DIY Oil Change - Standard Operating Procedure

[casper]

Being an engineer / data scientist by profession, I found it very helpful for myself to make a "standard operating procedure" that I could print off and check off the steps as I do an oil change. I realize oil changes are probably trivial for most of you, but I also realize the severity of damage that can be caused if you screw up... And after all, isn't the main point of doing your own oil change to avoid putting your Civic's life in the hand of a dealership or quick lube shop? It might be marginally cheaper, and definitely will take you longer, but I think it's worth it to know that some trainee isn't going to ruin your beloved.

Anyway, attached is the SOP as a PDF and a Word doc. Feel free to print and use for your own purposes.

Since I was using ramps, and that makes the whole "being on level ground part of checking the oil" somewhat confusing, I figured the way I have documented here is the most efficient way to go through the steps that were listed in the manual. I added a few other tips and tricks that I myself came across that I figured would occur commonly enough. I also actually performed multiple oil changes with this SOP and have already added a few rounds of revisions following it.

Lastly, if anyone has any suggestions to make this better, please comment! I'm hoping someone here will know a better / more efficient way to do something, or has any additional troubleshooting tips

EDIT: last update made November 23, 2023

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[calonzo]

I don't see the attachment.

 

[casper]

I don't see the attachment.

Sorry, I changed the file type a moment ago, it should be there now

 

[Doc_Mello]

Awesome! Good work!

 

[Si_HFP]

Nerd!!! (Just kidding). The QA department at your work must love you.

Thank you very much for a thorough SOP. It’s a good peace of mind to have on hand

 

[casper]

Nerd!!! (Just kidding). The QA department at your work must love you.

Thank you very much for a thorough SOP. It’s a good peace of mind to have on hand

I made it for myself
But figured my fellow Civicians may appreciate it, and so it wasn’t much more work to share it here.

Funnily, I work mostly on data analytics now, so I’m not really writing any SOP’s for work… but back when I was an engineering intern this habit got drilled into me ?

 

[Si_HFP]

I made it for myself
But figured my fellow Civicians may appreciate it, and so it wasn’t much more work to share it here.

Funnily, I work mostly on data analytics now, so I’m not really writing any SOP’s for work… but back when I was an engineering intern this habit got drilled into me ?

Certainly not a bad habit to have picked up! Thank you again for sharing.

 

[JT Si]

Might want to add oil drain pan to required tools. Also the underbody shield is generally not altered with aftermarket parts, and requires a slotted screwdriver and a Philips screwdriver to remove. I think it's a #2 Philips but I'm not entirely certain how slotted is sized.

 

[Tonycivicboi]

Awesome! Very useful

 

[casper]

Might want to add oil drain pan to required tools. Also the underbody shield is generally not altered with aftermarket parts, and requires a slotted screwdriver and a Philips screwdriver to remove. I think it's a #2 Philips but I'm not entirely certain how slotted is sized.

Good points! I can edit and reply with updated files in a little bit.

EDIT: See original post for the revised files

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