vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i am getting ready to do my first oil change...without having tried yet, is it possible to do the oil change without lifting the car...if soo, what is the best place to slide under the car to get to the drain plug...i am using mobil 1, probably a mobil 1 filter...

rimz

good luck getting underneath there without raising it up...it's a kind of tight squeeze for me, even using two ramps...

i would definitely say get two ramps to get under there...you'll never unplug and drain the oil without lifting it somehow...also, the oil should drain faster (and better) with the car at an incline...

Tripnbeats

if ur lifting the car using the stock jack make sure u got stands otherwise dont do it.... the stock jack sucks to do oil changes..... and if u have a good 2 ton jack lift from the subframe in the middle of the car up front its exposed for that reason. and when u get under the car the drain plug says "OIL" =) and the filter is a lil cunt cuz when u open it up a lil bit of oil drains out on the subframe so make sure u got some rags or cardboard or something to absorb the mess. other than that enjoy! aaaaaaaaaand do u know the reset procedure on the dash????

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

the reset procedure is in the manual i guess i would give that a shot...

erick3

yeah...it is a tight squeeze! me? i just use the little jack that comes with the car...but it takes a bit of work to jack it ALL THE way up...slide up underneath the passenger side...it's easier if you take the right wheel off, but you don't have to...GOOD LUCK! it was messy for me the first time...haha

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

One owner mentioned a trick that works great. When removing the oil filter, have a large zip lock bag positioned under the filter, so that when the filter is removed, it captures the oil and oil filter, zip it up and you're done, no mess..

rimz

oil reset procedure (the manual leaves a step out):

-goto the 'oil life' on your MID
-hold select button in for 10 seconds (until service message comes up)
-hold select button again for 10 seconds
-it will ask to hit 'ok' or 'cancel' - hit your select button to reset

stillhere153

iTrader: (1)

mmmh I wouldn't trust the stock jack alone, if it fails ur a gonner

darksky

Yeah, no shit. Best thing to do is get some 2x4's and simple stack them (maybe 3 or so). Shove that under the wheel and lower the car on the stack. Since they're solid wood, they're very safe. I've been doing it this way for about 17 years now.

Bearcat94

If you don't have Jack Stands or Ramps don't crawl around under your car.

You can get a suitable (2 1/2 ton, iirc) Craftsman Jack and 2 Jack Stands at Sears for ~$40 on sale.

Xpditor

I just changed my oil and filter. This is my 6th filter in 12k miles. Purolator Pure One. I also use Mobil 1 filter M104 or M110.

I did not lift the car. If you turn the wheel all the way to the right, you can scoot under if you have a low drain pan but it will be a tight fit to get your hand between the pan and the drain plug. When the pan is drained, replace the drain plug with a new crush washer. Then, slide the pan under the filter unless using the zip lock baggy. W/o the baggy, oil will drip on the exhaust pipe where the right and left connect. Be sure and wipe it clean unless you want to smell burning oil for a couple days.

Since I do all my own servicing, I save the old filters which are each marked with a Sharpie with the date and mileage installed. And, I send a sample of used oil to the lab for analysis. In case Acura wants to disavow the warranty, I have all my receipts for oil, the old filters, the lab reports, and I post each service to the Service Records section of the Owner Link on www.acura.com.

playa4real

iTrader: (3)

wow that is thorough!

darksky

@Xpditor - 6 filters in 12k miles? Holy overkill batman

shooter

Dayummm ... that's some thorough work ethics there .... kudos bro ...

BTW, if you are around here, I would bring my TL to your place every time from now on ...

rimz

i change my oil filter every oil change...

totally forgot about keeping records online with acura's owner link site...might have to start doing that...

Xpditor

Well, it's like this:

I got the factory oil out at 3500 miles. Now, I was on my 2nd filter which was a Fram. I joined www.bobistheoilguy.com where I heard horror stories about Fram filters. Ergo, I changed it right away to a Mobil 1 filter. Now, I'm on my 3rd filter.

