honestly i dont know, but ive been using my ratchet box wrench and
snug tight has been good on all my cars through the years. so
29lbs/ft should be more than plenty. dont crank it too much.

after you're done, check your work, drive it around and see if the
plug has any oil. with the washer it shouldn't backout, but if it does,
just torque it in some more. it's better to check your work anyway
even if you did use a torque wrench.

38 sounds kinda excessive...

 

Direct from the repair manual. BUT in 40+ years of working on vehicles at a dealershp and other venues I have NEVER seen anyone use a torque wrench on the oil dain plug.

39 N·m (4.0 kgf·m, 29 lbf·ft)

Do not overtighten.

 

Kenchan, Claymore: Thanks. Got my 1st car in 1966 ('57 Chevy) and never used a torque wrench to change oil until yesterday. I used 29 ft-lbs and it seemed "about right" based on feel. Gotta admit that the postings about the aluminum threads on the pan got me nervous 'cause I've stripped a few threads in my life. Checked plug after a little driving and nice and dry. Thanks for advice - it's one of my favorite things - the price is usually great (free) and has value and a purpose.

 

rlhannan- sounds good. once you get the 'feel' you probably wont need
it again, but some of us dont know our strengths sometimes especially
after carrying something heavy, so it's best you use a torque wrench
if that's more comfortable for you.

 

Nice to see another "baby boomer" Fit owner- got my first car in 1965- a '50 Chevy Coupe. Like claymore, never used a torque wrench for oil changes, and with the "crush washer" on Hondas, I still don't think that torq2ue wrenches are necessary.

 

I'm a 75 year young fit owner..so listen....synthetic is wonderful. the manual tell ya that. I would not jack the car with the jack points the book gives. Go to a hobby shop and use a ramp....a shop ramp. the thingie that removes the oil filter ....I'm going to buy or ask auto zone what kind to use( wrench) that is...The manual says it's a special wrench. I'm going to use Mobil 1 on the next oil change.

 

Wow! you're great....a step by step operation that an old man like me can understand. Thank you for the information.

 

I have used a pump to remove oil from my 1.6 el, only thing is you have to have the oil somewhat hot to pump it. But it pull more out then just the draining.

 

LOL, that reminds me of the dealership I worked at, there were some kids I worked with who couldn't tell their face from their ass, which led the service manager to require everyone to use a torque wrench to tighten drain plugs...

 

can someone repost the DIY pictures please? I know it's "easy as pie" but I really don't want to accidentally drain my transmission oil

 

All during my Military career as a crew chief.....we were required to use torque wrenches.....never was there a stripped nut or bolt! Wonderful Dealership!

 

i see a lot of talk in here about using jackstands and ramps...is there any purpose to this other than easier to work on? ...or if your fit is dropped. ive never used jackstands or ramps for changing my oil on the fit.

 

you will see your oil filter right behind your skidplate on the passenger side of the car/middle. on the back of the silver oil pan there is a 17MM bolt. thats where you drain it ;]

 

Not to mention the inch high letters and arrow on the oil pan that point to the drain plug and say "Engine oil drain" The fit is the most idiot-proof car i have ever owned, and I have owned a few. Just did my first oil change today, took fifteen minutes start to finish. I am so glad Honda didn't burden the underside of the car with acres of removeable plastic shielding, makes changing the oil a snap! BTW, my maintenance minder said I was at 60% for oil life at 3074 miles. The oil looked pretty used up for 60% though, I wonder what the oil would look like at 10 or 15%......

 

lol i must drive like a complete douche...my oil life has always been at like 10% at 3500 miles or so. you baby your car or drive it hard?

 

I just did my first oil change @ 3000 miles with royal purple, got the oreillys hook up, $21 for 4qt 5w-20 Royal Purple, $2.00 Nix Filter(or whatever it was called), $3.50 oil catcher, $2.00 oil filter wrench.

Made my ramps with some leftover MDF I had from building subwoofer boxes. I did the 1'x4' 1'x3' 1'x2' 1'x1' 1'x4" cuts of wood and screwed them all together to make my low profile ramp!

 

I'd like to poll some of my Fit brethren here about synthetic vs blended vs regular old dyno oils. My first oil change is coming up and I'd love to do it myself. The step by step instructions on this thread are very well written out, and shouldn't present too much difficulty for me and I've never changed my own oil. The thing is, should I run synthetic like Mobil 1, Royal Purple etc. or run a plain old dyno oil at 5w-20??? I have been told that the Fit should not be run on a synthetic because it runs thinner and our engines don't perform at a high enough level to require it. Oh and the same genius (who shall remain nameless) that gave me this information told me that my mileage is far too low for a full synthetic anyway, and I shouldn't be using it if at all until 60k miles or more.

I want to be running the best oil for my car I can and need this Fit to last me a long time. I also want to start learning to wrench on my own car because I'm tired of stealerships overcharging me for the things I can and should be doing myself. Can anyone offer me some advice on a quality oil brand/filter combination you have run in your Fit that's worked great for you?

Thanks!!!

DAN

 

I just switched to Royal Purple and I'm already getting significantly better gas mileage, I didn't notice it until I read this thread, but usually I was getting 150m at half tank, now i'm at 195m at half tank. Also, it definitely feels peppier. I vote two thumbs up for royal purple.

 

I want to be running the best oil for my car I can and need this Fit to last me a long time. I also want to start learning to wrench on my own car because I'm tired of stealerships overcharging me for the things I can and should be doing myself. Can anyone offer me some advice on a quality oil brand/filter combination you have run in your Fit that's worked great for you?


Every dyno test we have ever run has shown synthetics to be superior in lubrication, higher hp, better fuel consumption, and longer life, just as many others. We put an oil change interval on synthetics at 6000-7000 miles on street vehicles because analyses of the 'spent' oil invariably shows far less deradation of viscosity, lubricity, and shear strength than paraffin based oils and way more than napthene based 'onventional' oils. Paraffin based oils are changed at 3000 miles and we try not to deal with napthene based convrntional oils.
There are dozens of technical articles available the justify the high opinion of synthetics; only college professors with no access to dynomometer evaluations poo-poo synthetics.
The rule is" the harder or the lesser you use your engine the more you need synthetics". Synthetics just dont deteriorate as quickly as conventional oils.
Now which synthetic to use is an argument we can't satisfy .

 

My preferred brand of filter is Wix/Napa Gold based on websites where the oil filters are cut open and analyzed. Carquest brand filters are rebranded Wix. I also have 6 of the Honda filters I'll use on the Fit. I've used the AC/Delco filters will good results as well. I just got the Honda oil wrench and it's probably good to have. I had a little trouble getting a strap wrench in under the car.

For synthetics, I've used Mobile 1, Napa Synthetic, Castrol Syntech and Royal Purple (first oil change on Fit). I'll probably stick to Napa and Mobile 1 based only on whatever I can get cheaper. I don't know who makes the Napa synth but it looks like Mountain Dew. The Royal Purple is nice but pricey. It's purple FWIW.

I use synthetics to avoid gumming (lots of short trips) and better protection in case of overheating. On my newer cars, I'll usually go to 7K miles between changes. On my old Saab, I do it once a year - 180K total miles on the car.