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E63/64 DIY: BMW 650i / 645Ci Oil Change and Check Control Reset

286K views 122 replies 65 participants last post by  Patiorick88 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
OK guys here is my first E64 DIY. Hope it helps.

BMW 650i / 645Ci / E63 / E64 Oil Change and Check Control Reset DIY (Do It Yourself) - with Pics

Disclaimer: I am not a BMW technician. This article is provided freely for entertainment purposes only and does not come with any warranty. Use the information in this article entirely at your own risk. Wear eye protection while doing any oil change -oil is HOT. NEVER work under a car that is hoisted by a hydraulic jack only. Failure to use jackstands or to use wheel chocks could result in serious injury or death. Ensure the car is on a level and stable surface.

The pictures below show a 2006 650i cabriolet with units in kilometers, US cars will have units in miles. The procedure for a 645Ci, 550i, 545i should be relatively the same. Part numbers are based on information available at time of article creation. Check with your dealer to ensure the correct filter and synthetic oil is used for your application.

I tried to include enough detail for the first timer DIY'er, the experienced DIY'er can probably make do with the pictures and bolded text only. If this is your first oil change it should take about 1 hour, an experienced DIYer can probably finish in less than 30 minutes.

A. Supplies you will need to pre-purchase from the dealer or online:

Oil Filter Kit - includes: filter element, 2 O-rings, drain plug crush washer (~ $15)
For E63/E64 650i - BMW Part #: 11427542021 (also applies to: E60 550i, E65/E66 750i/760i)
For E63/E64 645Ci - BMW Part #: 11427511161 (also applies to: E60 545i, E65/E66 745i)

9 Liters of suitable BMW LL-01 approved synthetic oil (~ $5/Litre)
Examples of approved oil:
  • BMW 5W-30 synthetic oil (available at the dealer - Part # 07510017866)
  • Mobil 1 0W-40 synthetic oil - European Formula (available at Advance Auto, some Walmarts and many other locations. At Canadian Tire/PartSource in Canada)
  • German Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (Available at most AutoZones and at some Walmarts in Canada) The bottle MUST say "Made in Germany", do not use "Made in USA" Syntec.

B. Tools Required:

24mm socket - for filter housing (6 point preferable to prevent damage to plastic housing)
8mm socket - for filter cover
8mm hex socket - main drain plug
6mm hex socket - filter housing drain plug
Torque wrench capable of 10Nm and 25Nm (5 lb-ft and 18 lb-ft)
Ratchet wrench for sockets
Large 10+ quart oil drain pan - careful, many drain pans are not this large
Rags / shop towels
(A) Floor jack with jackstands or (B) Rhino ramps or (C) standard ramps with 2x10 "starter" boards
Wheel chocks

C. Optional:

Disposable gloves are a good idea
Needle nose pliers or jeweler sized blade screwdriver to remove O-rings
Funnel
Large zip-lock freezer bag for filter element disposal



D. Before you begin:

According to the BMW TIS (shop manual), engine oil temperature must be greater than 70°C before changing. Go for a ~10 minute drive and watch the oil temp gauge at the bottom of the tachometer. Note that oil takes a lot longer to warm up than coolant. Warming the oil speeds draining and also helps suspend any particles/sludge that may have settled in the bottom of the oil pan, which will then be removed with the drained oil.

E. Oil Change Steps:

1. Raise front wheels

A) Ramp method
Drive the car up onto Rhino ramps. If you have standard metal ramps, use 2x10 boards in front of the ramps to avoid scratching the bottom of the front bumper. It is not recommended to use standard ramps on hot asphalt; they will sink into the soft surface. Some people like to use rubber floor mats under the ramps to prevent the ramps from slipping. (see IMAGE #2)



B) Jackstand method
Putting the car on jackstands requires lifting from the center jack pad under the front of the car. Most jacks are not low enough to reach this center jack point. A second jack or a set of small ramps will be required to allow access to the center jack point.

First raise the front of the car by using a jack on one of the front side jacking points. (see IMAGE #3) Use a second jack to raise the car at the front center jack pad (see IMAGE #4). With the car held by the front center jackpad, place jackstands under the two front jacking points and lower the car slowly onto the stands.

Don't forget to engage the parking brake and chock the rear wheels and NEVER work under a car supported only by a hydraulic jack.





2. Remove the oil filter access cover with an 8mm socket
Located in the plastic undertray midway between the front wheels. Use an 8mm socket to remove the 3 screws and completely remove the cover from the undertray.

TIP use a creeper or large foam mat when working under the car. A sheet of cardboard also works.



