Remote Mount Oil Filter?

[P1054]

So I was changing my oil yesterday and something my brother had mentioned to me came to mind. As we all know, the oil filters on the RS6 are an absolute PITA to get at, and (unless there's a better way I haven't yet discovered) they tend to make a bit of a mess when removed. My brother has an E39 540i, and on THAT car the filter is a breeze to change, because it's accessed from above, in a neat little housing, and all that is replaced is the filter cartridge (read: no mess).

That got me to thinking, could this be done on an RS6? My brother thought that the 540 has a similar connection as most cars down below, but instead of installing a filter there BMW added a sandwich-plate-type adapter and routed two hoses up to the filter housing up top. In looking closer at my car, it appears it also has a sandwich plate installed for the front oil cooler, but there should still be room to install another one (or some kind of similar adapter) to route some hoses up and install a cartridge-type filter housing in place of the SAI pump (mine has been removed, making a neat little spot to install something, it's even on the correct side of the engine).

What do folks think? Is this feasible? Has anyone considered or done this already? Any other input? If this could be done without compromising any other aspects of the oil loop, I think it would be a HUGE improvement over the stock setup.

[Bigglezworth]

This has been discussed numerous times. There isn't a 'kit'. All performance kits and online and at local shops are made for domestic performance cars. You can certainly look to buy one of those kits and adapt something, but you will need access to someone that is a machinist. It's on my list of things to try in the new year for sure.

[SteveKen]

I think that JH Motorsports has a kit that they use on NA 4.2 cars, whichnis required with their long tube headers.

[Zmey]

Don't do it, you'll need a different bracket for engine mount, custom oil line to the turbos, coolant, it's just going to be a mess. Keep it where it's at.

http://store.034motorsport.com/products/engine-components/audi-v8/oil-filter-housing-flange-abz-v8-oil-cooler-relocation-flange.html

[Corbett]

It's a nice idea but where the HELL are you going to relocate it to? There's no room anywhere!

[P1054]

Interesting, that 034 kit relocates the cooler as well.. I wasn't figuring on touching that, only the filter itself..

[Bigglezworth]

It's a nice idea but where the HELL are you going to relocate it to? There's no room anywhere!Where the SAI pump used to be.... :)

[P1054]

Well it's been a while since I started this thread, figured I'd conclude it too. I did end up installing a remote mounted oil filter, using a BMW E39 oil filter housing, some Russell Performance braided hose and fittings, and a Canton Racing spin on oil filter adapter. I mounted the filter housing where the SAI pump used to be, which allowed me to use minimal hose to reach the spin on adapter (about 18" of hose to each side). I've put 4k miles on it and changed the oil twice (due to a 6-speed conversion and turbo rebuild) and it works like a charm. No leaks, oil seems to be circulating fine, temps climb as before and stabilize at the same rate/temp as before. Takes about an extra quart to fill it now. But the best part is I can now perform the full oil change from under the hood with my oil vacuum pump, takes all of 20 minutes.

All in all, I'd say it was absolutely a worthwhile mod, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an easy and beneficial DIY mod. I would caution that if you make a mistake, it can potentially cost you an engine.. But take your time and do it right and it'll save you a lot of time and hassle.

[alrightroad]

Care to post some pics and specs?

[P1054]

Sure thing!

Parts I used:

<tbody>
Spin-on adapter
Canton Racing Products 22-595
$ 82.92
Amazon.com


Oil filter housing
BMW E39 oil filter housing
$ 60.00
Gresham Auto Wrecking


Hose and fittings
Russell - 2x RUS-660503, 4x RUS-610045, 1x RUS-63216, 2x RUS-660883
$ 155.81
Baxter Auto Parts


Custom plugs for filter housing
Custom machined by me
$ -
Me


Filter
Mann HU-938/4-X
$ 10.79
Tony's Auto Parts


Mounting bracket
Custom bracket to mount filter housing in place of SAI pump
$ 15.00
Shop scrap pile and Wilco hardware section

</tbody>

Pix attached (if I do this right): the first one is the filter housing as I got it from the auto wrecking yard and my custom machined fittings, the second is the housing with the fittings installed, the third is the whole thing installed in the car, and the fourth is a picture of the mounting bracket I made for holding the housing in the car.
15861158621586315864

[Turbowned]

Very nice! Looks factory, too. I only change the oil once a year so lowering the sway bar doesn't bother me too much, but the spill is a PITA to contain, admittedly.

