Ohmster

Have had this car now for maybe 6 months and everything that was or went wrong with it, I fixed myself with help from you guys here. VSS speed sensor, inside door latch, brake light pad up on top of pedal to push switch, how to read the CEL, clock spring in steering wheel, brand new fender from CertiFit in Miami, radiator hoses and thermostat, purge air from cooling system, and anything else that might have not worked. This place rocks man! All of you were 100% right. How refreshing!

The car is a 1995 Honda Civic Del Sol with V-Tech and 120K miles on it. I bought the car with maybe 119K miles on it, have had to change radiator hoses, coolant, & thermostat because the top hose broke and I did not see it right away. Car had little ***** and kept wanting to stall at a red light, something is wrong. Then I saw the temp gauge pinned on H and opened the hood right at the railroad tracks. I cooled the engine, added water, and limped home as I did not want to get stuck in an industrial area after hours at night.

I think that the oil should be changed. It is full and not black as hell but it is pretty dark alright. Is this a "Jiffy Lube Special" or do you guys really change your own oil? I don't have a lot of tools now but have a ratchet set and can always purchase the correct head for the oil cap on the bottom of the block/oil pan. Anybody know what size the oil plug is so I can see if I have it or need to go and buy the socket. What about the oil filter, is that one of those metal cans with the rubber ring on the end that screws real tightly onto the block. Do you use one of those cheap band wrenches and just spin the filter off again? Let it drain for how long, 15 minutes and then reinstall the oil filter, the drain plug, and I can get it from here, I guess.

Oh, do you guys need ramps for this as the only lifting device I have right now so If I can wriggle under their side of the car, that would be cool or should I get ramps? Somebody please give me the one, two, three on a Del Sol oil change so I can get this done please. I would like to do this tomorrow (Friday) or at least on the weekend.

What tools do I need
What methods do you recommend
Filters, where and how are they
Any feedback, opinion, etc, would be great., thanks everybody!

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

There are plenty of threads on how to do this, just try searching.

You need a regular 17MM socket to take off the oil drain plug underneath the car. You should buy whatever oil filter you want, the Hamp oil filters for the Honda S2000 are some of the best to get from the Honda Dealership. There's only one filter in the car, and you need to be under the car to access it, as well as to drain the oil. You'll need 2 jacks and 2 jack stands, or car ramps.

Oh, and never change the oil when the car has just been running for a while or when the motor is hot. One good reason, when you drain the oil you can get burned badly!

Here's a picture of the oil drain plug you'll need to remove (after placing a oil collection tub underneath!):


It's the top right bolt that's on the black oil pan.

WhiteOnRice

Are you serious?

-Jack the car up if it's low
-Loosen oil cap, drain oil
-Remove filter
-Replace filter (lube with new oil on o-ring)
-Put oil plug back in (should use a new crush washer)
-Lower car
-Fill with 4/5 recommended oil
-Check dipstick. If it's above MIN, I let it run for a minute. Let the oil drain back down and fill until the dipstick is 3/4 to MAX line.

Get the filter from Walmart/Autozone.

ekb16

iTrader: (1)

http://www.c-speedracing.com/h...l.php

Ohmster

Oh shoot dude, this freaking ROCKS! With pictures, tool sizes, and everything. This is exactly what I need. I cannot thank you enough. Good job EKB16.

instrument

awww, how cute.

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

I'm surprised a 48 year old man has never changed oil before in his life.

WhiteOnRice

All I see is H brace in the above picture.

Ohmster

Oh you dudes rock and you came through so quickly. I will be changing my oil tomorrow no doubt for sure. This is exactly the kind of help that I needed. Okay, let's get the shopping list up first:

Oil - How many quarts for a '95 Honda Civic Del Sol?
Pan - either use the old cat pan or buy the fancy plastic one at the auto store. Probably the cat pan.
Ramps - You know, If I were back in Jersey, I would just do this with two wheels on the curb but this is Florida and they just don't have curbs down here. Stands and jacking is ridiculous, I will find cheap ramps, either K-Mart., Wallmart, ebay, or the Auto store.
Filter
Filter Wrench - Do I need one of these? The thing with the band that tightens as you grip and turn or is there a better way like punch it through with a screwdriver then turn it out with a screwdriver. Hand tighten it back or just buy the wrench?
Anything I am forgetting here? I don't think so. I did this a million times when I was a kid but am not a kid anymore.

