[Lvl100 Magikarp]

(WARNING LOTS OF PHOTOS)

Hi,

I was going to post this later on in the day, but I got really excited about sharing this.

A lot of times, I see posts with people saying things like "you should do your own oil change, it's 'easy'" and "don't let oil change places rip you off, do it yourself" etc etc.

However, I have not seen any many p guides out there for and 2013 Accord V6 oil change. So I have decided to make one for this forum to encourage others to undertake this task. I will be uploading photos of the process and the common mistakes I made that you should avoid. (I will be using CAPS to highlight important points).

This was my first time doing an oil change so any input/advice/criticism will be appreciated. I want to become a car mechanic one day, so any advice will be a learning experience for me.

As a preview, let me just say that that access to the oil filter WAS NOT EASY for the V6 Accord. Edit: What i meant is the mess of the old oil spilling out once the oil filter came loose.

The photos are found in post #5 to post #33

 

[Henry2024]

Is it similar to this?

In this second video, it looks like the guy removed the wheel to get access to the oil filter.

 

[Catfisha]

In my opinion, I thought it was one of the easiest oil filters...

Sent from my HTC Desire 626 using Tapatalk

 

[VFR4Lee]

In theory it's all straightforward and not too hard.
In theory, practice is the same as theory.
The emoticon is in the details. :devil

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

This guide is not supposed to be a step-by-step. I just wanted to document this for future DIYer so they know the relative positions of everything involved and give people confidence to do an oil change themselves if they have a similar vehicle.

I know as enthusiasts we care about price and performance so here is a list of all the items I used for this oil change and where I bought them. I already had a variety of everyday tools. I tried to find the cheapest place to get something online or in store. But when it came to safety and wear-and-tear items, I didn’t want to skimp out.

-Mobil 1 0w-20 extended performance oil 5 quarts (Walmart) | it was the only option available at the Walmart I went to. I really wanted to try the Mobil 1 advanced fuel economy because it was cheaper
-Purolator BOSS PBL14610 (Advance Auto Parts) | pep boys is usually my go-to parts store but the Purolator BOSS is only available at advance auto
-Flotool Rhino ramps (Pep Boys) | compared to harbor freight ramps, these are heavier and feel sturdier
-Rhinogear wheel chocks (Pep Boys)
-Oil drain bolt gaskets pack of 20 94109-14000 (Amazon) | recommended by Honda to switch these out after each oil change
-Dorman AutoGrade Oil Drain Plug, Standard, M14-1.5, Head Size 17mm (Pep Boys) | I broke the one that came with my car. I will explain later.
-Scepter Triangular Drain Pan, 9 Qt. (Pep Boys)
-Hopkins FloTool Super Qf Funnel (Pep Boys)
-Oil filter pliers (Pep Boys)
-Form-a-funnel (Amazon) | helps avoid a mess with the oil filter
-Shop towels (Home Depot) | I was lazy with this one and just got it at the closest place I could find them.
-17mm socket wrench, nitrile work gloves, old mason jars, time (These things I already had and didn’t need to buy)

The total price for all these items did not exceed $80 (after tax). The most expensive items were the motor oil, the ramps, and the form-a-funnel.

Please.Wear.Gloves.

I used a level ruler to help me find a relatively flat surface for the car and the ramps.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

Before I used the ramps, I tried to do the oil change with the car’s emergency floor jack and some jack stands. I didn’t do my research then and did not realize how terrible of an idea that was. The ramps gave me much more clearance. The Rhino ramps had built in rubber feet that provided excellent grip when the car went up the ramp.

Remember to put in the wheel chocks for your personal safety once the car is on the ramp.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

I have weak wrists so I used an open wrench to get leverage and loosen the oil cap.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

For the 9th gen accord V6 coupe, the drain bolt and the oil filter are both near the front passenger side of the car.

You can actually see the oil filter quite easily once the car is lifted, it’s above the front passenger side wheel suspension.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

During my first oil change attempt using the emergency floor jack (bad idea), I also tried to loosen the oil drain bolt with an open end wrench and messed up the bolt head. It’s probably an amateur mistake, but DO NOT use and OPEN END WRENCH. Use a SOCKET WRENCH instead. It gives you much better leverage and won’t mess up the bolt head.

The hardest part about the oil change, for me, was loosening the oil drain bolt with a messed up bolt head. In order to use my socket wrench, I had to “gently” (ie. not gently) hammer the socket piece onto the bolt. I then attached the wrench to the socket piece. To loosen the drain bolt I turned counter-clockwise when facing the bolt. That means pulling the wrench towards the passenger side.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

I tried so many different ways to loosen the thing while cursing a lot. It was either REALLY tight or I was REALLY weak. To finally deal with the drain bolt, my friend taught me this really cool technique that he learned from wrestling. He laid lay sideways against the outside of the front passenger side wheel and ramp and pulled on the socket wrench. He used some sort of humping motion against the ramp while pulling with his hands. Sounds weird but it worked.

