Baby's First Oil Change.

"Taylor Martin" (tjmartin)
08/15/2020 at 11:48 • Filed to: None

A car I maintained, not on fire, as the skies were ablaze.

A whole lot of you came to the rescue yesterday when I slightly overfilled... or maybe didn’t overfill my engine with oil. My dipstick was resting on the minimum mark, and I had 200 miles to go, so I figured I’d fill it up (as well as my coolant, but nothing went wrong when I poured it in because I could see the minimum and maximum marks on the reserve tank). My dipstick came out either above the dot or on the dot, even so high as up to the curve of my dipstick.

Holding my dipstick, feeling like a dipsh*t

My vehicle was eventually deemed safe to drive by experts like Racing Bob and Pip, and literally everyone who commented on my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Thank you all, truly, for coming in handy.

Regardless, the whole ordeal made me increasingly nervous about actually doing my oil change. I could’ve easily drove a half a mile to Firestone and let them fix it all up, but where’s the pride in that?

So I churned through the 200 miles from Orlando to Miami to G arage Y ourself, a DIY workshop with a lift, all the tools I’d need, and folks the know how to do an oil change and tire rotation.

Todd, the owner, held my hand through the whole thing (while socially distancing, of course). I didn’t feel stupid around him, though I’m sure I looked like an idiot to the other patrons. A couple of guys, maybe a year older than me, were working on their slammed Subaru. An old man pulled up next to me in the cleanest Cadillac Escalade I’d ever seen. Todd owned a Wrangler that looked more like a monster truck (and sounded like one too).

Meanwhile, I drove into the shop with my dented, unwashed station wagon. It was still a conversation starter, hard to find TSX Wagons and all that, but I could tell they didn’t trust me to maintain it well either.

There were a lot of points where I stood idle, waiting for Todd to not be busy with other patrons, so that he could come over and answer a stupid question of mine, but after 3 hours...

Hard to tell, but the oil is draining.

Was real tired after this... haha... tire...

I actually, competently, maintained the car! I took the first picture while the oil drain out, not pitch black, but dark enough. The second picture is me removing a tire for the first time. Yes, this was a first too, since my car doesn’t come with a spare or a jack. I also elected to use a breaker bar rather than an impact wrench, because, when I do start buying my own tools, I most likely won’t have a garage or access to electricity.

However, as I worked on the car, a few worrying discoveries were made.

- The skid tray that protects my car’s inner workings from the ground is typically held in by 6 screws and some plastic clips. My car has 4 of those screws, one of which is totally stripped and rusted , and two of the clips are missing. It’s still snug on installation, the tray slides into the rubber under the bumper, but it’s a bit concerning.

- The washer used by Firestone had been reused multiple times, rather than replaced on every oil change. That meant the drain bolt was overly tightened, to make sure the washer stayed compressed. Todd had to loosen that one off for me, which leads me to the third concern.

- I’m weak as hell. It took all 125lbs of me to get the breaker bar to budge even a little. Every time I screwed something in by hand until I couldn’t anymore it was too loose. And yeah, I can lift my tires, but my legs were visibly shaking the entire time. It’s the morning after now, and I’m incredibly sore.

Despite all those little things, I’d never felt more proud of my own work . I feel like I actually had control over my own vehicle, just me and Iris (and Todd who saved my butt on multiple occasions).

Todd also told me that there’s a garage with a very similar service in Kissimmee, which is significantly closer to where I live . There isn’t a Todd there, at least not to my knowledge, but there’s probably someone like him who’d spot me as I destroy my car. (Todd told me this as I was driving out too, which he didn’t have to do and I’d likely go to him again if I ever needed a workspace. He’s honest to customers. What a legend).

Driving 200 miles home on my own work felt amazing. A bit concerning, yes, since I didn’t know if the car was about to explode or a tire would fall off, but amazing. The ride felt better and the shifts smoother, though maybe that’s because I worked on the car myself.

Me and the Escalade owner got to chatting, briefly. I told him this was my first oil change and tire rotation, to which he said “hey, it’s a start.”

It’s a start indeed.

Now, one last stupid question before I sign off: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! says I can run on my oil for about 20,000 miles and my tires for about 10,000. That’s ridiculously high in comparison to Firestone’s service scheduling (every 4,000 miles, maybe less).

Should I just go off my oil life indicator? Or is there a particular mileage you all, as the experts, tend to go off of?

