| mgmdx |
For those DIY who change oil on their MDXs:
Do you raise your MDX on stands, ramps, etc., or is there sufficient room for you to change the oil without raising the MDX? |
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| TheWorm |
I just crawl under as-is, but as we discussed in that other thread, there isn't a lot of room to swing the wrench (esp a torque wrench).
I have Rhino Ramps for the G, which I haven't used yet. Might try 'em out on the X next time 'round.
BTW, the Rhino Ramps are on sale @ PepBoys for $17.88 through 12/24 or 12/27 (can't remember which). They have 'em piled up in the aisle in the Concord store on Contra Costa Bl. |
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| RC98 |
i have no idea how you get under there and drain the oil without raising the truck.
undoing the drain bolt and trying not to make a mess with the old oil spilling out seems near impossible with the truck on the ground.
anyway, to each his own. if i could do it without raising, i would too! |
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| EXCALIBUR |
mgmdx,
Turn your front wheels completely to the left. Crawl under your MDX from the right side, just behind the right front wheel. You should be able to see and have access to the oil drain plug and oil filter without having to raise your MDX off the ground. Good luck.:29: |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by EXCALIBUR
mgmdx,
Turn your front wheels completely to the left. Crawl under your MDX from the right side, just behind the right front wheel. You should be able to see and have access to the oil drain plug and oil filter without having to raise your MDX off the ground. Good luck.:29:
:4: That's how I do it except I crawl under the MDX from the front, not from the side. There seems to be a little more room in the front, and I can get a better angle on the drain plug. |
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| XStatic |
| I can do it without raising it, but I generally use a couple 2x10 scraps. |
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| azfansinnc |
I have done it with and without the ramps. The last time I used the ramps and there was plenty of room to work underneath. The only problem was access to the filter.
In the future, I might jack up the front and take off the front passenger side wheel to get better access to the oil filter. Another possibility is turning the wheel to the right when you get it on the ramp. A dropped filter makes a heck of a mess when you drop it on the frame.:rolleyes: |
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| RC98 |
i use ramps and turn the wheel slight right. since the front wheels are on the ramp, turning is restricted, however, you can turn slightly.
that turn allows for access to the filter. if you squeeze your hand and the wrench in there, you can loosen the filter enough to turn it by hand.
that way, you do not have the problem of dropping the filter. use latex garage gloves....oil will spill onto your hands and around the filter, however, if you have gloves and a well placed drain pan, it's all good.
oil changes now take about 10-15 minutes. castrol GTX 5-30 and a fram filter cost about $10 from wal-mart. rotate your tires, change ATF and VTM yourself, check your belts, and your talking some cheap maintenance! forget about the dealer! |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by RC98
oil changes now take about 10-15 minutes. castrol GTX 5-30 and a fram filter cost about $10 from wal-mart. rotate your tires, change ATF and VTM yourself, check your belts, and your talking some cheap maintenance! forget about the dealer!
RC98,
:29: I completely agree.
There's absolutely no need to waste time and money by taking the MDX to the dealer for basic maintenance and dealer "add-on" inspections that can easily be self-administered. |
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| hammermdx |
quote:
Originally posted by EXCALIBUR
mgmdx,
Turn your front wheels completely to the left. Crawl under your MDX from the right side, just behind the right front wheel. You should be able to see and have access to the oil drain plug and oil filter without having to raise your MDX off the ground. Good luck.:29:
What he said! |
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| RonH |
| Haven't changed it yet, but considering I don't even jack up the Ody to change the oil, I seriously doubt I'll have to jack up the X. |
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| Fabvsix |
| I have a 3 ton jack. Roll it under, jack it up, loosen the bolt and filter, lower back down, let drain for 20 min. Jack it up replace filter, tighten bolt and done in less than 30 min.......:1: |
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| Kev-man |
quote:
Originally posted by RC98
that turn allows for access to the filter. if you squeeze your hand and the wrench in there, you can loosen the filter enough to turn it by hand.
that way, you do not have the problem of dropping the filter. use latex garage gloves....oil will spill onto your hands and around the filter, however, if you have gloves and a well placed drain pan, it's all good.
