What the...

[jwl03]

So I decided to do my first oil change last night. Got all my materials and jacked up the car. Then I tried to get that oil pan drain bolt out, and it wouldn't give! I even tried using my foot on the socket wrench, but it would not budge and the bolt started stripping.

I gave my buddy a call this morning and he brought over his impact gun? or whatever its called, and it was rated for over 1000 lbs of torque. Man, that bolt would not give. We were just about to give up when he gave it one last shot and after a few loud noises the bolt finally popped out.

We went to the auto shop nearby and got a replacement bolt. Once we got back to my house, we found the oil filter was also hard to reach, but no biggie to remove. My friend told me that his gf's accord also had a drain bolt that was very hard to remove the first time he changed the oil himself. I hope no one else had to experience this problem, from now on im changing my own oil. (I made sure my friend tightened the oil drain bolt with his "gun", but with far more reasonable torque for the application). We even tested it with a regular socket wrech to make sure it was hand removable, yet not too loose.

I bet the guys at Jiffy and Honda don't want noobs like me trying to change the oil ourselves, especially without the necessary tools

 

[talontsiawd]

It was probably just over torqued when the last person did it. It should never be that hard for the bolt. Well, i don't know, i've never taken my car in for an oil change. Filters can easily be a pain though.

From my experiences, people at local oil changing shops like Jiffy Lube know next to nothing about cars. My experiences being friends. It's not that they are dumb, or don't care, many arn't into cars at all. It's just a job. I have had more than a few friends who couldn't change their airfilter changing oil for their job.

My advice, just do it yourself. In reality, it's not that much cheaper but it is. It's not much faster either. But it's defineatly easier, imo, to just go pick up oil, and do it. I know i have oil and filters for my next probably 3 changes so i can just do it on my own time.

 

[dynasty]

usually Walmart, which my brother take his car for oil change, they not only tighten it really good, they stripped it. but try using a breaker bar (metal pipe) and open it. it works like a charm.

 

[Sinful]

Hah same thing happened to me the first time i changed the oil for my car. It was on reallly really tight, and I didn't have the 'perfect' socket for it, but it fitted, but not perfect enough so it got stripped. I need to buy a new bolt now.

 

[dynasty]

the reason why (i think) is because of the last person who changed the oil used an impact gun which tighten it really good. which is bad.

 

[acrod99]

i gotta defend my store here. i work at jiffy and my coworkers drive a tuned lexus is, a civic hatch he's about to swap, my accord, and another has a crx. my boss even drives a supercharged 99 si! i gotta say thats a few people into cars, and we can at least change oil, you know? it's just the franchises in ca givin a bad rep to us.
-and please tighten the plug with hand tools, not impact guns because they can ruin the threads in your iol pan.