(I run on 0W-20, synthetic, which is apparently good to last for a while...)

I’m proud, my car is still in one piece, and I got to pet a shop dog (no pictures though, sorry).

Take care folks, and thanks again.

DISCUSSION (45)

Boxer_4 > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 11:56

You have to start somewhere. I don’t respect the people who don’t respect that fact.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 11:57

I run synthetic in three of my cars and if you drive a lot and it’s a modern car you should be in the 7,000-10,000 range depending on conditions. That being said keep an eye on oil level and color changes indicating it’s getting old or the level is low. 20k is just way too far, that oil will be burnt toast by then.

WRXforScience > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 11:59

If you have trouble with brute strength, get a longer lever and work smarter, not harder. A ‘cheater’ bar/pipe or the good’ol double wrench trick can work wonders. The length of the lever arm is directly proportional to the force required to turn the wrench, so as long as you’ve got room, use the longest option whenever lots of force is required.

There’s more leeway in maintenance and repair than you think. Most of the first timers’ issues are with being too concerned with making slight mistakes (like your overfill scenario), but for many repair or maintenance tasks there’s a pretty wide margin of acceptable results. Experience is what will teach you which details to sweat and which to approximate.

Just Jeepin' > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 11:59

When you get your own tools, I’d suggest in addition to a good breaker bar, find a long pipe that will slide over it. That way, if you run up against something truly brutal, you can use the pipe to give yourself more leverage.

Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.

Anyway, congrats. No one is born knowing how to do this, and frankly I didn’t do my first oil change until my mid-40s (and still don’t have the back, the strength, the tools, the garage, or the knowledge to do much more complicated than that).

VincentMalamute-Kim > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:05

Unlike most of the internet, Oppo gives nice responses to the most basic questions. This is a good site

Your “worrying list” is the reason you should try to do as much as you can yourself. You probably won’t strip, break, overtighten, etc. Yeah, you might or might not have overfilled a bit but a quick change place could have overfilled it a lot. I have so many bad stories from friends having their oil changed.

Being too weak to loosen a bolt - that’s why they sell longer and longer breaker bars. As well as exercise machines and weight lifting equipment!

20K is way too long for me- many filters except the most expensive ones won’t last that long. I’d follow your oil life indicator. Or change every 7.5K or so. I change every 5K with syn on my turbo Transit.

10K for tire rotation seems reasonable. I rotate each time I change between snow / all season tires.

Not posting a pic of the shop dog is inexcusable.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:12

WRXforscience makes a good point that precision and exactness is often unnecessary and knowing when to use it will come with experience.

You would be surprised at how close enough is usually good enough in most surgery and even neurosurgery. Cars are the same.

BeaterGT > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:16

All hail Todd!

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:24

Glad it all worked out! I second everything that everyone else said. The oil might be able to go 20k miles (though I doubt it), but the filter won’t. Also, with older cars, more frequent oil changes are better for the engine, since in theory fittings are a bit bigger than when it was new.

If you plan on keeping the car for at least a few years, get a Fumoto oil drain valve. Best $20 you’ll ever spend.

The plastic pan is no big deal. I usually replace broken plastic bolts with zip ties, because if I replace them with plastic bolts, I’m just gonna break them again anyway.

Do you know when the trans and diff were last done? If the car is AWD (idk if this was an option or not), it has a rear diff - obviously it doesn’t if it isn’t. The front diff on Honda’s is usually integrated with the trans, but again double check me. Those would be my only two concerns, and then next to that would be new brake fluid.

Taylor Martin > VincentMalamute-Kim
08/15/2020 at 12:25

I was too busy petting the dog to take a photo of it, I can tell you her name was S weat P ea, she was golden brown, and incredibly soft.

As I was driving home I realized that the difference between me and Firestone is that whenever I go to Firestone I know what they did, whereas if I fix my own car I know what I did, how I did it, and how badly I botched it up.

And yeah, thanks for being nice people on the internet. It’s a nice change of pace.

Taylor Martin > WRXforScience
08/15/2020 at 12:27

Todd showed me the double wrench trick for the drain plug. Totally new to me, and absolutely astounding. I don’t think I’ll ever go without it.

I’m always a bit doubtful of my own competence, and I’d prefer not to destroy my own car. But I’ll learn more and more with each little repair, and feel better and better about it.

KnowsAboutCars > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:28

The more you wrench the more you learn.