I want to be able to do this in the future cheap, and quick, and whenever I want. I realize the first one won't be that cheap if I have to buy ramps but it may not be too bad and I can use them for other repairs and maintenance.

Hey thanks for all of your help guys, I am set almost for tomorrow if someone could answer the last few remaining questions.

Thank you all so much.

WhiteOnRice

Just buy a pan and funnel. Get a jack and stands; not ramps (front bumper cover is too low and it's just good to have a jack). You may need the filter wrench. I just use Fram filters with the grip so I don't need the wrench.

Walmart will have everything you need. There is even a jack/stand kit (the jack and 2 stands) $30 or $40.

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

You're blind then. Look on the TOP RIGHT...

If you get low profile ramps, you'll be fine. That's cheaper than jacks and stands. I'd just hand-tighten when you put the filter back on, but when you take them off, either buy the filter wrench (I love mine and it's worth the $$), or use a screwdriver. Whatever you prefer.

WhiteOnRice

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ke98248 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you get low profile ramps, you'll be fine. That's cheaper than jacks and stands. </TD></TR></TABLE>
Don't get ramps. The jack will come in handy if you need to do any wheel/suspension work. The ramps will not. And I'm sure this guy can afford a $40 jack and stands kit.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ke98248 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're blind then. Look on the TOP RIGHT....</TD></TR></TABLE>
More like your cell phone picture is a horrible example for showing someone where the oil plug is. The light on it makes it easily missed.

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

If i were to spend $$ again on a jack or too and stands, I'd spend a little more than $40, and get a craftsmen low profile jack or something to that extend.. Lifts up really high and you don't have to worry about clearance issues and/or safety issues with a cheaper jack.

I bought a $40 set that came with 2 jacks and 2 stands and they leak out and lift not very high.. They kinda suck so I have to use my uncle jacks

WhiteOnRice

Yeah, I need a real good jack now but the cheap one from wal-mart is for for tire rotations/oil changes (used mine for 4 years). I didn't use it for my swaybar installs though, lol.

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

yeah my front h-brace is history... It got fucked up bad...

WhiteOnRice

I heard that happens often. So I didn't get one. My exhaust scrapes enough. If an H brace got caught on something, it could serious mess my car up. How well did it improve your handling? Is it for body roll mostly? I may get one for track days.

ke98248

iTrader: (1)

It drastically reduced over steer, mainly from the A-Spec ASR subframe bar I have in the back.

And the cell phone picture was already uploaded and used on my build thread, that was the best I had on hand. Sorry, I didn't feel like spending 15 minutes to jack my car up, secure it with stands, take a few shots after getting some good lighting, lowering it back down, transferring the picture to my computer,uploading and then posting it on here. The picture does a decent job, better that picture than nothing to illustrate where the oil drain plug is. You just have to look a little harder, that's all.

WhiteOnRice

Oh just search for a pic.

mustang5.slow

hope that you do good changing you oil.
if you were local i'd show you personally.

NOFX

Autozone can tell you the capacity and weight of oil for just about any car.

Ohmster

Okay, you guys convinced me, get the stands. Won't the jack that came with the car be enough to get it up on a stand? The Honda screw jack may appear to be a cheesy thing but it really does work and it works quite well. Can I use that for now?

Oh yeah man, this Del Sol really is a low to the ground car and ramps might not work with this car. Ramps sure won't help when it comes to be brakes time either. Might have to just go with the stands then.

I am not usually this cheap but I am unemployed right now, not a situation that I am used to, I have worked hard all of my life but this is Florida and well, work is slow and I have none now and need to find a new job.

