Relocate oil filter

Had anyone given a thought to relocating the oil filter on the tdi engine?

This has got to be one of the worst placements and truly deserves a solution to relocate.

Thanks!

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gcodori said:

Had anyone given a thought to relocating the oil filter on the tdi engine?

This has got to be one of the worst placements and truly deserves a solution to relocate.

Click to expand...

You posted this in the 2012+ Passat forum but your profile says you drive a 2001 NB. What car/engine are you talking about? I have a CBEA and I have no issue with the oil filter placement.

Have Fun!

Don

I'm talking about the passat motor.

I'll be updating my ride info soon.

The filter location seems to be in the worst possible location.

The new motor for 2015 is supposed to have a bottom filter.


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Methinks we have too much time on our hands and tend to over-think issues we'd otherwise ignore. The oil filters on our TDI's have been in the same general location nearly since dinosaurs became extinct. Apparently it's been a good run.

The filter location on the NMS remains unchanged as noted. And I agree that VW might have considered making things a bit easier, but Teutonic is Teutonic and an inch of extra piping is such a waste.

But... After a bit of practice I've found that a filter change isn't really that difficult. The main challenge is not to spill oil on any of the surrounding components. Again, somewhat of a learning process but not by any means impossible.

Suggestions for a clean job?

Remove the harness clamp on the right side of the filter (facing the engine) and move the harness as far as possible out of the way.

Remove the hose clamp on the left side (top) which will allow a bit more room to get at the filter area.

Protect the nice clean insulation on the steel piping immediately in front of the filter. A plastic bag will do the trick quite nicely.

Keep another plastic bag handy to accept the used filter as soon as you can get some clearance. And double bags are better than single.

The job itself?

A bit of practice will show you that what seems an almost impossible job really isn't. Take your time. Don't force anything as it's finesse that's required, not force. The cap and filter will cleanly depart the housing by bringing them upward and to the right. (Bag the old filter and cap as one unit and do it as soon as possible to avoid any spills.) Believe it or not there is a "sweet spot" which will allow easy removal and the cap will only slightly touch the surrounding components. I again stress the plastic bag(s).

Installation is really somewhat more of a trick than removal. The new filter and cap assembly will install at the same angle as the old one when it was removed. This means the center retaining rod of the cap must be placed in the center of the filter housing. Have patience. It's not that difficult... Not after the first time anyway.

More than anything it's a matter of patience. If you've owned a VW in the past and had any experience, then you've already learned that when a component fails on the right side it's sometimes advisable to follow those who have gone before when they say to begin the procedure on the left. In other words the direct approach isn't always the best.

So move the oil filter? You only visit it once every 10k miles. Is it really worth the expense and added hardware to "solve" what isn't an issue if one were to take just a bit more time and have patience?

And would your Passat really be a VW product if it didn't have a few of the loveable Teutonic idiosyncrasies we've all come to expect?

One addition to NORD's suggestions. On the Mahle Filter OX 388 D, there is wording that says TOP... heed this upon installations. Do not try to install the filter on the cap. Rather, place the filter in the housing with Top facing UP and place it centered in the canister. Press firmly downward to seat the filter in the center of the canister. No it is time to install the Cap. It goes in one way and I'm sure you will all figure it out (displace the harness slightly and come in from that side). Place the STEM into the installed filter and engage the O-rings. Threads should engage and screw in if all went well. I tried a million ways from Sunday to install it on the filter cap like I do with the PD Jetta and had epic fail.

Did the DSG change concurrent. All went well. If you have a hot engine to start, it does not take much time for the Oil to come to the 45C mark. Do not spend too much time, else fluid will exceed 50C and you need to cool it down before installing the plug.

Also did fuel filter. Dealer left one screw loose. Simple situation to refill. Turned key to start, shut off, back on again and started right up. Unnecessary to VCDS Prime.

An air filter and Cabin filter came with my kit. Air Filter is prescribed at 60K so I saved it (clean travelling most of the time).

Filled the DEF with an AD Blue bottle for a funnel. Cut a hole in the bottom and poured the 2.5 gallon Peak Def tote into the funnel. keep an eye on stopping point in the fill process, so you don't spill. The AD Blue bottle is slick to remove one it Self Stops. The funnel has to be redrained back into the tote with a clean funnel.

I had been spoiled by the old location front and center.

There was much discussion with the older engine designs to move the filter and some products were made to do that. I'm just surprised that this never came up with the current design.

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Where would be a more logical position? Then the cost benefit- how quickly are 10,k intervals happening?
I would invest in a cooler of beer - �� helps to relieve stress ever 10,k AFTER the filter change.

bobthefarmer said:

Did the DSG change concurrent. All went well. If you have a hot engine to start, it does not take much time for the Oil to come to the 45C mark. Do not spend too much time, else fluid will exceed 50C and you need to cool it down before installing the plug.

Click to expand...

Technically, if the temperature goes too high, you need to cool down, top off, and reheat. The issue with the temperature is the expansion of the fluid, too warm = more expansion = more ran out.

I didn't do this, I put 4.5 liter in the top.

