[Mstaples]

Can you guys recommend the best website to buy oil and an oil filter for my Insight?

Also, is there a hose-and-pump that can be used to drain the oil, instead of yanking that plate off from underneith the car?

Mike

 

[Dougie]

0W-20 oil is sometimes available at Walmart. Filters are available at the local car parts store. You only need to take off one of the three underbody pans (the one on the right-hand side of the car) which is four bolts.

The only real problem is getting the car up high enough, since many ramps are too steep, causing the bumper to drag. I believe that "Rhino Ramps" (also at Walmart) hae a shallow enough slope.

 

[dice]

If you can't find 0-20 wt, the 5-20 will work also. Filter is on front of block, took me a bit to find it. Rhino ramps work great, just make sure you're on level ground. Bought mine at amazon, since the local wallmart did not have them.

 

[HafNHaf]

quote from me from another thread:

here's what works for me...

i put on a Fumoto drain valve with a one foot hose that extends a couple of inches past the aft aero fairing. I can slip a small plastic container under the hose from behind the right front wheel and open the drain valve by reaching over the top of the engine.

For the oil filter I can reach into the engine compartment at the left front and grab the filter by reaching across the front of the engine behind the radiator. This is possible because I flipped the intake elbow over to draw in combustion air from the area around the cat converter. I just put a small plastic container under the filter/adapter and twist the filter off enough to let it drain into the container. When it is finished draining i put a very small amount of silicone grease on the seal of a new filter, clean off the filter adapter, and spin the new one on as tight as I can without tools. I put a cover on the container so i can remove it without spilling any oil.

After the filter is changed I close the drain valve and put in 2.5 quarts of Mobil-1 0W20.

All done! No drips, no muss, no fuss.

btw, i use a purolator premium filter L14612 (not the pure-one). its the same construction as the mobil-1, but uses a paper medium, not synthetic. 3 bux vs 12.

 

[Insightful Trekker]

When it is finished draining i put a very small amount of silicone grease on the seal of a new filter, ...

IIRC I replied in the other thread:

Silicone anything on an O2 and or CAT (catalytic converter) equipped car is poison. Its effect is cumulative. Yes, the manufacturers are concerned enough to even remove it from any liquid gasket sealer(s) used. Hence the non silicone "silicone" gasket sealers. (Generally all liquid sealers marked "safe" for exhaust system CATS & O2 sensors).

Use a smear of old engine oil instead.

 

[Dougie]

Two other things:

1.) Don't strip the threads! That includes the small bolts that hold on the underbody panels (small, screw into aluminum, easy to strip) AND the drain pan plug (screws into magnesium).

2.) Make sure you get it full. There's been quite a bit of discussion about how much oil to put in the car (2.5 versus 3.0) quarts, but in any case it's not very much. I check mine with the dipstick after running the engine for a minute or so, and always end up putting in a full three quarts. YMMV.

 

[bfivelover]

Also, is there a hose-and-pump that can be used to drain the oil, instead of yanking that plate off from underneith the car?

Mike

I use a Pela oil extractor. You just put the tube down where the dipstick goes. You can get them from their website, or places like Amazon, Ebay, etc. Very easy to use. Pep Boys used to carry Mobil 0W-20 oil, not sure if they still do. And I also use Rhino Ramps which work great.

 

[Mstaples]

Thanks guys.

 

[HafNHaf]

dougie: stripping threads is one of the reasons i do it the way i do. i no longer have to worry about stripping the 600 dollar oil pan. and dont have to remove any underbody panels.

bfivelover: i have ramps at home, but thats just one other thing to mess with. dont need them on my jeep (just scoot under there. 4" lift helps ) and now i dont have to bother for the insight oil change either.

IT: i looked in the other thread for your comments about the silicone, but couldnt find anything. you are correct about that stuff ruining the cat. i use a very small amount on the filter gasket. i dont think it could migrate from there to the combustion chamber, and then out the exhaust system to the cat. never know though. i guess it could wash off the edge of the filter gasket and get past the rings or valve guides and get burned. i'm betting against it. the reason i dont use oil is as follows:

back when i was working as an aircraft mechanic (16 years worth) we always used oil to lube the gasket. (the filters were labeled "oil or silicone grease".) never had a problem. then, all of a sudden, we went through about a year of stuck filters. very time consuming. very expensive. one of our customers had to have an engine partly disassembled to get the filter off. 8 hours of labor. not cheap!

turns out the filter manufacturer had changed the gasket material and not told anyone. same labels too. so we switched to a light smear of silicone grease. no more stuck filters.

anyway, thats my story and i'm (not) sticken to it!

