Oil Change
It's a pretty basic process changing the oil in the RX8. The oil filter is a
little tough to reach if you have big hands.
Warm the car up before you begin so the oil can easily drain. Next, put it up on
ramps if you have them. I've heard
other have just jacked the car on the passenger side, while others just turned
the wheel full left and reached under the
car.
I'm lucky enough to have a driveway that allows me to use standard ramps without
hitting the front air dam.
The car doesn't even need to be all the way up the ramps to reach the oil drain
plug.
You can see the oil drain plug in the pan. It's painted black so you have to
look close to see it. Even though the car is still
tilted slightly toward the back end on the ramps, I needed 4-1/2 quarts with the
filter change to fill it back up.
You can see the oil filter in this picture. Even if you leave the engine off for
20 minutes before starting the oil change
you'll get some oil leaking from the filter. It's a good idea to wrap some rags
around the base of the filter before
removing it.
I use a filter cap wrench, and standard swivel and an 18" extension to remove
the
filter. Once you've changed the filter, reinstall the oil drain plug and fill it
back
up with oil. Start and run the engine for a minute or two, shut it off, and
after 5
minutes check the oil level and top it off as necessary.
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