I am guilty of the same,,,oil changes every 3-4 K and my Toyota Echo is still strong at 160,000. All with FRAM

 

Been twisting wrenches for years now and switched to of all things, Walmart brand Supertech filters. Here's why. Motorcycle Oil Filter Cross Reference In this link you wil find,
A small step down are the Bosch and SuperTech filters. These filters all have advanced filter media which is clearly superior to anything else on the market. The SuperTech filters, at $2 each, are a real steal. I verified Supertech filters are produced by Champion which also makes filters for aircraft engines.
I use Supertech/Champion filters on my:

99 Ford Tortise
81 Lancia Zagato
04 F350 Superduty diesel
95 Honda 45hp outboard
89 PC800
67 Cessna 150G

Remember, what is advertised the most on the side of a NASCAR race car may not always be the best quality. After all, why are they trying so hard to sell something?

Hope this info helps

Dan
New 07 Fit Sport purchased Saturday

 

Take a look at the K&N filter on display at your local parts store. Hold it to the light and look through the holes. The dirt that wears your engine can't be seen. It is silica. Fine particles of sharp dirt that can't be seen. Slip right through a K&N filter. They even tell you their filters work better when dirty. When some of the holes get plugged that is. You are going to be hard pressed to beat the original Honda filter in both performance and engine life. Some auto makers will void your warranty for using K&N finters.
Dan

 

Don't forget to always wet the rubber seal on the filter with some fresh oil. I usually try to pour some oil into the filter before installing it so long as the filter sit somewhat vertical. Also, add some anti-sieze to the drain plug and torque as per spec or you can use your 'calibrated elbow' and use some 'german torque' = goood'ntight!

 

as an ase master, i would disagree that you no longer have to wait such long break in periods on today's cars, 5K is plenty, and i would recommend the use of synthetic oil, it can still be debated whether syn is necessary, but it is the better oil, however petroleum based oil is still adequate for normal driving,

one plus about synthetic oil among many others, is that obviously it is not petroleum derived, meaning one more way the slow the use of crude oil, small as it may be.

 

Actually most synthetics sold nowadays ARE made from petroleum. They are Group III synthetics: "ultra-refined" dino oil. Even Mobil 1 has more group III base stock in it now.

To get the true PAO Esters you have to pay $$$ for Redline or Amsoil. In a street driven car that's not worth it IMHO.

If you watch the sales and manufacturers sites you can get synthetics for less than many dino oils. EXAMPLE I got Pennzoil Platinum synthetic and Valvoline Q-power for about 50 cents a quart with a factory rebate AND a buy one, get one free offer. The BOBISTHEOILGUY forums have a section for promotions, discounts, and coupons....

 

just wanted to quote this for it's 100% ignorance content

engines are broken in within the first 5 min of it being crunk for the first time. the only real break in is of hte rings seating, and that's almost immediate.. as for tolerances loosening...that's deff nothing to do with break in, that's just wear.

 

Do I still need to warm up my engine for 20 minutes before driving, even with these new multi weight oils?

Can putting egg whites in my radiator stop a coolant leak?

Is there a web page for automotive urban legends, "old school" maintenance intervals and old-wives-tales?

PS: my grandpa still washes oil off his hands w/ gasoline, runs 20w50 in his older cars because "they need it" and doubles the manufacturer's oil ratio in his chainsaw's premix no matter how much I try to talk sense into him.

 

Used FRAM filters forever. No problems.

Used synthetic oils Mobile One for 1st oil change (and every one after that). No problems.

I don't sweat the little bit of old oil still in the pan during changes. If your angle allows you to get more old oil out of it, great! If not, I wouldn't (I don't) sweat it.

My .02 cents.

 

I've used Fram filters and Pennzoil in over 50 of my cars since the 70s with no issues. I used to be a professional mechanic and have rebuilt more motors than I can remember. I drove one of my water cooled Porsches over 100,000 miles on Pennzoil and Fram and when I tore it down to rebuild it, the bearings were within new tolerances and you could still see cross hatching marks in all the bores. A set of standard rings and bearings is all it needed.

