RS4 Oil Change DIY

[S4bmwslayer]

Ok guys, here is my first DIY. Reinstalling the belly pan is a PITA! Other than that, pretty straight forward.


TOOLS:

Ramps
Work Gloves
Eye Protection

New Filter (I used NAPA Gold "FIL 7330" for $25.00)
5/16 Socket
10 mm socket
32 (Yes, 32!) mm socket
Stubby Flat Head Screwdriver
Pick Type Tool for removing old rubber gasket
Roll of Shop Paper Towels (The blue ones from auto parts store are absorbent for oil)
Pan to catch used oil
Torque Wrench




First get oil: $25.00 @ Wal Mart 5 Quarts of 0-W40. You will need to purchase TWO containers of oil.






Next: Ramps. (Got mine from AutoZone)



Drive RS4 up ramps: (Have someone help guide you. This can be scary)



I went up the ramps on the decline on my driveway so the car would be more level:



Pull up the large carbon fiber housing (the one that says "RS" on it). It pops right off:



The metal bracket that the carbon fiber housing pops into has to be removed. There are two bolts that must be removed:



I removed the top bolt with a 5/16th socket:



The lower bolt is a 10mm socket. Once you loosen it the bracket comes off: (Be careful not to let it drop down into your engine compartment)



Now it is time to remove the filter. A 32 MM socket does the trick: Yes, 32 MM. Huge!



These hoses were in the way. You just have to bend them back a bit to get the housing out. The filter is attached (quite securely) to the plastic housing:



Once you pull the housing off the dirty filter will be attached to it: (Not much oil will drip/spill when you pull it out so don't worry about that)



Once you get it out you will have to use quite a bit of force and wiggling and pulling and yanking for a bit but it will separate from the housing:





Next get your filter. I got mine from NAPA. It has the same markings on it as the OEM and was also made in Austria.

Item: Oil Filter (Gold)
Product Number: FIL 7330
Quantity: 1
Price: $20.25
Core Price: $0.00
Item Total: $20.25






The NAPA filter comes with a new rubber gasket for the top of the plastic housing. Use a pick type tool to to remove the old one. I picked up a set of these pick type tools from AdvanceAuto for $8.00:



Remove old gasket and put new one on in the same spot and pop the new filter back into the housing. No specific way or order to it, just pop it back in:



I also removed the oil fill cap to let the pressure inside the engine equalize so that as much oil will drain as possible

Now, climb under your beast and remove the screws that hold the belly pan in place. There are quite a few. Be sure to look for the two that are recessed towards the front. They are not readily visible as they are hidden a bit:. I used a stubby flat head screwdriver for all of them that worked really well. You will also have to remove a few plastic screws from inside the wheels wheel down towards the belly pan. There are two of them on each side.





Once you remove the belly pan the oil drain plug is right there. Use a 6 mm hex bit for your socket wrench. It fits perfectly: (Don't lose the washer that is on it if you are going to reuse it)








Use a large enough receptacle to catch the oil. I got this one from AdvanceAuto for $8.00 and worked fine.



Remove the drain plug and let the oil flow out for at least 30 minutes. I let mine drain for 45 minutes and it was still dripping a bit. There will be a ton of oil gushing out when you remove it so be prepared. Wear eye protection and gloves. Do not wear a long sleeved shirt unless you want the sleeves to be soaked in dirty oil. I would also suggest a large piece of cardboard to be placed under the container that will catch the oil.

Re-tighten the drain plug so that it is nice and tight. (I did not purchase another drain plug or crush washer but I believe this would be the preferred method):



Clean dirty oil out of plastic housing (there won't be much) and pop the new filter onto it and re-tighten to 25 nm (if not just make sure it is tight enough so that oil does not leak out. The rubber seal should not be visible after you re-tighten it. I also cleaned out the dirty oil from inside the barrel where the filter sits:





Fill with 9.5 quarts of oil (I added 8.5 as the owner's manual stated and as I was driving the low oil warning light came on.)

