Civic:Where did they hide the oil filter?

I've had my Civic for a couple of weeks now and plan on changing my oil on
my 2002 Civic and have yet to see my oil filter. I have my manual and it
does show a picture of it so I know it's there......so any tips on how to
get to it and change the oil. I guess my Jeep has me spoiled, it was so easy
to get to, I could just open the hood reach down and unscrew it, it was so
easy. Thanks for any tips.

 

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<g>.

Brian

 

if i remember right its on the back of the engine right above the oil pan
towards the center of the engine. But I cant remmeber exactly.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.