[Dmb408]

Turbowned, completely agree with your comments, one thing I'd add and I don't know if it has been said on here or people just do it and don't state the obvious...but I actually pivot the oil filter back and up (there is a way you can wedge it) and let it drain for a while like that and then also when I remove it slowly, i let it drain with it still slightly on. Doing those two things and having rags proactively placed seemed to cut down.

[RS8]

On my RS8= S8 with RS6 engine it was impossible to reach the filter, I had to drop down the front subframe to change oil filter, so I relocate it to behind my intercooler.

1586815869158701587115872

[Aronis]

T H A T i s V E R Y N I C E!!!!

you should work for Audi. Just installing that mod would save some much time and frustration I might just do it next time I change the oil.....

VERY NICE WORK.

Mike




Sure thing!



Parts I used:

<tbody>
Spin-on adapter

Canton Racing Products 22-595
$ 82.92
Amazon.com


Oil filter housing
BMW E39 oil filter housing
$ 60.00
Gresham Auto Wrecking


Hose and fittings
Russell - 2x RUS-660503, 4x RUS-610045, 1x RUS-63216, 2x RUS-660883
$ 155.81
Baxter Auto Parts


Custom plugs for filter housing
Custom machined by me
$ -
Me


Filter
Mann HU-938/4-X
$ 10.79
Tony's Auto Parts


Mounting bracket
Custom bracket to mount filter housing in place of SAI pump
$ 15.00
Shop scrap pile and Wilco hardware section

</tbody>

Pix attached (if I do this right): the first one is the filter housing as I got it from the auto wrecking yard and my custom machined fittings, the second is the housing with the fittings installed, the third is the whole thing installed in the car, and the fourth is a picture of the mounting bracket I made for holding the housing in the car.
15861158621586315864

[alrightroad]

I approve the contents of this thread!

[s8prtotype]

As an ex BMW guy, they make this housing in whats called a 540i "gulf" housing which has the oil cooler lines built into it as well, so you can run -an fittings for that if you needed too.

[P1054]

As an ex BMW guy, they make this housing in whats called a 540i "gulf" housing which has the oil cooler lines built into it as well, so you can run -an fittings for that if you needed too.

Yep I did come across that in my research, but it ended up being much easier (and cheaper) to get a standard housing and make the fittings myself. I would agree though that the Gulf housing would be the ideal situation!

[mdegracia]

Nice! I like this!

How much hose did you end up needing?

[kruat]

Seen this in person, very slick. Looks very OEM.

How's the car running Daniel? Make it up to AMD yet?

[P1054]

It took a lot less hose than I figured, only about 3 feet total (18" or so per side). I bought 6 feet and had half left.

Mike, yep it's tuned. Drives like manual should, RPM's actually drop as soon as I let off instead of hanging and making the shifts less than smooth. Power is up a bit from the previous Eurocharged Tip tune. Clutch is getting better, smooth as ever when cold but gets a bit chattery once it's warmed up. Only noticeable when taking off from a standstill though.

I'm waiting for one odd problem to get sorted out though.. After I got the car running and wired, the display would say "press clutch to start", but after getting tuned for some reason it switched back to saying "press brake to select gear", and shows "P R N D 4 3 2" at the bottom, with P always selected. Just a minor nuisance, but I'd like to get it taken care of. Jason said he was going to look into it but nothing so far, hopefully he comes up with something.