Does anyone ever change oil themselves on 458/488 | Page 2 | FerrariChat

Does anyone ever change oil themselves on 458/488

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by bberg009, Oct 28, 2017.

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Do you change your own oil?

  1. Yes, I am a Ferrari dude!!!

    55.6%
  2. Hell,,, NO!!!!!

    44.4%
  1. F485

    F485 Karting

    Oct 23, 2017
    164
    Abu Dhabi, UAE
    Full Name:
    Fahad F458

    You can search for caps any building shops or even ACE hardware store I guess.

    I am thinking if you can make the holes, clean the area, install good quality tape, easy to remove and easy to install. just another idea
     
  2. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    Comments on just completed oil and filter change on my '13 458:
    All of the utubes available seem to underestimate the work involved. And, do not take the one where his wife does it seriously; she bails on the job before the hard part! [I do give them credit for doing it on their back!]
    It is just an oil change and that part is pretty straight forward.
    The real work is the undertray and more, the two engine compartment cooling ducts.
    Without a roll on lift it is a real pita to do on your back on the ground as shown in (a couple of) the videos.
    We had the advantage of a lift and the tray was still work.
    e.g., There are (a lot of) three types of fasteners holding the tray on; two different length 10mm bolts and a wide head torque screw on the outer positions.
    We could not determine why there were two lengths.
    The cooling ducts use 4 each short phillips screws; having surgeons hands to reinstall them helps.
    Be aware the time to remove the tray and the ducts is substantially less (understatement) than that to reinstall it. Getting the duct nut clips in the exact position as you work them is important.
    In the reference videos it is not clear if the diffuser need come off. Turns out is does not.
    When you do get under there I am betting you will find at least one of the many screws and bolts missing. I am thinking light duty thread locker might be a good idea.
    The oil filter part is pretty straight forward. As others have experienced mine was over torqued on. Perhaps no torque wrenches read as low as 18 foot pounds?
    It is one of the 'cleanest' filter changes of hundreds I have done; still have a rag or towel around the base.
    Tools; no one gives you a full list of what you might need, e.g., a small drift for hole/nut clip alignment will be useful with the ducts.
    We did not have a 32mm socket for the filter cap but the 1-1/4" works well.

    All done; for the first time; on a rollon lift it was three hours. (1/2" clearance on the mirrors on each side!)
    And yes, when you go looking you will find "stuff". I have a stripped nut and a missing tray tab to repair.
    It is fun; our marshallaw situation in CA leads to all kinds of cool home projects.........
     
    tickerhound and Rexcat458 like this.
  3. Art138

    Art138 Formula 3
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Nov 22, 2007
    1,488
    Ft. Lauderdale
    I changed the oil in my Pista and all my other cars. Very therapeutic if you take your time. Not difficult at all. If you take the car in for service most likely they will siphone the oil out thru the dry sump. I like ro clean the belly pans which fill up with debris.
     
    tickerhound likes this.
  4. tickerhound

    tickerhound Formula Junior

    Sep 17, 2016
    362
    IL
    Full Name:
    Mark
    The oil filter access on the 488/Pista requires removal of the mesh cover between the intake plenums. Not a big deal on the coupe but that piece is mostly covered in the spider version. Biggest PITA is removal of the undertray - lots of fasteners, and you have to disconnect the air ducts to the rear brakes to get the undertray out. When I have the undertray off, I give it a wash as well. The whole process is about half a day's work.
     
    mdrums and Art138 like this.
  5. RBarbieri

    RBarbieri Karting

    Feb 11, 2014
    227
    Bradenton, FL
    Full Name:
    Rich Barbieri
    I'll echo what has been said. It's very doable. Hardest part is removal of the tray. I have a scissor lift and have to put the car on jack stands first to remove the tray. Then it's my choice to complete the fluid change while it's on jack stands or move it to the lift. I've considered cutting holes in the tray to access the drains but haven't done so.
     
  6. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    The holes idea seems to have merit but I do wonder how you avoid splashing some oil on the tray as you pull the plugs.
    I also confirmed what others have seen; 10 quarts leaves you down a half quart or more.
     
  7. RBarbieri

    RBarbieri Karting

    Feb 11, 2014
    227
    Bradenton, FL
    Full Name:
    Rich Barbieri
    David - I haven't researched what size hole but obviously the larger the hole less chance of it catching oil. Might also be able to stick some paper towels around the hole. Again, not certain.


    Rich
     
  8. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    There is some detail on how they do it somewhere in this or an associated thread.
    The holes should be capped in between changes and there are ways to do that.
    I expect you can do the towels but you sure need to be able to get them completely out of there when finished?
     
  9. vincep99

    vincep99 Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 8, 2009
    1,929
    David,
    3 hours is really great! The first time it took me about 8 hours because I had to make wooden block to set the car down on to remove the tray: my twin post lift jack points go right through the holes in the undertray. So I have to raise the car loosen the undertray, set the car down on the blocks, get my wife to crawl under the car to slide out the undertray.

    The tray has two different bolt lengths because some of them have to go through a longer space to get to the threaded insert nuts; the shorter ones are for the spots where the nuts are on bosses of a sort (not sure if that description helps).

    Off topic but when you remove the front tray to do a coolant change, don't use a butterfly gun (I use a 3/8 air-powered butterfly to remove all those bolts on the rear tray). Four of the front bolts go into threaded insert nuts that are threaded into the luggage compartment bottom; they are kind of like what is used on furniture. A butterfly's high speed can rip the insert out of the plastic that it is threaded into
     
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  10. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    Thanks vincep99. After watching the floor effort utubes we cleared my friends roll on lift. No question it saves a mass of time and work..

