can anyone lead me to a site that explains how to do oil changes from home for a 94 dx accord? thanks

 

its pretty easy:

1.) jack up car
2.) find bolt on oil pan under car, use 17 mm socketwrench and turn counterclockwise...lefty->loosy righty-->tighty
3.) be careful if motor is warm, oil may be too hot so wear gloves! slowly undo the bolt with your fingers until oil comes out. make sure you have something to catch the old oil.
4.) wait until oil stops leaking out, get a new washer and reinstall the bolt with the washer.(turn clockwise).
5.) open engine bay, open oil cap on motor. pour in 4.25-4.5 quarts of 5w-30(thats what i prefer year round, gives better gas mileage and is good for cold temps).


for oil filter,

while the car is jacked up, get a screw driver and stab the oil filter. then turn it counterclockwise. get new oil filter(i prefer the blue OEM honda one) and lube up the gasket with some new or old engine oil so the gasket can have a better seal. use your fingers. reinstall filter turning clockwise this time. HAND TIGHTEN ONLY.


good luck, its pretty easy but can be tricky the first time through.


[Modified by Razor, 12:59 AM 11/18/2002]

 

DAMN, that's some detail intructions you gave there.

 

Just one note of caution on stabbing the filter with a screwdriver it's FULL of oil and it will start to leak out everywhere. I use an old oil bottle that I cut to sorta fit the shape of the filter and I did buy one of the filter wrenches, makes it MUCH less messy and there is no oil burning off on the exhaust.

 

whats the advantage is any of using synthetic and a good oil filter compared to using normal oil/filter?

 

Don't forget to move the oil catch pan back a little when you do the filter, as more oil will drain out of there when you remove the filter (at least mine does...). After you've done everything mentioned above, start it up and check for any leaks, esp around the filter. If all is OK, shut it off for a few mins, then double check fluid level (not absolutely necessary of course, but a good idea)

I also find that when it's off the ground for an oil change, that's a good time to check over everything underneath there. Balljoints, tierods, CV boots, hoses and clamps, any leaks, PS rack dust boots, and anything else that might look suspicious. A little preventitive maintense never hurts anything

 

Not sure what the advantage is I've been using regular old oil in my 93 Accord since I got it with 35,000 miles on it 5 years ago, I now have 246,000 miles on it and have had no engine problems at all. I change the oil and filter every 3,000-3,500. So it would have cost me double to change the oil all those times had I used synthetics and I just can't see spending that kind of money on synthetics, but everyone has their own opinion.

 

I dont like synthetics too...I dont think it gonna be that much better.
Is expensive..I am gonna check oil ever 3k so reg is the way to go(for me..)

 

and for those motor oil experts..
I live in SoCal..kinda hot all the day but gets cold at night.
I hate to drive my car in the morning without warm up but
I dont much time to spare..
so..what kind of motor oil should i use..
and what about those "high mileage" oil? (130k)

 

Well I guess I'll be the first one here to say that I do like synthetics. Don't get me wrong, I'm not in any way saying that reg oil is bad or anything, I just like the synthetics a little more. My car actually ran just fine on regular 5w-30 oil it's whole life with no problems, up until 260k (still no engine probs whatsoever, that's just when I switched). I decided to switch for several reasons, one of which was because of the bitter cold northern Illinois winters. The synthetics don't seem to get as thick and gummy at cold temperatures, so on cold startups the oil is ready to flow, and there is less oil starvation. Now that I live in sunny south Florida, I'll have to worry about extreme heat alot more than cold, plus using A/C while in that heat. The synthetics don't have the thermal breakdown problems that conventional oils do, so I don't need to worry as much about that either. I also believe they have slightly better lubrication over reg oil too. Since I switched, everything seemed to smooth out a bit. Plus it has a lesser chance of developing sludge, and if I remember correctly it has no parafin wax. There's a few other little things too. I just think it's a better overall oil. I usually get the big 5 quart jug that shows up at wal-mart every now and then for $17, so it's not all that expensive. Oil gets changed about every 5k miles (or about 2-3 months for me, hehe). Now if my car leaked or burned alot of oil and I had to keep adding it, that would be a different story. But it doesn't leak hardly any, and burns absolutely none (1 spare quart usually lasts through 2 or 3 oil changes), so I think it's worth it. I really need my car to last me for a long time and many more miles to come (which I'm confident it will...good 'ol A20 ), so I'd rather do a little overkill now just to be sure, and possibly avoid problems that may develop in the future

