Originally Posted by hpark,May 25 2005, 02:27 PM

you should use the PCX Honda OEM oil filter....get from dealer or order online at hardtopguy or whereever.

2 jack stands minimum, but i'd get 4 jack stands and just lift the entire car......less drama cause you don't have to lower the car and raise again to drain the oil.....

Originally Posted by BerlinaBlackS2kguy,May 26 2005, 04:52 PM

if you can retighten your oil drain bolt and get it close to the proper torque specs (32 lb-ft per the manual, i think), then you don't need a torque wrench. otherwise, i'd recommend one, since it takes the guesswork out and especially since you are a first-timer at this.

plus a torque wrench is just handy to have for other tasks, like retightening the lugs on your wheels. good luck!

Originally Posted by honda606,May 26 2005, 07:39 PM

You're going to need 6 qts./bottles for a full oil change.

If I were to do it all over again I would have waited until the 3,750-4,000 mile mark(like it says in the owner's manual) before doing the first oil change and I would have used Chevron Supreme 10W-30(one of the best, if not THE best conventional oil on the market) for all oil changes up until the 10,000 mile mark where I would go synthetic.

In my case I used Castrol GTX 10W-30, which is not quite near the quality of the Chevron, and changed the first time at 2,500 miles and DID NOT add a moly boost. I then changed every 3k miles after that up to 10k when I switched over to Redline synthetic. I used the Redline for two oil changes and then switched over to GC(German Castrol) 0W-30 which I'm much more pleased with and still using.

Now I burn a little oil, maybe 1 qt. every 3,000 miles which really isn't much; however, I believe that if I had waited until when the owner's manual said to change then I wouldn't be burning a drop now. The whole change your oil every 3,000 miles is one of the biggest bullshit myths in the industry and is solely there to make people spend more money and consume more resources. Conventional oils have had the technology to reach 5k miles and more for years now but you won't see many making other's aware of that. It's taken Mobil this long to finally break down and introduce a marketed 5,000 mile conventional.

Originally Posted by ayS,May 26 2005, 08:17 PM

is it bad to add additional oil, after you changed it out? im curious.

Originally Posted by suprfunguy,May 26 2005, 10:15 AM

I agree about the use of the PCX filter. Somewhere deep within the "Technical" stickies of this forum, a member cut open a PCX and other types of aftermarket filters. You were able to tell from the cross sections that the PCX filter was purpose built and far superior over the aftermarket styles. Oil flow is very important for our cars. Why risk engine damage over a few dollars?

I'm surprised at all the posts recommending "jack stands". I can easily reach my drain bolt by laying on the ground and reaching behind the passenger front tire. I use a small extension on my rachet and it seems to work fine. I have never used a jack or stands while changing oil. Did Honda change the oil drain plug location the AP2 engine?

Originally Posted by hpark,May 25 2005, 07:27 PM

2 jack stands minimum, but i'd get 4 jack stands and just lift the entire car......less drama cause you don't have to lower the car and raise again to drain the oil.....

Originally Posted by honda606,May 27 2005, 05:14 PM

No of course not.

You always want to add oil to the motor, between oil changes, if the level on the dipstick is below the ideal level. I usually check my oil level once a week just to make sure it's remaining close to the H.

Originally Posted by ayS,May 31 2005, 07:32 PM

thanks guys for your helpful responses so far! i had another quick question, what part of the oil filter do i do a quick lube on before i tighten it back on to the engine?