Changing Oil Filter.doc

You will probably have to order this filter on-line. Most auto parts stores will not carry this filter in stock.

A tip for MB owners....

The hood will open to two positions on this car. Position 1 is halfway open, as far as the hoods on most cars open.

Position 2 opens the hood to a perpendicular position. This is great for getting it out of the way. You don't have to hunch over this way, and you won't bang your head.

Open the hood to Position 1. Stand by the left hood hinge, and pull the hood back down again just slightly. Pull the tab shown away from the hood so that the pin clears the hood hinge.

Open the hood until it reaches it's stop. The hood will still NOT be in it's fully up position yet.

Go to the right side of the car, and pull the right tab away from the hood.

Push the hood to the fully open position. You will hear a couple of clicks. That means it has locked into position.

To pull the hood back down, repeat these steps.

The yellow arrow points to the screw-on-cap for the oil filter. The air filter box and MAF sensor are still in place. You can see why these items have to come out to get access to the oil filter.

Disconnect the air temp sensor from the intake runner on the left side. Gently bend the plastic retaining tabs up out of their locking slot, and rotate the sensor 90 degrees to pull it straight up and out.

It is possible that your car's temp sensor has had it's tabs broken off.  If that's the case, you may be able to pull the connector straight up and off.

Pull the small plastic rivet holding the auxiliary fan grill out of it's receptacle. Gently pull the grill away from the car. 

Disengage the two clips on the intake funnel from the air filter box, and pull the funnel as far forward as possible.

Pull the rubber trim off of the plastic cover as shown.  Then remove the plastic cover by twisting the fasteners 1/4 turn while pushing down on them.

Remove the MAF connector by twisting it 1/4 turn counter clockwise.

Unfasten the two spring clips holding the MAF to the air filter box using a flat blade screwdriver.

Remove two 10 mm nuts securing the air filter box to it's brackets. These nuts can easily fall into a cranny. Don't let them fall!

Loosen the band clamp on the rubber intake runner where it mates with the MAF using a Phillips screwdriver. Gently twist the MAF to break the seal between it and the rubber intake runner.

Lift the air filter box up just enough to clear the studs that hold it in place. You may have to gently twist it to dislodge it from the MAF. Move the air filter box as far towards the front of the car as you can. The idea is to provide enough clearance to pull the MAF out.

CAREFULLY pull the MAF out of the rubber intake runner. Do not damage the screens on either end of the MAF, they are delicate. DO NOT SPRAY anything inside the MAF!! Bag and seal the MAF in a zip-loc bag to prevent contamination.

Now you can remove the air filter box, which will give you easy access to the oil filter. Tilt the front end up, and pull it out of the way.

Now we can get to the oil filter.

My oil filter wrench slips when I try to loosen the cap. I cut a strip of 22 grit sandpaper, and wrap it around the cap. I put the wrench over the sandpaper, and this provides enough friction to get the cap loose.

The cap is off. Have a rag ready before pulling the filter out of it's housing. It will drip oil. Make note of which end of the filter is facing up. You must put the new filter in the same way. Pull the filter straight out of the housing, and discard per your local guidelines.

Pull the old filter straight out.

The oil filter is a replaceable paper element filter. It is not a metal canister type filter that many cars use. 

The new filter kit, complete with new o-ring and drain plug washer.

Replace the o-ring on the cap.

Smear a light coating of new oil on the o-ring.

Place the new filter in with the open side down. Let it stick out about 3 to 4 inches.

Place the cap over the filter, and position the cap so that the cap is centered on the centering ring of the filter.

Push the filter all the way down by pushing on the cap. Tighten the cap by hand until flush with the housing lip. Torque to 25 Newton meters as stated on the cap. For those of us that do not have a torque oil filter wrench, tighten it snugly, don't crank down on it....it is plastic after all.

Don't forget to replace the drain plug washer with the new one, and don't forget to fill the crankcase with fresh oil. This car takes 10 quarts when the filter is changed.

Reverse the entire procedure to re-assemble. Always check for leaks at the oil pan and the filter with the engine running once complete.