Put the oil fill cap back on and re-install the belly pan. It is a major PITA to reinstall. Especially the 4 screws that secure the brake cooling lines to the belly pan. OMG, it took me over an hour to get the whole thing reconnected! Hopefully you will have much better luck than I did.

Pop carbon fiber housing back on and go drive!


Good luck!

[RPMtech147]

Nice little write up.....If you ever get under an R8 or gallardo, theres a little more to it = ) Wet sup 4.2 is pretty straightforward.

BTW, I Love the red. I could not find a red one to save my life so I settled on black.

[MarcusDubya77]

great write up!

[Datadatum]

I like the little random pieces of advice...
- "do not drop into engine bay..."
- "do not wear a long sleeve shirt unless you want the sleeve soaked in oil..."

LOL

[tadhgbrosnan]

Fantastic write up, thank you! Posts like this restore my faith (a little) in the car forums.

Also, LOVE the Misano Ti.

[RAudi Driver]

That's how a DIY should be made.

Too bad it's on an oil change this late in the game. I guess it's still a good thing as there is a flood of new RS4 owners coming aboard.

Oh, that's a beautiful place you reside in.

[c615586]

Great write up! Thanks for contributing.

[docurley]

Funny that I just did mine at the weekend what a easy job to do easier then my old B6 1.8t.

[FWP!]

Nice write up.

One thing I'll add - ECS magnetic drain plug. I do the oil changes on my RS4 as well, and this plug, to me, is a nice way to check for any shavings (it's got a VERY strong magnet), and it also lets you use a regular hex socket to remove it.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_RS4...n_Plug/ES5386/

[musanoadsaba]

How much stuff do you pull off that plug?

[oxblood8]

Nice, thanks mate.

Gee I wish oil was that cheap over here in Australia. I paid $70USD for a 5 litre bottle the other day, and that was 25% off.

[denis silva]

Nice write up!


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[jakeoboy67]

little tip about the belly pan , for next oil changes

drill a 2"1/4 hole directly under your drain plug ( if you dont mind drilling it) , no more removing the belly pan

[badbluers4]

little tip about the belly pan , for next oil changes

drill a 2"1/4 hole directly under your drain plug ( if you dont mind drilling it) , no more removing the belly pan

+1

[FWP!]

Pretty much nothing, just a tiny bit of powdered metal (basically a light film on the magnet), probably due to the fact there has never been anything magnetic in the oil pan before so it was picking up whatever has been circulating around with the oil.

[S4bmwslayer]

Thanks for the feedback, guys. It was my first DIY. I drilled a hole in the belly pan of my S4 but taking a drill to it on an RS4 just doesn't feel right. I have been dreaming about owning one of these babies for years! (I may feel differently in a few months...)

[FrancoTheTanko]

Great write-up! I'll be doing my first oil change this weekend so this was perfect timing!! I was just wondering, can you use a big adjustable wrench to remove the plastic oil filter housing instead of using the 32mm socket? I know there's not much room, but does anyone know if you can get in there from the side?

-I'd check it right now, but my car is parked in my parent's garage 100 miles away lol

[RSFourMe]

Great write-up! I'll be doing my first oil change this weekend so this was perfect timing!! I was just wondering, can you use a big adjustable wrench to remove the plastic oil filter housing instead of using the 32mm socket? I know there's not much room, but does anyone know if you can get in there from the side?

-I'd check it right now, but my car is parked in my parent's garage 100 miles away lol

I just use my big channel locks....it puts some teeth marks into it, but it's a $20 part to replace and not visible so I'm not too worried about it.

[B5SilverS4]

Great write up! I just did mine about a month ago for the first time.

[dufferdude]

I tried the cut out hole trick, but when the flow started to slow down it ran down the back of the belly pan and made a mess. So I cut out a square and put a bigger plastic piece over it and riveted one corner and put a small screw on the opposite corner. I still have to use the flexible funnel to keep it from flowing towards the rear, even when parked on an incline with the ramps which makes it level. Still saves me taking the the belly pan out and reinstalling it, which is a major PITA. Another thing I use are oil spill diapers. Yea, yea crappy cell phone pic.

