I have a 2006 RL & do my own general maintenance, and I am looking for advice on how do access & remove the oil filter. I cannot use a socket-type tool (which cups over the bottom of the filter), as the control arms prevent connecting a rachet/socket drive. I gotta believe there is a better way of doing this.

I am all ears.

Thanks,

Jim

 

When I was changing my wheels out, it looked like you had perfect access to the filter when the passenger front tire was off...

 

Just cut the steerting wheel to the right (passenger side) so you can get enough clearance to take off the oil filter. The engine is SOHC so its sideways and access to the oil filter and oil lug nut is pretty easy.

I would recommend covering the oil filter with a ziploc bag (1qt) when unscrewing. If not, there will be a lot of oil spilled.

I do my oil changes and it takes about 20 minutes. Pretty simple stuff. Costs me about $15 oil filter + 4.5 Quarts of 5w20.

 

I will try the zip-lock bag, because my last two changes left the driveway looking like the Valdez had run aground (again).

I am intrigued by your suggestion to turn the wheel. Since the car sits so low (haven't met a parking stop yet I don't snag on), I change the oil while the car is up on ramps. Are you changing the oil with the car on the ground?????

Do tell...

 

For me, since the oil change normally happens the same time with tire rotation, I take the tire off and it's easy to access filter. I use an old fashion wrench type filter remover. I started using a cut off milk gallon jug to catch the dripping oil from the filter.

 

I agree-- for a DIY, the easiest is if the wheels are off...rotate tires every 5K and do the oil change

just use Mobil 1 5W-30...here is a quick thought-- even though our recommended viscosity is 5w-20, has anyone used the 5w-30 oil in the RLs?

 

don't ever put 5w30 in your car it will start to burn it and make your car slower. It says right on it 5w20 why not just stick to that the japanese do a lot of testing they know what they are doing you trusted them enough to buy the car! I just put mobil non synthetic 5w20 now i have to do the rest

 

Guys, on my 2010 RL (111K miles) the oil life is at 80%, but I bought this car from Acura dealer a little over 2 months ago and they replaced oil and filter(paperwork shows 5w-20) at the time. I personally don't know what they put in and want to switch to full synthetic. Here is what I was thinking of doing:

- I drove about 1.5K miles on the oil and filter that is in the vehicle.
- I want to drain this oil, pour a good full synthetic oil?
- I will not replace the oil filter this time
- I will not reset or alter maintenance minder this time

Since I want to switch to full synthetic(from what ever Acura put in) I thought of changing oil now and driving on it for the rest of the time until maintenance minder tells me to. It might notify me in 3 or so months. After that I will change oil and filter together. Any thoughts?

 

if you don't change the filter, you'll still have some of the old oil in the engine. Do a full change with filter and let it drain completely. Not sure why you won't wait until your maintenance reminder comes on to do the whole job including filter. I'm sure the dealer used decent oil even if not synthetic.

 

Agreed! Just wait for the next oil change. The dealership probably used synthetic blend, but it has no impact of switching to synthetic. I'd just wait.

 

I thought RL's came with synthetic oil from the factory, and that the dealers are required to use synthetic as well.

 

I can definitely wait before I make the switch. Here is what interesting and I want to diagnose:
- When I bought the car, I didn't measure the oil level but did look at the dipstick which had clean oil and the filter under the car was new looking too.
- About a month ago, the car was driven about 900 miles and when I checked oil level(the car was sitting for an hour), it was about mid-way on the min/max indicator and color of oil was darker than I expected but not black.
- Since I didn't check oil level when I bought the car from Acura, I don't know if that lack of "half quart" was burnt or the oil was pre-filled at that level during the oil change.

Anyone knows if Acura dealer fills oil to the max mark or up to any other level of the dipstick?

 

I completely disagree. I think you'd actually be better off with full synthetic 5w30 than with non-synthetic 5w20.

The only thing those numbers mean is how thick the oil is when it's cold and when it's hot. The 5 means it's as thin in cold weather as a standard 5-weight oil is in cold weather, and the 30 means it's as thick in hot weather as a standard 30-weight oil is in hot weather. That means a 5w-20 and a 5w-30 are equally suitable for winter use, when you want the oil not to thicken, and the 5w-30 is actually better than 5w-20 in extreme heat, when 20 weight might start to thin out too much.

