advice on changing oil at home

3169 Views 13 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Dougie, Oct 18, 2005

windham

Discussion Starter · #1 · Apr 22, 2005

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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Aaron Cake

· Registered

Joined Mar 3, 2003

1,291 Posts

#9 · Oct 17, 2005

Regarding oil changes, be VERY careful about the oil drain bolt. The pan is made of magnesium, while the drain bolt is made of stainless steel. It is thus VERY easy to strip out the threads in the pan. The resulting repair can either be very cheap (Helicoil insert) or VERY expensive (new pan).

Because of this, I now use only about half the torque specified by Honda. I also wrap the threads of the bolt in Teflon tape, and use a new crush washer every time.