Oil Change DIY

[fishermoe14]

Originally Posted by FDcivic23

I've seen Mobil 1 oil at Walmart but not the oil filters. I'm in Virginia Beach and they only have the Fram oil filters. Where you located?

im in minnesooooota we have both the oil and filters at our walmart

[Socali914]

i have an si and i put 5w 20 synthetic , would that hard the car, sorry but i am very non mechanic savy. i dont think its much of a difference for 5w 30 and 5w 20 but maybe im wrong, and next oil change should i switch to 5w 30? thanks.

[1hakkaXchink]

I was wondering if there is something wrong with my oil life monitor. I did my oil change at 6500km and resetted the monitor. Now after a month and putting on 1000km, I would have thought my oil life monitor would drop to 90% but it is still at 100%. Did I not reset it properly, or should I drive a bit more and see if it will drop?

[av911]

Originally Posted by 1hakkaXchink

...or should I drive a bit more and see if it will drop?

1000KM is nothing, unless you drive all city. Even so, I don't think it'll change that early. 100% indicates 91%-100%:

[civictuner21]

Originally Posted by ethlar

ok here you go, i did an oil change over the weekend with a friend, didnt take many pictures but its actually a lot easier to do than the dealers and jiffy lube would like you to think.

What you will need:
4 quarts of 5W20 oil
Honda oil filter or equivalent from local parts store
Drain plug crush ring from dealer or parts store
17mm wrench to remove oil pan drain plug
oil catch pan
oil filter wrench
Papertowels
Rubber gloves (optional)

This is best done when the car is somewhat warm

1. Get your car up in the air (use your method of choice here, car lift, ramps, or jack and jack stands (DO NOT GET UNDER THE CAR WITHOUT PUTTING ON THE PARKING BRAKE AND USING JACK STANDS!) my friends dad has a shop so we used a lift, normally i would use ramps in my driveway.

2. Pop your hood and open the oil cap on the top of the engine, this allows the oil to drain more easily.

3.

The blue thing is your filter, honda actualy molded Engine Oil into the bottom of the pan and ive circled the drain plug bolt

from the back
Under the car, position the catch pan under the drain plug, the oil will shoot out a bit so make sure theres plenty of room. At this point i like to make sure the paper towels are handy and i have a rubber glove on. use the wrench to loosen the drain plug so you can remove it by hand. the oil will start to drip as you remove it. Since the oil temp can be hot i like to have the glove on so i can quickly get the hot oil off my hand.

4. use the oil filter wrench to loosen the oil filter and then remove it by hand. it will drip on you as you remove it so be ready for that.

5. dip a finger in the old oil in the catch pan and run it around the rubber gasket to moisten it and make a better seal, put on the new filter by hand and then give it about a 1/4 turn with the wrench, do not over tighten the filter, the threads could strip.

6. Remove the old crush washer from the drain plug and put the new one on, re-install the plug with the 17mm wrench, this one you can tighten up because you are crushing the aluminum ring slightly to create a seal.

7. Pour the new oil into the top, i suggest using a funnel to make it easier. The car states that it takes 3.9 quarts of oil, so you can safely put all 4 quarts into the engine.

8. Run the engine and make sure that the oil light goes out, check the dipstick to make sure the oil is at the appropriate level. check for leaks under the car.

9. Press the sel/reset button untill the oil life monitor comes up, hold the sel/reset button for 10 seconds, the oil life will start to blink, press and hold the sel/reset button for 5 seconds to reset the monitor.

You're done, hope that helps

this was sooooo helpful thank you so much =)

[intoflatlines]

Hey I just wanted to say thanks for the great DIY. My girlfriend and I did this to her 2007 LX sedan and it was incredibly easy, much easier than doing it on my VW GTI.

[oconn11]

Guys great posting. Maybe I missed this after reading through the 12 pages but let me ask. What's everyone's opinion on using 0W20 vs 5W20? Full synthetic of course. I am in NY. I see that 0W20 is being pushed as an energy saving oil and can be used instead of 5W20. Thanks for the thoughts in advance.

[markiev37]

2008 civc si......Just changed the oil and rotated tires today at 4,000 miles on my car....This oil filter is jammed in there and a PITA to lossen...Not sure if it's worth saving the extra 5-10 bucks by doing it myself....Come on honda, what a ttyyyyy design.....

[fishermoe14]

yea.. the first oil change is the worse.. the filters are tight as hell from the factory.. once you get the hang of snaking your hands in there it gets really easy..

[MIKKOO]

Originally Posted by luv2redline

on mine it takes exactly 4 1/2 qrts! alot of people say 5 to 5 1/2 but thats kinda dangerous. personally on my si it tops the full mark with 4 1/2!

i just dumped 5 qrts! am i screwd?

[racerex]

Originally Posted by MIKKOO

i just dumped 5 qrts! am i screwd?

Nope, mine takes a tick under 5 qrts.

[garyxchan]

Originally Posted by drahgon

YouTube - How To Change Your Oil

that's awesome,
watch it!

[CivicK20SI]

Hey,

If i changed my oil and wanted to use a differant oil from the factory, could i drain it and use another? or is it dangerous to have it mix when changing oil brands? I want to start doing my own oil changes. What im really asking is, could iuse my own preferance of oil and filter without messing anything up? I wanna switch to royal purple or maybe mobile 1. not sure yet. Any input would be appreciated. I own an 08 Si btw.

Thanks,

Phil

[intoflatlines]

You can drain the oil and put in another brand/viscosity with no problem.

[psycho1]

damn, that amsoil is hella expensive. $9.40 a quart with a $17.30 oil filter sucks. i know it's worth it, but i just wish it was cheaper.

Product ID: AFLQT-EA
AMSOIL European Car Formula 100% Synthetic 5W-40 Motor Oil

Product ID: EAO13-EA
Absolute Efficiency Oil Filter

[tracerit]

just changed the oil today following your guide. it said A1 - 10% oil life. i just reset the reminder, will it still followup to A2 or wahtever the next service reminder is? either way, isn't the car oil change/tire rotations until 100k and then you start doing the other stuff?

[intoflatlines]

Originally Posted by psycho1

damn, that amsoil is hella expensive. $9.40 a quart with a $17.30 oil filter sucks. i know it's worth it, but i just wish it was cheaper.

Product ID: AFLQT-EA
AMSOIL European Car Formula 100% Synthetic 5W-40 Motor Oil

Product ID: EAO13-EA
Absolute Efficiency Oil Filter

Pay $10 for the 6 month preferred membership or whatever, and you'll save a decent amount. Buy a case of 12 and you'll probably save ~$30, which makes for a net savings of $20. I think it brings the cost per quart down to like $6.95 if you buy them separately, and $6.60 if you get the case of 12. Not bad considering you'll be paying around the same for Mobile1/Castrol ($6.49), and even more for Royal Purple ($7.29), comparing to price at local Autozone.

[Fieldmarshal]

i went to walmart to get my oil changed, and they said they couldnt do it, the guy couldnt loosen the oil filter, he also said it was waay too difficult to get to. I have a 08 si sedan, and this is my first oil change. I guess ill have to call the dealer.

[packers04]

do not go to walmart please, i would just pay the dealer to do it versus having some idiot who didn't graduate from high school change my oil. i know several people who have had it changed there and they didn't put the oil filler cap back on.

[fishermoe14]

do it urself.. if the oil filter is on too tight and u cant get a grip.. just get a screwdriver and pierce it.. use the screw driver to twist it off..

oil changes on the si aren't too bad once you do it the first time..