BMW Repair: Where is the oil pan on a 1994 BWM 318i, oil pan plug, realoem

Question
Any hints I should know about when changing the oil.  This is the first time I've changed it myself.

Answer
Sid,
 Good to see you are tackling this job yourself, it's so easy, that it's hard to believe people PAY for someone to change their oil.  Now you can save that money, and actually put decent oil in your car!

 First you need to buy the correct ammount of oil, and filter before you start this project.  Then you want to raise the front of the car, and support it with jack-stands.  Make sure the car is stable, and will not roll off the stands.  Once the car is raised, get a pan or a bucket to catch the oil in.  The oil pan on is always on the bottom of the engine.  The drain plug is usually on one side of the pan.  Check out this link:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BE53&mospid=47480&btnr=11_1957&hg=...

The above link shows the oil pan, and #5 is pointing to the plug.  Unfortunately, you cannot see the back side of the pan to see where the plug screws in.  All I would say is that it's a large bolt (17mm-19mm) on the passenger's side of the oil pan.

 Ok, so now you know where the oil pan is, slide under the car (be carefull) loosen the oil plug and drain into a bucket, or what ever you choose.  It will need to be able to hold at least 2 gallons of liquid.  Remove the oil fill cap (where you pour new oil in), and then remove the drain plug on the oil pan.  It will take a minute or two to fully drain.  Once the engine has drained, replace the oil pan plug, make sure not to over tighten it, it's a plug... it's not holding the engine together.  Just tighten till it's good and snug, you dont want to fight with it to get it loose the next time you change oil.

 Ok now that you have the  old oil drained out, you need to replace the oil filter.  Take a look at this diagram:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BE53&mospid=47480&btnr=11_0506&hg=...

 This is where the oil filter is located on the engine:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=BE53&mospid=47480&btnr=11_1293&hg=...

 In the link above, you can see that on the front driver's side of the engine (USA models) the oil filter is located.

 Just remove the cap from the filter housing, pull out the filter, and replace it.  Pretty simple.

 Now, pour the new oil into the engine!, and you're done!!

 Good luck,
 if you have any other questions let me know.
 Josh