I love simple, brilliant suggestions. Thanks Tim!! You need to drop the undertray at the track?

A good way to read a dipstick is to use a paper towel. After you pull the dipstick, lay it on a clean piece of paper towel held in your hand - the oil will "flow" from the dipstick to the towel and you will be able to see where the level of the oil is on the dipstick...
Thanks! I'll try that. You need to drop the undertray at the track?
It could happen...it certainly happened with the RX-7 in the past.

ed Will the 1/4" air ratchet wrench work with a tankless air inflator (the kind you plug into your car's electric socket to air up your tires) ?

Or do I need to buy a 5-10 gallon airtank? So far the only use for the air ratchet is to help remove the undertray.

Thanks! Will the 1/4" air ratchet wrench work with a tankless air inflator (the kind you plug into your car's electric socket to air up your tires) ?

Or do I need to buy a 5-10 gallon airtank? So far the only use for the air ratchet is to help remove the undertray.

Thanks!

no no no... get an ordinary cordless drill and a 1/4" hex to 1/4" drive socket adapter (they also have 3/8" drive adapters as well). for the hard to reach areas use the right angle adapter:

http://store.yahoo.com/tylertool/mi49rianat.html

using the right tools makes pulling the diffuser/undertray about a 1 minute job... As no-one mentioed it those quick release bolts really help. A long while ago I spant a little while designing some ramps where the driving surface is made from 2x12 planks. As they come 8ft long I bought 3. I wont go into they supporting part here. I cut the 3 borads in half making 4 ft lengths. 2 peices are used to make the ramp up leaving 3 pieces each side so the car can be driven level. Once the car is driven onto them the middle section each side can be remove for easier access. When completed the section can be stacked for storage. Recently i marked the floor with electrical tape and shimmed the sections (with cheap vinyl floor tiles) to make them all perfectly level. i now use them to set the car alignment. well worth the $80 that it cost for all the wood. All I need for the constrution was a circular saw. ( I certainly would not considre myself a carpenter). I think the other pieces I used were 2x10 (for the ramp height) cut and placed for rigidity strength and especially stability. Thanks for the suggestion rob13572468 ... makes sense to me. Just use plastic ramps for an oil change. Ample room for easy by-hand filter removal. A 5/16 or 8 mm socket driver (screw driver handle, ratchet not needed) or a drill with an adaptor make things go quicker. The under-engine panel stays in the forward slot when you hold it up by hand..then you insert one of the allen screws part way to have it stay up. OK so no one posted the part number for the drain. I'm ready to buy! OK so no one posted the part number for the drain. I'm ready to buy!
you're talking about the drain gasket? I would go to a Toyota dealer and buy the gasket from them... Just use plastic ramps for an oil change. Ample room for easy by-hand filter removal. A 5/16 or 8 mm socket driver (screw driver handle, ratchet not needed) or a drill with an adaptor make things go quicker. The under-engine panel stays in the forward slot when you hold it up by hand..then you insert one of the allen screws part way to have it stay up.
And if you're using the K&N HP2009 filters, they have a hex shaped thing on the bottom you can put a socket on to aid filter removal.

I used some cheap walmart plastic ramps and they work great. Yes, cheapy Walmart ramps work great on the rear (don't work on the front). I have had the under-panels off several times while backed up on the ramps and would highly recommend them as a simple solution.

I've seen numerous threads on backing up on ramps and doing an oil change. I'm not a gearhead, but isn't there a fundamental drainage problem with that procedure, since the oil drain is in the REAR of the oil pan? If the rear of the car is elevated and the drain is now no longer the low point of the pan (the front of the pan is), won't some oil remain? But more importantly, won't you have settlement of fines in the lowest point of the pan which would now be forward of the drain?

What about the oil coolers? If they are at the front of the car, and must retain some oil, how would they drain if the rear end is elevated?

Just curious as I am coming up on my 7500 mile interval and want to do it myself.

Any input??

Thanks... dan Answering is slightly different order...

What about the oil coolers? If they are at the front of the car, and must retain some oil, how would they drain if the rear end is elevated?
The oil coolers are not drained - in fact it is recommended that they not be drained as the refilling/priming procedure is a pain.

I've seen numerous threads on backing up on ramps and doing an oil change. I'm not a gearhead, but isn't there a fundamental drainage problem with that procedure, since the oil drain is in the REAR of the oil pan? If the rear of the car is elevated and the drain is now no longer the low point of the pan (the front of the pan is), won't some oil remain? Yes, but... There will be a few ounces of oil (if that) left in the pan. Not a real worry with the quantity of oil left in the oil cooler and lines. Besides, the ramps that people suggest using (Rhino Ramps) are only 8 inches high - enough to slide under the car, but not much more, so the angle really isn't that great...

But more importantly, won't you have settlement of fines in the lowest point of the pan which would now be forward of the drain? Not really a problem if you do it right. You should always change the oil with the oil hot - the "gunk" is not on the bottom of the pan, it's suspended in the oil. Hot oil flows more quickly out of the drain, and carries the "gunk" with it. If the small amount of oil left in the pan (and anything suspended in it) is enough to cause a problem, then there is major problems with the engine already.

If you are really worried about it, you can lift the front with a floor jack (using the front jacking point), and set the car down on jack-stands. There's an easier way to lift the car up to change the oil. Answering is slightly different order...



The oil coolers are not drained - in fact it is recommended that they not be drained as the refilling/priming procedure is a pain.

