ok, so ive done a bunch of stuff on my own before,

mostly stereo work, but I just did my own spark plugs on the WRX.

I figure if I can do spark plugs on this H4 I can do a simple oil change.

I had till this point taken it to a 10 min oil change place.

I pick up a drain pan bucket, 5 qts mobile1 synthetic, an oil filter etc.

skip to the question...

the damn drain plug wont budge... I have a breaker bar but dont want to use it, I took it back to the 10 min place, they put a wrench on it and claimed (I couldnt see, its a pit set up) that it moved easily.

am I just weak? any tricks to this? am I doing something wrong, could a breakerbar be needed? HELP

 

sometimes people wrench on those things, and its really difficult to get the drain plug off. Use the breaker bar next time, and you'll be fine. When you put the plug back on, you don't need Superman strength to tighten it back on.

 

alright, I'll go back out and give it another shot.. thanks

 

DONE.. Longest oil change ever... lol, plus cleaning up a small spill in the process.. anyone have a good tip on getting oil off cement?

definitely going to take me less than 20 minutes next time...

Thanks I-Club, for the fast advice etc.

 

The quickie places are known for overtightening and stripping drain plugs. There are lots of horror stories of stripped plugs falling out later on and destroying engines.
You're lucky if all you had was a tight plug. I'd check it very carefully to be sure the threads are not damaged. In the future, don't use anything bigger than a standard wrench or short ratchet to tighten it, it only needs to be snug and not gorilla-tight.

 

Those quickie places do suck. In fact anytime I let anyone touch my car they F it up. The guy that cut out my window sticker scratched my rear glass with a razor blade and the guy that did my alignment put the asymmetric toe washer on the rear control arm on backwards and it wasn't even in the hole. More like half in half out which bent the washer. Now I do my own alignments.

Anyway getting back on topic if I remember right I believe I torque my drain plug to 33.3 ft/lbs. Early on I replaced the steel plug with an aluminum one that has a rare earth magnet built-in to it. It also came with a dead soft aluminum washer with I've reused for years with no problems. If you don't want added maintenance issues with your car do everything you can yourself. The rule here is no one loves your car as much as you do.

BTW Simple Green is pretty effective at cleaning up small oil spills otherwise In think places like Home Depot sell stuff specifically for that.

 

kitty litter style oil dry then a nice strong degrease, more oil dry, wash rince repeat. next time make like a b-boy and throw down some cardbord or newspaper

 

This is my first posting,I need info on how to remove the engine under cover, so that I can do an oil and filter change on my '07 WRX ltd. On my last four Subarus, I could easily slide under, and make the changes. The WRX seems lower, AND the cover makes it really difficult. I jacked the car up, and visualized the underside of the engine. It appears to be impossible to drain the oil, and change the filter without getting a lot of dirty oil on the cover. My owners manual does not address this. After about a hundred oil changes, this is pretty frustrating. Thanks in advice, Ed

 

Got it!!

Just after posting the above, I found a website which gave me a couple of hints at how to remove the "under cover" before oil and filter change. The owners manual was no help on the subject.

I had to jack up a few inches, so I would fit underneath, but the bolts and the plastic pop rivets were easily found. It took about three times as long to do the job as on my RS, OBS, or Lotus Caterham Seven.

You really gotta love your WRX in order to do this! Obviously, I do! Ed

 

replace your drain plug with a fumuto oil drain valve ftw



http://www.quickoildrainvalve.com/

 

Thats the plan for the next oil change :-)

 

Yeah. Do what TurnWRX says. It is really easy to change oil with that thing. I would even consider getting the one with a nipple. Put a hose over the nipple and you can drain directly into a jug or something.

 

ive never seen one of these before...makes great sense but i could just be worried of somethin hitting it or breaking and loosing all my oil without knowing it...

 

that is a concern, but you can read on here about a lot of people's success with these, it really does not stick out much further than the plug would. Search for it on here, or read the forum on their site, lots of people use it without trouble

 

faq page

Q. Is my Engine Oil Drain Valve going to leak?

A. No. The "ball valve" design of your Engine Oil Drain Valve is just like the design of valves used in pressurized gas applications. Every valve is constructed to exacting specifications and each and every valve is tested for air tightness before it leaves the factory. The Engine Oil Drain Valve has been tested and granted "Genuine Part" status by six major motor vehicle manufacturers in Japan. These approvals were not granted easily and gaining them was a testimony to the quality and durability of the Engine Oil Drain Valve.


Q. Will my Engine Oil Drain Valve open up while I am on the road?

A. No. In its closed position the Engine Oil Drain Valve extends from the oil pan only about one half inch more than a standard oil drain plug. The valve's simple but effective locking system requires two distinct actions to open it and its heavy-duty construction will withstand any engine vibration. Over 2,000,000 Engine Oil Drain Valves have been sold in the past eight years and no problems have been reported.


Q. Does my Engine Oil Drain Valve protrude into the interior of the oil pan and prevent full drainage of my engine oil?

A. No. The threaded oil drain plug hole is always reinforced to accept the threaded bolt of the drain plug. In most cases, the Engine Oil Drain Valve will not extend past this threaded portion of the drain hole and will allow the oil to be properly drained. Your Engine Oil Drain Valve will let you drain your engine oil while it is hot without burning your hands and it is much more effective than trying to pump the oil out from above.


Q. How long will my Engine Oil Drain Valve last?

A. Your Engine Oil Drain Valve is constructed of corrosion resistant forged brass and stainless steel. To gain the approval of motor vehicle manufacturers it was subjected to minus 40 Degrees Fahrenheit temperatures. It endured 336 hours of salt spray and thousands of openings and closings and still functioned perfectly. You can expect the Engine Oil Drain Valve to outlast your engine.


Q. How much does the Engine Oil Drain Valve stick out from the oil pan? Is it safe to use the N-Types valve (with Nipple) for cars and light trucks?

A. The Drain Valve for passenger cars and light trucks is approximately 7/8" thick. This means that the valve sticks out only 1/2" more than the regular plug head from the oil pan. The Nipple on the N-Types Valve extends from the valve for 5/8". We do not recommend using the N-Types valve for vehicles with low clearance, as the valve may stick out too far against the ground.