I got on the ground and looked up under the front of the car and there is the oil pan, right there, on the driver side, maybe a foot or so from the driver front tire. The drain plug is right there in the rear of the pan. I cannot find the oil filter though, but I really cannot get under the car this way, it is too low to the ground. I really cannot make heads or tails of what that picture is supposed to show. Maybe if I had some orientation of which end is the front of the car but other than that, I cannot use this picture to find anything.

This page shows it pretty good but I think it is an Integra maybe?
http://www.c-speedracing.com/h...l.php

Let me find the owner's manual and see how much oil I will need. 4.2 US Quarts. Really, that is a whole gallon of oil in there! In the book they show you where to drain the oil.



Okay guys, I think I can get this done tomorrow. Thanks for the help and the boost of confidence. That really does help.


Modified by Ohmster at 1:50 PM 10/19/2007

MonkeyBoy668

I suspect that if the H-Brace got caught on something it wouldn't mess much of anything up beyond the rear mounting points. Those things are built out of ridiculously soft metal alloy. Probably just as well since if they were made out of more durable stuff they would do a crapload of damage after getting nailed.


FWIW, with my stock ride height Del Sol, I've never found a set of ramps that fit. The ones I used to use on my '87 CRX were too steep, and I had to poke around a while to find those!

Either do your homework before you buy a floor jack, or buy from somewhere that has a no-hassle return policy. By homework I mean measure how low your front & rear jack points are, and buy a floor jack whose minimum height is under that. My first go around I bought a 2.25ton floor jack that was too tall. You probably will need to buy a 3 ton but they might make a lower profile 2-ish ton. A generic name jack plus stands will probably run you about 1.5 what you'd spend on ramps, and you can do so much more with jack & stands.

All six jack points are explained in the owner's manual. The rear jack point is that centered tow hook which extends down under the rear bumper. Simple to spot.

The front jack point is easy to spot if you're centered in front of the car, on the ground, looking up at the underbelly. If you can visualize how far back the radiators are (and if not just raise your head a bit and look at them through the grill) in line with them there will be a small exposed metal nub, sort of U shaped with two holes at each end. That's the front jack point. It's slightly to the right of center on a Del Sol.


As for how much oil you need, it depends on what engine is in your car. My service manual only covers the '96 model year, and the engines changed in '96, but I bet they were fairly similar... The S & Si Del Sols for '96 (with D16Y7 & D16Y8 engines) require 3.5 quarts to change both the oil & filter.

I bet if you bought 4 quarts you could just put 3 in, pause (wait for it to drain through the engine), then use the dip stick to judge how much more oil you need to put in. You should need more than 3 quarts but less than 4, only the VTEC (B16A2/3) uses more than 4 (4.2).


When it comes to installing/removing the filter, I've tried just about everything and have had great luck with filter sockets. They fit over the top of the filter, like a socket fits over a nut, and grab every single facet on the top edge of the filter. Put a 3/8" extension into the socket, socket wrench into the extension, and bam, filters come right off, and installs are easy too. You can even torque the filters to perfect spec, if you want to justify spending $$$ on a torque wrench. I think the last generic-name filter socket I bought was $1-2.

Filter sockets come in a variety of sizes to fit the variety of filter sizes that are out there, so you have to match up the oil filter you buy with the filter socket you buy. I just crack open the filter package in the store and go down the line until I find a filter socket that fits. I normally buy Mobil-1 filters, but this time around I switched to PureOne and - - it's a fatter filter, so I need to buy a new filter socket. I'm getting quite a collection of these things, I have a genuine Honda filter socket too, which is even smaller than the generic I used with Mobil-1s.


BTW, be CAREFUL when putting the drain plug back on the vehicle, just get it tight, don't He-Man it. The oil pan is made out of aluminum so if you torque it too far, you'll strip the oil pan. Which is a sad place to be.

Ohmster

Thanks everybody for your help, this has got to be the best web forum that I have ever seen or used before. People here are so darned helpful it is amazing, I can post here and usually get an answer within an hour and that is pretty darned good.

