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Frodo · 09-14-2007, 01:44 PM

Yeah, it is pretty easy as long as you're not as dumb as I was the first time I did it. Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent my father-in-law shortly after my first Boxster oil change:

I learned---the hard way---how much motor oil a Boxster holds. Porsche recommends oil changes
only every 15,000 miles, based I guess on the fact that their vehicles hold more oil and it is, essentially
without exception, of the synthetic variety.

That notwithstanding, I decided that 15K was entirely too many miles to go between servicing and, in
that Porsche charges what I consider an entirely unreasonable amount for an oil change, decided to do it myself
(Shadetree Mechanics 101). I do the Camry all the time.

Started by getting a bigger drain pan to catch the oil: it's a hard plastic, self-enclosed affair, with a
shallow funnel arrangement at the top that sends the used lubricant down through a hole in the center,
to be collected in the hold below, which has a spout for pour-off later. The problem arose as I removed
the drain plug from the oil pan (it comes out with a 8 mm Allen wrench---German engineers have to do
EVERYTHING different it seems). Well, it was a quite a bit hotter than I realized and, as I exclaimed
"Ouch" I more or less simultaneously dropped the plug. Ordinarily (as in a Camry oil change) this
wouldn't have been a problem. In this case, however, as I witnessed the oil drain pan funnel (which only
holds maybe a quart) quickly filling up, I suddenly realized that the dropped plug fell INTO THE FUNNEL
(wanted to use a different f-word there) HOLE, more or less blocking it completely. It being entirely too
hot to reach down into the pool of oil to dislodge the somewhat wedged-in drain plug, I haplessly watched
as 9 quarts of nasty used motor oil formed an ever expanding pool beside me and ran on down the
driveway. Colin and Nathan got to watch.

The resulting lake was approximately 4 ft x 8 ft in size, and was undoubtedly one of the nastier
clean-ups I have ever tackled.

So, you done anything stupid lately?

"Colin" and "Nathan" are my 19 & 14 year old sons. Although they did a good job of stifling their laughter, I think they enjoyed the show. (They quickly disappeared as I switched into the clean-up phase.) BTW, before the next time I do an oil change, I plan on taking the electric drill with the 1/2" bit and creating about 8-10 additional holes in the top of the drain pan. I'm assuming that should be pretty idiot-proof.

Anyone having any oil clean-up questions, shoot me a post or PM...

09-14-2007, 01:44 PM	#3
Frodo Registered User Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,999	Yeah, it is pretty easy as long as you're not as dumb as I was the first time I did it. Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent my father-in-law shortly after my first Boxster oil change: I learned---the hard way---how much motor oil a Boxster holds. Porsche recommends oil changes only every 15,000 miles, based I guess on the fact that their vehicles hold more oil and it is, essentially without exception, of the synthetic variety. That notwithstanding, I decided that 15K was entirely too many miles to go between servicing and, in that Porsche charges what I consider an entirely unreasonable amount for an oil change, decided to do it myself (Shadetree Mechanics 101). I do the Camry all the time. Started by getting a bigger drain pan to catch the oil: it's a hard plastic, self-enclosed affair, with a shallow funnel arrangement at the top that sends the used lubricant down through a hole in the center, to be collected in the hold below, which has a spout for pour-off later. The problem arose as I removed the drain plug from the oil pan (it comes out with a 8 mm Allen wrench---German engineers have to do EVERYTHING different it seems). Well, it was a quite a bit hotter than I realized and, as I exclaimed "Ouch" I more or less simultaneously dropped the plug. Ordinarily (as in a Camry oil change) this wouldn't have been a problem. In this case, however, as I witnessed the oil drain pan funnel (which only holds maybe a quart) quickly filling up, I suddenly realized that the dropped plug fell INTO THE FUNNEL (wanted to use a different f-word there) HOLE, more or less blocking it completely. It being entirely too hot to reach down into the pool of oil to dislodge the somewhat wedged-in drain plug, I haplessly watched as 9 quarts of nasty used motor oil formed an ever expanding pool beside me and ran on down the driveway. Colin and Nathan got to watch. The resulting lake was approximately 4 ft x 8 ft in size, and was undoubtedly one of the nastier clean-ups I have ever tackled. So, you done anything stupid lately? "Colin" and "Nathan" are my 19 & 14 year old sons. Although they did a good job of stifling their laughter, I think they enjoyed the show. (They quickly disappeared as I switched into the clean-up phase.) BTW, before the next time I do an oil change, I plan on taking the electric drill with the 1/2" bit and creating about 8-10 additional holes in the top of the drain pan. I'm assuming that should be pretty idiot-proof. Anyone having any oil clean-up questions, shoot me a post or PM... Last edited by Frodo; 09-14-2007 at 04:27 PM.