How To: Change Your Oil

Oil Change Guide

The Good Stuff

Oil is the lifeblood of your car, and probably the most important fluid to change regularly. It can often be an easy first fluid change to do with a parent or sibling, because most people know at least one person who knows how to properly change the oil. From there, changing many fluids on your car aren't much different and you unlock the ability to save a lot of money. 

I did this one a bit differently and put a copy of the most important info at the top of the page to help you in the store, or if you just needed to look up how tight the drain bolt needs to be.

Note: If you purchase your supplies from my Amazon links, it will support this website at no extra cost to you. : ) Thank you.

Maintenance Interval:

• Every 5,000 miles, or 1 year, whichever comes first. (Oil is cheap insurance)

Oil Type / Capacities

Base (K20A3) | 5W-20 Oil:

• 4.2 Quarts | 4.0 Liters - Normal Oil Change (No Filter Change)
• 4.4 Quarts | 4.2 Liters - Oil Change & Filter Change
• 5.6 Quarts | 5.3 Liters - After Engine Overhaul

Type-S (K20A2 & K20Z1) | 5W-30 Oil:

• 4.8 Quarts | 4.5 Liters - Normal Oil Change (No Filter Change)
• 5.0 Quarts | 4.7 Liters - Oil Change & Filter Change
• 6.1 Quarts | 5.8 Liters - After Engine Overhaul

Oil Drain Bolt Torque Specs

Base (K20A3):

• 33 lbf-ft

Type-S (K20A2 & K20Z1):

• 29 lbf-ft

Compatible Oil Filters

K&N:

• HP-1008 (Captive nut, smaller filter)
• SO-1010 (No captive nut, smaller filter)
• HP-1010 (Captive nut, bigger filter)

Mobil 1:

• M1-110A (No captive nut, bigger filter)

Fram:

• I don't suggest these for our car. In independent testing they've been shown over time to be less performant than other similar filters.

Tools Needed:

• Base Model Oil | Type-S Oil
• Oil Filter (20mm x 1.5mm thread pitch) (Captive nut, smaller filter)
• M14 Crush Washer (Aluminum)
• 17mm Socket
• Ratchet
• Torque Wrench
• Oil Drain Pan
• Gloves
• Funnel
• Oil Filter Pliers / Socket / Band Wrench
• Floor Jack (If your car is too low to do the job on the ground)
• Jack Stands (If your car is too low to do the job on the ground)
• Shop Towels

               

The Front Crossmember is the Black (and Rusty) Part in the Circle Above

To change your oil, jack the car up from the front crossmember. Use a floor jack and jack stands. Do not get under a car only on a floor jack / scissor jack. If you want more information on how to properly jack your car up, check out my guide here. You may not need to jack your car up if it's at stock ride height, but mine is a lot lower.

Oil Drain Bolt, Circled. Clearly Labeled on the Oil Pan.

Find the oil drain bolt, and remove it over an oil drain pan to catch the oil in a container you can take to be disposed of properly. AutoZone and Advance Auto Parts both offer this surface if you ask, and it's free.

Once the flow slows down to a drip, remove the oil filter. You may want to put aluminum foil on the area below the oil filter because it tends to drip everywhere before it's fully off. You can also just wash off any extra with a hose after the job is done, if you don't mind getting some on your driveway.

The New Mobil 1 Oil Filter, Circled

Install the new oil filter. Clean the mating surface on the car with a rag. Get a tiny bit of oil on your finger and run it around the rubber seal on the oil filter's mating surface to prevent the rubber seal from binding when you tighten it. If you have some grippy gloves, tighten it using those, and just make sure it's tight, nothing too crazy. The oil filter I suggest has a nut on the back that makes removing it much easier when it's time for a new one, but don't use the nut to tighten it.

You Can See the Oil Drain Bolt Crush Washer Here, Between the Bolt and the Oil Pan

Remove the old oil drain bolt crush washer and install a new one. Sometimes you might have to unscrew the washer from the bolt carefully if it crushed in a way that trapped it on there. It's super easy to prevent oil leaks by just replacing the crush washer every time, and they're really cheap.

Wipe off the oil drain bolt mounting surface, and tighten the oil drain bolt to the following spec depending on what model RSX you have:

Base (K20A3):

• 33 lbf-ft

Type-S (K20A2 & K20Z1):

• 29 lbf-ft

Type-S Oil Fill Cap, Circled

Open the oil cap on top of your engine. It's clearly marked, and tells you the correct viscocity according to the manufacturer (for the Type-S in the picture). I would follow this advice since they know the clearances in your engine and which oil prevents wear and provides the best overall longevity.

Depending on your vehicle model and the type of job you did, add the suggested amount of oil below, and then check that it fully covers the 2 holes on the dipstick while your car is on a flat surface. If it doesn't, add a bit more. Rule of thumb is that the difference between the lower hole in the dipstick and the upper hole is half a quart.

Note: Since the RSX engines spin so fast and rely on proper oil pressure for VTEC, I only suggest using a full synthetic engine oil.

Base (K20A3) | 5W-20 Oil:

• 4.2 Quarts | 4.0 Liters - Normal Oil Change (No Filter Change)
• 4.4 Quarts | 4.2 Liters - Oil Change & Filter Change
• 5.6 Quarts | 5.3 Liters - After Engine Overhaul

Type-S (K20A2 & K20Z1) | 5W-30 Oil:

• 4.8 Quarts | 4.5 Liters - Normal Oil Change (No Filter Change)
• 5.0 Quarts | 4.7 Liters - Oil Change & Filter Change
• 6.1 Quarts | 5.8 Liters - After Engine Overhaul

Close up the engine oil cap, clean up your work area, and run the engine for 3 minutes checking for leaks. If you don't see any obvious drips or puddles underneath the car, you're good to go.

If this was your first oil change, congratulations. It's a lot cheaper and more freeing to be able to change your oil, and if you can change your oil, you can change any of your car's fluids because it's a very similar process for most of them. Wash your hands, and pat yourself on the back.

Disclaimer:

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