It’s time to start a new year of Autocross and Driver’s Schools. Time for a little Spring maintenance. So before heading back to the track next week I thought I’d switch back to the cold air intake, replace the spark plugs, change the brake fluid, and change the oil. Since I have to get an inspection at a qualified shop anyway, I’ll get the brake flush there. That left the CAI, plugs, and oil change for me to do. I did the CAI and plugs a couple of days ago. Today’s post is about changing oil. We recommend changing your oil every 5,000 miles.

Here’s how to change the oil in an R50/r53 MINI. You’ll need a 13mm wrench or socket; short 36mm socket; new drain plug; torque wrench; new filter with O ring; and 6 quarts of oil. You won’t have much room to maneuver the 36mm socket you really need a short one. Place your car on jackstands or in my case ramps and jackstands. You want the car to be level. Run your engine for a few minutes to get the oil warm, but not hot. This will help the oil flow more quickly.

Locate the oil drain plug at the back of the oil pan. Place your catch pan under close by and open the plug until you have only a couple of threads remaining engaged. Slide the pan into position to catch the oil then carefully remove the plug, keeping your hand up and out of the flow of the oil (remember it’s warm). Once flowing, slide your pan about 6 inches to the passenger side to catch the oil when you remove the filter.

Moving to the top of the engine, locate the filter housing. It’s on the back side of the block. There isn’t much room to work with. If you can break the seal by loosening the housing about a quarter of a turn while the oil is still draining, you’ll make less of a mess when you remove the filter. Once the filter housing is loose, you can spin it off by hand. Flip it over so the open end is up as quickly as you can so you don’t spill more oil than you have to in the process of getting it out. Note the orientation of the old filter in the housing and discard it.

Clean up the housing and remove the old O ring. Use a pocket knife or even a ball-point pen to remove the old O ring, taking care not to damage the housing. Put some fresh oil in the groove and replace the O ring with the new one that came with your filter. Put some more oil on the new O ring so it doesn’t twist when you put it back on the block. Press the new filter all of the way into the new housing. Spread some new oil on the gasket on the end of the filter. This will help make it easier to remove next time.

If the oil has finished draining, replace the drain plug and tighten. Move the drip pan out of the way. Torque the drain plug to 18 ft lbs. Now it’s time to put the filter and housing back on the engine. Before you start, carefully feel around where the housing spins on to the block. There is a spring mechanism that will be pushing against the filter and making it difficult to get the treads started correctly. Push the housing on to the block and pressing down toward the header begin to spin on the housing. Check that it isn’t cross-threated. If so, loosen and try it again. It may take a couple of attempts before threading properly. You will be able to spin it by hand until the O ring engages, then you will need a wrench. Tighten to 18 ft lbs as well.

With the drain plug back in and the net filter installed, it’s time to add the new oil. Remove the fill cap at the top of the valve cover and add 5.7 quarts of pure synthetic 5-30w oil. Start the car and the oil light should go out immediately. If it doesn’t, turn off the car and get out the Bentley manual. Let the car warm up and check for leaks at the drain plug and around the filter housing. Check the oil level again. Reset the Service Indicator light and you’re all done.