First issue is the urgency of the oil change. I have never changed the oil since getting the car and I bought it back around the end of May 2007. Since then, the car blew the upper radiator hose and of course overheated a bit, I changed both hoses at that time, no sense in leaving an old radiator hose in the car because you just know that a car with 119K miles on it will be needing new radiator hoses. After changing the hose and filling the radiator with coolant, I ended up with an overheating car the next day, could not figure out why, but it seemed that when I would sit at a red light, the temperature gauge would rise up pretty high, but if I turned a corner fast and accelerated, the gauge would drop dramatically. To me this means that there must be an air bubble in the system and there was. I used a flush to clean out the radiator, replaced the thermostat and cap just for the hell of it, and refilled it with 50/50 coolant and water. Gently squeezing the lower hose with the car running and the radiator cap off purged the air out and then refilling it with coolant got rid of the bubble. Now the car runs fine. But I think that the oil really should be changed now and not to wait very much longer. I have no idea of knowing how long ago the oil was changed, although the oil on the dipstick is not "pure black", it seems healthy but time to change the oil I think anyway.

I can see the pan by getting on the floor in front of the car on the driver side, right near the driver side tire is where the pan is, has a dent in the bottom, and the plug is right near the rear of it, I can touch it with my hands. The filter is further up, I can see that by lifting the hood and looking directly up above where the oil pan is on the driver side, is a Nappa oil filter, hard to reach unless you were directly under the car with room to move around.

I did go to the Walmart website as somebody suggested that they would have the stand and jack kit for maybe $40 but the online Walmart does not even show auto parts. I will have to go to the store and see what they have. This car is very low to the ground in the front, I cannot see how ramps would even fit under this car unless they were unusually long and low, one would need a jack and stands like you all suggested. That would cost at least $40 or maybe more, plus at least another ten dollars for the oil and filter (My engine is a Vtech and the manual says it needs 4.2 quarts of oil, that seems like a pretty lot but then I would need 5 quarts plus a filter so that would be closer to $15 then $10 I guess.

Tires Plus actually has an oil change coupon online for $16.99 and that is pretty cheap.
http://www.tiresplus.com/

I might as well go there tomorrow and just get it done to leave me time to shop around for a decent and cheap jack and stands rather than rush this project. What is puzzling to me is that they offer 3 different oil changes with very different prices. Here is what they are:

$16.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal synthetic blend motor oil.
$29.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal high mileage motor oil.
$39.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal full synthetic motor oil.

Man that is a huge difference. I called them up and asked what the difference was, was one oil rated for more miles than another and the man said no, follow the manufacturer recommended oil change schedule. So why in the hell would anyone want to spend $40 for an oil change when you can get one for $16.99? Can anybody make heads or tails out of this?

Also, if anyone knows of a decent jack and stands pack for this car at a decent price and where to get it, I would appreciate that very much. For now I think I will just get it done at Tires Plus or it might never get done soon. Thanks everybody!

Padawan

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ohmster &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I might as well go there tomorrow and just get it done to leave me time to shop around for a decent and cheap jack and stands rather than rush this project. What is puzzling to me is that they offer 3 different oil changes with very different prices. Here is what they are:

$16.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal synthetic blend motor oil.
$29.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal high mileage motor oil.
$39.99 - Filter, 5 quarts of Kendal full synthetic motor oil.

Man that is a huge difference. I called them up and asked what the difference was, was one oil rated for more miles than another and the man said no, follow the manufacturer recommended oil change schedule. So why in the hell would anyone want to spend $40 for an oil change when you can get one for $16.99? Can anybody make heads or tails out of this?</TD></TR></TABLE>

For now, considering you'd have to purchase the necessary tools, this will be your most economical choice. The pricing difference is because of the oil being used. Your car does not require anything more than the basic oil change package that they're offering, so I would suggest just going with their least expensive option. Just be sure to request 5W-30 as the oil viscosity when having it done.

Ohmster

Ahhh, thank you Padawan, that seems like the best option at this point in time. This gives me all the time in the world to look around for a decent jack and stands for a good price and to get this project done. Got an appointment for tomorrow at 11:00 AM.

Thanks!