 

[Insightful Trekker]

IT: i looked in the other thread for your comments about the silicone, but couldnt find anything.

My oops and apology. But I replied such in a similar thread way back when...

back when i was working as an aircraft mechanic...<snip> we went through about a year of stuck filters.

A "stuck" filter in a car is a horse of a different color, seconds of additional work.
(usually under 100 anyways )

But now that you mention it you should _always_ check and make sure the gasket came loose with the filter. "Double" gasketing can have some _serious_ consequences (a blowout). Critical engine damage will rapidly ocurr without sufficient oil / oil pressure.

"Small" amounts of silicone can indeed migrate through the crankcase and are sucked into the combustion chamber via the PCV system. The effect is cumulative and when enough has reached the CAT it will effectively "smother" the reactive coatings prematurely resulting in a P0420, CAT below efficiency.

anyway, thats my story and i'm (not) sticken to it!

Good, else you'll be "sticking" your hand in your pocket(s) and hoping that their deep :!:

Seriously save your silicone where its really needed. Its _really_ overkill for the Insight's filter. "Worst" case scenario: Drive a screwdriver throught the filter case 90 deg. relative to its axis of rotation to "lever" a _really_ stubborn one off. But the right type of oil filter wrench makes this messy technique one you'll forget before you'll ever need it.

HTH!

 

[HafNHaf]

good point. forgot about the pcv system. i will try oil on the next one and see how it removes the next time. and yes, i can get a filter wrench on there from the top/front of the engine compartment if i have to. its just so easy to reach in there and spin it off by hand. we shall see.....

oh yeah, double gaskets will ruin your whole day. and engine too! my second car was a '67 mgbgt with a cartridge filter. the first time i replaced the element it didnt seal right. its amazing how much oil you can pump onto the ground between the time you turn the key, the time you stick your head under the car to check for leaks, and the time you dash back to the key to shut it off. :shock: i think about 2 quarts were left in there. and what a mess! kitty litter to the rescue!

 

[kapps]

We've always used oil to lube the filter and haven't had any problems getting a filter off. My dad did mention that he had a filter stuck on his Fiat X 1/9 and they had to use the screwdriver technique to get it off. As for those dipstick sucking thingy's, I don't trust them. You will never get all the oil out and the bad stuff usually settles to the bottom.

 

[HafNHaf]

kapps: i agree about the oil suction devices. i cant see how they can get all the crud off the bottom as well as draining the oil out. oh well, to each his (her) own. and i understand about how easy it is (usually) to get a stuck filter off. but about 100 stuck filters that year really soured me on using oil as a filter gasket lube.

btw, my first car was a fiat (Fix It Again, Tony) 850 spyder. cute little car. and it had a centrifugal oil "filter" built into the end of the crankshaft. every 3000 miles i would un-bolt it and scrape out the grey-paint (sludge) with a screwdriver. Then back together it would go. fresh oil and go! lotsa fun in that thing. actually, i met my wife in it while driving around. gave her a ride home and poof! been married for 28 years

 

[Insightful Trekker]

fiat (Fix It Again, Tony) 850 spyder. <snip> i met my wife in it while driving around. gave her a ride home and poof! been married for 28 years

Found In Amity Together :?:

 

[red1dr]

the bad stuff usually settles to the bottom.

I usually change the oil as soon as possible after getting home, while the engine is still hot. That way at least the smaller crud may still be in suspension and exit with the oil. It drains faster too, just have to be careful not to burn yourself!

 

[scootr06]

I used the new Pennzoil Platinum for Hybrids 0W-20 Synthetic for my last oil change. Was purchased over the Internet at $35.00 total for a case of 6/1qt. Finding any other 0-20 was a hassle where I'm at. Was using K&N filters because of the 1" hex nut on the filter top - a nice feature. Couldn't find that either, so this go around went with the premium Mobile. 2.5 qts to fill er' up, and she's happy. Low angeled Rhino ramps were the ticket.