2005 Honda Accord EX 4cyl or Acura TSX?? Help please.

That's only true if you don't change the oil drain plug washer. My Acura has
close to 200,000 kms and not a leak from drain plug.

or if you really really overtighten the bolt, which some places like Jiffy
Lube might do because of liablity issues with having the bolt come off and
seize the engine when all the oil runs out.


"Michael Pardee" wrote in message

> "Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote in message
>
>> In article ,
>> "Michael Pardee" wrote:
>>
>>> (Trying to avoid the undying "oil change frequency" thread) Go for it -
>>> to
>>> each their own. This has become a very controversial issue, with
>>> recommendations from reputable sources running the gamut of 3K to 15K
>>> miles.
>>> I follow the owner's manual for each vehicle, myself, figuring they know
>>> better than I do.
>>
>> Ah, but changing the oil is simply cheap insurance.
>>
>> If the manual says 6000 miles, and you do it at 3000 miles, you're not
>> harming the car.
>>
> Actually, Hondas are the only make I know of where oil changes take their
> toll on the engine... or more specifically, the oil drain pan threads. The
> ones I've worked on seem to gradually consume the threads with each
> change, eventually requiring a new pan or oversized drain bolt.
>
> Mike
>

"Nightdude" wrote in message

> That's only true if you don't change the oil drain plug washer. My Acura
> has close to 200,000 kms and not a leak from drain plug.
>
> or if you really really overtighten the bolt, which some places like Jiffy
> Lube might do because of liablity issues with having the bolt come off and
> seize the engine when all the oil runs out.
>
>

I have had the displeasure of having a drain bolt strip out on my daughter's
'93 Accord at about the 180K mile mark. I had done the last several oil
changes, and before that the previous owners took it to Midas. But each time
I removed the bolt I noticed a few shavings in the threads (I used a new
genuine Honda washer and filter every time - this is not the place to be
cheap). Eventually the wear was too great and the threads just didn't hold.

I've done my own oil changes for 30 years, and Hondas are the only ones I've
seen do that (two out of about a dozen cars). Our 20 year old Volvo has 234K
miles now and is on the original drain plug. Our local NAPA has single and
double oversize drain plugs for Hondas, so the problem must be fairly
common. But Googling "stripped oil drain plug" with various makes turns up
no big spike in hits for Honda over other brands, so my experience may be a
fluke.

BTW, I haven't found an official torque for the Accord drain plug. Haynes is
no help ("tight enough but not too tight" or something like that) so I do it
by feel - when the plateau in the resistance changes to a sharp increase, I
figure the crush is done.

Mike

> "Michael Pardee" wrote in message
>

>> Actually, Hondas are the only make I know of where oil changes take their
>> toll on the engine... or more specifically, the oil drain pan threads.
>> The ones I've worked on seem to gradually consume the threads with each
>> change, eventually requiring a new pan or oversized drain bolt.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>
>