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05-04-2012, 10:21 AM
I've recently put on the spin on oil filter conversion for the ms3 and wanted to share some tips for others who are jumping on this bandwagon.
The main benefit of doing this mod is to have an easier time changing the oil filter. You'll be saving time by not having to change two o-rings and messing with a plastic housing piece everytime you change your oil. Another benefit is that you can run larger filters. So IMO, its mainly a convenience mod and is totally worth it if you're doing your own oil changes.
Technically speaking this is a straight forward mod to do, but the tight space makes it kinda difficult. This is intended to be an addition to the tutorials already out there for the ms3. You can just google them.
-To remove the oil sensor wire, use a screwdriver to push in on the tab on the side of the sensor. In my case the tab was facing up and away from me so I used a little mirror to get a better look. Get this out of the way as you dont want to cut the wire. It's also a good time to loosen the bolt holding the sensor. Just be careful with it.
-The ms3 has an oil cooler which means that you have to unbolt it to remove the stock piece. Loosen the oil cooler bolt BEFORE removing the stock housing. You wont be able to get proper torque on the bolt unless the piece is on the car. This is the HARDEST part of doing this mod. The vertical bolt is located above the filter housing and is surrounded by coolant hoses. It's a very tight space, so one way around this is to partially unbolt the 4 horizontal bolts to give yourself more room. This worked like a charm for me. An angled ratchet wrench was helpful too.
-DO NOT DISCONNECT the coolant hoses. These are the black hoses that go to the oil cooler and can stay connected for this install.
-Retighten the four bolts in a criss cross pattern so that the plate goes on evenly.
Hopefully this will save you guys some time and headache. :chuckle I got the kit from Flipdaddy at MoT.
The main benefit of doing this mod is to have an easier time changing the oil filter. You'll be saving time by not having to change two o-rings and messing with a plastic housing piece everytime you change your oil. Another benefit is that you can run larger filters. So IMO, its mainly a convenience mod and is totally worth it if you're doing your own oil changes.
Technically speaking this is a straight forward mod to do, but the tight space makes it kinda difficult. This is intended to be an addition to the tutorials already out there for the ms3. You can just google them.
-To remove the oil sensor wire, use a screwdriver to push in on the tab on the side of the sensor. In my case the tab was facing up and away from me so I used a little mirror to get a better look. Get this out of the way as you dont want to cut the wire. It's also a good time to loosen the bolt holding the sensor. Just be careful with it.
-The ms3 has an oil cooler which means that you have to unbolt it to remove the stock piece. Loosen the oil cooler bolt BEFORE removing the stock housing. You wont be able to get proper torque on the bolt unless the piece is on the car. This is the HARDEST part of doing this mod. The vertical bolt is located above the filter housing and is surrounded by coolant hoses. It's a very tight space, so one way around this is to partially unbolt the 4 horizontal bolts to give yourself more room. This worked like a charm for me. An angled ratchet wrench was helpful too.
-DO NOT DISCONNECT the coolant hoses. These are the black hoses that go to the oil cooler and can stay connected for this install.
-Retighten the four bolts in a criss cross pattern so that the plate goes on evenly.
Hopefully this will save you guys some time and headache. :chuckle I got the kit from Flipdaddy at MoT.