I’ve once accidentally stripped the oil plug threads while turning it the wrong direction. And that wasn’t even my first oil change.

Taylor Martin > Just Jeepin'
08/15/2020 at 12:29

Hopefully everything I tightened with my own strength and a socket wrench can be untightened by myself as well, but I’m with you. In this case, bigger (or longer) is better.

I’ll likely do brakes and spark plugs next time, since those will be the big things in need of changing, but for now my car is drivable!

Taylor Martin > VincentMalamute-Kim
08/15/2020 at 12:31

That sort of boggles my mind. I’m a very precise and meticulous person. I laid out all my tools in a certain fashion , fixed one thing at a time, didn’t start one step until I finished another. Maybe it’s OCD or just me being too much of a perfectionist. But you’re both right. The more I do, the sooner I’ll realize what destroys my car and what doesn’t.

Taylor Martin > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2020 at 12:33

The oil spouting out was pretty dark, considering. Though I had driven 1000 miles to MD then 1000 miles back to FL, then 200 miles to Miami. Lot’s of long road trips, not a lot of city driving.

Still, 7000 would be the longest I’ve gone. I stuck pretty religiously to the Firestone sticker on my windscreen. This was the first time I went over.

DipodomysDeserti > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:41

“ I’m weak as hell. It took all 125lbs of me to get the breaker bar to budge even a little. Every time I screwed something in by hand until I couldn’t anymore it was too loose. And yeah, I can lift my tires, but my legs were visibly shaking the entire time. It’s the morning after now, and I’m incredibly sore.”

If you don’t have access to weights, grab a 25 lb kettlebell and look up some workouts. You can get a full body workout with just one, and you’ll strengthen your hands and forearms with every exercise.

If you have access to a rack and a barbell, check out this routine:

https://stronglifts.com/5x5/#gref

You’ll gain strength quickly without feeling burnt out. Barbell workouts will also quickly strengthen your hands and core.

Taylor Martin > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
08/15/2020 at 12:41

I’m not sure if 2012 is considered old or new yet? It’s right on the thres hold. But you, and everyone else, are absolutely right. I got a G enuine Honda oil filter, which came wrapped in plastic so I’m not sure how long it lasts in comparison to a Penzoil PZ-37 (which is what I wanted, but nobody had). Regardless, I wouldn’t push that thing past 10,000. 7,500 sounds about right to me.

I had a full transmission and coolant flush done earlier this year, I don’t know the date off the top of my head, but I believe it was March (before the bulk of COVID hit, just as Disney world started to close). The car is FWD , never had an AWD option (or a bigger engine option which is a shame since it’s the exact same front end as the regular TSX) , and not sure if service was done to the diff as well as the trans.

You’re right, br ake s are next in line. The pads are in good shape (according to Firestone every time they’ve checked it), though the fluid I’m not sure.

What does the Fumoto oil drain valve do? Is it something that’ll save my rear end in the event that I overfill, and is it something I can install without lifting up the car?

Taylor Martin > Boxer_4
08/15/2020 at 12:42

That’s why I like the people on here more than the other wrench-turners who’d instantly judge me for moseying around the underside of my car.

DipodomysDeserti > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:43

Focus on the smell, rather than the color.

Taylor Martin > KnowsAboutCars
08/15/2020 at 12:43

Yikes, that’s no good. I’ve always had an issue with my lefts and rights. While struggling to get the drain plug off I questioned whether it was lefty loosey or righty tighty multiple times. I still have to hold up the L’s and it takes me a couple seconds to realize which is an L.

Taylor Martin > BeaterGT
08/15/2020 at 12:43

A legend among man.

Taylor Martin > DipodomysDeserti
08/15/2020 at 12:45

Yep, I suppose it’s time for me to bulk up. Might help with the ladies too haha.

VincentMalamute-Kim > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:55

Not saying that you are but OCD and perfectionism are often part of the anxiety spectrum and can get in the way of getting things done .

OTOH, someone who just lost a brand new $120 battery separator in his own garage before he could even install it is giving you life advice!

VincentMalamute-Kim > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 12:58

Good on you for tackling brakes and spark plugs! Brakes are simple. Spark plugs on a transverse V6 engine can be a problem.

