jmars808

Ok, Here is the deal...

It's been 4,000 miles since the last oil change at a local Goodyear ( I did not own the car at the time) and car has 135,000 miles to date. Local Honda Dealer recommends change around every 5,000 miles...

I changed the oil with Castrol High Mileage part Syn 5W-20.

Buy, I could not get the old oil filter off...( I tried two diff oil filter wrenches and gripped gloves...would not budge! )

SO question is ... what should I do here...?

I have new oil and a filter with 4,000 miles on it... (don't know what filter it is)

I live in South Florida..do not drive a lot...only to and from work ten minutes each way and around town on weekends...light easy driving.

Should I take it in and have just the filter changed now?
Should I wait until like 2,000 miles and change both oil & filter?
or...???

anibis

I don't use the wrenches, I use the lil cup you can buy that attaches to a ratchet wrench....not sure if you've tried that before. They come in different sizes so just grab your filter off the shelf and see which one fits, it should be snug.

If you use fram filters you may have to lightly tap the cup to get it on the filter tightly b/c of the sandpaper grip on the end of the filters.

You'll be fine if you chose to keep the old filter on as long as you haven't damaged it trying to get it off.

I've had trouble getting filters off that shop's put on too. They only need to be hand tightened but it seems some shops like to crank them on.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

you can wait, it wont hurt anything. also they sell a claw type adjustable oil wrench with teeth that can grab the filter and turn it. works better than the sized oil filter wrenches. just do not grab it too hard or you could poke into the metal.

jmars808

Ok thanks.
I have the exact fit cap type remover tool. Fits perfectly on the correct size replacement Fram filter..but slips when I tried on the old filter, I also tried using a ratchet type thing that loops around but wasn't small enough to fit the filter.
I only put a small dent at the tip when I tried to get it off. It's fine.

I think I will wait. It has good new oil.
Thanks again!

lowlife9

warm the car up first then loosen it then let it cool down. and don't use fram filters they are the worst.

lazlong

If all else fails take a punch of suitable length and drive into or thru the filter (which ever you prefer). Then use the punch for leverage.

When you put the new one on hand tightening as hard as you can is tight enough.

MindBomber

If it was changed a quick lube place then the filter probably isn't very good, I would change it soon, maximum 2500 more miles. There's no reason you need to wait till your next oil change to do the filter, just drain the current oil and put it back in when you do the filter.

If a filter ever gets stuck, take a screw driver and drive it through the side right around the top or use a set of channel locks.

lowlife9

if ypu do the screwdriver trick make sure its through the top otherwise you can *** up the threds then your really be screwed.

Boomers-Civic

Why are fram filters the worst? I've used them for 25 yrs with zero problems.

MindBomber

Take one apart then compare the construction quality and filtration ability to a quality filter and you'll see why fram is garbage. I'd never cheap out and spend $5 less on a oil filter with a lower filtration ability.

jmars808

I've always used Fram filters too...I didn't want to have complications if I used a punch and still couldn't get it off...

QUESTION: Do I have to drain the new oil before taking off the old filter? BC the filter seems pretty high up...if I just do it when it's cold, would a lot of oil come out? I'd be warry of putting the oil back in bc the pan may be dirty and I don't want to contaminate the engine...

jmars808

Ok, I see the difference with Fram. Good looking out.

pjb3

I used to use that trick until I ran into an oil filter where that did not loosen the filter ( just tore the metal ) and with the oil filter punctured the car was undriveable. Fortunately the oil filter mounted to a pedestal that could be removed from the block, clamped in a vise and what was left of filter removed.

pjb3

You do not have to drain the oil to change the filter. The only oil you should lose is what is in the filter.

lowlife9

careful with those honda filters there are two one japanese and one american . the american version is just like the fram all cardboard. somebody put up the funny asian dude oil filter youtube video.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

while i would say that oil filters are generally useless (they clog up too fast and the oil just bypasses it), you still do not want to skimp on quality because pieces of the filter could come loose and cause serious engine damage. wouldnt you rather have silicone and metal rather than plastic and paper in the filter? isnt that worth an extra $5? you wouldnt believe how many people would come in the store and ask for fram because advertising has conditioned these older guys to think fram is the best. i quit explaining because they dont get it.

MindBomber

All OEM filters in North America are made by Honeywell Fram now. I have a stock pile of toyo roki OEM filters from before the change happened, but after these run out I might check out HAMP. The price is pretty decent if order hamp filters in bulk online.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

if you are on a budget the purolator pureone (not the regular purolator) is an excellent filter, one of the best in fact and usually they are only around $6. they are gold color now and still have the nice textured grip.

photog72

There is also a difference between Fram orange filters (regular) and Tough Guard ones. I use the Tough Guard oil filters and never had a problem with them. They are about $7, but seem to work a lot better than regular Fram filters. I either use those or Mobil 1 filters. K&N also make good oil filters... but they cost $12-$13. I'm okay w/ Fram Tough Guards on my cars.

ZFreak

FWIW, look in your owners manual. Honda suggests 10,000 miles between oil changes, and 20,000 miles for oil AND FILTER changes. I have followed this since the car was new... 310k miles and not a single issue. I've had the oil analyzed and send to blackstone labs, and there's actually more life left in the oil even at 10,000 miles (like 2500 more miles before it could fail). I generally change the oil around 9000-10000 miles, which comes every other month for me...I put about 60,000 miles a year on my car right now.


EDIT>>> The Honda DEALER "suggests" every 3750 to 5000 miles because they want to make money off you. Jiffylube and the like suggest every 3000 miles because 1.) They use garbage bulk oil and filters and 2.) They want to make money off you.


Maintain your car by what the owners manual says. They didn't put that information in there for "***** and giggles".

maxtierney

iTrader: (5)

+1 on that. I get mine done every 7500 miles at the Honda dealer (service book recommendation). Thank god for free oil service for the life of the car (they'll see me for at least 20 years).

lazlong

OK, it was over 100 degrees for like 3 months straight, over 105 for a lot of that. I would think that qualifies as severe conditions. For severe conditions the service manual recommends oil and filter @ 5K. For normal conditions it recommends oil @10K with filter every other oil change. Remember "severe" can be either hot or cold conditions.

I think $30 every 5K is still cheap insurance.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

synthetic doesnt care about temps. but yeah the honda recommended 10k miles is pushing it. i wouldnt go more than 5k miles on dino without additives. ive seen what yearly oil changes can do to a car if you use regular oil. that being said, i also know what my civic looks like with yearly oil changes using LC20 additive. like new inside synthetic helps too, but even dino treated oil will easily go 10k which saves time and money. in most cases, its not the oil that breaks down but rather the ADD packs get used up and the oil starts to oxidize. all the oil companies do is filter the old recycled oil and put a new add pack in it. there is no such thing as "new" oil unless its made completely in a lab.

lazlong

^^ Just to play devil's advocate, what do you think is in all those super takers coming from the middle east and South America and the pipeline from Alaska?

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

crude oil? lol true but recycled oil doesnt make up all of the "new" oil being made. and the crude isnt exactly new either. you cant just stuff it in the engine without any purification steps. i wish more people would recycle tho.

MindBomber

Crude oil isn't exactly new, since it's the result of decaying micro-organisms that are hundreds of millions of years old. I wish more people would recycle to, Gear.

lazlong

Sometimes I feel like at the exact same time I'm picking up a piece of trash somewhere there is 100 people throwing a piece down. The parents live in the country and nobody out there recycles. Unless you **** burning or burying it. lol

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

****? haha