Torque Wrench Suggestions

[2manyrocks]

When there are 468 posts about the magnesium alloy oil pan on Honda Insight central alone, that sort of indicates extra caution is a good idea. Search results for query: oil pan

 

[strantor]

you could look into an old fashioned deflection type. I bought a Craftsman about fifty years ago and it's still fine,

This is the only kind I really trust.

 

[kf4uda]

There is another approach that you could consider. Look into one of the quick oil drain valves. That way once installed you wouldn’t have to risk over tightening again.

Here is one example. There are several types:

EZ-104 EZ Oil Drain Valve https://a.co/d/jevFCdg

 

[Richard]

Regarding changing oil, tighten plug (with new crush washer) "and checking it later on"

Well... I need to crawl under there. You have to remove a sheet metal "screen" (for lack of better word), get that out of the way THEN as best I recall, you can then see the screw as well as the filter.

I'm guessing this screen is there to help aerodynamics? but don't know that. It certainly is NOT structural, it's pretty thin and very flimsy. Only four, possibly six "quick turn" screws hold it in place. It's very easy to get to..... if you have the car on ramps or a lift.

I rather try to snug it and move on. That said, I've never EVER used a torque wrench for a drain plug nor, spark plugs for that matter. I've read some horror stories about the pan.... so I'm debating on trying to be more accurate when I do it verses the old "tighten it by feel" method.

As has been stated.... it's maybe cheap insurance verses having to fix or replace a stripped pan.

As for the EZ/drain.... those intrigue me! I've seen those before. I don't recall how low the pan is (the car sits kind of low, I've scraped front bumper in a parking space before so tend to park short of the concrete bumps in parking lots)

 

[ericm979]

I have not worked on a Honda car in a long time but the other Hondas I have worked on (UTVs, motorcycles) often have complex oil change procedures. Our Honda UTV is the worst oil fllter change I have done in 45 years of working on vehicles.

I didn't use torque wrenches for spark plugs and drain plugs for a long time but I do now. Engines now are more complex and also lighter so they're easier to damage and cost more to fix.

The HF click type are actually pretty accurate, way more than you need for a drain plug. But the regular ones have a really hard to read scale. I need my reading glasses for that.

 

[Username Taken]

The oil pan is aluminum? So what? Ford is doing plastic now days (on the 2.7l turbo). The insert, the helicoil (time-sert, whatever) may or may not be steel. So? What?

The threads on an oil drain plug are purposely made to strip long before you damage the oil pan. And the plug needs to be ferrous so it can be magnetic. Drain pan plugs should be cheap if you waste one. Unless the Japanese Engineers got tired of rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic and invented a new drain plug. Always a possibility.

I'm taking my Wife, and her car, to the Dealer to get her oil changed. For the once a year oil change, it isn't worth me getting a very heavy, very awkward jack out, crawling under a car with no (0) ground clearance, draining the oil, finding a spot to empty the oil, getting it on the garage floor, most likely ruining a shirt, or pants, or both. Then there's the shields. They're freaking everywhere!

I was like you once upon a time. I insisted on M1, or another synthetic, in all my cars (still do on my CTD) but not anymore. No way. On cars, the Dealers (Ford, anyway) seem to go out of their way to make oil changes affordable, simple and easy at the Dealership. For $60 it just isn't worth it. And Ford's semi-syn oil is actually a pretty darn good oil. I wouldn't want to be turning 12,000 RPM with it for over an hour but, it's good enough for her car engine.

As to the grease monkeys? See what your Dealer is offering. Sometimes they're pretty good.

 

[KennyG]

I'm guessing this screen is there to help aerodynamics? but don't know that. It certainly is NOT structural, it's pretty thin and very flimsy. Only four, possibly six "quick turn" screws hold it in place. It's very easy to get to..... if you have the car on ramps or a lift.

This seems to be standard on new cars (at least Fords) for aerodynamics. I have these on both my Fusion and F-150. They are some kind of composite fiberboard. It's a pain on the Fusion because the only exposed place to put jack stands is also the only place you can get a jack under it. So I have to jack it up and put a block under the tires, so I can get the jack under the front suspension to raise it high enough to put the jack stands under it. Once they are jacked up and the shield is removed everything is great because it's as clean as it came from the factory. The F-150 has a drain valve instead of a plug. I was initially skeptical but I really like it. Secure and easy. Drain plugs are old school.

 

[2manyrocks]

The Honda Insight oil pan isn't a simple aluminum pan like you'd find on a 350 Chevrolet V8. It's a magnesium alloy that serves other functions as well.

The Honda Insight is low to the ground and it has a panel under the engine to make it more aerodynamic. I couldn't imagine trying to changing the oil without putting the car on jackstands and even then, it is a cramped working space making it easier to mis thread the plug when reinstalling it. All of our other vehicles are far easier to change the oil.

 

[WranglerX]

A 3/8 drive ft/lb should be more than suffient (10-80 ft-lb) ... But you need torques specs for drain plug also...Have done a lot of work on VW air cooled and head studs torque to 24-28 ft-lbs which is really not to much.... And yes my my 50+ year old 10mm socket is 3/8 drive...

 

[5030]

I would not do the fumoto valve.

Neither would I actuallu. One, they are expensive and 2, I prefer a frain plug over some valve that might come open.