My First Oil Change

[cjac]

Decided to tackle my first oil change since purchasing the car (1995 S4S) last year (had my mechanic perform this task previously). Purchase the oil filter from JAE and oil from a local BMW dealership (10W60 which btw is more rare than a Sasquatch sighting).

Read all the oil change and jacking instructions as per LEW,,,,
- jacked up the car with stands in place
- crawled under with my trusty 19mm wrench in hand and,,,,??????!!!!!!

Lotus is using a drain bolt requiring an Allen key,,,not a run-of-the-mill 19mm bolt head. AARRGGHHH!!! Of course I do not own such an animal.

My question(s) is/are:

- what size Allen key should I be use to get the oil drain plug out with? Not much clearance due to a strut in the way.
- any other surprises I should be aware of before proceeding?
- the oil filter came with a small O-ring. What the heck is that for?
- I am even considering purchasing one of those hand held pumps whereby you can extract the oil through the dipstick. Has anyone tried this method of oil change? Would be very convenient (no jacking, crawling under the car, or spilled oil on the floor).

Thanks for your help!

[Escape]

- IIRC it's a 12mm hex, you can either use an allen key (possibly with a short piece of pipe for leverage) or a hex bit with an adapter for a 1/2" breaker bar, which is what I use.

- not really a surprise, but oil is likely to drain out of the filter when you change it.

- the O-ring should match the one on the drain plug. It's quite common for quality oil filters to include either an O-ring or sealing washer for the drain plug, as you need both anyway

- I'm not a fan of those, seems more likely to leave old oil (or worse, crud etc) in the oil pan. It's a cheap and quick trick in a normal garage, but it also usually means the underside is never inspected for leaks, wear etc.

[jonwat]

- IIRC it's a 12mm hex, you can either use an allen key (possibly with a short piece of pipe for leverage) or a hex bit with an adapter for a 1/2" breaker bar, which is what I use.

- not really a surprise, but oil is likely to drain out of the filter when you change it.

Get yourself a Hex Socket Bit Set & if you leave it draining overnight with before removing the filter all the oil in it will run out through the bearings allowing you to remove it without spilling any oil.

[Bibs]

Run the engine first to warm the oil, it's is much more enthusiastic about leaving via the sump plug.