Stupid question but where is the oil filter?

[Dodgy Haro]

Hi everyone,

First post and I have to make it a real newbie question - I feel like a dead beat so please bear with me ...

I just took delivery of a 1989 525i E34 yesterday with a M20 motor. As with any other car, the first thing to tackle is always the basic oil change ...

Anyway, I am having difficulty locating the oil filter because BMW tends to use internal filters - I am so used to Japanese cars with the filters on the outside with external casing.

I have worked on an E36 before and know where the oil filters are however on this earlier M20 motor, I suspect it is the item circled in red in the pic below. I hope I am wrong because:
1- inside this thing there is no filter at all; and
2- if it is the filter, it is impossible to unscrew the sides - I broke my oil filter removal tool on the plastic container!

Anyway, hopefully the pics of my engine bay may help:

hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S1.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S2.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S3.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S4.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S5.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S6.JPG
hxxp://users.tpg.com.au/adsl6ii7/S7.JPG

NB: just change the hxxp to http ...

Any help would be greatly appreciated as she's still sitting in the car port just awaiting for new oil to be put into her ...

I am sure I will look back at this thread one day and laugh at it ...

[Roderic E34T]

The piece you have circled is the ATF oil cannister for your powersteering.

If you look at picture number 4. You will see your exhaustmanifolt.

Underneath it, at the front of your engine, you will see waht looks like a sodacan.
THAT's your oilfilter.

[Dodgy Haro]

The piece you have circled is the ATF oil cannister for your powersteering.

If you look at picture number 4. You will see your exhaustmanifolt.

Underneath it, at the front of your engine, you will see waht looks like a sodacan.
THAT's your oilfilter.

Thanks Roderic - you're a champ mate!

So obviously they aren't as accessible as the later E36 models with the filter being on top.

I'll have a look later tonight but hopefully this time in the right spot!

Will post again if I have any probs but I have narrowed down the area ... boy, do I feel stupid having spent more than 30 mins looking for it and even attacking the poor ATF oil cannister ... at least I didn't break it ... LOL ...

[X Mon]

Easiest way to find the M20 oil filter is to just reach down between the manifolds for 1-3 and 4-6 with your hand cupped towards the front of the car. You know you drive an M20 when you're missing arm hair because you've singed it off trying to change the filter while the manifolds are still warm.

[Gunslinger]

Thanks Roderic - you're a champ mate!

So obviously they aren't as accessible as the later E36 models with the filter being on top.

I'll have a look later tonight but hopefully this time in the right spot!

Will post again if I have any probs but I have narrowed down the area ... boy, do I feel stupid having spent more than 30 mins looking for it and even attacking the poor ATF oil cannister ... at least I didn't break it ... LOL ...

The M50 gets the remote canister.