3. Place the oil drain pan under the main drain plug
Have a few rags or shop towels ready under the car in the event of some oil spillage.

TIP It is a good idea to put on rubber gloves for the next step.

4. Remove the main drain plug using an 8mm hex socket
Loosen the plug with the ratchet (1 turn). Remove 8mm hex socket from the wrench. Holding the 8mm hex socket with your fingers, continue loosening the plug. When the plug is completely unthreaded keep upward pressure to hold the plug against the engine block then quickly pull the plug to the side to avoid getting hit by the heavy stream of HOT oil. ** Warning ** the oil is very hot and will burn you if you are not careful. Use eye protection. Use a rag to wipe any oil off your hands and to clean up the drain plug and socket.



5. Remove the oil fill cap on top of the engine to aid the draining of oil



6. Remove the oil filter housing drain plug using a 6mm hex socket
Approximately ½ a quart of oil will drain from the filter housing. This oil is also HOT.

7. Wait for oil to completely drain - at least 15 minutes
Failure to wait for the oil to fully drain may result in an overfill when you add oil. You want as much of the dirty oil out as possible.

If the crush washer (copper in color) is not attached to the main drain bolt, it may have stuck to the engine block. Remove it once the oil has drained.

TIP go grab a beer while you wait for the oil to completely drain.

8. Remove the oil filter housing using a 24mm socket
If the filter element does not come out with the housing remove it from the engine. Be careful, the filter element is HOT.

TIP I put the element into a ziplock bag and seal it before discarding since the filter retains a fair amount of oil that will seep out later. I had to pull fairly hard to get the filter element out of the plastic housing. Wrap the bag around the element before pulling it off.

SIDE NOTE: In my case the undertray opening was not quite large enough allow easy removal of the plastic filter housing. I removed one of the speed clips used for the cover screws and pulled back on the undertray while removing the filter housing. (See IMAGE #06)

9. Replace O-rings, crush washer and filter element
Lube the new large filter housing O-ring with oil to aid installation. Remove and replace the large filter housing O-ring. Note the position of the O-ring before removing it.

Drop in the new oil filter element into the housing with the lettering side up. Make sure you push down hard enough to lock filter into the bottom of the housing.



Remove the crush washer from the drain plug and place the new crush washer on.

Replace the small O-ring washer on the filter housing drain plug with the new small O-ring that came with the filter.

TIP I like to use a small blade screwdriver to remove O-rings. Small needle nose pliers will also work. Take care not to damage the plastic threads on the oil filter housing.

10. Reinstall the oil filter housing
Torque to 25Nm (18 lb-ft) or whatever value is written on the bottom of your housing. Clean the exterior of the housing before installing.

11. Re-install the filter housing drain plug
Torque to 10Nm (7 lb-ft). Clean the plug before installing.

12. Re-install the oil drain plug
Torque to 25Nm (18 lb-ft). Do not over tighten this plug and ensure it is clean before installing.

TIP Once you feel the washer begin to crush you will not need to go more than an additional ½ turn. 18- lb-ft requires very little force.

13. Wipe clean the filter housing and drain plugs
Ensure they are clean so leaks can be detected after the next step.

14. Add 8.5 liters of oil to the engine
TIP I place 2 shop towels around the filler hole to absorb any oil that misses the hole. You can also use a funnel during this step. Make sure the funnel is very clean before use.



15. Replace oil filler cap
Ensure it is fully locked before starting the car.

16. Start engine and run for a few minutes
Make sure you have cleared any towels or tools from the engine bay before starting the car. Turn off the engine immediately if you see any oil warning lights. You may see a warning within the first 10 seconds but that should go out almost immediately.

17. Stop the engine and check for leaks under the car
If no leaks are detected replace the oil access cover under the car.

18. Lower car and check oil level
Remove wheel chocks and drop the car so it is level. Start the car and use the iDrive system to check oil level. Car must be running. Reading may take a few minutes to complete.
Press the {MENU} button
Press the iDrive controller to open the iMenu
Select {Service}
Select {Service Requirements}
Select {Engine oil level}







If more oil is required turn off the engine, add oil and replace the filler cap. Restart the car and check levels. Repeat as necessary. To give you an idea of how much oil to add, each green bar in the check oil screen represents 1/5 of a litre. Add a full litre if no green bars are showing.

DO NOT OVERFILL. If you get an "oil level too high" message you have to go back under the car and drain some oil using the oil filter drain bolt. Running with too much oil can damage the engine.
 
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#64 ·
Sorry figured it out. Previous owner did oil change before I purchased the car. He didn't take the original oring off and I saw the second one and took it off and put the new one in its place. I figured out it sits higher in the groove. Replaced with new one and all is well.
 
