Drain and change the oil filter on BMW 3 Series E46

Drive for 15 to 20 km to facilitate the flow of oil

Remove the 2 plastic screws from the first cover and then separate it from the engine cover by pulling on the air intake. Then unscrew the 5 screws from the engine cover with a 5 mm Allen key.

Raise the car with a jack and place it on a jack stand (safety), on one side only, on flat ground, or choose to place the car flat on 3 or 4 jack stands. Securing the vehicle: removing and refitting the wheel

place a basin under the crankcase and unscrew the cap with a 21 socket (there is often a small hatch to unscrew under the crankcase, quite visible).

Remove the jack, the candle and put it back on a flat surface immediately, then let the oil drain slowly (if you have not chosen to place the car on 3 or 4 candles).

While the oil is flowing, with a 36 socket or wrench, or a filter wrench, unscrew the oil filter bell located at the location shown in the photo. This will also drain the dirty oil contained in the bell into the basin.

Before removing it completely, let it drip a little so as not to dirty your block.

Remove the filter from the bell by pulling on it. Don't hesitate to pull very hard, the filter is often stuck (it often happens that you have to place the bell head in a vice to be able to remove the filter). Don't forget to remove the large seal at the top (red arrow).

Clean the bell with brake cleaner . Place the seal supplied with the filter (don't forget to grease it with a little oil) and clip the new filter (by pushing it this time).

Wait until the oil has completely drained before screwing the bell back on.

Once there is no more drop falling from the crankcase, raise the car on a jack and support stand.

Oil the new copper seal , and screw it back in with the new cap, first by hand, then with a ratchet or wrench.

Tighten the drain plug correctly (eg: it is 25NM with a torque wrench ).

Screw the bell back in but not too much (stop when it starts to get difficult). Try unscrewing the first 2 or 3 times to see if it's enough or not.

As for the cork it is 25NM.

Pour about 4.5 liters into the engine, check the gauge, then start the engine, wait a few seconds for the light to disappear then switch off the engine

Wait 5 minutes then check and top up the level with the dipstick. Between each addition of oil, leave 5 minutes for the oil to flow into the crankcase. The ideal is to leave 3 millimeters below the maximum mark. Do not exceed the maximum mark otherwise the excess oil will have to be removed to avoid any damage to the engine.

Take used oil to a garage or recycling center.

Make sure to change the oil approximately every 10,000-12,000 km.

Never exceed the maximum level (risk of overfilling, leakage or clogging of the breather).

If you notice that you are exceeding the maximum level, even by just 1 millimeter, get an oil syringe, open the oil gauge as if you were checking the level, insert the tube into the gauge, suck it up, spit it into a bottle, and do this until you have the correct level.

Change the oil separator filter (breather indicated by the red arrow) every 30,000 km. This will preserve your turbo.