and then the oil runs off and ALONG to shaft dripping off in multiple locations.

This all happens when you hands are full of drives, filter cap and trying to move/replace the catch bucket.

Put plenty of paper/towling down, have more spare to hand, or preferably rent an octopus to do the job.

I would also suggest you use ramps, jack & stands, or drive onto some wooden blocks to get the front end.

Once the filter housing has finished draining wipe the inside surfaces clean. Gently finger lube the cap seals that come with the filter (I think there are two but don't quote me on this) and fit to cap. Add a finger smear of oil to the inside surface of housing, stuff the filter in and replace the cap.

The cap should be now fairly easy to tighten down by hand. GENTLY nip up with 1/2" drive.

NOTE! The oil seal, unlike a traditional cartridge opposing faces seal is made as the cap pushes the seal into the tapered housing. This means that the cap should NOT be over tightened. As long as the cap outer lip meets flushly with the housing then only the smallest amount of nipping up it required to stop the cap vibrating free.

Oh yes! Suggest you wear a pair of safety goggles to avoid and oil getting in the eye.

Hope this helps

Nick

 

[bobbyblue]

I have changed mine now on several occasions, it certainly is not very accessible unless you have a ramp. You will need to slip a piece of hose pipe onto the little pipe stub on the filter housing, as you undo the black plastic cup the oil inside the filter will be released and flow down the pipe into your drain tub, when this starts I let it drain for 10 minutes and when I go back the mess of dripping oil up your sleeve is less when you fully undo it.

 

[BrianMcL]

Hi Nick & BobbyBlue,
Excellent descriptions of what I need to get and do, thanks. When I was underneath it I did wonder whether I'd get covered in oil when I undid the nut. The idea of getting at it from the wheel arch sounds like a good one.

 

[s130]

Go for it Brian.

Like you I was worried, warey about doing the job but I bit the bullet and allowed myself a whole day to get the job done. In reality it took a lot less than this. As always (with me) 80%+ of the time was worrying, reasoning, treading carefully and trying to work out and understand the easist and best way to do the job.

Some people slowly ponder the task ahead and others dive in. Just go with your own style/method.

Either way it is/can be a messy job when done on the drive. In garages, on the ramps with the height adjustable mobie oil bucket with super wide funnel it is always going to be a far easier job (at £50 to £90 per hour plus VAT).

 

[BrianMcL]

I think I've got everything else but I stopped off at Halfords to get a 32mm socket. Fingers crossed for some dry weather Saturday or Sunday.

 

[BrianMcL]

Well it hasn't gone very well so far.

The filter will come loose without any problems but sadly the same couldn't be said for the sump plug which won't budge.

Does anyone have any tips for freeing it off, even if it means replacing the plug with a new one?

If I have to replace it would this part be a replacement?

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/V...1c04366d6afba9c4069d7e33450594b8753014&000566

They don't seem to list one for a Croma.

 

[bobbyblue]

I would put a breaker bar and socket on it and while applying turning effort get someone else to give it some reasonably firm strikes directly on the head with a hammer, obviously not hard enough to damage the sump though, this is a tried and tested method with stubborn nuts and bolts, a six point socket is best as it is less likely to round off the nut.

 

[s130]

Quite a common problem I'm afraid, mostly due to some apes that seems to lurk in the back of garages, or the job is left to the trainee technician who doesn't know their own strength! The copper washers are known to no seal that well so insead of anealing the wash they just lean on way to much.

As suggest by bobbly blue try shocking the plug with gentle hammer and drift blows, tapping surface and side edges.

If that does not work then a cold chissel and hammer on the rim of the plug.

I always replace the plug if it is the allen key hex socket type. I've not seen one yet that has not got slightly rounded surfaces.

I now use the following plug and dowty washer on our cars.

Fiat P/N:55196505 - Plug Sump Plug - 13mm nut head drive
Fiat P/N:55196309 - Sump Plug Seal Washer - Dowty 18mm ID 26mm OD

The plug has a nice 13mm bolt head on it. On should be able to use this many times. The Dowty washer (hydraulic prussure seal) has a lovely inner rubber seal. This mean that the plug does not have to be done up tight.

