Hey I'm going to be changing my own oil for the first time at home, and need help. I read the owners manual and it says you need a special wrench from the acura dealer to remove the oil filter, is this true?

I have a 2001 Acura 3.2 CL-S.

Any help on instruction too would be great!

 

No, you just need a normal oil-wrench that can be bought for cheap at any autostore.

 

Not really. SOmetimes you can take it off with just your hands. And if you don't have a oil filter wrench, or some kind of strap wrench, you can always put a screwdriver through the filter to twist it off.

The oil filter is very easy to get to. Just turn your wheels to the right, and you'll see it. You don't even have to jack the car up its that easy to get too.

 

Thanks for the help! Would you recommend getting an oil wrench or my hands going to be good enough?

Also, is there anything special with the drain bolt? Am I supposed to buy a new washer or anything?

Thanks again

 

Depends on how tight the oil filter was put on. An oil filter wrench isn't very expensive and is a good investment. You can get the cap type or strap type, depends on what you want. If all else fails, you can just use screwdriver and pierce the filter. This is really messy and only a last resort.

You can change the crush washer on the drain bolt, but it's not completely necessary. These washers are cheap and just to be cautious you should change them.

 

get a wrench of the strap, and stay away from those caps taht goes on top of the oil filter and the other end to the socket wrench. cause i used it and it provided no grip on the filter.

 

How come when I turn my wheel I can't see the oil filter?

 

Did you turn it all the way to the right, or left?

 

Get a pair of heavy duty (industrial) rubber gloves. These gloves give you an excellent (slip free) grip. Don’t try and loosen it with one twist. I found if you apply just enough pressure to unlock the seal, the rest is downhill. The first few tries may seem like you’re not moving the filter, but you are breaking the seal and you don’t know it. By the fourth or fifth try, you’re turning freely.

If this doesn’t work, get the wrench. Make sure you apply enough upward pressure or that wrench will slip on the filter.

 

Instead of using an oil filter wrench I use a wide old leather belt. you just have to remove the middle prong that goes through the hole. wrap the belt around the filter and through the ring and then wrap it around again and pull. I just bought my CL-S, so I don't know how hard it is but I have changed the oil on all my other cars.

 

and if you're stuck in a rut, jam a flat head screw driver into it and change it but make sure you have an extra filter laying around or you won't be driving for a while.

 

Thanks for all the advice!

 

make sure you look on the passenger side for the filter, if you look on the drivers side, you'll be looking for a while...

 

Where is the drain plug at? I can't tell anything by the owners manual.

 

Go with oil filter pliers. I find they work best.

The oil plug is on the right side as well. It points backwards on the bottom.

 

yea, if you get under the car, there should be the oil pan with something like "drain plug" and an arrow pointing to it. it's biased towards the passenger side.

 

uhhh...this sounds stupid but anyone know the steps to changing the oil for 01 cl-s...is there a website or sumthin cause i dont have the owners manual...

 

http://users.adelphia.net/~sthung/oil_change.htm

the only different w/o the extractor is that you have to find the drain plug, and drain the oil

 

a couple of tips:

-put a bag around the filter (make sure the top extends over the filter mount) before removing it to minimize the mess

-take pice of cardboard or something (flattened box from the new filter works) and wedge it behind the filter mount sloping down to create a guide so the old oil doesn't drip all over the frame, minimizing clean up

 

I'm trying to change my oil right now, and i can't get the damn bolt out... Anyone know what size it is?

This is driving me crazy

 

17mm?

 

Yes, it is 17mm. My bolt felt like it was torqued to 150 ft-lbs. I let it soak in liquid wrench over night and it came off fairly easily.

 

FINALLY... I completed the oil change. The oil plug was screwed in too tight, so I went to a local mechanic and he used a power tool to loosen it enough so that I could get it out by hand. After that, the oil filter wouldn't come off, I took someone's advice and just hammered a screw driver through it, not to sound like a complete idiot but when you do that, oil starts flying out. With a screw driver hammered in, it was easy to twist off from there. I think it was only this difficult because it was my first time changing the oil. I can't imagine next time being so hard.

Thanks to everyone for the help!

 

oh yea, to prevent future pain, and considering this is your first time doing it, hand tight the oil filter!!! do not over tighten. it doesn't take that much force to keep it on there b/c it's under pressure and will stay on.

 

A couple more thoughts on oil changes.

1. Fill the new oil filter about one half full with fresh oil. Using a clean finger wipe fresh oil on the gasket.

2. After the old filter is off take a clean cloth and wipe the flat surface where the gasket touches so that all old oil and any dirt is removed.

3. Spin the new filter on until it stops turning easily and then turn it by hand about three quarters of a turn more. Never use a wrench to tighten the filter.

4. Always check for leaks at the drain plug and filter after you have refilled the engine and run the engine.

5. Be careful when refilling to not put too much in, if you put too much in you should drain it down to the mark rather than letting the engine run with too much oil.

6. In addition to making sure you have the right filter by part number always look at the old and new filters to make sure the gaskets are the same.

7. In addition to the above, never get in bed with a woman who has more troubles than you do! That's all the advice I have ;-)