Gansan
Senior Member
- First Name
- Glen
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2017
- Threads
- 9
- Messages
- 392
- Reaction score
- 396
- Location
- San Diego, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- 1999 NSX, 2018 Civic Type R
- Thread starter
- #1
So this weekend I did the A 1 service, which is oil change and tire rotation. Although the A service doesn't require a filter change, I did it anyway. Here are some random comments and things I learned.
During these pandemic times, I've been working from home so my daily commute became zero. All my drives to get food were like 1-2 miles, so it was all super short drives. I would also go visit my folks once in a while which was about a 180 mile round trip. As a result, in the interval from May 2020 to April 2021, my maintenance minder went down from 100% to 15% in 2763 miles. Definitely the shortest interval ever for me. No doubt calendar time factors into the algorithm. B1 maintenance done.
- I prepared by first getting all the parts I would need. Filter, drain plug gasket, 6 quarts Mobil1 0W20, low profile ramps to get the car up so my jack would fit underneath. I already had a 17mm box wrench and screwdrivers. I didn't have a cap-style filter wrench, but I have the giant plier kind I can use until I order it. I prefer the cap-style so I can use a torque wrench on the new filter.
- I jacked up the car for the first time. First drive up the ramps. Then I maneuvered my jack under the front center of the car to get to the jacking point, which is ridiculously far back and in the center of the car. I couldn't see it from anywhere along the edge of the car because the surrounding plastic was blocking my view and the actual point is recessed, so I had to guess where to put the lift pad. I eventually got the car up and for the future, I marked the exact position of the jacking point with some tape on the undertray so that I can judge the position easily next time.
- The Harbor Freight 1.5T "racing" aluminum jack I am using is not very good. The "rapid pump" feature just means you have to really bear down with weight on the handle to get the car up. The handle flexes noticeably as I raise the car. When you twist the handle to lower the car it's super abrupt and drops the car very suddenly. I basically drop it onto the jack stands. Very hard to lower the car gently like my old Craftsman jack, although not impossible with practice. The good thing about this jack is it's light and easy to take to a track event...if only it had a hard plastic case like the Craftsman, I would gladly pay extra for that. And a gentle lowering feature.
- The front screws for the engine undercover were seized, like someone else mentioned. I could not budge them, so I squirted them with WD40 and got one loose. I applied more lube to the remaining screw with a cotton swab through a hole in the plastic on the backside and finally got that one out. To prevent this in the future, I put some anti-sieze on the threads. The cover itself is very thin and bendable. Be careful not to bend it.
- The oil shoots out really far sideways when you remove the drain plug. I'm used to other Hondas where the hole goes down at a 45 degree angle, but this oil pan aims the oil stream straight back. It missed my drain pan and went over it. Onto my garage floor. I was moving the pan around as the oil drained and lost velocity. Use a big pan and be ready to catch the stream!
- The filters are tiny. Smaller than my 88 D15 Civic. Smaller than my 90s Acuras. So my old Honda filter wrench doesn't fit. The new filter is 65mm so I'll need to get a new wrench.
- When rotating the tires, I inspected them and pulled out the pieces of metal they had accumulated during my commute. There were a surprising number of screws and even a cotter pin stuck in these very soft tires. One screw had air behind it. So it's at the tire shop for repair as I write this.
- These 20 inch wheels and tires are really heavy.
- The suspension has some exquisite forged aluminum parts on it. Even the rear. Very nice stuff. I love to look at the car from underneath.
- I saw some dried coolant in the engine bay. Sigh. I'll have to take it in to get it checked. They were on the passenger side engine mount, very small drops as if it sprayed as a mist. Maybe it is from the overflow tank.
- My local Firestone did a good job in repairing my tire. I asked in advance if they could handle a 245/30-20 tire and the tech said he could do it, and I didn't see any damage afterward. Whew. The sales clerk was interested in the CTR and said he had already asked his wife if he could buy one.
- When I reset the maintenance items, there is a confusing part in the UI when it asks to confirm the reset. Even if you are selecting #1, which is the "Rotate tires" item, it will state the current oil life as part of the confirmation. Before confirming, I tested what happens if I try to reset the "change oil" item, and it states the current oil life in the same way.
During these pandemic times, I've been working from home so my daily commute became zero. All my drives to get food were like 1-2 miles, so it was all super short drives. I would also go visit my folks once in a while which was about a 180 mile round trip. As a result, in the interval from May 2020 to April 2021, my maintenance minder went down from 100% to 15% in 2763 miles. Definitely the shortest interval ever for me. No doubt calendar time factors into the algorithm. B1 maintenance done.
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