TOTAL Oil Loss....Have I Ruined My Engine?

I have a 2004 and 2001 6 cyl Accords, and the filters are different diameters.

On 4/21/2007 11:08 PM Paul S spake these words of knowledge:

I have a 2001 Odyssey (6-cylinder) and a 2003 Accord 4-cylinder. The filters are the same. In my case, verified with American Honda, my dealer, and several online Genuine Honda Parts retailers.

RFT!!! Dave Kelsen

I think the "one size" is just for the 4 cylinders. My daughter's '93 Accord was also affected by the part change. I was dubious but the Honda counterman said the new, smaller filter was as good as the older style. Honda has been pretty smart with most of their materials, so I'm going with them on this. FWIW, the OEM filter for our Toyota Prius cars is about the same size.

Mike

Toyota did this years ago! Two sizes fit all. One size for the smaller engines, and one for the bigger. No problem!

OK....well, one vote in favor of the new protocol. I'll keep an open mind and keep on researching. One thing is for sure -- those Amsoil filters are not going to be a viable long term option...they are just way too expensive at 15 bucks each. - Paul

OK...TWO votes in favor now. I'm already feeling less and less ripped off. - Paul

My dealer sells only ONE SIZE filter for Hondas. They told me some dealers have a huge stock of the older larger filters, but Honda only supplies one size for them now.

G-Man

"G-Man" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.supernews.com:

15400-PLM-A02 does 95% of Honda engines.

There's another size that fits a few TLs and the NSX.

At least that tells me it's not just a Canadian thing...the one size is now apparently standard throughout N. America for many Hondas. I now hear that some folks actually prefer to use an over-size filter on their vehicles (with the proper fitting, of course). Wonder if that would make any difference long term in terms of significantly cleaner oil. Six an one half dozen ther other as I'm not going to try it..... enough misadventures lately to last me the whole summer. Paul.

Greetings To All:

This is a brief update on the "total loss" of oil I experienced recently with my '04 accord. Basically, I've now driven the car about

300 miles since the mishap (running the engine for 15 seconds with no oil at all after accidentally double-gasketing the filter), and it seems to be doing fairly well. I'm getting 33 miles to the gallon which is not bad for a lot of in town driving, and the acceleration and shifting are good. What's troublesome is a mild but noticeable noise, similar to Freon gurgling in one of those old A/C units that goes in a window, for a few seconds when I turn the car off. You can only hear it with the hood up, standing next to the engine. This noise is a slight metallic clanging like low pitched wind chimes, and it's definitely coming from under the valve cover. I haven't looked at the cam shaft lobes yet, but I may want to have a mechanic inspect them the next time I'm ready for a valve adjustment. I did have the serpentine accessory belt changed out as per suggestions received on this board, just in case of oil contamination. Thanks again for all of the helpful information and support. - Paul

It is very likely that you will have that noise for the next 300,000 miles.

That sound isn't what I'd associate with oil loss. I think fortune has favored you this time :-)

Mike

Thanks, Mike...when it comes to cars, I need all the help I can get. - Paul.

This is the indirect result of running the car out of oil. Because you ran it out of oil you are now opening the hood and putting your ear next to the engine and anxiously listening for any sign of trouble. I think you are probably OK, but do keep an eye on the oil level. Good luck.

It's almost always better to be lucky than to be good ;-)

Thanks....you're probably right. - Paul

A true statement, Mike. And to think I was going to try bleeding my own brakes! Not any more. Maybe I could do it, maybe not, but I'm not going to find out...not with it being such a major safety issue. I am planning to flush out my radiator today, no problem. Along with changing a PCV valve and an air filter. But the brakes? No way.

- Paul

I really don't believe 15 seconds will have done any damage. I can't blame you for worrying, but consider this: after draining and filling the engine and filter, it takes a LOT longer than 15 seconds for pressure to build sufficiently to circulate, anyway! And, area that may have been damaged by non-circulating oil probably held some oil, anyway. I wouldn't fret about it!

I ran (actually, my stepfather, driving my car) a Corolla 1200 with about

1 qt of oil for a couple weeks! The rings needed replacing at 160,000 miles.

Hi - Thank you for the encouraging post. I really have gotten a lot of reassurance on this page that I didn't screw my car up, for which I'm quite grateful. I also think that I had a bit of luck here, as was pointed out by another poster. I guess the real luck is that it was just a minor thing and not (a) a major expense, or worse (b) a serious safety issue. So I'm happy. - Paul