At the bottom line, yes, I'd honor exactly what Honda/Acura recommends. But as for "burning it and making your car slower," no, not in any short time frame and especially if you confine your use of the thicker oil to the summer when oil runs thinner anyway. Most of all, either change it often or run full synthetic, since full synthetic retains its ability to stay thin enough in the cold and thick enough in the heat much longer than conventional oil does. Not changing your oil at all is much worse than changing it to fresh oil that's the slightly wrong spec.

 

Is there anyone on this thread who has been using Acura's synthetic blend oil from the start? Just want to know if this is a good oil and that the car's engine is happy without complications.
According to dealer's service history, my car had been treated to 5w-20 synthetic blend most of its life. I live in WA state where we have mild winters and not crazy hot summers. Motor oil was replaced in mid-August(~4 months ago) and maintenance minder shows oil life at 60% and I drove about 2200 or 2300K on that oil. I guess in another 3 or so months, it will be due for an oil change.

So the question is, will this synthetic blend oil be good enough for my use(drive ~5/6K a year) or I need to move to full synth?

 

Yes, the synthetic blend will absolutely be good enough for your use. The only use it'd be problematic for would be if you chronically cold-started outdoors in subzero cold, or drove it as an Uber in-town for hours at a time stop-and-go in midsummer heat. the fact that you're keeping up on your oil change schedule is removing your oil well before it would break down or become filthy with contaminants.

For people who use any respectable SAE-grade motor oil and observe the oil change schedule, frankly I think the whole issue is grossly overrated. It's very rare for a good engine to die because of an oil-related failure unless the oil was left in ridiculously too long. Much more worthy of your concern is your transmission fluid. Contrary to some beliefs, our transmissions are not failure-prone like some older Honda slushboxes, but semi-regular drain-and-fills (NEVER flushes) and replacement with the proper grade of synthetic or semi-synthetic fluid can lengthen the tranny's life. If you're curious, see my post #6 in this thread:
https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...fluids-795607/

 

Thanks! I just thought if engine likes the oil it has, why change it.
I have ordered a free oil sample kit and when time comes, want to send it to the oil lab for a test, to see in what shape is the oil.
Transmission fluid is clean(at least was 2 months ago), but I don't know if it is synthetic or not. It is whatever Acura sells as ATF in their store.
I too don't like the idea of a "flush" for the transmission. Simple drain and fill should be sufficient, but in reality we are just refreshing the fluid and mixing the new with the old.

 

You're right about that. That's why you drain, drive and fill three times in a row, which cumulatively changes out over 90% of the fluid.

As I've heard it told, the problem with a flush is that if the shop is anything less than immaculate in its cleaning of the flushing machine, you inject metal shavings from the last guy's car into yours. I remember reading about a case where a guy with a perfect tranny got a flush and then had his transmission catastrophically fail in a matter of days for this reason.

 

The reason the lower weight in oil requirements is to get better gas milage to comply with EPA regulations. I don't believe it will harm anything. If a vehicle has varible valve timimg you woud have to follow factory specs do to very small oil passages.

 

I agree, on all counts. Some of the new cars are getting really carried away, like new Toyotas and Hondas that are specifying 0w-16. That makes water seem like molasses.

 

1) So you are saying if I would drain transmission fluid once, it wouldn't be enough and it would be better to do 3 times to get most fluid changed? I usually don't let transmission fluid get dark or over used and keep it fairly fresh(have not done any fluid change yet on the RL). I guess at the time of fluid change, I can check the quality/color of it and then decide if 3 changes are needed or one will suffice.
2) As for what Acura is selling as ATF DW-1, would you happen to know if it is synthetic or a blend?
3) Also any info about Transfer case and rear differential fluids - synthetic or a blend?

 

When I had my 2016 Mini Cooper S which needed 0w-20, to me that engine oil was too thin to the touch at least.
I have read somewhere that GDI engines may benefit from 0w-16 as some early Hondas has some issues.

 

You probably want to read the thread I've linked above. It goes into a lot of these topics.

As for the transfer case and rear diff fluids, in my limited personal opinion, the safest way to go is to buy whatever Amsoil sells for those applications. Generally speaking, if they're the appropriate weight and spec, full synthetic fluids are always best. The only reason I've ever heard not to use them is cost.