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2.0T TSI Oil & Filter Change Tips

100K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  voxmagna 
#1 · (Edited)
There's not a whole lot of information out there on how to change the oil & filter on the new 2.0T TSI engine, presumably because it's a lot simpler than the old 2.0T FSI engine. The 2.0T TSI has a metal spin-on filter at the top left of the engine, not a replaceable filter element underneath the engine, like the older 2.0T FSI.

I did my first oil change on our 2009 2.0T TSI Eos last weekend, and thought I'd share the basic procedures I used. The Bentley eBahn manual is unfortunately pretty sketchy about changing the TSI's oil and filter. I also had to search all over the manual for the various torque values.

If anyone picks up any goofs or glaring omissions I've made, please post and I'll correct as required.

Standard caveat applies that these are tips only, and I'm not responsible if you mess up your car or drop it on your head!

Some preliminary notes:

- The 76mm 14 flute oil filter cap wrench can be had for about $5USD at your local Advance, Pep Boys, etc. Easiest thing is just to take your VW filter into the store and find the one that fits. All of these type cap wrenches seem to use 3/8" drive.

- The "triple square" screws require special triple square bits, sometimes referred to as XZN bits. They superficially resemble a 12-tooth spline drive, but they're not - the teeth are 90 degrees, not 60. I got a nice set of VIM triple square bits for about $25USD off eBay. If you plan on working on your Eos, you'll use them elsewhere - the seat attach bolts, for instance.

- Aftermarket magnetic drain plugs that use replaceable crush washers can be found on several sites, such as ECS Tuning, Metalnerd, etc. Thread size is 14x1.5.

On to the procedures:

Supplies:

- 5 quarts/liters of your favorite VW 502 spec oil per owner’s manual.
- Oil filter.
- New factory drain plug (which has a captive washer), or a new crush washer with a reusable aftermarket drain plug.

Tools:
- 18mm socket for factory drain plug (aftermarket drain plug may be a different size)
- 76mm 14 flute cap wrench for oil filter
- Socket wrench
- 3/8" drive torque wrench capable of 30Nm
- 3/8” extension
- T20 torx driver (if you remove belly pan)
- 8mm triple square bit (if you remove belly pan)
- Ramps or jack stands, wheel chocks.
- Oil drain pan
- Funnel

1. Warm the car up a bit, and put it up on ramps or jack stands. Chock rear wheels.

2. Optional: Remove engine cover, the black & gray rectangular plastic thing with “TSI” on it. It just pulls up and off, there are four pins holding it onto the engine. Removing the engine cover makes it easier to access the oil filter & clean around the oil filler cap.

3. Wipe off sand/dirt from the rubber grommet around the oil filler cap, and loosen the cap.

4. Optional: Remove the belly pan. Warning: edges are sharp! To me it appears that pulling the drain plug will result in a messy, dirt-collecting coating of oil on the top of the belly pan, given the small size of the rectangular access and its proximity to the drain hole. Plus, I think it's a good idea in general to look around under the engine when you do oil changes, to see if anything is amiss. For my 2009 Eos, the pan is held on with eight T20 torx screws, and eight 8mm triple square screws. According to eBahn, your car may have more or less, but the fastener types should be the same.

5. Remove the drain plug and let oil drain into the drain pan.

6. Once the flow diminishes out of the drain, loosen the oil filter with the cap wrench slowly until you see the flow increase again. Don’t remove the filter all the way; let its oil drain through the engine into the drain pan.

7. When the flow slows down again, unscrew the filter the rest of the way by hand and pick the filter straight up. There shouldn’t be any drips – sweet!

8. Lube the new filter with fresh oil and install. Tighten to 22Nm with the cap wrench, 3/8” extension, and torque wrench.

9. Install a new drain plug, or an aftermarket drain plug with a new crush washer. Tighten plug to 30Nm with the appropriate socket and torque wrench.

10. Remove oil filler cap and fill engine with oil. A funnel doesn’t want to sit in the shallow fill opening by itself, so you’ll have to hold it in place while you pour the oil. I started with 4.5qt. Replace oil cap, and confirm oil level is okay on dipstick.

