NEWBIE QUESTIONS: Why? 1/2 inch ratchet with reducer down to 3/8"? for leverage

[RegDunlop]

First off let me say thanks to all the people who post here. You are giving me a great sense of confidence that I can accomplish tasks that the dealer charges a lot of money for....hopefully not a false confidence.


I have been thinking about doing my own oil, VTM and ATF changes and have been reading through the threads.

In the ATF thread several people mention using a 1/2 ratchet with a 3/8" reducer to gain leverage?

why does this work?

I am not a mechanic but I am not all thumbs either so I think I could save a lot of cash and have the peace of mind knowing I did the job right..

The dealer wants $180 for the VTM and I forget how much for the ATF, but he only charges 26 for oil changes, but I think I want to start using synthetic MOBIL 1 and Mobil 1 filters so I may start doing that myselff too.


It seems like I am being waaay overcharged for the VTM change and the ATF seems the same too

I have a 2007 Pilot:

my concern is being able to remove the fill and drain plugs on the VTM, removing the drain plug on the ATF, ( my fear is that I will somehow "strip," or "round off the bolt or god forbid break it) , how to refill the ATF (use the dipstick or try and remove the fill bolt?) and for oil changes I am nervous I will not jack the vehicle correctly and it will fall on me!!! but it seems like I can reach the oil drain plug w/o jacking it up...

[cofetym]

It's all pretty easy. The members that post DIY tips are trying to help you out and make the job even easier. The suggestions they give you are not cast in stone. If you come up with a better solution then go for it and post up to help others.

Make sure you buy good quality tools and select the correct fit to remove nuts/bolts. Following torque specifications will save you a lot of headaches and of course avoid over tightening.
Always check your work to make sure that nothing is leaking. Sit back and enjoy the savings and convenience of a job well done. Maybe you can even buy me a beer with the savings.

[RegDunlop]

Sure Ill buy you a beer if all goes well....if not you better help me then ill get your beer

[RegDunlop]

What the consensus opinion on motor oil??

I was planning on Mobil 1 synthetic or other synthetic and a mobil 1 filter??

[humanoid]

Motor oil is motor oil. It doesn't matter what you use, just change it at regular intervals and you and your Pilot will be fine. Buy a name brand one if that makes you sleep better at night.

[cofetym]

I Just recently put in M1 5w 20 synthetic with OEM filter and new drain plug crush washer.
Will probably go to M1 extended oil next just because of the convenience of the longer
drain interval.
Do a quick search and you'll find a broad spectrum of opinions on oil and filters.
Just don't forget to put oil in and you'll be fine.lol

I enjoy helping people out just a shame you don't live closer.

[vclifford]

To your original question, 1/2 drive can give and take pretty serious torque requirements that may be the reason people are saying that. One good technique to remove bolts is to use impact. After fitting socket (adapter in this case) etc on bolt, give the drive handle a strong whack with your other hand/hammer.It will come off. I changed VTM yesterday and had to strongly whack those plugs couple of times.

I bought a 1/2" dr couple of years also so that it can take on any type of torque/work . Later on I bought couple of adapter like 1/2" to 3/8" so that I can use small sockets also if need arises e.g. spark plug socket for my older volvo240 accepts 3/8" drive. If you buy some big tool set (craftsman is one) you may get all the drives and multiple sockets.

I just eyeball torque for drain bolts. I Just use my fingers to tighten. Filter can be tightened by hand only or hand tighten and then 1/4 or 1/2 turn with filter wrench. You can check next morning for leaks after tightening everything moderately.

I mean these things do not leak because of thread design but over-tightening surely can bring tears later on and honda block is AL so this makes things even more dicey if they are stuck.

Regards.

[onu2002]

The added leverage is because a 1/2" drive breaker bar is longer. The drain and/or fill bolts on the VTM just have a 3/8" square hole, which is why the 1/2"-3/8" adapter is required. Also, most of the socket sizes required for maintenance on the Pilot are too small to be available with a 1/2" drive. So yeah, you'll want to get a 1/2" drive breaker bar and a 1/2"-3/8" adapter.

Torque wrenches: I have a 10-75 ft-lb and a 25-250 in-lb. I very rarely need the in-lb wrench, but do use it when the torque spec is at the bottom of the ft-lb wrench's scale, but near the middle of the in-lb wrench's scale, because torque wrenches are more accurate near the middle of the scale. For instance, 10 ft-lb = 120 in-lb.

[samc]

I wouldn't go as far as to say oil = oil. I saw this $1.99/quart stuff at my sunoco gas station this morning, and I don't know anyone who would pour that stuff into their engine. I use mobil1 synthetic because I always have and I get it for $22/jug at walmart. I've also used valvoline and castrol syntec. Both good and no complaints.

