Everyone Come Laugh At the Newb

[HootyHoo]

Ok I just tried to change the oil on my passport. This is my first time flying solo on an oil change and my first one on the passport. I got the brush guard off first so I could get to the oil filter when the time came to take it off. I found the oil drain plug (had a freak out moment cause the part said it was mfg by a raidiator co. but I consulted the part number and found out it was the oil pan) got the wrench on it and pulled, nothing happened. I changed positions so I could get both hands on it and pulled, the engine leaned and I was lifted off the ground. What the -ing hell, are they putting loc-tite on the damn drain plugs now? or are they using a damn impact wrench? Ok now everyone get a good laugh and flame in (I probably deserve it) and tell me wtf I'm missing.

[TransAmDriver]

Where to start....:O

Take the car someone before you break it.:eek:

[HootyHoo]

Where to start....:O

Take the car someone before you break it.:eek:

lol I know. I gave up after tryin it with both hands. I'm proud to say that I wasn't dumb enough to strip the bolt. I've assisted friends before and had them walk me through it and even did it on my own a couple times with my buddy standin there telling me what to do. Seemed easy enough except when I dropped the damn plug in the pan and had to fish it out ("look at that mess you made"), but we never had any trouble getting the damn plug lose with some elbow grease. I'd just like to know what the quickie oil change shop is doin to the bolt to make it so damn hard to get off. Anyone know?

P.S. I AM going to take it to the honda dealership and have them do it. Just pissed cause I'm broke and this is gonna be another 40-50 bucks on my credit card (dangerously close to maxing it out).

[Alex]

They probably used an impact wrench on it. That's why its so tight. You can use a breaker bar (long metal thingy) to get it off. Why take it to the dealership when you can take it to any oil change shop where they'll do it for $20?

[BooostedAWD]

righty tighty, lefty loosey :D

I would NOT trust anybody else to touch my car...
I've heard too many oil change horror stories from businesses and companies like Jiffy Lube and so on.

[srtowner]

Yeah it a commonly known fact that manufactures use the Incredible Hulk to tighten oil filters and drain plugs. Unfortunatly they use Stephen Hawking to tighten factory Intercooler hoses.

[BooostedAWD]

Yeah it a commonly known fact that manufactures use the Incredible Hulk to tighten oil filters and drain plugs. Unfortunatly they use Stephen Hawking to tighten factory Intercooler hoses.


Hahahahaaa,
you've made my day. lol.

[HootyHoo]

Why take it to the dealership when you can take it to any oil change shop where they'll do it for $20?

Because the dealership puts it on a lift and the oil change shop has a man in a hole. I can watch the guys at the dealership and try to get them to use hand tools instead of a damn impact wrench. I don't trust the guys at jiffy to actually replace my oil filter and not just tell me they did, because you have to remove the damn brush guard to get to it. hell the guy at the jiffy lube could just be pretending to change my oil and I wouldn't know it. Besides, they charge extra because it's considered a japanese suv.

[Zx RaTeD]

You must be a midget, that's ok. Find someone that is at least 5'6". Haha, jk.

[Anderson]

Because the dealership puts it on a lift and the oil change shop has a man in a hole. I can watch the guys at the dealership and try to get them to use hand tools instead of a damn impact wrench. I don't trust the guys at jiffy to actually replace my oil filter and not just tell me they did, because you have to remove the damn brush guard to get to it. hell the guy at the jiffy lube could just be pretending to change my oil and I wouldn't know it. Besides, they charge extra because it's considered a japanese suv.


If a Jiffy used an impact wrench you would hear it, and you actually would hear the oil being dispensed into your car as well. Ask the guys to see the old oil filter when they remove it. Make sure you know what it looks like though so they just don't pick up any old filter. And I am pretty sure the brush guard shouldn't be removed to change your oil, maybe you are talking about a skid plate? To be honest you should just change it yourself. Make sure you are turning the bolt the right way. I mean you already purchased the oil and filter anyways, right? Plus its always a handy, money-saving maintence issue that you should learn to do. The only reason anyone charges extra is because of the oil you use, not because of the car you drive.

[Anderson]

Oh and about the putting on a life or a man in the hole. I would much rather the work be done off a lift. Do you know how many cars fall off of dealership lifts? Plus they will do damage if the car is not put on correctly. Just one more thing to worry about when having someone else work on your car.


NINJA EDIT:If someone else does do the oil change remember to always check for leaks around the drain bolt and filter. Have had a friend who lost an engine due to someone else changing his oil

[BooostedAWD]

Here is a news story about Jiffy lube ripping people off...
totally sucks.

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html (http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html)


I've heard of Jiffy draining the oil out and forgetting to put it back in.. so the customer ends up losing his engine just a couple miles down the road.
Jiffy denies everything. I hate them.

[Anderson]

Once you leave their property they are no longer liable. Frankly, you are retarded if you don't notice someone not putting oil in your car. Even if you are mechanically retarded, you should at least know that much. I don't care who you are. Yes, you paid for a service, but you have a choice of who you take your car too. I have been on a road trip and pulled into a Jiffy, didn't like what I saw and proceeded to go down to Autozone and do it myself in the back of the parking lot and then changed my oil....

[Black Kat]

put a pipe on the end of your wrench

[HootyHoo]

I think one of my classmates has an impact wrench. I'm waitin on him to show up (half an hour late as usual) to see if I can bring my passport over this weekend and use it.

