i still have a couple more thousand kms before i need a change and i'll be doing it myself for the 1st time, but i was just so my manual says after draining all the oil out to put the drain bolt back on and to tighten it to 29 lbs-ft. how do i know how much is 29 lbs-ft??? do i use a special screwdriver or wrench to take it off and put back on? or do i tighten the bolt with a pre-determined number of turns? can someone shed some light on this?

 

There is something called a torque wrench which measures ft-lbs.
It's handy for wheel removal as well. I dare say most people don't use a torque wrench when changing their oil - just don't 'overtighten'!

 

Just hand-tighten it and you'll be fine. Using a torque wrench is overkill.

 

After you set your thumb and index finger to the proper torque setting.

 

well do most of you who change your own oil tighten it by hand? is purchasing this torque wrench a necessary cost?

same for the oil filter...can u hand-tighten that too? or do i need a filter wrench to set it some lbs-ft setting???

 

A good torque wrench will set you back about $100 or $20-$30 for the cheaper beam-type.

As for the filter it gets a little more complicated here since you would have varying torque readings due to the temp. of the "o" ring on the filter. I've always heard to just thread it on till the "o" ring makes contact and screw it on another 3/4 or one turn.

Hand tighten and oil filter? Sure it can be done but I don't think it's that easy. For 1.) I always have some oil already on my hands and wouldn't be able to get a good enough grip on it if I wanted to and 2.) I have some pretty strong hands but it's still a lot easier using a filter wrench (strap, rubber strap, metal band, clamp, cup socket or, in the case of K&N, a box end wrench.)

 

If you plan on doing your own work on your car (besides just oil changes), invest in a good torque wrench. I use mine all the time. I do use mine for the oil drain plug (I set it to 28 ft-lbs) and you'd be surprised how little torque that is. Most people will *way* overtighten the drain plug if they just do it by hand. The pan threads are quite soft so if you're not careful you can end up stripping them out. Always thread in by hand until it is snug and then tighten to the proper torque spec with a wrench.

I do hand-tighten my oil filter as well. It is easy to get to and I believe the torque spec is something like 16 ft/lbs which is very light (most torque wrenches have a range of like 20-150 ft/lbs). As long as you are diligent about tightening it snug you shouldn't have a problem doing it by hand. I've never had a leak in any of my cars doing it that way. Getting it off can be a task, so you may want to buy a cup wrench to help.

As an aside, you should also use a torque wrench when tightening lug nuts after removing a wheel. Improperly torqued lug nuts is a common cause of premature rotor warpage.

Also, make sure you replace the crush washer on the drain plug each time you change the oil. They're cheap and it's added leak protection.

 

As an add-on to pianoman41, remember, there is a LOT of aluminum in this engine. Both the block and heads are made of it. If you eveer had a car that was steel and iron everything you'll probably know how tight you can crank down on a bolt and little or nothing will happen (sans the lug nuts). So now you have a more advanced car with more advanced materials and it's easy to forget what kind of metal your dealing with.

 

hey thx for the feedback everyone. guess i'll go ahead and get myself a torque wrench which i can use to tighten both the drain bolt and oil filter? i didn't know you also had to tighten the filter to some specified lbs-ft.

and do most of you put the car up on ramps or should there be sufficient room to do your work without them? my car isn't lowered.

 

One of the bestter investments I've made in tools for my car was getting a pair Rhino Ramps. Their plastic/fiberglass ramps that allow some lowered cars to use them. Although yours is stock height it's good to have the versatility. I had to get them for my Talon with no suspension mods. They run about $40/$50 a pair at places like PepBoys.

There is no way in the world I could change my own oil on this car without raising the front end. I think jacking it up and putting it on jackstands is just as safe but is also a lot of extra needless effort. Save the stands for rotating your tires.

 

so before i go out and get this torque wrench, what size should i get or what size should the socket be for the drain bolt?

 

The torque wrench I would get would measure between 25-250 lb./ft. and 1/2" drive.

I'm not sure what the bolt size is. What I did was get an aftermaket magnetic drain plug, that runs about $3-4 and it's 14mm. The stock one is bigger.

 

i don't quite get how a smaller drain plug will still screw on?!!?

 

O.k., the shaft of the bolt will still fit into the oil pan just like the original but the head of the new bolt is smaller in size.

 

the stock size is 17 mm. just get the fram sure drain. once on you never have to remove it. just attach the hose and it starts draining.. it works great no mess no dripping and you really dont have to jack up the car. just turn your wheel all the way to the right and you can reach it and the oil filter

 

guys, I've watched the mechanics at acura when they change my oil. They simply use their hand, and place a rag over the cap (to not get oil on it) and just tighten till they think it's good. No need for a torque wrench.

 

you dont need a torque wrench for the oil filter just the plug (if your not used to turning wrenches) once its tight give it 1/4 turn

 

on a related topic, i haven't been able to conclude a definative answer whether it's ok for the filter to adopt the change interval when on synthetic. should the filter still be changed according to manufacturer's recommendation or is it ok to let it go longer? i haven't read about too many people doing 2 filter changes for every 1 oil change.

 

if your using synthetics, the change interval would be based on the filter, imho. ive done this before, using frams ultra guard or whatever the filter name is. says its good for 7k miles. my car is doing well.

hand tighten oil filter. once you get used to it, you will be able to remove it by hand as well. one thing i havent seen mentioned is that you SHOULD lube the O-ring on the filter with some oil to get a tight seal that you dont have to worry about. plus it allows the seal to slide until tight against the metal.

one more thing, if you are doing this on your own. be aware that the O-ring on the filter can and sometimes does stick to the metal instead of coming off with the filter. if you dont catch this and install the new filter, you will spill all your oil soon as you start refilling.

make sure the filter is not stuck to the flange before installing the new one.