torontob

Hi everyone,

I have all I need to do my first transmission fluid change for my 2009 Honda Civic 4DR.

The most I have used a jack previously is to change a flat tire.

I understand for this job the car should be in flat position so I need to jack up the car on two sides so all 4 tires are off the ground.

I have another car, so I have to jack stand and I also have two spare tires I can use as support.

What is the best way to use these tools to higher the car off ground for a fluid change? Remember I need to place some pressure to open the bolts so the car has to be stable.

Or can I simple up the two front tires and change the tranny fluid?

*** I have 2 JACKS and not JACKSTANDs if they are different.
Thanks?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

never lift up all four sides of the car. and you only need to do the front for a fluid change anyway. jack up the front from the support in the middle of the car under the bumper (there is an arrow pointing to it). once its up high enough, put one jackstand on the right side jack support and another jackstand on the left. looks like you need to go buy a pair of jackstands. they are metal supports and much safer than just using a jack. i would never think about using only jacks to support a car i was working under. and to be honest, if the car isnt lowered, you should be able to change the trans fluid on the ground. ive done a 92 accord and my 02 civic (before i lowered the suspension) by using a socket wrench and undoing the bolt while the car was sitting in the parking lot. get a drain pan to catch the oil and its a very easy job. normally takes 5-10 mins.

Prodresurgence

You have jacks, emergency use only. Yikes. Get jack stands before you ever go under your car, and make sure you place them in solid position, ontop of that leave a tire under the car and the floor jack under the car. That way if you push it off the stands your tire/floor jack will give you a little room to get out from under it and not die. Once again that jack in your trunk should never be used unless your stuck on the road.

MindBomber

They are different, those are meant for emergency tire changes only and are unstable and dangerous.

If you want to work on your car safely you'll need to buy either a proper jack set of jack stands and a jack or a set of ramps to drive your car onto. Either of those will cost about $50 from Canadian Tire, but you shouldn't be working on your car without buying them.

If you need to remove a tire, loosen the bolts a bit while the car is still on the ground.
Only ever jack up the car as much as you need to, for me that usually means one corner of the car, with one wheel off the ground a couple inches.
Never trust jack stands, NEVER, always put something else sturdy under the cars frame if your going to be crawling underneath it. Wood or car rims are examples.
ALWAYS, put something in front of and behind the cars wheels to prevent it from rolling.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its good to set the ebrake too. jack stands generally are safe, but it never hurts to put other stuff under the car. better to damage the car if it falls on a block of wood than YOU. and always limit the time you spend under the car. dont go camp out for an hour at a time unless you need to. in other words, get under for a minute to see stuff and loosen bolts, but dont lie there watching the oil drain out lol.

torontob

Thanks guys but I am ready all over this forum that I need to have the car leveled when I do the tranmission fluid change on this automatic car.

Are you just using two jack stands at the front is a good idea and not more or less than 2.5 quarts of fluid will come out (because per instructions I need to put only 2.5 quarts in there and only 2.5 quarts come out if car is leveled).

Now that I think of it, better than the stands is the Ramps propbably. Maybe 4 ramps should give me good room to work with? Are Ramps flexible to go higher or lower as well or would they then be called pump jacks?

P.S. Would this do the job for me:
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

http://www.canadiantire.ca Item # 09-1061-0

thanks again.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

it really doesnt matter. i get around 3 qts out no matter if the car is on the ground level or the front raised. you still will have over half the fluid inside the torque converter anyway.

MindBomber

Thats exactly the same set that I have, it works very well.

Ramps are just ramps, the come in a set of two you can drive your wheels up onto them lifting the car up about a foot. They're perfect for fluid changes, but you can't use them for anything that involves removing a wheel.

If you want to be sure you change the right amount of fluid measure the fluid that drains out, and add the same amount in.

torontob

I am trying to buy the minimum tools need with low cost.

Can I buy two ramps and place them like this:


--O--*************O**
-----****************


**O*************--O--
****************------

----- signifies the ramps. So, two ramps only (one front right ; one back left) :-)
That levels it up.

But I don't think I can do that for stands as it would be better to have 4 stands....

Now time to find where to place the first jack and to place the stands...I hope I can see the pointers with all the dust and salt built up due to winter...

MindBomber

The most you will ever need to do is lift the front two tires off the ground, for fluid changes only lift one front tire off the ground. That does NOT require four jack stands, only two. If you try to lift all four wheels off the ground your going to get yourself into a lot of trouble, because that is very difficult.

torontob

Gotta. I thought it would be destabilized anyhow and not worth the risk. I will try what you did and see how much fluid comes out. Fill up 2.5 quarts, lower the car and measure the two lines and if it's good then it's good.

Okay, what is with the comment from Prodresurgence? Can you please explain?

torontob

So, I have my car jacked up now. I can only differntiate the engine from other components because it says Engine oil on one compartment. There are many many bolts that can unscrewed.

My dipstick is on the driver side. Where should the AUTOMATIC transmission fluid bolt be? This is a Honda Civic 4DR 2009.

Thanks

Prodresurgence

You really should've looked that up before you jacked up that car don't ya think? Its not under the car, its behind the passenger front tire. You need a 1/2 inch ratchet and 10-inch ratchet extension to get the fill bolt out and a 3/4 inch ratchet to get the drain bolt out. You will then need a fluid transfer pump to get the fluid back in. You can rig up a funnel and hose but a fluid transfer pump is only 20 bucks from an auto store. There's a DIY on here somewhere look it up.