[Kaiju]

Well, I decided to tackle my first oil change and transmission fluid change on my 2004 yesterday. That is when the fun began.

I parked on the driveway, blocked the rear wheels and jacked up the front of the van to make it level...turned the front wheels hard right to access the oil filter. Simple enough!

I then loosened the drain plug and had the drain pan ready…or so I thought! I was holding the drain pan to catch the small steady stream of oil draining straight down. I kept twisting and twisting the drain bolt wondering when it was going to come off. It finally came off with a gush of warm oil down my arm and all over my driveway…kinda like Linda Blair’s puke from the movie The Exorcist. Why would Honda engineer the drain plug to be on the side? Now I know to make a back-splash that will drain into the drain pan.

Next step was to replace the oil filter. I tried the wrench I had, but it was too large…so I used the screwdriver method. This was a bit more successful that the drain plug. I used the suggestion from another thread to put the filter in a Ziplock bag. That is a great suggestion…but a bit slippery when oil is leaking out of the hole I punched into the filter. My next purchase is going to be a smaller oil filter wrench.

After putting on the new filter and torquing the drain plug, I lowered the van, added the oil and checked for leaks…then I had the pleasure of cleaning up the driveway with a degreaser, brush and garden hose. That did not leave time for me to drain and fill the transmission fluid – which having the drain bolt on the side, should produce the same messy results.

 

[RolHammer]

Congrats on your first oil change - I just changed the oil on my '03 for the first time myself as well. Very enjoyable - can't believe I've actually paid people to do this for me. It was too much fun not to do yourself.

When you get to doing the ATF check out this excellent thread if you haven't already:

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65442

Look at the last page for my post (probably the last post to that thread at the moment IIRC). I'm here to tell you that ATF does in fact shoot out of the return line with a good deal of moxy (probably a good 4-5'). So, learn from my mistake and make sure you put your drain line on the metal nipple on the radiator side of the return line.

Oh, and BTW, you may want to lay down plastic to cover against spill/drips when doing your ATF. The ATF, when you're draining the sump, comes out with even more of a goosh than the oil did IME. Expecting this, I cut down a plastic milk jug to form a splash guard to catch & direct the ATF flow into my drain pan. Also, when you're doing the flush portion of the ATF change as outlined in the thread above, unless otherwise redirected with a drain hose, the stream of ATF from the return line shoots almost directly at the center of the driver's front tire. Ensure any plastic sheeting or cardboard you lay down extends from the center line of the vehicle (to catch drips as you're draining the sump as well as when you're doing the flushing) to a foot or two beyond the driver's side of the vehicle. Learn from my mistake on this one.

HTH

Good luck & have fun!

 

[Kaiju]

On Monday I drained and filled the transmission with 4 quarts. I cut a gallon milk jug down as a spash guard and it funneled down into drain pan without spilling. Man, was the old fluid dirty! A lot of metal stuck to the plug as well.

Maybe it is just my immagination, but it seems to shift smoother now. I need to park on a hill and see if it still shifts hard in to reverse like it did before.

I will just drain and fill with 4 quarts every-other oil change.

 

[dvpatel]

I need to park on a hill and see if it still shifts hard in to reverse like it did before.

That it will always do even if you put in a new tranny. You expect it to be smooth as butter when you lay down almost 5000 lbs of weight?

 

[Kaiju]

You expect it to be smooth as butter when you lay down almost 5000 lbs of weight? [/B]

Well...yes, I do expect it to be as smooth as butter on a baby's bottom! I have not parked on a hill in a while. But when I did in the past, the van would "clunk" into reverse. My '72 Oldsmobile does not clunk when I shift into reverse on a hill...it weighs more and is more antiquated than my 2004 Odyssey.

 

[dvpatel]

Good luck then. None of the modern transmissions will shift as smooth as a baby's bottom when put in Park on an incline. I have yet to see one but then I don't have a '72 Olds to compare to.