Modern Vespa

I have a Vespa LX50 4T 4V. I'm am going to try to change the oil myself. From what I can tell I will need: a tool to remove the oil cap, new oil, new O'rings, a new oil screen, oil pan, funnel and rag. The LX50 unlike the LX150 apparently has no "oil filer" and I don't have to remove the exhaust to reach it.
A few questions: workshop manual says to change the oil while engine is hot. 1. Is this true? 2. What size type tool do I use to open the oil cap? 3. To confirm, am I to refill the oil using the hole where I unscrewed the dip stick? 4. How do I tighten oil cap to 28 newton meters? Thanks!

Shop manual

Shop manual part two.

Pic of LX50 and shopping list. This doesn't include the oil.

Hi! Welcome to the forum!

I've done a lot of oil changes, but not on a Vespa like this. I don't know some of the specifics like the wrench size for the oil cap, so I suggest you refer to the Wiki here or find other online videos. Changing the oil isn't hard at all.

A couple of tips from experience:
I use a 17mm combination end wrench or a 19mm or 17mm socket to remove oil caps, plus a 12mm (as I recall) to remove the hub oil plugs. Your Vespa may be different! I'd suggest you acquire sets of metric wrenches and sockets. They'll come in handy for all kinds of maintenance tasks. The larger wrenches (17mm or 19mm etc.) may not come in the standard sets, but they're not too expensive to buy separately.

Oil pan -- I cut the side out of a plastic milk bottle. When it's full, take the cap off and it becomes a funnel to pour the used oil into another container to take to recycling.

Funnel -- the long kind you can get at auto parts stores are easier to use. Yes, the new oil goes in where the dipstick is.

Drain the oil when it's warm, but not so hot you burn yourself. Warm oil flows out faster and more completely than cold oil, is the reason.

Pre-fill a measuring cup or an empty oil bottle with the amount of new oil that you need to add (850 ml). That's much easier than trying to measure the oil as you pour it into the engine.

It's nice to have a torque wrench, but it really isn't necessary for oil changes. Tighten the cap with a wrench so it's "tight" but not "grrrr...ummph!" tight.

The oil filter can be cleaned and reused. Rinse it with a solvent like gasoline, blow it dry with air if you have a compressor or just let it air dry. It's best to use a new o-ring when you change the oil but it's okay to skip it for one or two oil changes. I'd buy a half-dozen o-rings and maybe one oil filter screen to have on hand.

I save big cardboard boxes to use for floor mats. Even with care and experience I usually end up with oil all over the floor!

Good luck & have fun! 8)

For the record, exhaust removal for oil filter change on the LX150 is not necessary. It can be done with the exhaust in place without problems. I believe a video showing exhaust removal for filter change was part of another maintenance procedure that required it.

A simple way to drain the oil without having the centerstand in the way is to secure the scooter against something to support it. I use the rails on my garage door and bungee cords. Plenty of room to place a catch pan without the stand in the way.

This videos close enough to give you the idea. Don't forget to check out the wiki section for other good tutorials

Some LX50 models require removal of the exhaust shroud to access the nut and the fillter. If this is the case with your scoot I would just leave the shroud off. Those two screws get seized often.

So, in that photo, the centerstand is resting in the catchpan. Propping the scooter up to allow the centerstand to be up out of the drain oil is much better and cleaner.