[Mistro]

The belly pan isn't terribly difficult once you've done it a few times. I've found it personally easier to put the front in first since the bumper area isn't that flexible. Then you can move the wheel well parts around to get it to slide in since those areas are much more flexible.

I usually brace my knee up on the centre of the pan to hold it up once I get the bumper side in, then just do the back two wheel well sides, then temporarily do one of the back screws to hold it in place.

When you have the belly pan off, you can also clean up the screws and holes to make putting them back in easier. It's much less annoying when their not crusty/rusty and you use a wider stubby screw driver.


Also, if you're doing this yourself often, just buy a proper socket for the oil filter cap. The socket will be cheaper than the cap...

[TypeRx]

Agree, I cutout a pretty big square and it secured it with wire ties. Ended up not lasting. And even with the cutout, changing the oil is a mess. Full removal of the belly pan or flexible funnel is the way to go.


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[S4Bennett]

The crush washer (if you have to replace it) is M14. This is same size used by most Hondas from 1990 to present. Its convenient if you also have a Honda in the stable.

Also FYI - because the crush washer is the same diameter as a Honda, it also means you can use magnetic drain plugs from a Honda. They're stupid cheap on eBay. Just make sure the length doesn't interfere with any moving parts.

[your daddy]

FYI, those e torx are not OEM on the engine cover bracket. should be a 10mm bolt.

[S4Bennett]

Broke off the filter bypass valve while removing the oil filter from the cap. I was having a hard time with it and reached for the biggest pliers I had (a pair of channel locks that I've only had to use once before).

I yanked on the filter and it let go but realised the filter came out with an extra piece attached. Apparently the bypass valve is attached to the cap similarly to how the filter is attached to the bypass valve and can break a few of the teeth of pulled the incorrect way....although I'm not sure there's really a prescribed right way when it's usually just a bunch of pulling, twistin, grunting and swearing.

[TypeRx]

Agree that there HAS to be a better way to remove the oil filter element from the cap. It is quite possibly the most lame-brained idea ever.


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[S4Bennett]

Agree that there HAS to be a better way to remove the oil filter element from the cap. It is quite possibly the most lame-brained idea ever.


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Not a solution to both problems, but might help with breaking caps all the time.

[your daddy]

also, you should take the bellypan off, and not half ass it by cutting a hole in it like jiffy lube would do. take the pan off, and inspect under there for leaks, etc,

[TypeRx]

Not a solution to both problems, but might help with breaking caps all the time.

I thought about getting the ECS filter cap but would damage its pretty finish throwing the damn thing against the ground trying to get the filter out! :)

[dufferdude]

also, you should take the bellypan off, and not half ass it by cutting a hole in it like jiffy lube would do. take the pan off, and inspect under there for leaks, etc,

This makes me laugh. I respect your opinion though. My garage is not even close to being a Jiffy Lube. But I don't have access to a lift either.

[TypeRx]

My practice is to remove the belly pan at least every other oil change, if not every. It only takes 2-5 extra minutes. If nothing else, it allows you to inspect the oil cooler lines.


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[lucidmatt]

This makes me laugh. I respect your opinion though. My garage is not even close to being a Jiffy Lube. But I don't have access to a lift either.

I think Rick is referring more to the actual news stories about Jiffy Lubes getting their asses handed to them when their quick lube techs would just hack a hole into peoples belly pans without saying anything to the customer to find the drain plug and filter locations instead of turning the 1/4 turn screws and dropping it like any real shop does. Now, that being said... that's why these things shouldn't be brought to jiffy lubes ;)

[your daddy]

I have seen audis come in with holes in the belly pans, or missing. usually from quick lubes. not calling your garage jiffy lube, just that particular practice,