A more logical position would be under the car, within convenient reach of the drain plug.

I am all for using a remote oil filter to add fluid capacity, a larger filter, a better filter, and more convenience.

I have not found a kit yet for this engine.

FWIW, I believe the EA288 has the oil filter on the bottom in an easily accessible location.

TurboDieselPoint said:

FWIW, I believe the EA288 has the oil filter on the bottom in an easily accessible location.

Click to expand...

It is underneath but it ain't easy

^^^Can someone confirm this? It doesn't appear to be on the upper front of the block like the CKRA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1SwwbJ-f-8

Go to 15:50.

This is a new Golf. Possible, though doubtful, they would move it on the Passat.

MichaelB said:

It is underneath but it ain't easy

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Good to know! When I first saw pictures of the EA288 standalone online, I noticed VW relocated the oil filter to the bottom of the engine but retained the same paper element and cap design, now just upside down. I figured the fact they relocated it to the bottom would make it easy to change, but I forget who we are working with here.

1texansfan1 said:

Where would be a more logical position? Then the cost benefit- how quickly are 10,k intervals happening?
I would invest in a cooler of beer - �� helps to relieve stress ever 10,k AFTER the filter change.

Click to expand...

You need to fix the "fuel economy" section of your account, as your Fuelly link doesn't work there. You have to put it in your signature if you want it displayed.

On my old B4 Passat I installed an Amsoil dual-remote setup. It had an adapter plate to the original filter fitting. I don't know if that works for newer engines. I may in time do another bypass filter but probably not the dual remote, which was a lot of work and I'm older now so don't care as much.

TurboDieselPoint said:

Good to know! When I first saw pictures of the EA288 standalone online, I noticed VW relocated the oil filter to the bottom of the engine but retained the same paper element and cap design, now just upside down. I figured the fact they relocated it to the bottom would make it easy to change, but I forget who we are working with here.

Click to expand...

Yeah- that's going to be as much of a bear -maybe more- than the CKRA arrangement.

Amsoil is a quality product across their lines. That said I tend to believe that in our applications their products are really of little or no benefit. What I'm saying is that they address problems that generally don't exist. Perhaps a number of us gain some peace of mind. Others just can't help but to make things "better". And a certain few actually believe the hype. Since I don't have a single cent in vehicles other than my own I really have no care as to what others decide, though I do have an opinion.

While the current OEM arrangement may not be optimum as far as ease of use, it's by no means all that difficult to change filters. Common sense and just a bit of care will do the trick.

Placing a remote filter on the system merely adds hardware to an already crowded bay at considerable expense. At a 10k mile change interval I have to wonder why anyone would bother to take on the expense and work to modify the system for such a trivial matter? Obviously some of you disagree and you certainly have that right.

@nord
Not much argument with that, and I may end up doing the same as you. I suspect however that on a high mileage resale, seeing a bypass filter in there is going to motivate buyers pretty well, so the cost is probably recovered. Then it's just a matter of whether you like working on your car. But just relocating a standard filter to make oil changes easier? Makes little sense to me.

The comment about the crowded bay is definitely correct. On my old Passat I had to eliminate the stock windshield washer tank and replace it with that much smaller home made ABS thing you see at the bottom right of the photo. I was always running out of fluid...

On my new to me 2013 it looks like the silver braided hose near the filter has been bent out of the way.

What hose is this and could this lead to trouble?

As it stands right now it doesn't look like too much Trouble other than possible drips while pulling the filter out.

Just worried about the braided hose....

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Can you post a picture of it, please?

It is the EGR supply to the engine.

VeeDubTDI said:

Can you post a picture of it, please?

It is the EGR supply to the engine.

Click to expand...

After checking out some images of the area the braided hose is in the proper place. It's the back hose which I guess is the wiring harness. From the videos I've seen of the oil changes it lays across the top of the filter. Mine looks to be pushed to the side and runs down the side of the filter.



It seems to touch the side of the filter housing. Can heat cause trouble with this?

Or am I being too much of a negative Nancy?

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That's a cloth heat protector, not really touching - if it is, no big deal. When you do an oil change, someone suggested putting plastic over the cloth to protect - I use a piece of aluminum foil, wrap the heat guard fabric material, and after the oil change take it off. Mine looks like new after lots of oil changes.

First... German engineering. Waste not being the first rule. That said the filter change isn't that difficult with a bit of practice and patience.

1. Move the wire harness out of the way. It takes very little time or effort to do.

2. Wrap the light colored insulation with protective plastic or foil.

3. Loosen the filter, pull it upwards, and allow it to drain for a bit.

4. Keep a plastic shopping bag in place under the filter area where it will allow you to bag the assembly immediately upon removal.

You'll find one sweet spot where the assembly can then be removed without undue problems. The filter cap will very slightly rub the insulation but the removal will be clean and fairly easy.

A new filter and installation will actually be more of a trick as the assemble must be properly aligned in order to slip back into place. Keep in mind that removal was possible. Thus, the reverse is just as possible.

Patience my friend. Patience and practice.