11. While you still have the car on ramps/jack stands, run engine and check for leaks.

12. Replace belly pan if previously removed. The torque value for the torx screws is 2Nm and for the triple square screws it’s 20Nm. I personally didn’t fool with a torque wrench for these fasteners, and used a calibrated “snug” instead.

13. Lower car off ramps or jack stands.

14. Check dipstick again with the car level, and add oil as required to get it to the max level. Factory capacity is 4.9qt, or 4.6l.

13. Snap the engine cover back in place.

Done!
 
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#2 ·
We just picked up a 2009 2.0T EOS (Opal Silver DSG) for my wife. I've lurked about here and Vortex a bit, but had seen nothing about the "mandatory 1,000 mile" oil change. Nor a mention of it by the dealer.

Just curious if this is a 'to do' based on VW 2.0T engine owner experience, or something I missed.

I read a DIY oil change on the EOS and was horrified by the process (even worse then my IS350) but it looks like that was for a prior-year model. Glad that the filter on top of the engine that I thought was an oil filer IS the oil filter, yay!

Not even close to 1K yet on the EOS, but I'd be happy to do a 1K change on it if its recommended. Damn oil is expensive (M1 0W-40 Euro spec that meets the VW 502 spec) though!
 
#3 ·
I was just kidding about the "mandatory" 1K mile oil change. Sorry if I caused any confusion on anyone's part! I'll go back and edit my original post.

The first recommended oil change for the USDM 2009 2.0T TSI is 10K miles according to the owner's manual, of course. Nonetheless, for decades I have always done a post-break-in oil change with each new vehicle - ostensibly to remove all those metal shavings and nasty bits left over from manufacture. Just a personal preference, odds are it's totally unnecessary with modern engines.

There's no way I'll be waiting 10K between subsequent oil changes, either. For the future I plan on a 5K interval; slotting in an extra change between each factory-recommended 10K interval. Again, just personal preference. Despite my rather long-winded recap of the procedure for the TSI engine, it truly was the easiest I've ever done on any car or truck.

Yeah, that VW 502 approved oil is darned expensive. The filters aren't cheap, either. Initially I was going to buy quarts of either M1 0W-40 or Castrol Syntec 5W-40 locally, but ended up going with an online-ordered 5L jug of Pentosin Pento High Performance II 5W40 for a few bucks more. I'm used to handy Wally World jugs of oil for my CRX and Dakota, and didn't feel like fooling with individual quart bottles again.
 
#4 ·
There's no way I'll be waiting 10K between subsequent oil changes, either. For the future I plan on a 5K interval; slotting in an extra change between each factory-recommended 10K interval.

..I'm used to handy Wally World jugs of oil for my CRX and Dakota, and didn't feel like fooling with individual quart bottles again.
Thanks for the info, Lucid!

I agree as well that I will not be going 10K between OICs, I'll be doing intermediate 5K changes as well. At 10K I'll take a UOI for Blackstone to look at and I'll post it here for anyone interested in UOI results.

Agreed on the WalMart jugs. That's my normal supply depot for all of my other vehicle's oil (Penz Plat for IS and Ridgeline, various for the others). Going to need to look online for something cheaper than the local NAPA at $9/QT for the M1 0W40. Of course, shipping will probably end up negating any savings.
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
2 0T TSI Oil Filter Change Tips

i wasnt really asking if doing the oil change yourself was a smarter move, im sure it works out to be about even, i just LOVE working on my car, so any chance i get i love to get down on the ground and get right under my car and learn it inside and out.

and i have a torque wrench, socket set, full allen key set, just dont have this filter wrench. i was really more interested in knowing what oil people use brands etc


 
#6 · (Edited)
HELP......

I have the oil filter off the engine, but can not figure out how to get to the actual filter!! The black part just spins..... looks like it should come up the groves, but just spins in place.

Edit: FYI - Just learned the new TSI engine does not use a replaceable inner filter. The entire Filter (i.e. canister) is replaceable. I was given a filter for use on the FSI Engines.
 