 

hi, i wanted to do an oil change the other day. problem is that when i tried to unscrew the sump plug, it wont loosen me and a friend tried for ages and ages and it just wouldnt budge. its not like we're using the wrong size, 17mm if im correct. tried 16 and 18, they didnt even fit on, so i didnt even bother.
now we're suspecting that the guys at honda dealership went downtown on it using a f*cking socket wrench or something, otherwise why would it be so rediculously tight? you are suppose to do it hand tight. after all the attempts at loosoning it, now it seems like the edges on the bolt are worn off and the wrench wont grip on it at all.
so i called the service department at the honda dealer today and asked if i can get the plug replaced under warrenty. they said its almost certain that i cant since i already made an attempt on the vehicle myself. its not like its my first time changing the oil, done it quite a lot in fact.
what do you guys think i should do? they said bring it down and they'll have a look. but i think the best now is to probably buy a new sump plug (doesnt cost much anyway, less then a few bucks) and replace the current one. only problem here is that i dont know how to get the current one off. do any of you guys know how to forcefully break/snap it off without damaging the sump itself?

 

It sounds as if someone overtightened your drain plug. To remove it yourself, just put a piece of pipe on the handle of a socket wrench to extend its length with the right size socket. Unless the plug has been cross threaded and the oil pan threads ruined, you'll have no trouble removing the plug.

To make your own oil changes faster and easier in the future (it is ridiculous to pay a mechanic to do such a simple job) AND TO MAKE DRAIN PLUG PROBLEMS IMPOSSIBLE, replace your plug with the Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve. You won't ever need any more crush washers, and won't need a wrench to drain your oil. Here's their link:

FumotoValve.com - Engine Oil Drain Valve - the bast way to change oil

 

can you explain this in more detail please? what exactly do i do? i have a socket wrench, what kind of pipe and what do i do?

 

I realize that there are many differences between living in the U.S. vs. the UK. You may not have a well equipped hardware store close to your residence, but most of us in the U.S. do. You need a source for an inexpensive, short length of metal pipe, but if you don't, a large set of locking pliers will also work ("Vice Grips" pliers).

The obvious object here is to extend the length of your socket wrench handle, thereby increasing the "mechanical advantage". Whatever your handle length is, extend that length by at least 50% and you will reduce the effort needed to turn the drain plug by at least 50%.

If your wrench handle is 200mm long, get a piece of pipe with an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the handle. The length of the pipe should be about 400mm, and should be placed over the wrench handle about half way down its length.

If your socket wrench came in a "socket set", you probably also have in that set a "breaker bar", which is also a socket wrench that does not turn with a ratchet mechanism. The breaker bar is longer than the ratchet socket wrench, and will work just as well as lengthening your ratchet handle.

Another simple solution is to buy, if you do not have one, a torque wrench that has the same size square drive as your sockets. Torque wrenches are longer than regular ratchet wrenches, so as to provide higher torque (turning ability) than the shorter ratchet wrenches. If you intend to do anything more in the maintenance of your car than just an oil change (such as rotating your own wheels), you NEED a torque wrench. This tool will easily solve your drain plug problem.

I don't mean to be mean here, but this is as clear as I can describe a very simple process. If this is beyond your abilities, then your best friend for life will be your mechanic.

 

but since the edges of the bolt are worn i.e. the wrench simply wont grip on to it, i dont really see how adding more force with a torque wrench will help.

 

Try a 6 point socket, instead of a 12 point and it might get you through. Then replace it with either a new drain bolt or fram sure drain or fumoto valve.

 

I didn't realize that the plug wrench flats were ruined already. Try a large Vice Grip plier, and use a small dia. pipe extension on the stationary part of the handle (not the moving lever part). Here in the U.S., there are special sockets made that remove nuts & bolts with rounded-off hex shoulders. If you look hard enough, I'll bet that you can find them in England as well- look in auto parts specialty shops and machine shop tool supply stores.

Another solution is a screw extractor set. They don't cost much, and come usually in sets of four different sizes. They look like sharply pointed, tapered, coarse threaded taps. The threads are reversed, or left hand threaded. On your plug, you would drill a pilot hole, sized according to the instructions for the size of extractor you are using. Then you put the point of the extractor in the pilot hole, hit the end of it with a hammer to drive the edges of the threads into the walls of the hole, and turn the extractor with Vice Grip pliers or a tap handle to the left to remove your plug.

 

thanks!
i'll give those a try

 

One other thing, if you're getting a fumoto valve, there's a discount code to get 10% off at checkout . The code is YM4.

 

I forgot about the discount- thanks for mentioning it Jeff.
Mecha_Trueno- GOOD LUCK!