Hmm. Might be a fun project to actually change that oil. Can somebody post a procedure? One that would allow me to charge the oil coolers and lines with fresh oil so that on startup they would be as if I never drained the oil from them? Could I get a crank pump, pull the oil cooler lines, and crank new oil into them? Will that cause the oil in the lines/coolers to be worked along and drained into the oil pan? After pumping a few quarts through I could then consider them recharged?
Are there valves I need to open to allow the oil to be pumped thorugh the oil cooler system? (i.e., valves that open only when the oil is hot, etc)?
Anybody done this? yes, I know it's not required ... Hmm. Might be a fun project to actually change that oil. Can somebody post a procedure? One that would allow me to charge the oil coolers and lines with fresh oil so that on startup they would be as if I never drained the oil from them? Could I get a crank pump, pull the oil cooler lines, and crank new oil into them? Will that cause the oil in the lines/coolers to be worked along and drained into the oil pan? After pumping a few quarts through I could then consider them recharged? Are there valves I need to open to allow the oil to be pumped thorugh the oil cooler system? (i.e., valves that open only when the oil is hot, etc)? Anybody done this? yes, I know it's not required ...
It would be much, much easier to just clean flush the car as some race places do. Basically you change out the oil. Then run the car hard enough for the oil coolers to open, so that oil is exchanged. Change it out again. Oil is not that expensive. You can change the oil filter last. Believe it or not but if you are using synthetic oil, and the oil coolers are working the oil stays just fine. Most cars with factory oil coolers have the same oil-left-in-there issue. Many BMWs do this and if maintained run and run and run. It's more a mental comfort issue than anything else. And if you change out the oil cooler oil constantly, I suspect that the bleeding process may expose the engine to an air bubble or two.

If this captive oil remains a concern for you here is an idea. Get one of the suction tube oil changers for the car. And do some from-the-top oil swaps. Roughly 20-25 dollars worth of synthetic oil per change out. Done frequently you can leave the oil filter in place for the normal time/mileage interval and your oil will always be fresh.

If you open up an engine you'll note that there are all sorts of captive oil pockets which hold oil in the car. Often cylinder heads hold quite a bit. Internal oil passages. The valve timing gizmo. Etc.

One thing to remember about any captive oil is that it gets recharged very, very well by the additives coming in with the new oil. So if the present oil is starting to become acidic then the contents of the new oil tackles that and ends it. Great additive packs.

If you are still concerned or just curious you can have some oil taken as a sample at each oil change or in between them. Send that to one of the many oil test labs. They measure the present quality of the oil (how much life is left), and also wear particles they may find. If the latter are low and in line with the type of engine and use then you are fine. It's normal for modern oil at say 6000-8000 miles to get a green flag from the oil lab as not needing to be changed cuz it's still fine. Way after most enthusiast change theirs.

You could also use higher quality and/or capacity oil filters. Our engine can take 2-3 times larger oil filters. Combined with top side oil changes you can leave the larger capacity filter "down there" on a schedule. Or you could use something like the Canton/Mecca full flow 8 micron filters. Most oil filters including ours by pass (let unfiltered oil pass) at certain times. This is one reason that it's not good to rev a cold engine too high during warm up. Because the cold oil is thick hence the oil pressures are higher than when warmed up and the filter's bypass (spring loaded gizmo inside the filter) cannot filter all the oil. So rather than starve the engine for oil, the filter stops filtering some of it for a period and just lets it through. The C/Ms never do that as their uber flow renders a bypass moot.

Our car uses the very common 3/4-16 thread. Tons of cars uses this. BMWs, many American car, Lexus, etc. There are many filters that will work well on our car. The stock filters while adequate and safe are actually kind of small in appearance. I generally run the K&N or Mobil 1 filters which are about triple the size and have great technical characteristics and are compatible. THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE INPUT!! And if you're using the K&N HP2009 filters, they have a hex shaped thing on the bottom you can put a socket on to aid filter removal.

I used some cheap walmart plastic ramps and they work great.
The K&N Air Filters basically last the life of the car. Do their oil filters work the same way ? (i.e. you just clean them every so often). What are the dimensions of the oil filter? (may purchase a filter wrench). That oil drain thing referenced earlier, for sale on a website, looks brilliant, but I'm not sure which type to purchase? Any one know which model fits the Elise? Can't you tell this will be my first DIY oil-change? Thanks for the help (and thanks to Sandsmuseum for the great writeup). The K&N Air Filters basically last the life of the car. Do their oil filters work the same way ? (i.e. you just clean them every so often). What are the dimensions of the oil filter? (may purchase a filter wrench). That oil drain thing referenced earlier, for sale on a website, looks brilliant, but I'm not sure which type to purchase? Any one know which model fits the Elise? Can't you tell this will be my first DIY oil-change? Thanks for the help (and thanks to Sandsmuseum for the great writeup).
There is no need for a filter wrench, as the K&N has either a 1" or 7/8" hex protrusion on the bottom so you may remove it with a standard socket wrench.

You may use either the HP-2009 or the HP1003 filters; the 2009 is much larger so I'd recommend that.

The K&N filter is disposable, not reusable like their air filters. You need to replace them at normal intervals.

Good luck, it's not much more difficult than on any car. I don't use any fancy oil drain thing, just a pan and that works fine (though I elevate the rear onto low profile ramps to provide clearance). Like this.