#65 ·
2007 E63 oil change instruction?

Yorgi,

Great DYI write up on the oil change. I have a 2007 E63. When I looked under the car, it looks different than your picture. I did not see an access panel to the oil filter and plug. It looks like a whole piece covering the bottom of the engine. Is 2007 different than 2006? I have hard time getting underneath the car as it is so low and my jack stand did not clear the front. When I looked for the jack points in the owner manual, it does not show jacking underneath the engine is a jack point. I am afraid to break anything if I try to jack from the middle. Any ideas?

Thank you.
 
#67 ·
Yorgi,

Great DYI write up on the oil change. I have a 2007 E63. When I looked under the car, it looks different than your picture. I did not see an access panel to the oil filter and plug. It looks like a whole piece covering the bottom of the engine. Is 2007 different than 2006? I have hard time getting underneath the car as it is so low and my jack stand did not clear the front. When I looked for the jack points in the owner manual, it does not show jacking underneath the engine is a jack point. I am afraid to break anything if I try to jack from the middle. Any ideas?

Thank you.
Here is a diagram of an LCI 2007 under tray (part #7) and it shows the door is still there. I cannot imagine BMW removing that access cover. If it's not there you will need to remove about 10 screws to get the large under tray off. Removing the full tray is not that bad but much more effort than the screws required for the cover.


You cannot miss the middle jack pad under the front of the car. It is a large rubber pad. You normally need to jack the car up from the side first to get enough clearance for a second jack on that middle pad.
 
#66 ·
I'm going to do the first oil change ever in my life tomorrow. Thanks Yorgi. Wish BMW had a manual book for everything as detail as your DIY. BTW your engine bay is amazingly clean. I clean my engine bay once a month and it's no where near yours.

P.S: Regard my lack of english vocabulary. My engine cover has lost one of the 3/8mm "thing" to lock it. What is that call, I don't know what it call in English. It's hard to google without knowing it's name. And one of them is locked/broken, I tried several ways but there is no way I can take it out in order to remove the engine cover. You have any suggestion to remove that one? Thanks.
 
#68 · (Edited)
I'm going to do the first oil change ever in my life tomorrow. Thanks Yorgi. Wish BMW had a manual book for everything as detail as your DIY. BTW your engine bay is amazingly clean. I clean my engine bay once a month and it's no where near yours.

P.S: Regard my lack of english vocabulary. My engine cover has lost one of the 3/8mm "thing" to lock it. What is that call, I don't know what it call in English. It's hard to google without knowing it's name. And one of them is locked/broken, I tried several ways but there is no way I can take it out in order to remove the engine cover. You have any suggestion to remove that one? Thanks.
Don't worry, your English is perfect; better than some English-as-first-language guys I see on the forums.

Here is the link to the page with the diagram of the underdtray I have shown in the above post. The link shows the part numbers and names of each part.

What I think you are missing is the #9 - quick release screw or the #5 c-clips. If you cannot get the access cover open then I would remove the entire undertray. I think there are 10 to 12 screws to remove, it's not hard but takes some time. If you have an electric drill with a Philips screw bit it will go much faster. Just be careful when re-installing if you use a drill, don't strip the screws. With the tray off you will have access to the back of the cover and you can then fix your problem.
 
#71 ·
Correct Oil

What is the best oil to use in my 650i? should I even consider domestic oil or go for the European made oil. I use Pennzoil synthetis in my other cars, but do not want to use it in the beemer if it is not good enough. Where is the best place to buy Euro oil?
 
#72 ·
What is the best oil to use in my 650i? should I even consider domestic oil or go for the European made oil. I use Pennzoil synthetis in my other cars, but do not want to use it in the beemer if it is not good enough. Where is the best place to buy Euro oil?
I would not use a non-BMW-LL-01 approved oil. So no Pennzoil.

I mention the 3 commonly available approved oils and where to get them in section A (right at the top of the DIY). If you cannot find Mobil 1 10W-40 locally then just go to the dealer for BMW 5W-30 synthetic oil.
 
#73 ·
I've just realized that during the last oil change my indy didn't use the drain plug & just drained the oil by removing the filter. Now I noticed the actual oil pan recesses below the filter housing… :mad:

Yorgi do you have an idea how much of undrained oil stays in the pan, below the filter opening? You've been under this car many times, so I completely trust your gut feeling ;) Should I be afraid there's a lot of old oil in the system now? (It took ~8.45qt of new oil…)

Thanks!
 
