Hey everybody! My 2002 CRV is the most annoying car I have ever changed the oil... The filter is way up in there and angled very strangely, is there a way to take out the old filter without oil dripping all over the place?? I have never had another car with this problem......
All Honda want to pee on you when you change the oil filter.
I place a 1 gallon zip lock bag around the filter after loosening it to catch the oil. You have to master turning the filter with the bag on it or it will just stay on the engine.
The mechanics at my Honda dealer make a U shaped funnel to catch the oil from the filter out of cardboard and leave it in the oil catcher all day and throw it way in the evening - you slope it from under the filter over the suspension to you oil catch container.
Stuff an old rag up underneath the filter before you undo it. I undo mine from the top; once undone, tilt it vertical (hole uppermost obviously) and gently lift it out.
And even this method means you'll never need worry about rust on this area of the vehicle lol!
I place a paper towel (Bounty) under the filter, then put a plastic shopping bag over the frame to deflect the rest of the oil. The oil is directed by the bag into my drain pan.
The “funnel “ that [USER=110233]@larryr mentioned was sold as a service tool back in the day.
I’ve got the tool. It’s basically a u shaped channel with a magnet on it. the magnet attaches to your oil pan and the channel catches the oil before it hits the subframe. It was like $15 like 15 years ago. Don’t know if they make it anymore, you can probably make your own pretty easily.
edit - it doesn’t quite look exactly like mine. Probably got an updated design over the past 15 years. As you can see by the pic, you could probably make your own.
Hey thanks you guys!! Yeah i've been using a rag when i change it but I've had 2 other hondas and never had this problem, just wanted to make sure i wasn't going crazy
😂
Lol. Check out my sig line. I’ve got about 650k miles between two Honda vehicles with 2.4l engines. That oil drain funnel must have been used about 100 times now. For the $15 i paid fo it over a decade ago, it seems it has now cost like 15 cents per use … worth it for not needing to clean up oil drips off my driveway and subframe each time?
alternatively , I think you can make your own maybe out of a plastic milk jug cut to shape or something.
Yes, dumbest placement ever. I jack up the back, run the car to heat up the oil, shut it off, let it sit 5 minutes for the filter to drain out a bit, then lower the rear back on the ground. Doing this has helped a lot in the drip down the block issue.
Or... flip the car over so it is belly up while you change the filter. Just kidding.
Clearly... when there is a special tool to help move the oil where it should go during a filter change... there is a usability engineer somewhere inside Honda that needs to be flogged and retrained for not keeping their usability boot on the backs of the design teams necks at Honda.
On daughter's 06 CR-V, I've always just used some of the wife's heavy duty kitchen aluminum foil folded over to 3 sheets of thickness for some semi-rigidity. Then placed the laminated "sheet" under the filter with some appropriate bends, wrinkles, and curves to channel the oil from the filter past subframe/control arm into the drip pan under the car. I usually remove the front right tire to make access a little easier also.
On the 2000 Accord they made an "oil filter relocator kit" that moved the filter to a more convenient location. Simple to install. I don't know if there is one for the CRV.
I always have this issue when changing oil, too. I made a small plastic catcher from a gallon container . I catch much of it and the rest just wipe it off, I dont like the oil to fall on the axle boot
THESE "SMART" ENGINEERS why the can not make that filter to be out of the way of axle and hidden on that remote location?? I dont think it would be so hard to make it easy to change
It should not be angled 'strangely'. Yes it will drop some oil but a wide catch tray is all you need. I do find it much easier to take off the relevant wheel. You can get right in there to mop up then..
I had an Avalon one time, oil filter on the front, upper engine compartment. Same problem: the filter was angled down and oil dripped down the engine. I couldn't believe a good company like Toyota made it that way. Anyway, after every 3000 mile change, I got a hose, squirted purple degreaser around and under the new filter, and hosed it off. Worked well without any drips between changes. It was easily done from the top of the engine on my driveway, with the residue flowing into the grass (and not damaging it). Maybe you can do the same. Hope this helps.
Definitely a pathetic design to say the least. There was plenty of room on the back side of the engine to do something that would make it easier to change without all the mess. Thought I had come up with an idea when I started putting a small square disposable aluminum pan below the filter loaded with paper towels. Would take some wire snips and snip the filters top corner, rotate 180 degrees and snip it again and wait for the filter to drain completely before I finished unscrewing it. Unfortunately I'm back to spilling oil everywhere again when I try to remove the pan. Was hoping someone here had come up with something much simpler? . Actually had Firestone try and get me to let them replace my CV axle because the oil that was on it (from the oil change) was proof it had gone bad. Went ahead an replaced it myself and when I took the used one back to AutoZone discovered there was nothing wrong with it! Then after letting them change the oil on my CRV and Pilot I discovered that someone (had to be at Firestone) had shot staples into the grooves on two different tires! Not a week after the oil changes they just happened to call me to to inquire as to why I hadn't bought any tires from them lately! Coincidence??? Went back to changing my own again after that. Even had free oil change coupons from a school fundraiser and you wouldn't believe the trouble I had getting anyone to take them for free! Guess they figured them out before I did?
Of course Honda sells a speciality tool that is made to catch all that before it hits the subframe. You could also use some foil and shape it so that it drains down into the oil catch pan.
Honda has hired engineers from the Big Detroit Car Company to design where the Oil Filter goes.
This is from the movie "Elephant Parts" - the Pilot for MTV network.
Yes, I remember doing oil changes on this generation. I found that if I start the oil drain, then just leave the car on ramps for about 30 minutes with the drain plug off, this greatly reduces the 'spillage" when taking the filter off.
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