The owner's manual says to change the oil/filter every year regardless of mileage. So, In March of 2006, I changed again (#4). Then, I picked my mother's birthday of Jan. 14th to be my annual oil change day since I am averaging about 2500-3000 miles a year and my Oil Life monitor only says 50% after a year.

Jan 2007: #5. Jan 2008: #6. Therefor, except for ditching the Fram, I'm just doing my recommended service intervals per the owner's manual.

I'm using sythetic oil. IOW: you're right. It's is wayyyyyy overkill.

BEAR-AvHistory

The problem with not using a jack & jackstands is there is not much room to swing a torque wrench under the car.

Guys changing filters like crazy then not using a torque wrench to crush the washer will sooner or later strip the oil pan bung.

Xpditor

I'm sure you know that the filter doesn't have a crush washer.

As for the drain bolt, you're right. There is limited room for the torque wrench. A clicking and or ratcheting type isn't bad. But a simple beam torque wrench calls for some juggling.

It's a lot easier if you can get the car up... even a little. Because of our low front air dam, ramps are a problem also. I have to lay down some 1 X 4s in front of my ramps so the air dam will clear.

So, the last couple of times, I just put up with the tight space and I've gotten pretty good at it. I'm not going to drag out the Mickey Mouse jack just to change oil.

01tl4tl

technically speaking the filters rubber gasket is a crush washer and can be overtighted to a point of leaking!
Drain plug torque of 29 foot lbs is difficult to get without leverage

BEAR-AvHistory

Yep, the drain bolt, that why I said you can strip the oil pan bung.

I use a 3/8 drive click release ratcheting torque wrench for the pan bolt & even sitting on jackstands at their lowest position there in not really enough room to work with since the wrench is about 18 inches long.

My regular floor jack will not fit under the TL but I bought a second smaller inexpensive one that came in a package with two jackstands that fits under the TL with no problem.

As for convenience I believe I can get the car in the air & supported on both sides with jackstands in just a little more time then it takes to make this post without putting very much effort into the process.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

got finished today...changed my oil(mobil 1 5w20), filter(mobil 1 M1-110), and rotated my tires...5k miles on car...

there is no reason to change the washer on drain plug, its not even a crush washer, just a regular spacer washer...a crush washer is completly different, as it will "crush" down and pancake when proper tourqe is applied...

was able to do the job without lifting the car, i turned the wheels all the way to the right and was able to get under without much problems...

thanks for the advice guys....hope my information helps someone....

cristphoto

Has anyone tried drilling a small hole in the oil filter to allow the trapped oil to drain into the catch pan with no mess? Seems like it would work since you don't reuse the filter anyway. Hammer and nail as an alternative (the perfect automative tools)?

darksky

@cristphoto - good idea. Turbonut (above in this thread) mentioned using a ziplock bag to catch the filter/mess. I tried and it's a pretty good idea.

Xpditor

Suit yourself. But, Acura calls it a crush washer and it is made of aluminum making it "soft" compared with a steel washer. For the $.25 or so cost at the Acura dealer, I get 4 at a time just to keep them happy.

But the worst that could happen is that you might get a little drip. If so you can change it quickly and mabye only lose a little bit of oil.

An once of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

seriously, its not a crush washer, and a brand new one sitting right next to the used one and you wouldnt beable to tell the difference between the two...i am not trying to save a buck, it just doesnt need to be replaced...on my motorcycles, hondas always come with this type of drain plug washer, never changed it...my yamahas come with a true crush washer, i change thoes...because they CRUSH...if they dont crush, then you dont need to change it...

rimz

i've never changed my washer when changing my oil...and for what it's worth, it doesn't crush...

i also use the ziplock bag method when removing my oil filter...works like a charm every time...poking a hole into the damn thing isn't worth the extra work, IMO, but a good idea for those that may do it...

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i tried the zip lock bag, and still got some oil all over the place....the bag filled up, but somehow some oil missed the bag...ohwell, i will try the same thing next time....