Once again, I am no expert and this is just my opinion

 

I live in SoCal as well, and in my opinion a 5W-30 or 10W30 is best here. Personally I use Mobil 1 5W30(case of 6 at Costco is $24) I have heard some bad stories about the high mileage stuff, it contains additives that swell your seals to prevent leaks, but the constant swelling and shrinking of the seals causes them to break down faster. I figure if you don't have leaks, there is no need for them, and if you do have leaks it's just a temporary bandage that may or may not help. Wether you use regular or synthetic is your choice, I have heard very good arguments for both sides, either way just change it often. I change mine every 3k miles and I think that is more important than what kind or viscosity.

 

i would run 10w-30 during summer and 5w-30 for all other seasons...

btw if you've been running conventiional oil before and you have pretty high mileage, i suggest you not switch to synthetic. it willl cause leaks. only use synthetic if you've been using it since day 1.

 

hm....i own a 02 coupe and the manual says to use 5w20. What is up with that? since the manual said it, ive been using 5w20 since day 1. Anything wrong?? should i switch?

 

On a new car I would follow specs just in case you need warranty work and they want to be dicks. But it gets hot in LA. And when it's over 90 in the summer and you have an oil with a flash point below 400, you are probably sending a lot of oil vapor through your PCV, back into your IM, lowering your Octane, and causing the motor to run even hotter. It gets hotter in LA than it does in Tokyo, but if that's what they suggest, I would use that. Just check the flash point and make sure it's over 400, most good name brand oils will be, synthetics are even higher

 

yea, cause i live in LA and there were times past summer when it was 113 degrees and stuff.

 

thanx a lot for the detailed instructions...it'll be my first time doing an oil change on my own..and the last time i got it changed....the guy said come to the shop in january so i'll try it in january. it's going to be pretty cold..so should i go with 5w 30? and here is another list of questions that i need answered...THANX

1. my car has 145k, should i go with mobile's high mileage oil?

2. synthetic or non synthetic? whats the difference?

3. how many quarts do i need to buy for each oil change in my accord?

4. anyone have a particular filter they think is best?

5. ( OT ) does anyone have a ignitor for a 94 honda accord 4-cyl that they can sell?

 

on 1. I'd say if your car is burning oil between changes then the high mileage oil might be good. I have 246,000 miles on mine and use normal old 5w-30 Mobile oil.
2. Synthetic costs more and you have a high mileage car and changing over to synthetics could cause leaks. I'd stick with normal oil.
3. CHeck your manual, I know my mom's v-6 takes like 4.7 quarts and my 93 4 cyl takes 4 quarts.
4. I use the Honda Filters from Honda. I figure if it's lasted this long with a Honda Filter it must be pretty good.
5. Don't have an igniter. SOrry.

 

If you can afford synthetic oil, there is no good reason not to use it.
The best filters seem to be from Mobil 1 and K&N (and also JDM Honda and HAMP filters).
I know a guy that managed to drain his transmisison when he meant to change the engine oil. Pretty hard to make that mistake, since the tranny drain bolt is sideways, and the oil pan drain bolt actually says "OIL" on it.

 

PS I would not use synthetics in a motor burning more than a quart of oil every month, that's just a waste.
****, if a motor drank more than 1 quart every 3 months I'd junk it.

 

thanks for answering all my questions bro. i'm still not sure which oil to use. some say synthetic, some say regular, some say 10w 30 some say 5w 30. i dunno.....guess i'll just have to wait and decide when the time comes. i have a new problem now....i got my new axle but now i need a new.....

1. distributor - $130 (from dealer)
2. distributor cap - $30 (from dealer)
3. msd ignitor - $200-250
4. coils - ???

do i need to buy coils sepretely or do they come with the msd sports compact ignitor?

 

trust me stick with regular 5w-30,especially with your mileage.