How to change oil on Citroën C3

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 2/10
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS YOU PAY $20 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 1 HOUR TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • RISK OF BURNS, SEE BELOW
BEFORE YOU START

  • Be careful not to touch any hot part of the engine
  • Wear gloves as used oil can cause skin irritation.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

Draining the oil of a Citroën C3 1.6 VTi (EP6 engine)

  1. Your engine should be at least warm and could be hotter, but it is better to work on a just warm engine to avoid exposure to excess heat.
  2. Slacken the oil drain plug with a square key (could be Torx on some other versions), just enough to be able to turn it by hand.
  3. Place a plastic bowl beneath the plug, with at least 6-8 liters of capacity.
  4. Unscrew and remove the oil drain plug with your hand, while wearing thick rubber gloves.
  5. Put the oil drain plug aside, then open the oil fill cover to let the oil drain easily from the plug.
  6. ​Leave the oil drain plug open until you change the oil filter so oil drains well from the engine.

Changing the oil filter on PSA EP6 petrol engine (1.6 VTi)

  • Use a No 27 socket fitted to a long ratchet extender.
  • Introduce the socket from the front side of the engine, so it fits on the nut of the oil filter body.​
  • You need to remove no part at all, there's enough space for fitting the tool and removing the oil filter, without dismantling any part.
  • Make sure a large plastic tray is placed beneath the vehicle at the gearbox level since oil will flow down from the filter.
  • Unscrew the oil filter body with the ratchet handle and take out the oil fitler from between the radiator hose and oil level gauge, as shown in the middle and right pictures.
Use a seringe to empty the oil filter housing from remaining used oil:

Refitting a new oil filter and filling engine with oil

  • Clean well with a dry cloth the oil filter body.
  • Put the new oil fitler cartridge. Original reference Peugeot / Citroën is 1109AH but a popular equivalent filter is the Mann HU711/51X.
  • Change the rubber seal that is provided with the oil filter.
  • Change the oil plug seal with a new one.
  • Spread a drop of oil on the oil fiter seal and refit the oil filter but do not over tighten, do so until you can no more rotate it, this is when the ring of the plastic body comes into contact with the engine.
  • Refit the oil change plug and tighten well.
Take your time to clean well with a dry cloth the area beneath the oil filter:
Exhaust
Coolant hoses
Etc.
Refill 4.25l of motor oil. It is mandatory to use any of 0W30 or 5W30 synthetic oil with a high flash point > 230 deg.C. On engines with a very high mileage (> 150,000 km), the use of 5W40 synthetic oil can reduce the oil consumption of the EP6 engine. Always make sure of the flash point of the motor oil, specially on turbo engines.

See also all our motor oil tips and pictorials...