For those who don't know, Walmart carries mobil one for $25. That's almost the same price of conventional at autoparts stores

 

My father and me was able to change the oil filter without jacking the car. The screw and the filter are accessible if you have small or medium hands with the hood open. Be carefull to not burn yourself on the motor though... ! And the oil is normal 5W20, I asked Honda.

 

Hi all,

The manual says to tighten the drain bolt to 29 lb/ft. If using a regular socket wrench, how tight should one tighten the bolt?

Thanks!

 

29 lb/ft. Although some Helms manuals say 34 lb/ft.

In 30+ years I have never used a torque wrench on any Honda fill or drain bolt. Just give it a good old-fashioned tug (rightie-tightie). If you leave it too loose, it might drip a bit especially if the car sits unused for more than a week...but you will never see a "gusher" if that is what you are afraid of.


What IS important is to use a new crush washer as the compressibility of old washers is different. (They are designed as a one-time-use piece)



++++++++++++++

PS I'm sure many on this Forum were expecting me to say "tighten it until it strips, the back off 1/8 turn"

I would NEVER say that.

 

Not trying to be a wiseacre, but the answer is... 29 ft-lbs. This means 29 pounds of force at one foot from the center of rotation. Or any combination of force and distance that is the same - 58 lbs @ 6 inches, or 14.5 lbs @ 2 ft.

The idea is to get it tight enough to crush the washer, form a good seal, and not self loosen. At the same time, it has to be gentle enough to not strip out the aluminum threads in the oil pan.

The only way to be positive you are using the correct torque is with a torque wrench, which is a tool no professional mechanic would be without. At the same time, no pro is going to use a torque wrench on an oil plug. Why not? Because with experience, a person develops a "feel" for how hard they are cranking down on a bolt. And in reality, the exact torque is not critical on an oil plug - just that it is tight enough but not stripping out.

My personal technique is to not bother jacking the car up at all. I use a stubby 17mm box wrench, and just reach in blind to loosen. I'm pretty big (300 lbs), so if it's stubborn, I just pop the wrench with the side of my fist and voila, it's free. To tighten, I use moderately firm pressure on that same stubby wrench (NEW crush washer every time). I've also been changing oil (on Hondas) for 18 years, and have learned what "the plug is tight enough" feels like. My first several times, I darn well used a torque wrench! (FYI, the oil filter is easy to reach from below without jacking as well)

 

Thanks! Very informative!

 

Indeed, very helpful. Thank you!

The other thing I was curious about is about pouring in new oil when you've had the car up on ramps for draining the old oil. You obviously can't start the engine and back the car off the ramps before you've put new oil in, so the choice is then to either fill while still on the ramps or somehow push back off the ramps and then fill. Any suggestions on this?

Also, I've seen some recommend filling the new filter with new oil before screwing it on (in order to give the engine some lubrication immediately upon starting). This seems unnecessary to me, but I'm curious what you all think. I know the tricks about disconnecting an ignition wire or unplugging a spark plug, but that all seems even more excessive.

Thanks in advance.

 

You can fill the engine with oil while it's still on the ramps. There is absolutely now way to drain every last drop of oil out of the motor unless you plan on taking the pan off. Just fill it with the recommend amount after you finish draining, let it sit for a minute or so, start it up and pull it off the ramps.

You don't have to fill the new filter with oil before screwing it back on, but it doesn't hurt to do it anyway. If there is oil in there it will get pumped up to the cams and oil squirters immediately when you crank it over, but the oil pump will do the same thing, as long as the pan if full of oil. Make sure you rub some new oil on the seal of the new filter so it doesn't bite when you screw it back on.

This is all assuming we are talking about a factory motor too. If we are talking about a built motor with really tight clearances, then definitely fill the filter and level the car back out as much as possible before starting it.

This is all just my opinion. There are plenty of people that will tell you to always fill the filter, and to level the car back out. But we are talking about less than a second for oil to get from the pan to the squirters. And, we only change our oil every 3000 miles, so it's not like you are putting any measurable amount of wear on your motor by not filling it. Hope that helped and good luck with the oil changes.

 

If you fill the oil while the car is on the ramps, to at least the bottom of the dipstick lower hole or bottom of the hash-marks, you can start the engine and back it down to level ground without worry. Then stop the engine , check for leaks, and do a final check of the oil level after a few minutes. (The oil filter will then be full so the level may have dropped a bit)

Regards filling the filter: Whicle I've never had a proiblem with any of my engines, filling the filter DOES reduce the time before the oil light goes out on that first start. You have the fresh oil open anyway to coat the gasket, why not fill the filter?

Even with horizontal filters such as our K24 CR-V, filling the filter (it settles to about half full, so it doesn't leak) reduces the heart-stopping warning light is on!

 

Hi all,

Just changed my 07 Fit's oil today for the first time and everything went great. Thanks all for the helpful suggestions and to the OP for the nice DIY guide.

 

DIY oil changes are the way to go! thanks for the write up!

 

Total newbie question, but...

What size crush washer do I need, and do I have to buy it from Honda or can I get it from an auto parts store? 18mm? 20mm?

 

Not sure on the size, but if you buy filter at Honda they give you one free.

 

Not ALL Honda dealers or OE suppliers do that.

But you should use aluminum washers, and it's really easier to get them at a dealer.

Again, prices vary, from free to $1.25

 

My first Honda was a beloved 1980 Accord. Leave the synthetic oil for jet planes. Use a good filter and post-30k miles put STP in the crank case. Don't bother with gas additives. There are a ton of detergents in it already.

My 07 Fit idles like the day I bought it new.

Vroooooooom!
Magaphoto

 

Put some oil on the seal before installing the oil filter. Make sure you don't strip the threads on the oil pan by over-tightening. Pour in some of the oil. Start engine and back down the ramp. Let the car sit until excess falls to oil pan bottom. Recheck level and add if needed. Starting the engine will flood the filter and cause no damage to your engine.

 

Thank you for such a thorough DIY.

 

It's a size 14 crush washer (which I assume means 14 mm).

I bought Rhino ramps today, made getting under the car a lot easier. They're under $50.

The only thing that I noticed out of the ordinary- my car took a full 4 qts, not 3.8, to the fill dot on the dipstick. I realize that more oil than normal might've drained out because the car was on ramps, but 1/5 qt seems like a lot to remain in the pan not on ramps. Anybody have this same experience?

 

Did my first oil change today. Thanks for the good info in this thread. 17mm for the OEM oil drain plug, and you can use a 19mm crescent wrench to install the Fumoto valve.

I have never dealt with a car that sat so low from the factory!