sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

btw, congrats on the work yogeshsr. your $100 dollar investment probably saved you a good $300... good work man.

yogeshsr

thank you sl33pyriceboi. I am going to order the breaker bar today!

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

it might be cheaper (save on shipping) to buy it form your local walmart or auto store.... i got mine at autozone for $16. i bought both a 1/2 and a 3/8 breaker bar.

i also use it to loosen my lug nuts too. Bbar is very useful.

yogeshsr

i ordered http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i01_details from amazon for $14. also wanted to order some other stuff,so qualified for free shipping

yogeshsr

breaker bar did the trick! the 3/8 drain bolt surrendered in few seconds so I am done with my first ever ATF drain and fill. I am going to drive the car for few hundred miles before I do another drain. Also changed the spark plugs(I know iridium is the best but I installed the cheap V power this time any ways planning to change them next year)

Special thanks to you sl33pyriceboi your words really encouraged me to do the work myself.
I have now $100 worth of tools with me which will last for a long time and the knowledge, which is priceless.

I did loads of research and price comparison before ordering the tools and fluids, putting everything that together for another newbie like me

Maintenance done:
1)ATF drain and fill
2)power steering fluid
3)Coolant
4)spark plugs
6)brake fluid(still pending - will do next week)

Tools:

1)Great Neck PSO40 40 Piece 1/4-Inch and 3/8-Inch Drive Socket Set

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i01_details
$10
2)Torin T42002 2 Ton Jack Stands (Sold in Pairs)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
$23
3)Jack
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
$35
4)3/8-Inch Drive Socket Wrench Breaker Bar - 15-Inches Long

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i01_details
$13
Autozone has this for the same price
5)9 pc wrench set %u2013 walmart in stores (make sure its metric)
$8
6)All fluids from http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/
Searched few sites and I found this site has the cheapest one
part no and desc

08200-9008 FLUID(ATF DW-1)
OL999-9011 COOLANT (TYPE-2)
08206-9002 FLUID, P.S.
08798-9008 FLUID, BRAKE (DOT 3)

7) 5/8-Inch x 6-Inch Swivel Spark Plug Socket
Amazon and autozone has this for the same price you need to use the 3/8-Inch Drive Socket which is covered in item 1
$12
9)Spark plugs from Autozone(NGK ngk iridium or Vpower I used v - power) cheaper at autozone store vs Amazon.
$8
10)funnel and oil drain pan -walmart
$5

yogeshsr

This may be the coincidence, but when I took my car today on freeway and was driving at decent speed(60-65), suddenly the engine light came on. is this because of the bad spark plugs or too loose/tight plugs or may be the gap? because I don't think tranny,coolant,power str fluids can cause this - and i checked the levels, they are fine.
I didn't open the fuel cap for last 15 days, so I dont think that's the cause.
will go to autozone today to check the code.
thanks in advance...

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

yup. check the code to see what it says. and let us know. it might be something completely different but it just so happens that it turned on coincidentally.

it might be that you didnt tighten the spark plug enough. (torque wrench is prob your next purchase)

also, did u measure exactly how much ATF you took out? you might have taken out a little more than 3qt and your ATF might be low. check your ATF dipstick.

and again, congrats my friend. see how easy all that way? people are afraid to do simple work on their car (like ATF change) and think they have to go to the dealer to do it, and that is where the dealer takes advantage of you and charges you $100+ for an ATF change

yogeshsr

thanks for the reply sl33pyriceboi...went to Autozone(burbank,CA) this morning and they told me that they don't do the code check any more, and suggested me to go to the mechanic.
Actually my best guess is the spark plugs. I installed them on Saturday, and after that saw a post that I should not tight them too much, so re-opened and re-installed the same spark plugs by re-checking the gap @ 0.44, and left them bit loose.
I bought 5/8-Inch x 6-Inch Swivel Spark Plug Socket to do the spark plug work. I am going to tight them a bit today and see if the light goes.
ATF level is good, I checked the dipstick, and I am going to do the same for next few days(every alternate day- all the fluids that i changed) to make sure than the levels are correct.

CraigW

iTrader: (1)

^^^ Hondas don't take well to non oem plugs.

yogeshsr

NGK V power doesn't go well with honda civic 2002? I read on this website that iridium is the best(for life span) but next to that is V power and there is no noticeable difference between these two when you are driving.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

could be more specific on which brands?

because i dont know where you got this bit of info from but the hondas ive worked with worked fine with NGK iridium, NGK V, Bosch, and the autozone iridium brand... all have worked absolutely fine.

i have install those on various hondas (from pilots, accords to civics).

got2run5

I don't have a torque wrench so I stick by the two finger rule. Tighten them with two fingers on the ratchet and when it becomes difficult with two fingers then stop. Other people hand tighten and then do another 1/2 to 3/4 turn but I prefer the two fingers. If you have an Oreillys or an Advance Auto parts near you then you can take it there to get the code checked. If you take it to a mechanic they will charge you at least 50 just to read the code

Btw I didn't see this post before but nice job on your own work. It's addicting... once you start doing your own stuff it becomes a sense of pride to keep tackling bigger and bigger projects.

04 Honda Civic

iTrader: (2)

I have seen this as well. They run good for awhile, but over time they tend to cause problems. Some worse then others. If your not going to get OEM plugs, at the very least buy Irridiums. (This holds true for the 7th gen Civics, cant vouch for the rest of the cars you listed but I assume its the same)

yogeshsr

thanks got2run5.
Indeed its addictive! My wife calls my car as my second wife whom I love more than her cause from last few days, after coming back from work; I spend most of my time on reading the civic forums and watching the DIY videos on youtube!

yogeshsr

I tightened the spark plugs. If that's the cause, will the light go automatically?

yogeshsr

Today I went to Pepboys and they did it free for me
the code is P0420 and the guy said its something to do with the catalytic converter, O2 sensor and blabla..anyways he said they don't fix that and I need to go to the muffler shop and then once the problem is fixed, they can reset the light for me.
Anything I can check myself before going to the muffler shop? I guess it has nothing to do with the spark plugs then (or even tranny oil change)

In case anyone want's to check the codes for engine light free, you can go to Pepboys.
Autozone might do it for free in the other states but not in CA anymore.
Aamco on their website says they do the free code checking but when I called the guy, he said would charge me 29.99

UPDATE: I think I should start a new thread now as this has nothing to do with the fluid change. thanks everyone for your help.
started https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...intenance.html

mattandchris

I prefer "liquid soap" at my bath and kitchen sink.
The liquid soap is packaged in a 6 inch high plastic bottle, with a "pump" screwed into the top of the soap bottle.
Remove the pump from the bottle, wash out the soap, and attach 12 inches of clear plastic hose to the end of the pump.
There, I made the tool I needed to change my PS fluid.
Pumping out the power steering fluid, from the P.S. reservoir into an empty milk jug, takes 5 minutes.
The turkey baster method is too much in-and-out of the reservoir for me,and messy too.

One bottle of OEM honda power steering fluid does 2 complete fluid changes on my 2010 civic-lx reservoir.
My dealer wants $75 for this service.
Some brands of hair conditioner and moisturizing creme (in 10 inch tall bottles), have bigger pumps that would work even faster/better...mattandchris

PostScript: Overfilled your ATF fluid? Need to take a little fluid back out?
Replace the 12 inches of clear plastic hose with something a little longer, say mabey 24-36 inches.
The tranny is down there at the bottom of the engine bay.
Remove the ATF dipstick, put the plastic hose into the dipstick hole, and remove the amount of ATF fluid you need to take out.