Not sure about '01-'03, but on my '04 there's a plastic "thingy" that I had to pry out of the way so it wouldn't fill up with oil after removing the filter. I laid a couple of plastic grocery bags on the whole area to prevent "pooling." Anyone else have a better method?? :confused: |
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| XStatic |
quote:
Originally posted by Kev-man
Not sure about '01-'03, but on my '04 there's a plastic "thingy" that I had to pry out of the way so it wouldn't fill up with oil after removing the filter. I laid a couple of plastic grocery bags on the whole area to prevent "pooling." Anyone else have a better method?? :confused:
I use the Fram SureDrain
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...=&threadid=5788 |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by XStatic
I use the Fram SureDrain
http://www.acuramdx.org/forums/show...=&threadid=5788
I installed Fram SureDrain last time I changed oil. I have not actually used it yet, but it should be much cleaner than the old drain plug method. |
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| Kev-man |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
I installed Fram SureDrain last time I changed oil. I have not actually used it yet, but it should be much cleaner than the old drain plug method.
That thing's for the drain plug. That's not a big deal. I'm struggling with the FILTER itself. It's over some suspension components that will get coated with oil if I just unscrew the filter and let it drain.
Other ideas?? |
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| Fabvsix |
| kNOW what you mean about the filter draining on the suspension part, just wipe it off with a rag and be done with it ! |
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| mgmdx |
quote:
Originally posted by Fabvsix
kNOW what you mean about the filter draining on the suspension part, just wipe it off with a rag and be done with it !
Or better yet put a rag or some absorbent paper towels on the suspension under the filter before you unscrew it. This way, most of the dripping oil will be absorbed by the rag and only minimal clean up will be needed. |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
Or better yet put a rag or some absorbent paper towels on the suspension under the filter before you unscrew it. This way, most of the dripping oil will be absorbed by the rag and only minimal clean up will be needed.
Great suggestion. Neatness counts.:29: |
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| DaleB |
| It seems there are very few cars that don't have the drained oil either from the plug or the filter meet some part of the chassis on it's way down. Unless it was designed by accident.... |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
It seems there are very few cars that don't have the drained oil either from the plug or the filter meet some part of the chassis on it's way down. Unless it was designed by accident....
I agree. Whenever I used to remove the oil filter on my old Thunderbird SC, oil would leak all over the sub-frame. It would take lots of extra time to clean up the oil that splashed on the sub-frame, to avoid more dripping on the garage floor later.:4: |
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| TheWorm |
quote:
Originally posted by mgmdx
Or better yet put a rag or some absorbent paper towels on the suspension under the filter before you unscrew it. This way, most of the dripping oil will be absorbed by the rag and only minimal clean up will be needed.
That's a good idea.
Another idea: One of the guys on the Pilot board used a manilla envelope laying on the plastic shroud, and angled it so the oil dribbled down the crease into the catch pan. Haven't tried it that way, yet, but the "unscrew the filter with a plastic bag around it" tactic failed miserably for me. |
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| fire red |
| Try cutting the bottom off of a plastic gallon (milk,O.J., washer fluid) container with a screw type cap. While unscrewing the filter the oil and filter fall into the container. |
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| Fabvsix |
| If it gets on the muffler, the smell is just LOVELY ! And it takes a week or so to burn off. What were these engineer's smoking when they designed this mess ! |
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| Kev-man |
quote:
Originally posted by fire red
Try cutting the bottom off of a plastic gallon (milk,O.J., washer fluid) container with a screw type cap. While unscrewing the filter the oil and filter fall into the container.
Not a bad suggestion on Fire Red's first post!! It sounds like it could work. I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the novel idea. |
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