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advice on changing oil at home

3372 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Dougie
Hello,
I am a new owner of a 2000 Insight, and would like to change my own oil in an attempt to save some money. Does anyone have specific details on removing the shield to access the drain plug, the tools and wrench/socket sizes for the shield and plug, how tightly the filter and plug should be replaced, how much oil is needed (exactly 3 quarts?), and anything else I should know....
Any assistance is greatly appreciated! Thanks
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I do this task quite often, every 3750 miles. (I drive ALOT of miles) Here is my step by step procedure. I remove a few extra things so that I can CLEAN and wipe down stuff. (note: removing front tires gives more access and more light under the car, as well as a chance to clean the back side of the wheels and the wheelwell - brake area) step 1: remove center caps from front wheels. 2) loosen all eight lug nuts on the front wheels. 3) raise car with a floor jack, and place a jack stand under all 4 points, so the car is raised and level. 4) remove front wheels and set aside for cleaning 5) open hood and take off the oil fill cap 6) lay down under the car and take off all the required bolts, using a 10 millimeter socket. carefully pry out the forward 2 black plastics clips with a screwdriver, then remove the shiny aluminum guard. 7) Using a 17mm socket, remove the oil drain plug, draining into a suitable catch pan. let it drain for 10 minutes or so, till the drips stop. replace drain plug using a new crush washer, and tighten. 8) reach up and unscrew the oil filter (I can usually do it by hand; otherwise a small "cap" type filter wrench works great) let any excess oil drain out, then screw on the new filter according to the directions. I just install it hand tight. 9) wipe down and clean wherever you can reach, up into the engine bay, and all over the car's underbody. 10) get on your feet again and pour in 2.5 qts of oil. My first choice RED LINE 5-20 My 2nd choice is Mobil 1 0-20 11) start and run the engine for around 30 seconds, then check underneath for leaks, just to make sure. 12) clean all 3 panels you removed, then replace them. Long bolts go into the black resin panels, and the 4 shorter bolts go into the aluminum. 13) after I run the engine again, or take a short trip, I check the dipstick and top it off exactly, with about 1 tenth of a quart more.
The more one learns about the car and does more and more of his own maintenance, the more enjoyable it is!! Billy.......
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Mobil 1 is excellent. But it's discontinued in 0-20; I bought 2 cases so I have plenty for now. RED LINE oil, in my opinion, is superior to any other out there. For my airplane I was searching for the best oil, and after over 40 hours of reading and studying, I found that Red Line has the absolute best test results in 7 different categories. They don't have 0-20, so 5-20 is the next best thing. Billy....
greetings James; I've been around & around with this issue for over 20 years. First, expensive oil? Aeroshell and Phillips Avoil are around 4 bucks per quart. Air cooled engines do have a greater temperature variation through their working cycle; but for many many years automotive oil worked great in VW and Porshce engines. Here is the bottom line and the current thinking: Aviation oil, although it is an "ashless dispersant", is 1940's and 50's technology. Modern Automotive oil is extremely advanced and simply fights friction and protects a whole lot better. Billy.....
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