    I am disappointed that I did not detect the length difference in time to mark the locations.

    My life with cars has witnessed a long trail of stripped threads; easy to do by hand but an automatic with power heads.
    I recently sold my seldom used snapon power ratchet.

    We still have a tray repair to do and then will try to get the cooling duct nuts where they belong.
     
  11. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    More info: We finished the job, which required a second effort at getting the engine compartment cooling ducts attached to the tray.
    These are not precision parts (understatement). In fact the tray itself is a decent piece but the outer attachment tabs are thin and vulnerable where the nut tabs slide on. We did a pop riveted repair to one that had torn off on disassembly; not difficult.
    Back to the ducts; we heard the trick was to get a couple of extra length fasteners, ~2", and use them to draw the ducts into position; at which point you can install the original, short fasteners with ease. It worked nicely.
    All that is left is to find someone with the device that clears the wrench icon..........................
    Thanks for the comments.
     
  12. Sargepug

    Sargepug Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2020
    878
    NYC
    If you are still on warranty, this would be insane!
     
  13. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    As noted; have the dealer do it until the service deal runs out. If you still have the car after that be aware there is no rocket science here. It is just standard fastener disassembly and reassembly; no hard to find tools and plenty of on line info/help available. Just plan on making time and, a roll on lift if a big help for us old folks.
     
  14. hgoodwiniii

    hgoodwiniii Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 24, 2015
    218
    #39 hgoodwiniii, Dec 18, 2020
    Last edited: Dec 18, 2020
    Be sure to change it while it's hot. I changed the oil in my 458 while the engine was cool the 1st time and only got 7qts out which did not look right. I called the Ferrari parts guy here in town and he told me it's not uncommon to see folks overfill because they change the oil while it's not hot (not getting all the old oil out) and they just add 10qts causing an overfill;
     
  15. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    The oil does need to be changed hot or pretty warm. And it comes out fast when you do. I got close to ten quarts out and adding 10 new brought the level to half way between the two holes. I am not sure if that is 1 quart as I have not tried to bring it up to the top hole yet; will know when my order gets here.
     
  16. vincep99

    vincep99 Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Jun 8, 2009
    1,929
    Yes, it is criticial to change the oil when hot; this is for all cars (and motorcycles) with a dry sump system. Otherwise not all the oil is in the sump when you drain it.
     
  17. Sargepug

    Sargepug Formula Junior
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 23, 2020
    878
    NYC
    Say he screws up and does not simply put enough oil on the filter, to create a proper seal?! Is it really worth it, given that it's a supercar?!
    Last time I felt it was worth it to change myself, was on my YZ in the 80s! Then as a teen, i'd break down the whole engine, rebuild w/ new piston and rings, etc. That was actually fun and very low risk!
    Also in the 80s I'd work on my '87 Mustang GT, new underdrive pulleys, cpu chip, ram air, hurst, etc, but not the oil, due to a simple mishap can be catastrophic.
     
  18. up4speed

    up4speed F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Feb 16, 2012
    3,543
    Long Island, NY
    Full Name:
    Chris
    The easiest way that I found to handle the brake ducts, was to just place them loosely into position, then tack the underbelly pan with a few screws towards the center. With the edges loose, you can then flex the panel a little to reach in and move the duct into position. Once its close, you can use the screws to pull it into position (leave them loose in the beginning. Once the underbelly pan is fully into position, you can go back and tighten all the duct screws. Once you gat the hang of it, it's all pretty easy. However, I would not attempt all of this without a lift. I don't think I would have the patience for it.

    As far as the green wrench. The tool I use is the Launch X431 Mini Pro. It is an awesome tool. I bought it on a ebay. I made an offer for $600 and the seller accepted (one of the biggest sellers with great reviews). I highly recommend that tool to anybody that works on their own cars. The two way communication is a necessity to help you troubleshoot.
     
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  19. dgunn365

    dgunn365 Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Dec 15, 2006
    250
    New London, NH
    Full Name:
    David Gunn
    Thanks for the Launch tool recommendation; not sure if it is the same one recommended i the tow oil change videos. That one was apparently near $1K..
     
  20. hgoodwiniii

    hgoodwiniii Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Apr 24, 2015
    218
    The Launch tool mentioned by up4speed is a pretty good tool; The only problem I have with mine is it does not work on older vehicles, as advertised. I was hoping be able to use it on my 91 Vette to read errors.
     
  21. FerrariCognoscenti

    FerrariCognoscenti Formula 3

    Jan 19, 2021
    2,429
    East Coast
    What oil do you guys use in the 458?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  22. Viper830tt

    Viper830tt Karting
    Rossa Subscribed

    May 10, 2017
    153
    Yeah curious on this. I noted a prior diagram mentioning the Pennzoil Ultra platinum and now that doesnt seem to be an option for 5W40; you only can find the euro platinum which still seems to be high grade by a tier lower than the ultra based on pennzoil's website.
     
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  23. Boiler Inspector

    Boiler Inspector Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 14, 2017
    306
    Texas
    Full Name:
    Brian
    I use Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil DI40, and send my oil out for analysis to Blackstone.
     
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  24. Buzzl

    Buzzl Formula Junior

    I used Pakelo on the last change but I may switch to Redline next time.


    Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
     
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  25. Shadofax

    Shadofax Rookie

    May 9, 2023
    1
    Full Name:
    Lance A Williams
    Mobil 1 5W-40 European
     
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