 

[RS Pilot]

I've done the filter change on our 150JTD several times now. Unless I'm mistaking it with the Ford 2.4 filter housing, is there not a couple of marks on the plastic filter cover that you line up with the housing to drain the oil out?

 

[T14086]

I stick a long piece of cardboard under the filter housing to direct the oil into the basin/bowl/drainer whatever your using. Takes no longer than most other filters.

 

[Vento]

I've done the filter change on our 150JTD several times now. Unless I'm mistaking it with the Ford 2.4 filter housing, is there not a couple of marks on the plastic filter cover that you line up with the housing to drain the oil out?

There is a paint mark on the receiving site of a 16V Multijet, that ought to be in line, after tightening, with a mark on the filtercap.

 

[Daveof49]

I'm looking to do a filter & oil change on my 1.9 8v, the first one on this car and am envisiging the usual hard work to do a simple task

I know I can get the filter quite easily but does anyone know if the O rings (as described in the elearn manual) for the filter case are obtainable and if so where. Eurocarparts stock the filter but not the O rings although they seem to think they may have some in stock that will do the job. However this would mean taking the old ones in to check that theirs are the correct size etc, which means if there are not the car is off the road, again.

 

[s130]

If the 1.9 8V filter housing is the same as the 1.9 16V housing then when you buy a decent make cartridge filter it will/should come with the replacment 'O' rings included.

For my Croma 16V I use Mahle OX386D filter which comes with 2 replacement 'O' rings.

 

[BrianMcL]

Mine was from eurocarparts and came with the o rings. Fitting the filter was the easy bit, dislodging the drain plug was something else.

 

[Daveof49]

Thanks BrianMcL and S130. Will make sure I get a filter which includes the O rings.

Think I am now mentally prepared to tackle this, which helps when working on Cromas. Just need the weather and the motivation .........

 

[s130]

Just need the weather and the motivation .........

Me too. I service every 12K miles (not 18K) and have just gone over 60K miles. As soon as the cold weather breaks and we have a dry spell I'll be out there with you!

 

[Daveof49]

Finally found the motivation to do the oil change. The display has been telling me to change the oil for some time so I thought I had better do it and the sun was shining. Oh my what a effort it was.

Eventually found the right angle to put the adjustable spanner to undo the oil casing then I thought I had better try the drain plug to see if I can release it. So tightened the oil filter case back up before releasing the oil out of the filter casing.

Then spent the next hour trying to undo the drain plug. Tried everything 13mm socket, mole grip, even a stilson! By this time the nut was completely buggered. About to give up and book it into my garage and spend £ 100 for an oil change which is what they quoted me .

Then I had a eureka moment I remembered I bought a set of those sockets that help to undo rounded nuts which I have never used and forgot about (as us blokes tend to do). There was a 13mm socket in the set, tapped it on with a hammer attached the adjustable and hey presto it turned straight away without masses of effort. Only thing is I cannot remember what the sockets are called as I write this.

Anyway, changed the filter and fixed a new drain plug with a hex type. Filled with oil and everything seemed ok only now the display is still telling me I need to change the oil although it does stop eventually but reappears on a new journey .

Does anyone know if this has to be turned off via Fiat EcuScan or is something more sinister afoot?

 

[BrianMcL]

That's good news that you finally managed to get it off but I'd love to know what the tool you used to remove it is called.

As far as the oil indicator is concerned I've always had to reset it with fiatECUscan to get it to work OK. I think from memory if you don't reset it the engine doesn't know the oil's been done and it'll eventually stop regenerating the DPF.

 

[Daveof49]

I remember:idea:. They are called Irwin Bolt grip. Excellent tool. Although if I have the problem next time with the allen type oil plug I have fitted they will be of no use.

Thanks for the info on resetting the Oil change. Never thought it would impact on the DPF regeneration.