[WiggiE]

Don't use an impact wrench, dude. That's what got you into this mess in the first place. Also, if for some reason the bolt was crossthreaded you can say goodbye to the rest of your threads when you take the bolt off. Do yourself a favor and go get a 1/2" breaker bar. It is a necessity when you work on your car.

[BooostedAWD]

actually, do this if you can't find a pipe to fit over your wrench.

My oil drain plug is a 17mm... so I find an 18mm wrench and attach the box end of the 17 to the plug.

Interlock the box end of the 18mm, onto the open end of the 17. and as long as you push one way, it will stay locked, giving you more leverage.

good luck.

[CPMaverick]

Holy Cripes

First off NOBODY puts the plug on with an impact wrench, it just doesn't happen. No reason and it would take more time than a regular wrench anway. It's probably just tight because the guy standing up in the pit or when your car is on a lift has a lot more leverage than you do on the ground with dirt in your eyes. ;)

Do NOT use an impact to take the thing off either. It will spin off instantly and you'll have oil everywhere.

Just extend your leverage somehow, bigger wrench, ratchet, pipe on wrench, or the two=one wrench trick (like above, hard to explain but eay to do), get it broke loose BY HAND. The rest is cake.

I actually saw a Toyota truck that Wal-Mart changed the oil on, they pulled the TRANSMISSION drain plug, drained all the tranny fluid, put 5 more quarts of oil in it, and sent it on its way. IMO you are much better off doing it yourself.

I would prefer the dealer if you can't do it yourself, there are still no guarantees (oil change guy is probably the least experienced and/or intelligent person there) but generally they are going to do a better job and are better equipped to fix any mistakes. Cars that fall off a lift in a dealership are probably one in 10 million, it's just very unlikely. Besides lots of dealers have drive-on lifts that are pretty much foolproof.

<--- Oil change pit bitch all through HS :p

[HootyHoo]

To be honest you should just change it yourself. Make sure you are turning the bolt the right way. I mean you already purchased the oil and filter anyways, right? Plus its always a handy, money-saving maintence issue that you should learn to do. The only reason anyone charges extra is because of the oil you use, not because of the car you drive.

I plan on changing it myself. Screw the dealership. I've got a friend with an impact wrench and I'm going over there on Sat. And they do charge extra for the car. I dont use any special oil. Castrol 10w30, same thing that's gone into every car I've owned. There's something about japanese suv that makes them think they can charge more money. (yet another reason I'm doin this myself)

You must be a midget, that's ok. Find someone that is at least 5'6". Haha, jk.

I am 5'6", and a very fat man. All the more reason that I'm pissed about managing to squeeze myself under the damn car and not bein able to get the -ing plug loose.

[Black Kat]

how bout goin to walmart and paying like $18 for them to do it. AND you can stand out in the garage and watch them work. I always did

[organic]

They might have tried to charge you more because your vehicle runs synthetic instead of dino oil. And for your sake....... please don't use an impact wrench, a little leverage will do what 150 ft/lbs. will srcew-up royaly

[HootyHoo]

I'm not gonna use an impact wrench. My friend has a socket big enough and a nice long handled socket wrench. If that ain't enough he's also got a long metal pipe that fits over the handle. Haven't been able to do it yet cause his wife has been in the hospital but got out this week so we gonna do it this weekend.

[phillyd]

I would be happy to give you and any other n00b a "how to" on LOF. This is a must to know to even say you are entry level enthusiast. Any questions? :thumbsup:

[Jess]

holy shit a 3 page thread on an oil change :cheers2:

[I want something fast]

Oh and about the putting on a life or a man in the hole. I would much rather the work be done off a lift. Do you know how many cars fall off of dealership lifts? Plus they will do damage if the car is not put on correctly. Just one more thing to worry about when having someone else work on your car.


NINJA EDIT:If someone else does do the oil change remember to always check for leaks around the drain bolt and filter. Have had a friend who lost an engine due to someone else changing his oil

This wouldn't have been a girl with a civic from Pensacola would it?

[Anderson]

This wouldn't have been a girl with a civic from Pensacola would it?


No it was actually Adam with the red civic.

[WiggiE]

Another reason to DIY:

http://mfile.akamai.com/12924/wmv/vod.ibsys.com/2006/0503/9152183.200k.asx

[srtowner]

thats another reason I'm strictly a DIYer.

[Drew]

I'll never take either my car or whitney's to ANYONE (except Jay the volvo guy) to change our oil. The chain stores charge way too much and after seeing that news report of jiffy lube screwing people, that just solidified what I'd always known could be going on.

Walmart put 9 quarts of oil in my mustang back in the day which I promptly returned that night and dumped 4 quarts back onto the pavement around the door to the service dept but that's neither here nor there.

As others have said, just use a pipe over a 1/2" socket wrench and it should come loose. If not, try some PB blaster or WD40 to help loosen it up. Anything but the impact gun.

And now would be a good time to invest in a quality torque wrench (if not, borrow one...lots of us have them) so when you put that bolt back on, it's not too tight and not too loose.

You know how to change the filter right? Lube the rubber gasket on the new filter, hand tighten, etc?

K&N's new oil filters have a bolt welded to the end of the filter so you just stick a socket and wrench up against it to remove it in case it somehow created a kungfu grip on the oil pump. Genious... I've struggled with more than enough clumsy filter removal wrenches and tools to try and fool with that again.

http://www.knfilters.com/oilfilter.htm

[ANTIVNM]

Could have been worse...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNgfL-1U-s4