Hello,

I thought I would have a go at changing the oil and oil filter on my SMAX '08 2.2tdci. I am a bit of a newbie when it comes to this sort of thing. However I pretty successful doing it on a Ford Focus. I am having a few problems where I would appreciate some information from the more experienced of you.

First of all I cannot seem to get the oil sump screw off. It turns but refuses to come out . The top of the screw is ok, I have no idea what it keeping it in other than worn threads. No oil is coming out so it seems to be pretty well sealed.

The second problem is I cannot locate the oil filter. It looks like it is within a compartment but where?

Your help and thoughts would be much appreciated.

Many thanks

Dom

dunno m8 but when you suss it out plz post the answers.coz ill be doing mine in a few months.

The filter should be at the back of the engine bay between the engine block and the firewall.

Personally I now use an oil suction pump (Google "Pela 6000") - which is a much easier & cleaner way of doing an oil change.

Plus it's been shown in tests to be better at removing oil & sludge than by simply using the gravity method.

Some cars (including many in the Mercedes range) don't actually have a sump plug anymore because the pump has proved to be such a better way of doing an oil change.

If your oil-burner is the same as my petrol 'max, you will have a cartridge filter rather than a spin-on one. Fortunately in the 2.5, the catridge is easily accessible at the front of the engine bay.

See my guide on how I did this here:

http://www.smaxownersclub.com/forum/showthread.php?9255-DIY-Oil-Change-(2.5T)

ive got a similar product,which i used on my mk2 galaxy tdi.as on a tdi the oil goes black pretty much instantly.

dunno whether i would use it on petrol car though.

reason is i cannot see how you can get everything out of the sump,unlike gravity where everything falls out.

In the end, I had to get the sump hex nut drilled out. Previous service the nut was put in too tight. All sorted now but a lot more expensive than I wished for. For the next time I indulge in an oil change I think I will do the PELA 6000 route. I am guessing the best place to insert the tube is is through the dip stick hole.

ive got a similar product,which i used on my mk2 galaxy tdi.as on a tdi the oil goes black pretty much instantly.

dunno whether i would use it on petrol car though.

reason is i cannot see how you can get everything out of the sump,unlike gravity where everything falls out.

Gravity isn't the best way of removing oil. It's slimy stuff that "coats" onto components and when you remove the drain plug you're just letting out the excess.

However when you use the pump you create a vacuum which actually sucks the oil out.

I've witnessed a car being drained through the sump plug then having an extration pump done to the supposedly "empty" engine - a further half-litre of oil was removed using the pump after all had been allowed to drain through the plug.

That's half-a-litre of old engine oil which otherwise wouldn't have been removed.

Hi everyone..

My first post on this forum..

I have a very big fan of the pela pumps and have used one on over a dozen different cars I have owned.

There is another area where the Pela is advantagious.. That is you can suck the dreggs from the oil filter housing. Obviously this only applies to cars where the filter is the paper type that lives within a housing with a screw on top.

I have also used it for draining ATF fluid on Mercedes 5 speed box (But thats another story which I wont bore you with here).

What i liked the idea of when living in America was a drive in lube service.

Drive onto the ramp, they suck the engine and gearbox oil out, new filter fitted, new oil in, grease and oil various parts under the car, grease door and boot (trunk) hinges and you drive out all within about 20-30 minutes.

That's pretty darned quick.