I changed the oil in my car for the first time today (usually have someone do it), and I either missed something or the engineers at honda were smoking crack when they made the decision of where to locate the oil filter.

After draining all of the oil, I took off the filter. There was quite a bit of dranage from the filter that ran all down the back of the engine, all over the intermediate shaft and the header. Is this normal? Did I miss something. Better yet is there a way to avoid this mess in the future??

I changed the MTF as well. Even on a car with only 18k miles it made a world of difference is the smoothness of the shifts.

 

its normal. just wipe the oil off. You can relocate the oil filter if its an inconvenience for you.

 

yeah the filter is in the hardest place possible to reach. But you gotta figure they design the car with the intention that 90% of people have professionals mechanics work on it.. and who have lifts and ****.. the filter is much easier to get off when your not lying on your back...

as for the oil drainage.. let it drain longer before you take it off.... make sure you have the oil cap off on top.. hah i know thats dumb.. but it wont drain well if its not open.. i usually let it drain for 10+ minutes.. theres always going to be some oil let in the filter .. it usually wil run down your arm.. hah enjoy!

 

I never thought of the oil cap.. hmm.. I'll try that one next time.

 

Lying on your back? I reach down behind the intake manifold to pull mine off. Usually punch a hole in it first and let all the oil drain out so it wont spill on the motor.

 

yes, go for the filter from the top of the motor; just reach down behind the intake manifold. there will still be some spillage, so just wipe it off. you can also just drive the car hard and burn the spillage off....

 

I tried taking it from the top today. I think I would've made less of a mess if I took it from the bottom. Oh.. and if you put an aftermarket header on, you can get to the filter sooooo much easier. You can see it plain as day.

 

With practice I've gotten the oil filter removal down to a science. What i do is back the filter off 1-2 complete rotations so it'll spin freely at this point, but oil isnt dripping out/on the block yet. Then, just grab the filter, and give it a hard enough twist so that it spins all the way off the block and into your hand. If you can do this all in one motion, you should have the filter in hand, which you then just turn 90 degrees so the opening is facing up. Once you do it enough, you should be able to take the filter off without having oil spill everywhere.

Hope that made sense.

Tom

Tom

 

Using a reccomendation from a friend, it ried this and it works.
Do it when the car is cold, drain the oil out first.
Then the filter comes easy, usually it is a pain n the ***.
Nothing drips when you do it cold, pop it off ..slap new one on.
I go from the bottom because i work alot andmy forearms cant fit behind the intake manifold.. , when try i get my arm scratched and end up cussing for a few minutes..
Try that, takes a few more minutes for the oil to drain but uch cleaner and easier.
LATA

 

Thanks, guys, for reminding me why I spend a few more bucks and pay somebody else to do this.

 

How in the HELL do you do that? You are talking about a b-series engine in an integra right? Please do tell, I would love to do on oil change without having to have to go on my back.

 

Filters don't make any mess when you have a can of Honda Brake Cleaner..

 

seriously! Honda brake cleaner is the best. The cans run out pretty quick tho...so be careful not to get carried away when spraying..its easy to do.

 

What do you have to do?

 

The techs at work go through like 2 cases a week, I swear they bathe in it.

 

yeah how the hell do u get to the filter from the top on a B18c? I can bearly even see it with a flash light let alone even attempting to squeeze my scrawny arms in there.

 

Remember that this is the ITR forum. If I remember correctly, B18C1 is more cramped than C5 engine bay by the intake manifold. It works fine on C5 engine bay, that's for sure.

 

Normal yes.

Take a 1/2 gallon milk jug and cut it long ways to make a makeshift funnel.

Position it under the filter (making sure to get it up next to the oil cooler) and un screw filter. Let the filter drain.. then remove with out a mess.

Will
-who would never pay someone to work on HIS car

 

hehe...just trade slave labor

 

ya but if you do it yourself you know its getting done right. I have heard of some places just topping the oil off, not changing the oil or the filter. Never trust anyone with your car.

 

I know the guys who work on my car, and I trust them. I don't just take it anywhere for work.

 

To me, $25 for an oil change is a lot, considering it only includes standard dino oil. While my free time is become more and more limited these days, I would rather spend $25 on Mobil 1 + filter and do it myself. Not only do I get better oil, I get a sense of accomplishment and comfort in knowing that I did the job right. Changing oil is NOT hard and takes a MAX of 15 minutes once you know what you are doing. The only time my car goes to the dealer is for warranty work and for timing belt chnages, unless something else drastic happens to the car. Honda designed the car so routine maintenance is not difficult to do by the owner...hell, even the owner's manual comes with some instructions.

Bottom line: I dont pay someone else to detail my car, do my grocery shopping, or give me my daily psych medications. Why would I pay someone else to change the oil?

 

To me, $35 for an oil change and filter with Mobil 1 is not a lot. I'm happy to pay $10 extra so that someone else can do it. They get messy, not me. They deal with getting the old oil recycled, not me. They have the lift to make it easy on them, I don't. That is the best $10 I spend on my car.

Bottom line: I pay someone else to repair my plumbing, to put a roof on my house, and to prescribe those medications - because they have the expertise to do it in less time, they have the tools to do it in less time, and because the time it takes is their time, not mine. Why would I worry about saving ten bucks when they make it so easy for me to let them do it?

P.S. Of course, I'm mimicking Yell00ITR's "my way or the highway" attitude here. If you want to save a few bucks - and especially if you enjoy doing it - then by all means do your own work on your car. But there are some significant reasons for not doing so with many of the tasks - tools, expertise, mess, and time, to name some of them. Your money, your time, your choice.



[Modified by nsxtcjr, 8:58 AM 12/14/2001]

 

Take a 1/2 gallon milk jug and cut it long ways to make a makeshift funnel.

Position it under the filter (making sure to get it up next to the oil cooler) and un screw filter. Let the filter drain.. then remove with out a mess.

Will




That's my idea *****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hrmm
J00 needs to check youself f00.

Will
-who told you how to do it.