#7 ·
Geez, you'd think it wouldn't take two years for parts stores to update their databases. Another forum member had the same problem last month.

My instructions were quite long and undoubtedly overkill, but oil changes on the TSI engine really are easy. Good luck with yours -
 
#9 ·
The whole thing comes off - the entire black & gray cover shown here on APR's website:



I usually just pull it up at the corner by the oil filter, and work around the other corners. It's just a friction fit; there are four posts underneath. I'm sure you can remove the oil filter without having to pull the cover, but I like having the extra clearance. It also makes it easier to clean sand and gunk out from the rubber gasket around the filler cap.

I'll change my post to clarify that you're not trying to pull off just the gray portion of the cover.
 
#10 ·
As a note for those of you who balk at 10,000 mile intervals on oil changes, on the TDI forum, a very knowledgable fellow who I believe is an engineer discussed this issue. In a nutshell, he said that with new oil, the detergent completely cleans all of the internal surfaces down to bare metal. This happens in the first hundred miles or so. This is the period of time when the engine wear takes place. Then the oil begins to put down it's protective coating, and from that point on, as long as the oil doesn't contain solid particles, there is almost no wear. Lots of folks with the diesel engines report sending oil samples off with 10,000-15,000 miles on it and the report comes back and basically asks why they are changing the oil, it is still in fine shape. There have been incredible improvements in both engine technology and oil (synthetic) so that these intervals are easily achievable. Another report said that the initial reports of the 2.0 TDI called for 20,000 mile oil change intervals, but was reduced to 10,000 since no one believed that owners would do the full 20,000 after years of hearing oil change station commercials saying 3,000 intervals are recommended. If you change your oil too frequently, you are actually increasing the time that wearing occurs, you are much better off increasing the time and distance between changes. We just traded our two TDI Jettas ('06 and '09) in for brand new '12 Jetta TDI and a '12 EOS TSI and I'm going to stick with the recommended intervals. They served us well with the previous cars.
 
#12 ·
Cool - glad to help. Back in 2009 there wasn't much info out on the TSI engine; I'm sure there are scads of DIY and videos around now.

Funny thing is that we drive the car so little that in 3 1/2 years I've only done two oil changes on it, aside from the freebie VW ones.
 
#14 ·
I use a set of Rhino Ramps, by Blitz. They have a fairly shallow angle, so they work fine for our Eos. Cost about $40-50 at your local Advance/Pep Boys/etc.

If you've lowered your car, of course, they may not work.
 
#16 ·
It's 36mm. Must be a German thing because my wagon has the same size (but on top of the engine).

BTW, ECS Tuning and other vendors carry a fancy drain tool (basically a hose that plugs into the bottom of the filter housing) to depress the drain nipple without making a mess: http://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen-EOS--2.0T/Maintenance/Engine/Oil_Filter/ES8616/

A coworker says a screwdriver works to dislodge the drain nipple, too - just be prepared for the oil gusher.
 
#18 ·
There is a way of draining the engine oil without having to jack the car up we use a vacuum pump to suck the oil thru the dip stick tube and into a measured container. It saves any problems with the drain plug stripping the thread out. Mick
 
#19 ·
In the States you can get a spiffy, large capacity Mityvac fluid evacuator for about $85. I've been tempted over the years to get one. However, I have found things awry when under the engine (bad inboard CV boots, leaks, etc), so doing the oil changes via gravity gives me an excuse to look around!
 
#22 ·
I saw one post where the fellow enlarged the oil drain access hole in his belly pan to eliminate the oil accumulating on top of the pan.
Be careful what you trust reading the internet. EOS's have a very substantial and heavy large aluminium belly pan which contributes to the overall stiffness of the cabriolet body. The first time you drop it, you probably reach for the jack. But after a while you get to know which bolts to start removing first, whilst holding up the rear end of the pan with your knee until you can lower it.

The pan does have oil collection/trapping areas in its pressing. This can hide an oil leak for a short time, until they fill and you get a large amount of oil slopping on your driveway. Which is why I prefer to take the time removing it, because you can do a lot of visual checks from underneath.
 
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