As for the breaker bar, the 1/2" socket wrenches tend to be longer so it's just for leverage. Unless you have puny arms there's no need for extra length. (pun?)

[RegDunlop]

looking to get a book....chilton or haynes???


and thanks for all the help to all the stupid questions

[RegDunlop]

one other thing....im getting nervous about...i have been going to honda for every oil change since new ( ihave an 07 that i picked up in October of 2006) ...it has 57,000 miles on it...i take it every 3000 aS i LIVE IN THE CITY AND DO lots OF STOP AND GO DRIVING...i always do what they recommend, and let honda do it, the one exception was the brakes as my regular mechanic charged about 1/4 what honda wanted......I paid for the major interval services 30k 45 k etc......


and about 3 oil changes ago the guy asks me if i want the ATF fluid changed and i say well didnt you charge me for that at the 45k or 30 k or whatever and he says oh yeah right....didnt think further on it....then last oil change guy tells me I should have the VTM done soon ($180...he was gonna give me a price break) ....so I got suspicious and checked all my receipts...they alll mention those fluids as a check, check vtm check atf etc etc....but their schedule says to replace at those intervals...so now Im getting PISSED OFF....

I always took care of my own cars, but this HOnda was the first I EVER BOUGHT BRAND SPANKING NEW and wanted honda to take care of it as I want it to last a very very long time ( my other car is a 95 buick with 107k and I want the honda to last longer)

I always had difficulty doing atf changes and even oil I always let my guy do it ( with all pre-BRAND NEW HONDA CARS) as it was close in price to doing myself and he is a good/trustworthy friend of family mechanic and with the honda I figured it would be difficult/expensive to do myself and honda i didnt think was into ripping people off...well looks like I was wrong....I may go back for one last oil change so when they call to ask how they did Ill tell them they suck and theyll hear it from honda america

I cant wait to take the glove box off and see if they ever actually changed the cabin air filter.....


now to my nervousness...if the ATF and/or VTM has never been changed up to 57k, am I going to damage said systems by changing fluids now?

some say fill and drain x3 to clean system out others say no......I know I would nt want to clean an engine if it had been as neglected as my eperience with engines says those pieces of gunk/sludge break free from where they do no harm and go to a place that they cause harm

[LetsGo]

RegDunlop, if I was you, I would just make sure the engine oil (any SM-rated 5W-20), ATF (Honda Z-1), transfer case (GL-5 75W- or 80W-90), and VTM-4 (Honda VTM fluid) are changed now, then reset the maintenance minder and forget about them until it says they need to be done again. Over-changing fluids and over-thinking maintenance don't make a car last longer, they just make it more expensive to own. The maintenance minder takes factors into account that adjust the change intervals accordingly. It takes the thinking and worrying out of the equation for you.

If you're doing these things yourself, and I know you can do it, make sure you get the crush washers and follow the torque specs, or you could run the risk of leaks or stripped threads. The washers are very cheap insurance. You'll need 2 for the differential, 2 for the transfer case, 1 for the ATF drain, 1 for the ATF fill, and 1 for the oil drain plug. Some of them are the same size. The differential needs about 3/4 gallon, the transfer case needs about 1/2 quart, the transmission needs about 3.5 quarts, and engine oil is about 4.5 quarts. If you buy a quart of the transfer case fluid, I recommend a quart bottle pump to make it easier to fill up the case. You can get a second bottle pump for the gallon bottles of VTM-4 fluid, again highly recommended as you may have read in the DIY threads.

For the ATF, I think it's easier to take off the transmission fluid fill plug on top of the trans (under the brake booster but closer to the center of the car). You will need a funnel with a long hose, but that's much faster than using the dipstick tube to fill it up. I think the plug is 17mm hex head.

Anyway, good luck and let us know what you wind up doing, how you do it, and how it all works out for you.

[ltp646]

Originally Posted by RegDunlop

looking to get a book....chilton or haynes???

Neither. I'd suggest that you spend a little more money to get the Honda Service Manual for your specific vehicle year. It's available here http://www.handa-accessories.com/pilmaint06.html for about $60 + S&H

[onu2002]

I recommend a factory service manual and a chilton/haynes. FSMs assume you know the basics, chilton/haynes give you more steps.

[RegDunlop]

Stopes at Honda today picked up vfm and ATF fluids

But they didn't have any crush washers in stock. The guy said he thinks they are all 20 mm (for oil ATF a both vtms) and I could use any washer I get at autozone. He didn't even say aluminum washers just any washer. That doesn't sound right to me and I think I'll just turn them over.