Civic:Where did they hide the oil filter?

Have you looked in the engine compartment, while holding the manual open to the page where it shows the filtre to be located? They're not that hard to spot.

Brian

Well............ thanks for that nice tip. You have obviously never opened a hood of a 2002 Civic and looked for the oil filter. It's not in plane site at all. I figure it's only accessible from the bottom end of the car engine bay, but don't have any car ramps to raise the front end up to see the @#$% oil filter. My Jeep had such high ground clearance I could always just slide under to see every think, but not with the Civic.

If I had the manual in front of me (it wouldn't matter for what type of vehicle) I could find the oil filtre.

Brian

Yes Brian...we are all sure you could find a oil filter on any car with the manual in front of you, that is not in question and yes Brian, it does show in the manual of the 02 Civic a drive shaft next to the oil filter so I know the area it's in. You just can't see it form the top or sides of the Civic. Yes Brian, I'm sure I could drive my 02 Civic up on some car ramps and crawl under the car and the filter may be right in front of me. The whole point of the post was to find some people with this model of Civic and they could give some in-depth details on how they change their oil and filter in the best way possible. You see I've had several makes and model cars over the years and all have little bit different ways that is best to remove the oil filter. For example, my previous sedan was a 3-series BMW and it had a special way of reaching down in the engine bay to unscrew the oil filter without spilling a drop of oil. If you tried it from any other angle it would dump out as you removed the filter. So all I was looking for was some special tips for the best way to change my oil and filter in the cleanest fastest way possible on my 02 Civic. But looks like know one here does there own oil changes that owns a Civic. Thanks again for you concern.

"Brian Smith" wrote in message news:oIEme.25118$9A2.6855@edtnps89...

"Rob" wrote in news:d7fajm$ds9a$ snipped-for-privacy@news3.infoave.net:

The oil filter is on the rear face of the block, about halfway up. It cannot be reached from anywhere else but under the car. The only tips specific to Civic oil changes I think you will need 1) floor jack point is dead center in front about a foot from the front end. DO NOT EVER get under a car with only a floor jack, use jack stands for safety . DO NOT use cinder blocks, they can fail catastrophically and kill you. 2) When exhaust has cooled enough to touch, get a piece of newspaper or equivalent and about four paper towels. Stuff the paper towels in the space between tne block and engine mount to soak up spillage. Put the newspaper over the exhaust to keep oil off of the exhaust (heard all the stories about smoke after oil changes? This is what causes it.)

3) If you dont have the right oil filter wrench for the car, use a very large pair of channellock pliers to remove the old filter. Some people will cringe at this, but are you ever going to use the filter again? Didn't think so. Once you have selected a new filter you can get along with, buy a wrench that will fit it. The original filter may be an odd size compared with what is availible in your area, buy a strap style wrench that will fit your new filter, not the old one. Don't waste your money on one of those cup style wrenches that fit only one size, they may not fit what is availible next time. 4) When you remove the old filter make sure the old rubber seal comes off with it, if it doesn't remove it before you put on the new one. Clean off the mounting surface ,oil or grease the new seal lightly before installing. If you cannot tighten the new filter 3/4 turn after it contacts the engine block (or whatever the filter mfg. suggests)by hand, use your filter wrench but DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN. Too much pressure and heat can bond the rubber seal to the engine block and make a ten minute job into a two hour ordeal. Take it easy on the next guy to do the job, it may be you. 5) This is a Japanese designed car, do not try to use inch size tools, they will round off your bolts. GET THE RIGHT SIZE TOOL. Remove the drain plug and drain the oil. The bolt sealing washer is not as important as so many people will tell you . I have a Honda motorcycle that I have changed the oil on about twenty times and have only replaced it once. Just change it about every third time. If you do not have a good feel for it, I do suggest you use a torque wrench to tighten. 29 ft-lb for aluminum pan and 33 ft-lb for steel pan,you don't want to strip out this hole. 6)After making sure the drain bolt and the filter are on, add three and a half quarts, start and run for about 30 seconds and turn off engine, check for leaks, lower car to get it level then add oil to the dipstick mark. 7) Log on to Honda owner link and record your work, your car will be worth more to an astute buyer and Honda won't give you as much grief if you have a warranty problem. It would not be a bad idea to tear off the oil filter box top, staple the receipt for the oil and filter and write the date on it and save them for your own records. That was what sold me on my first used car purchase. The previous owner had them going back over ten years . I don't know where you live but in most places in the US you can get into trouble disposing of used oil improperly. Most places that change oil, car dealerships, lawn mower shops, etc will take it, just call first. The filter can be disposed of with household garbage AFTER being drained.

On 2005-05-29 snipped-for-privacy@blomand.net said: >Newsgroups: alt.autos.honda >Well............ thanks for that nice tip. You have obviously >never opened a hood of a 2002 Civic and looked for the oil filter. >It's not in plane site at all. I figure it's only accessible from >the bottom end of the car engine bay, but don't have any car ramps >to raise the front end up to see the @#$% oil filter. My Jeep had >such high ground clearance I could always just slide under to see >every think, but not with the Civic. Better get some ramps or (my preference) a good jack and a pair of stands, 'cause your oil drain pan probably won't fit under without raising the car. Crawl under, reach up to the filter, wipe the oil out of your armpit...

Nuisance? Sure, but I don't like $30 oil changes either.

Tom Willmon near Mountainair, (mid) New Mexico, USA

Stupidity got us into this mess; why can't it get us out?

Net-Tamer V 1.12.0 - Registered

Thanks Scott that is what I was looking for!

You're not going to be able to do it without buying some metal ramps from Home Depot. It's not like they're that expensive, and the savings vs. taking it to the dealer will make them pay for themselves anyway. I have an '04 Element and I had a hell of a time changing the filter, even with a ramp...

-Sonarrat.

FWIW, I've given up on ramps and gone to a floor jack and stands. The total cost is a bit higher but there are fewer opportunities for trouble (like one ramp sliding forward on the cement or getting less than centered or driving too far and coming off the front of ramps) and the jack method is more flexible. You can't work on brakes or even rotate tires with ramps. It is a moot point now, as I don't think any of our cars have enough clearance on the nose to get onto ramps. If the nose of the car scrapes on parking blocks, don't bother buying ramps.

Mike

I haven't had any of those problems with ramps, either in terms of clearance or sliding. I've changed the oil in a '82 Honda Accord, a '95 Toyota Celica, a '96 Subaru SVX, an '02 PT Cruiser, my current '04 Honda Element, and my dad's '04 Mazda RX-8. No problems with any of them.. (doesn't hurt to have someone help to guide you, though.)

You're right that there are a bunch of things that can't be done that way, though.

-Sonarrat.