Arhh why can't anything be simple?

[R1 Indy]

Its a nice sunny day, so thought i would do the long put off oil change on the alfa 159 (1.9D).

What a stty job alfa have made this.

To get the undershield off you have to undo about 15 bolts of which are mostly either seized or just spin. so after over an hour of swearing at it, decided to get the blow torch out and just melt away the plastic from around the bolts, and off comes the shield.

So im now thinking, it should be piss easy from now on, but no.

They have designed it so the sump plug is on the side of the sump with only about an inch clearance from a chassis rail, so you can't get a ratchet on it, the only way is with a 13mm spanner.

Its been soaked in plus gas, all my weight on the tiny spanner, ive hit the spanner with a lump hammer, but all thats happening is the spanner rounding on the fking nut.

So not quite sure how to get this out now, might have to get the blowtorch onto it and see if heat will help.

I can see why some garages use a vacumm pump now, if all modern cars are this difficult!

I haven't even managed to locate the filter yet, but its a paper filter type so i know its going to be a right fker when i do find it.

So are all modern cars this difficult?

I wish i just took it to quickfit now!

[TheEnd]

Oil sucker!

After a few pumps, you'd be able to just sit back and watch it drink away.

[irf]

if its not too rounded off have you tried entwining one spanner into the other for more leverage? hard to explain if you've not tried it before.

edit. found a pic.

Edited by irf on Saturday 3rd March 15:47

[chryslerben]

R1 Indy said:

Its a nice sunny day, so thought i would do the long put off oil change on the alfa 159 (1.9D).

What a stty job alfa have made this.

To get the undershield off you have to undo about 15 bolts of which are mostly either seized or just spin. so after over an hour of swearing at it, decided to get the blow torch out and just melt away the plastic from around the bolts, and off comes the shield.

So im now thinking, it should be piss easy from now on, but no.

They have designed it so the sump plug is on the side of the sump with only about an inch clearance from a chassis rail, so you can't get a ratchet on it, the only way is with a 13mm spanner.

Its been soaked in plus gas, all my weight on the tiny spanner, ive hit the spanner with a lump hammer, but all thats happening is the spanner rounding on the fking nut.

So not quite sure how to get this out now, might have to get the blowtorch onto it and see if heat will help.

I can see why some garages use a vacumm pump now, if all modern cars are this difficult!

I haven't even managed to locate the filter yet, but its a paper filter type so i know its going to be a right fker when i do find it.

So are all modern cars this difficult?

I wish i just took it to quickfit now!

Don't forget lefty loosey, righty tighty lol

[Jimmyarm]

Six sided spanner and the above pic

[R1 Indy]

just tryed that trick, had lots of tension on it then, it suddenly went.

Unfortunatly it wasn't the bolt coming loose, it was the head now completly stripped

Im now off to ebay to buy an oil extractor.

Oh and ive just found the oil filter location, they couldnt've found a more inacessable place if they tried!

[RichB]

So you've melted the undertray and sheared the head of the sump plug, right?

[SCR Racing]

You need more fire. And grenades.

[busta]

RichB said:

So you've melted the undertray and sheared the head of the sump plug, right?

The next problem he will encounter is being covered HERE

[ZeeTacoe]

RichB said:

So you've melted the undertray and sheared the head of the sump plug, right?

Admittedly very productive.

This sounds like my dad's Avensis, which I'm fairly certain Toyota never once took the sump plug off and got the biggest bugger in all of the UK to tighten the oil filter. As it uses so much oil I thought sod it and just topped the oil up, I'm treating it as a constant loss system.

[spikeyhead]

ZeeTacoe said:

RichB said:

So you've melted the undertray and sheared the head of the sump plug, right?

Admittedly very productive.

This sounds like my dad's Avensis, which I'm fairly certain Toyota never once took the sump plug off and got the biggest bugger in all of the UK to tighten the oil filter. As it uses so much oil I thought sod it and just topped the oil up, I'm treating it as a constant loss system.

When you put an metal washing up bowl underneath, and use what's fallen into it to top up the engine every 40 miles you know it's time to search for a new car.

[Turn7]

One reason I pay National tyres £30 odd quid for a Castrol oil/filter change. Not worth even trying at home for that money.