A Quick Word About.......Oil Filter Replacement

Before I try to fill the engine up with oil, I thought I'd better put the oil filter in. While I remembered......

I'm not going to go over the procedure for changing the filter as that's a routine maintenance thing. However if it's a job you've not tackled yourself (or you've never changed your oil!) then the  'DS Technical Team' people have produced a very handy video showing you how to go about it. You don't need a car hoist but if you plan to crawl under your car remember to support it properly on axle stands  - not the car jack:

DS Technical Team - Oil Filter Change

Well I don't know about you, but whenever I've changed my oil I've simply wiped the oil filler assembly down with a rag, popped a new cartridge on, then bolted the assembly back in. My focus has always been on three things: the new filter, the new gasket on the closing plate and the new washer on the sump plug.

It wasn't until I began the engine rebuild that I had cause to actually stop and consider (by which I mean 'clean') just how many pieces there are in that oil assembly. Lots! Here they all are:

Oil Filter Components......

In the picture:

Top row:

• Bolt
• New flat copper washer
• Pre-filter Plate
• Pre-filter
• Pre-filter 'O' ring
• Large Cup
• Spring
• Flat washer
• Ring Seal (small 'O' ring)
• Small Cup

Bottom Row:

• Sump Plug (with new copper washer)
• Cover plate
• Fixing Bolts and washers
• New 'Purflux' Filter
• New Filter Gasket

Phew!

You should really replace the copper washer on the bolt each time - which means pulling the assembly apart. And it wouldn't hurt to check the large and small rubber 'O' rings on the pre-filter and by the small cup. These go very hard and brittle over time so, before you go snapping them out in pieces (yes - that brittle), make sure you buy your replacements first! The other thing that goes missing is the small cup right on the end of the assembly.

All those parts can be bought from the usual suppliers and Citroen Classics have produced a video showing you how it all fits back together:

Citroen Classics - Oil Filter assembly

Anyway, having got the sump back on my car, I was finally able to fit the oil filter and it's cover - and that all important sump plug. Mustn't forget that.