#74 ·
I've just realized that during the last oil change my indy didn't use the drain plug & just drained the oil by removing the filter. Now I noticed the actual oil pan recesses below the filter housing… :mad:

Yorgi do you have an idea how much of undrained oil stays in the pan, below the filter opening? You've been under this car many times, so I completely trust your gut feeling ;) Should I be afraid there's a lot of old oil in the system now? (It took ~8.45qt of new oil…)

Thanks!
Why do you think the indy did not use the drain plug? Based on the amount used to fill I would say he definitely used the plug. Removing the filter only would probably drain a quart or maybe two.
 
#76 ·
The mechanic was probably just lazy and reused the old crush washer. If you watched him and saw oil draining for more than 10 seconds then he pulled the main drain plug. Almost all of the oil sits in the lower pan and the top of the filter sits very high in relation to that pan.

I am not 100% sure but I think you will drain only the oil sitting in the filter if you remove the filter housing and not the main plug. So less than 1 quart. There might be a slight chance that a quart or two will drain in addition to the housing oil but looking at upper half of the oil pan parts diagram I highly doubt any oil will drain unless the main plug is removed.
 
#81 ·
bought some oil yesterday and after seeing the price for a liter of oil that Yorgi quoted (~ $5) in his DIY, I had to go back to the store and check again. I paid $11 , I guess in almost 3 years since this DIY was written prices have more than doubled.:cry:
 
#83 · (Edited)
Wow, it's been a while since I did the DIY.

Maranello BMW in Toronto sells OEM 5w30 oil for $6.73/L (maxbimmer discount)
Tischer sells it for $7.08/L

I think German Castrol 0W-30 can still be found for under $6 in the US.

PS - saw your new video... did you buy a GoPro? :)
 
#89 ·
Thanks for the awesome write up Yorgi. I did mine last week and it went smooth, thanks to your directions.
I have an issue now though, I reset the oil service thingy and it said 15,000 miles to next service. This evening when I started the car a service warning came up and the oil change was reset back to the old one, saying I need to change it in 250 miles. Any idea why this might have happened?
Thank you.
 
#90 ·
You have not reset it properly that is all, just redo until it does it correctly........sometimes people press the button too early to reset, they think they have done it but they haven't .......read the instructions again........
 
#91 ·
Thanks for the reply. I checked it when I reset it. When I go to the service menu and check for engine oil service it said 15000 miles. That is what it said for a week, I was checking that frequently since this is my first oil change and I also wanted to look at the oil level whether it will change couple days later.
what you say makes sense though because when you reset something the old data should have been erased? but the stupid thing came back. Anyway I will do it again this afternoon and see what happens.
 
#94 ·
Oil Change

Just a caution from me on very good DIY process. When I opened the oil drain , the oil came out so fast that my oil funnel / holding tank mechanism was overwhelmed with the volume of oil so much so that half a liter leaked out onto the floor . I think a open oil pan might be the best answer or a funnel that can handle several quarts/ liters a minute
 
#95 ·
Just a caution from me on very good DIY process. When I opened the oil drain , the oil came out so fast that my oil funnel / holding tank mechanism was overwhelmed with the volume of oil so much so that half a liter leaked out onto the floor . I think a open oil pan might be the best answer or a funnel that can handle several quarts/ liters a minute
I just use a 3.75 gallon drain pan from Lumax and pour used oil into the 5 qt oil containers. Worked well last time, not a single drop on the floor.
 
#97 · (Edited)
So I got the OIL LEVEL AT MINIMUM and read that I should just add 0.5L-1L or oil?

BTW fantastic write up Yorgi

Incidentally I was looking for a dipstick today and THOUGHT that was it, but great to know it is it!! I knew it had one somewhere and couldn't all be digital!

So hopefully I can add the correct amount of oil, let me know please
 
#98 · (Edited)
When the low oil light comes on add half a liter/quart and check levels. Repeat as necessary using a quarter of a liter at a time until you are at max. Don't overfill, it causes the oil to foam which is worse than a min/low oil situation.
 
#99 ·
Hi! I am not a fan of leaving checking the oil until the oil low warning light comes on, on the dash. It should be checked more often manually, it is not beyond the sensor to fail and then you could be stuffed. Plus engine oil is part of the engine cooling system and keeping the level at the max (no more than max) can only be good for the engine in the long term.
 
#100 ·
Well don't get me wrong, I am not as well...I just got the car about 2 weeks ago and hadn't checked the oil, I guess assuming the dealer had topped it off being that it was at the BMW Dealer, but apparently not lol. I do understand the cooling system and oil, I have rebuilt engines from the ground up.
 
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