Be sure to catch the oil flowing and the dripping oil from the mouth of the oil drain. I just let the oil drain bolt fall into the oil pan because I got a new one anyways.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

Loosening the oil filter was not difficult. The teeth on the oil filter pliers provided great grip. I tried using an oil filter wrench (the ones with a ring) and it just too finicky. Most of the oil spill that I made was caused by draining the oil filter. On the V6 accord, it is located right above the suspension, so there was no easy way to catch the oil coming out of the oil filter. Even though I used a form-a funnel to catch most of the oil, a bit of it spilled to the ground and the car’s suspension.

I let the oil drain out from the engine overnight, a lot more of the old oil came out from the slow drip.

I put my new oil filter, engine oil, drain bolt and gasket on my drive seat to remind myself NOT to start the car without ANY OIL IN THE ENGINE.

The BOSS oil filter looks really cool

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

The oil filter turned into the threading really easily. I gave the filter a quarter turn once the filter was “snug”.

I didn’t have a torque wrench with me so I hand tightened my new drain bolt (with a new gasket)

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

I put some shop towels under the car to check for leaks near the drain bolt and oil filter before I poured in new oil.

The recommended amount of engine oil to put in is 4.5 quarts. I put in 4 quarts first, let the engine run a little and checked the oil level with the dip stick. I got the car off the ramps before I put in the remaining 0.5 quarts. The container has a volume measure on the side to tell you how many quarts you have poured into the engine.

Clean the oil cap, it gets pretty nasty from all the old oil splashing up against it.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

If you had tools behind the car (like me), make sure to move them aside before backing up the car off the ramp. Also make sure there is nothing UNDER the car.

Don’t forget to remove the wheel chocks before backing up off the ramp.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

There was some leftover new engine oil so I poured it into a mason jar. I then poured the old dirty oil into the Mobil 1 engine oil container that is now empty. I put the old oil filter in plastic bag on top of my used shop towels. I put shop towels under my work area to catch any dripping from the pouring process.

I finally saw my old drain bolt and socket piece!

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

There were some gold flecks at the bottom of the drain pan. Did I strike gold? Anybody know what this stuff is?

I also found this weird yellow plastic chunk in the drain pan. Here is a photo with my drain bolt for size comparison.

 

[Lvl100 Magikarp]

Here is a new and old oil comparison, the new oil on the right in case it wasn't obvious . I bought the car used in a private transaction and the seller gave me no service records. Hopefully, the supposedly delayed oil change didn’t cause too much damage to the car.

Take a record of your car’s mileage and reset the Maintenance Minder. I took the old engine oil and oil filter to a Pep Boys for recycling. Thank you for your time and I hope this helped.

 

[2.4]

Nice job. Get a torque wrench and breaker bar for your next change. Also, you left your car to drain overnight at a parking garage? How they let you do that?

 

[DatsunSaves]

In my opinion, I thought it was one of the easiest oil filters...

Sent from my HTC Desire 626 using Tapatalk

I agree, most vehicles don't give you the little built in "funnel" to channel the old oil. I have never spilled more than a few tablespoons when taking the filter off (that didn't run right into the pan).

Nice job. Get a torque wrench and breaker bar for your next change. Also, you left your car to drain overnight at a parking garage? How they let you do that?

Breaker bar? The spec for the drain bolt is 29 ft/lbs, so a torque wrench would come in handy. I use a torque wrench on mine but if I didn't have one I would hand tighten until snug and then 1/8th of a turn more. When I'm working with other guys in the garage that like to over tighten stuff I always remind them that its a car, not a tractor or a bulldozer.


To the OP. Awesome job doing this yourself and taking the time to make a write up to help others. You asked for advice so here is mine.

• Use a 6 point socket on the hex head bolt (hex = 6). Using the right tool will prevent damage. You did the right thing by swapping to a tool that used the entire bolt head to loosen/tighten. The closed end of the wrench would have worked fine.
• When installing the new filter prime the filter once with fresh oil. By this I mean pour new oil into the filter up to the top and let it soak into the filter media. This prevents a dry start when the oil first circulates. It also give you the opportunity to dip your clean finger into the fresh oil and rub it around the seal on the new filter. By doing this it will make future filter removal much easier.
• Don't waste your money on those expensive blue towels. Use old jeans cut up into rags or get good wills throw aways and cut up for rags.
• Keep at it. The only way to learn is to DO.

 

[2.4]

Breaker bar? The spec for the drain bolt is 29 ft/lbs, so a torque wrench would come in handy. I use a torque wrench on mine but if I didn't have one I would hand tighten until snug and then 1/8th of a turn more. When I'm working with other guys in the garage that like to over tighten stuff I always remind them that its a car, not a tractor or a bulldozer.

OP mentioned he has weak wrists so a breaker bar would most certainly help him with leverage even at 29 ft pounds.