DipodomysDeserti > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:02

Not sure it’ll help too much with the ladies, but it will help with working on a car.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:03

Exactly why I work on my cars...I hate working on cars but I hate not knowing the conditions of my cars more

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:11

I’m weak and lazy so rotating wheels is a pain as well...The easy way to do it that Ive discovered is to lower the car as low as possible on jack stands (or the lift), sit on the floor and use your feet to support the wheels as you put them on the car. Somehow my ankles can lift up the wheels kindof easily and I can rotate the wheels using both my arms to align them with the studs/bolt holes...Also, I rotate my tires every 5k miles on the Mini but then again it gets driven hard on the street plus the occasional autox.

If you are planning to work on your car, an impact will be a good investment. My harbor freight $100 boi has been working well for the past 2 years now...

If you dont mind spending some money, you can get a lab to analyze your used engine oil. They will tell you how much life it has remaining so you can do your next change based off of that. These guys have been quite helpful: https://www.blackstone-labs.com/

$27 for a sample and they send you a free kit so you dont have to worry bout that or shipping.

onlytwowheels > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:17

Your owner’s manual recommen ds oil change intervals of 10k miles . You can go by the factory service schedule, or do it earlier, but not 20k miles.

Congrats on your first service.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:24

http://www.fumotousa.com/

Life. Changing. It replaces your oil drain plug. As long as you can fit your body (or arm if the oil pan is close to the front) and something to catch the oil, you can drain without tools. I’ve used them on every car I’ve owned in the last decade and they’re marvelous.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 13:37

I go off my oil indicator with the TSX. With synthetic that is fine.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 15:27

Get a basic torque wrench so you can make sure you tighten things properly. Until you have been wrenching for years it’s very difficult to know what 20 or 50 ft-lbs feels like.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > DipodomysDeserti
08/15/2020 at 15:28

* That oil will smell like burnt toast by then.

DipodomysDeserti > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2020 at 15:54

I love the smell of PAH’s in the morning.

wafflesnfalafel > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 16:49

very nice - congrats

You inspired me to get off my tookus and get ours done this morning too. Little secret between you and me - I am, shall we say “ a bit more” than 125 and I still use a breaker bar to loosen the drain plug, makes things so much easier.

Kinja'd!!!

Taylor Martin > VincentMalamute-Kim
08/15/2020 at 17:26

Yeah, I get a bit antsy over doing new things, especially when they pertain to something as important as my car. Also yikes, that’s a costly misplacement.

Taylor Martin > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/15/2020 at 17:27

I can see the appeal in it for sure.

Taylor Martin > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
08/15/2020 at 17:35

Oh that is pretty awesome, would certainly make changing the oil a breeze, but what about replacing the washers? Do you have to remove the Fumoto valve every now and again to replace the washer or does it solve that issue too?

Taylor Martin > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/15/2020 at 17:36

Yep, I used one to get my tires back on. 80lb/ft of torque is brutal, but I managed.

Taylor Martin > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/15/2020 at 17:40

Huh, never heard of oil analysis but it does make sense. Too bad the used oil is already gone, so I guess we’ll have to wait until my next change to see how early I changed it and how long I can go.

As for the impact wrench, one big issue I have is that I don’t yet own a garage or have an outside source of electricity. That, and I also don’t mind using a breaker bar. Sure, it’s tough, but it’s also real satisfying to hear a lug nut break off.

Taylor Martin > wafflesnfalafel
08/15/2020 at 17:42

Well I’m glad I got you in the spirit of doing oil changes too! I can’t imagine all the things a breaker bar can do, the problems it can solve.

Taylor Martin > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
08/15/2020 at 17:42

That answers that! Thanks pal.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 17:47

With a lot of vehicles tests show you can go a lot longer with synthetic but it’s probably better to just change it.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 18:13

Nope, you never need to remove it. It comes with a super thick paper washer (I’ve never had an issue with it leaking on ~200k cumulative miles; the most I’ve had on one is about 80k)....some people pull it off and use a metal crush washer, but again never needs to be changed because you’re never removing the bolt.

If there’s clearance around the pan but not a ton of ground clearance, the ones with the nipple that you can attach a hose to are pretty awesome.

Taylor Martin > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
08/15/2020 at 18:16

Sounds like a worthy investment indeed! Thanks for showing me the light Brain Griffin from Family Guy.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > Taylor Martin
08/15/2020 at 19:33

Kinja'd!!!

This is how a report looks like. I didnt ask them for how many more miles I can run the engine in this report...

Taylor Martin > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability
08/16/2020 at 11:37

Yep, that looks very sciency and official to me!