Hunt4Steve

I have a 2003 Civic HX with the 1.7L 4Cyl engine, a 5spd tranny and about 120k on the engine.

I've recently been using Mobil 1 synthetic from Walmart for my motor oil, and Napa Gold filters (made by Wix) from Napa.

I usually run about 7 thousand miles between oil changes, and the oil filter is changed every 3500 miles.


Here is the interesting part and what I'm seeking help on:

During my last oil filter change, I jacked up the front end of the car, slide under there and removed the old oil filter. I expected some oil to come out of the filter as I removed it....but nothing came out. Needless to say, I was surprised. I though the anti-drain valve would have kept some of the oil in the filter, but from what I could visually see, no oil was accumulated in the filter, at least not enough to poor out.

So, is something wrong, or is this normal? This is the first Civic I've had of this year and engine, so I'm not quite sure if this behavior is accurate.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

was the oil warm, or was the car cold

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i usually dont get oil coming out but i do mine cold. i dont like getting burned all over lol.

Hunt4Steve

The engine was cold.

I kinda figured with the ant-drain back valve, there should have been "some" oil in there.....guess not.

The car runs great, despite this, what appears to be an irregular issue here........


When I change the oil, I make sure the engine has reached normal operating temperature, so that the oil will flow out of the oil pan more easily. But, when I'm just changing the oil filter, it seems like it shouldn't matter if the engine is hot or cold, its just the filter that is being changed. The next time I start to drive it, I let it warm up, and ensure there is enough oil in the engine before I drive down the road.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

im sure there was some, afterall the filter is much heavier than the new one right? alot of it stays absorbed in the pleats. just keep using quality filters (napa gold, mobil1, K&N) and youll be fine. they all have anti-drain valves.

ragingSPAM

iTrader: (8)

when the engine has sat for long enough for the oil to be cold the filter usually drains if its a cheap filter...the napa one is on the cheaper side...when i took automotive engineering classes we dissected oil filters and few were very high quality. AMSoil, mobil1, Honda OEM for the s2000/nsx, and a few others but some of the cheaper ones like fram, bosch, purolator, etc. were pretty crappy internally. Plastic bypass valves instead of metal and paper filters instead of a cotton based like Mobil1 or amsoil.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

last time i changed my mobil1 no oil came out of it. im using K&N now.

Hunt4Steve

hmmmm..

I figured that Wix (Napa Gold) filters were pretty good, better than most.....

incorrect thinking????

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

i use honda filters, and dont get much oil out when i change my oil, if the car is hot, its a different story, some oil will come out, try it sometime

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

napa gold is excellent filter. i hope you're using the "good" honda filter part and not the junk fram ones.

Hunt4Steve

For those of you who are interested in reading some pretty good info about Oil-filters (and why I use readily available WIX filters), check out the following site:

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/index.html


Here is the biggest reason I don't use Fram Oil filters: an email from one of the Fram engineers:
Link for above text: http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilters/fram1.txt


I can't determine the date of this email, but with the current economy and the way corporations are looking to save money, I wouldn't expect Fram to have improved their manufacturing quality.

After looking at my Napa Gold (Wix filter) filter a little closer, I used a precision dental pick and pulled the Nitrile anti-drain seal loose; some oil seeped out. Indeed, there was oil in there, I guess I was expecting more. I may have to go to the Stealership and pick up a Honda filter and cut it open to see how much media is in there, as opposed to the Napa Gold filter I'm using. Since I commute in my car about 90 miles a day (80% hwy/ 20% city), I put on some considerable mileage. I want to be sure I'm getting the best filtering I can get to help my engine last as long as possible. And for those who are into hyper-mileing, my best MPG to date is 49mpg.....needless to say, I'm a happy camper with my little HX model.

cheers.

Hunt4Steve

After doing some more research and reading, I think I'm going to switch over to a Purolator PureOne:

Part# PL14610



Specifications:
Anti-Drain Back Valve Yes Height 3.52
O.D. 2.69 Relief Valve P.S.I. 14-18
Threads M20-1.5 Type of Filter Spin-on
Weight 6.9


I can get two of these from the Amazon site for $9.48

http://www.amazon.com/Purolator-PL14...1080041&sr=1-1

Silver02EX

iTrader: (3)

I wouldn't call the Bosch or Purlolator (Pure One) "cheap" Those are some of the best filters on the market. Both of them has silicone ADBV compared to others such Fram, Super Tech or other house brand.

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

wix is one of the best, and im using the "good" honda filters, never had a problem, used mobil 1 filters for a while, as well as k&n filters. a filter is a filter

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

okay because the honda has two part numbers. one of them is the same as the $2 frams in the store. the pure one is pretty good too, i can usually find those for $4-5. i just play it safe and buy a filter that i know wont fail (K&N, mobil1, wix). prolly purolator does a good job too, i just wouldnt use it personally.

greeen01civic4d

iTrader: (7)

hell, id use a motorcraft if i could, i could get them free

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

not much love for your ride i guess haha

WannaBFast

iTrader: (16)

honda actually uses 3 different filters.. altho there are 1 variants of 1 style...

the s2000/legend/nsx filter is larger and has a single part number, and then theres the other filter which is for every other car but there are 2 styles of this, both are pretty much identical internally, but manufactured by different companies
i forget which companies make which, but one is from honeywell and the other is filtech or something
15400-PLM-A02
15400-PLM-A01

you can visually tell which one is which by the base, the a01 has a protruding sealing bead around the base where the diameter is slightly larger than the case wheras the a02 does not

from what ive noticed, brand new cars off the trucks get the a01 filters, and the dealers use the a02's

15400-PCX-004, this is the s2000 filter, its significantly larger in diameter than the above 2, however it will fit on any honda, since its larger in diameter, it has a larger capacity, so add extra oil if you want to use this filter

Silver02EX

iTrader: (3)

If you look at the ADBV on Honda's (Made by Fram) you can clearly see that it's not the same as the orange fram. The Honda OEM is silicone and the orange Fram is nitrite. Just because Honda's OEM is made by fram, it's not the same as the ones you find in the auto parts store.

TemjinX2

iTrader: (11)

i just used the oem honda filters when i had my civic since they were relatively cheap. If i let the oil drain and sit there for awhile usually there was no oil in the filter. If i drained and switched out the filter right away, oil will ooze out of the filter.

Thats why i use to just let it sit there and grab so lunch so nothing would come out of the filter. Having hot oil oozing down to your arm pit isn't fun.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

one of the oem filters is exactly the same as the $2 fram in stores, i saw pics side by side and couldnt tell a difference.

Silver02EX

iTrader: (3)

Here's a picture to show you. Look at the 2 ADBV. one is orange (silicone) and the other is black (nitrite)

Honda OEM (fram) about half way down the page.

http://www.crvownersclub.com/forums/...?t=971&page=10


Fram Extended Guard

http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php...=si&img=325940

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i still wouldnt use anything that was made by fram. this makes me want to switch to amsoil

http://wolverine-synthetics.com/page...omparison.html

WannaBFast

iTrader: (16)

was it cut open?

also u sure it wasnt 2 fram filters side by side and one painted blue like the honda filters? ive seen it done before.. where some guy makes their filter LOOK like the competition and cut open the guts

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

yeah it was on this site i just cant find it cause the search sucks now. there is actually a really bad s2k oem filter too, compared to the "new" revised model, it sucks ballz. i think you can still find both tho at dealers. that i saw on s2ki forums.