Technical Weird oil drain issue

[Jodsclass]

Lol, thats exactly my thoughts when reading the the OP's post. There could be another area the oil is sitting whilst on the slope.
So unless you rule out doing it with the car on the level, by doing it with the car level....... its the cheapest option, IMO.

This makes sense, although the sump plug is on a slight angle at the back, so I assumed using at home car ramps would place the open plug at a low point in the sump & drain the vast majority out. Without using a car lift, how is everyone managing to do this on the flat? Is it jack, axle stands, lower back off stands when draining and then raise it again? I certainly can't get under the 500 without it being lifted.

 

[GettinBetter]

.... I certainly can't get under the 500 without it being lifted.

Nope, nor me, and I have this to do shortly. I suppose it's axle stands all round, unless you have a lift, or a pit?
What do you other guys do?

TBH, I'll prolly just put axle stands in the front, and jack at the back in the middle....put some wheels under it to be sure... and crack on.

 

[varesecrazy]

Nope, nor me, and I have this to do shortly. I suppose it's axle stands all round, unless you have a lift, or a pit?
What do you other guys do?

TBH, I'll prolly just put axle stands in the front, and jack at the back in the middle....put some wheels under it to be sure... and crack on.

I used a trolley jack on my 500

Lift a wheel put a Block under it, lower jack

Other side lift, block and the jack still taking some weight

I did this @May.. Will find pics

Changed oil and filter ok

 

[Jodsclass]

I'd like to hear how others do this. I’ve always raised the front wheels on car ramps and drained it. That's how the Haynes manual recommended & even the guide on here. It's also why I assumed the drain plug was on an angle at the back of the sump. Like I say, I’ve been doing this for 10+ years on the same engine in the panda, the panda never took a full 2.8 litres either, but it certainly took more than this, which is odd. Same engine, same sump arrangement, same driveway. Perhaps I'll just get into the habit of changing once every 5000 miles, so the oil is always relatively fresh, even if some gets left behind.

I just went out to confirm, and the sump plug is definitely on the back, so when the front is lifted it would be lower

 

[GettinBetter]

Well, thats me stumped, I never did it, so you can't blame me

 

[chris3234]

Nope, nor me, and I have this to do shortly. I suppose it's axle stands all round, unless you have a lift, or a pit?
What do you other guys do?

TBH, I'll prolly just put axle stands in the front, and jack at the back in the middle....put some wheels under it to be sure... and crack on.

Absolutely do NOT jack the rear axle up by jacking it up in the middle unless u want to risk bending it

 

[Jodsclass]

OK, my experiments continue. I've just gone full bodge mechanic and parked the rear on bricks. It's not quite 100% level, but It's pretty damn close. Checking the sills with a level, It's almost there now. Will let it cool down/settle & check again. My wife now thinks I’ve officially lost the plot, but I just have to know.

 

[GettinBetter]

Absolutely do NOT jack the rear axle up by jacking it up in the middle unless u want to risk bending it

You mean like this?

Jacking on rear axle

 

[chris3234]

You mean like this?

Jacking on rear axle

Yes the manual explicitly forbids this

 

[GettinBetter]

Just as well I didn't let the missus at it........

Although I have got a fork truck, that'll spread the load

 

[portland_bill]

Like I say, I’ve been doing this for 10+ years on the same engine in the panda, the panda never took a full 2.8 litres either,

My Panda takes 2.8 litres every time, and once the filter is filled, sits on the max exactly. Been fine for 13 years.

What about the measuring device? How accurate is it?

 

[Jodsclass]

My Panda takes 2.8 litres every time, and once the filter is filled, sits on the max exactly. Been fine for 13 years.

What about the measuring device? How accurate is it?

It's just a big old measuring jug with a metric measuring counter up the side. I'd assume it's pretty accurate.

With the rear end on bricks and sills almost level, I just checked the stick and the level is lower. It's now about 4-5 mm from the max mark. I'm going to leave it on them overnight & check in the morning, but this slope on the drive might just account for the discrepancy. If it is the case, it will be a lesson learned. I had no idea that the driveway was so sloped & I've lived here for so long. Then again we are in a Cornish valley, it's basically impossible to get a flat surface here.

 

[John202020]

I put 3.1L in at change time and always raise the front on ramps which are 9" high but the parking area slopes downhill so its more like 5" high, oh and our dip stick is bent on our non AC car.

 

[varesecrazy]

You mean like this?

Jacking on rear axle

I did the same on my Panda

No obvious issues..

But have lifted each side individually on the 500

Awkward doing that and trying to Site Axle Stands though

 

[Jodsclass]

Ok Reporting back.

Left the rear of the car on bricks overnight to keep it level on the driveway. Topped up this morning & by my calculations now have 2.64 litres of fresh oil in there, bringing the stick upto the top of the chevron max part of the dipstick. So that means only around 160ml of oil failed to drain when changing, which is not a great deal to hide around components and as a film inside the engine I guess.

The lesson from this is, because the dip stick enters the sump at the back, if the car is on any kind of slope, it will report quite drastically on the dipstick. The small slope on my driveway was enough to account for about a 300ml misread on the stick. Lesson learned for the future & hope it helps some others.

 

[Ralf S.]

I've done Rasputin a couple of times (as the actress said to the bishop..) and it's always taken 2.8ltrs. I drain it on the flat and always replace the filter.

I usually jack mine up on a trolley jack (forget axle stands since if the beast falls on my head it's more likely to bend the sump than my head... ) undo the sump plug and start the oil draining into a pan. Once the initial load has come out, I'll reposition my drain pan so it's under the sump plug and the filter housing at the same time, and remove the filter. Then I lower the car back onto its tyres and leave it for half an hour or 20 minutes..

My drain pan doesn't foul on the sump when the car is on the ground but it's too tall to slide in and out without catching on something.

When the oil has drained I'll jack the car up again, just enough to drag the drain pan out and to fit a new filter and replace the sump plug.


Ralf S.

 

[varesecrazy]

I tend to refill to 'halfway' on the dipstick

Start motor for 20 seconds.. Ensuring oil light goes out.. Then check for leaks

Drive off ramps if they are used.. Then switch off

Level car for 20 minutes then restore the oil level

 

[varesecrazy]

Images of a 1242 cc VVT :500
(2018 model) with aircon.


dipstick dimensions @435 /460 mm

 

[varesecrazy]

Interesting that what I found on a 2018 VVT motor appears to be the same on a 10 years older 60bhp FIRE MOTOR

 

[JohnForst]

Maybe such a seemingly easy thing to do, but the manual tells you how to check the oil level (check that the engine oil level is between the MIN and MAX reference points stamped on the dipstick). However, there are no such points on the dipstick, the oil level should be in the middle of that round smooth section (that's what the mechanic told me).