🔧 Civic - Engine Oil & Oil Filter Change

This service drains old engine oil, replaces the oil filter, and refills with fresh oil to protect your engine from wear. On your Civic, it’s a straightforward DIY job, but you must lift the car safely and avoid over/under-filling.

Difficulty Level: Beginner | Estimated Time: 45-90 minutes

---

⚠️ Safety & Precautions

• ⚠️ Work on level ground and support the car with jack stands before going underneath.
• ⚠️ Engine oil can be hot; let the engine cool 10-20 minutes to avoid burns.
• ⚠️ Use wheel chocks behind the rear wheels so the car can’t roll.
• ⚠️ Keep oil off the exhaust and belts; wipe spills immediately.
• ⚠️ No battery disconnect is required for this service.

---

🔧 Required Tools

You'll need the following tools for this repair:

• Floor jack (rated 2-ton minimum)
• Jack stands (rated 2-ton minimum)
• Wheel chocks
• 17mm socket
• 3/8" drive ratchet
• Torque wrench (10-80 ft-lbs range)
• Oil drain pan (at least 6-quart capacity)
• Funnel
• Oil filter wrench, 65mm 14-flute (specialty)
• 10mm socket
• Flat trim clip tool
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety glasses
• Shop rags

---

🔩 Required Parts

HowToo sells all the parts you need for this repair:

• Engine oil (SAE 5W-20, API-certified) - Qty: 4 quarts
• Oil filter - Qty: 1
• Oil drain plug crush washer - Qty: 1

---

📋 Before You Begin

• Park on level ground, put the shifter in 1st gear, and set the parking brake.
• Place wheel chocks behind both rear tires.
• Warm the engine for 2-3 minutes, then shut it off and wait 10-20 minutes. Warm oil drains faster.
• Open the hood and remove the oil fill cap (this helps the crankcase vent while draining).

---

🔨 Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps in order:

Step 1: Lift and support the front safely

• Use a floor jack to lift the front of the car at the front center jacking point.
• Set the car down onto jack stands at the pinch welds. Give the car a gentle shake to confirm it’s stable.

Step 2: Remove the lower splash shield (if equipped)

• If your Civic has a small under-cover panel, use a 10mm socket to remove bolts.
• Use a flat trim clip tool to pop out plastic clips (a trim clip tool is a small pry tool that removes push-clips without breaking them).
• Set the hardware aside so it doesn’t get lost.

Step 3: Drain the old engine oil

• Slide the oil drain pan under the oil pan drain plug.
• Use a 17mm socket with a 3/8" ratchet to loosen the drain plug, then finish removing it by hand.
• Let the oil drain until it slows to an occasional drip (usually 5-10 minutes).
• Remove the old crush washer from the drain plug and install the new oil drain plug crush washer.

Step 4: Reinstall and torque the drain plug

• Thread the drain plug in by hand first to avoid cross-threading.
• Use a torque wrench with a 17mm socket and tighten: Torque to 39 Nm (29 ft-lbs).
• Wipe the area clean with shop rags so you can spot leaks later.

Step 5: Remove the oil filter

• Move the oil drain pan
• Use the 65mm 14-flute oil filter wrench (specialty) with a 3/8" ratchet to loosen the filter, then spin it off by hand.
• Make sure the old rubber gasket comes off with the old filter (a stuck gasket can cause a bad leak).

Step 6: Install the new oil filter

• Use a clean finger to wipe a thin film of new oil onto the new filter’s rubber gasket.
• Spin the new filter on by hand until the gasket touches the engine, then tighten it an additional 3/4 turn by hand.
• Hand-tight only—tools can over-tighten.

Step 7: Refill with fresh oil

• Insert a funnel into the oil fill hole.
• Pour in 3.7 quarts of SAE 5W-20 to start (you’ll top off after checking level).
• Reinstall the oil fill cap.

Step 8: Start, check for leaks, then set the oil level

• Start the engine and let it idle for 30-60 seconds.
• Shut the engine off and wait 3-5 minutes for oil to drain back to the pan.
• Pull the dipstick, wipe it with shop rags, reinsert fully, then pull again to read the level.
• Add oil in small amounts until the level is near the upper mark (typical total fill is about 3.9 quarts with filter).
• Look under the car with safety glasses on and confirm no leaks at the drain plug or filter.

Step 9: Reinstall the splash shield (if removed) and lower the car

• Reinstall the panel using the 10mm socket and press clips back in by hand.
• Use the floor jack to lift slightly, remove the jack stands, then lower the car.

Step 10: Reset the Maintenance Minder (oil life)

• Turn the key to ON (II), engine OFF.
• Press the SEL/RESET button until the oil life % is displayed.
• Press and hold SEL/RESET for about 10 seconds until the oil life starts blinking.
• Release, then press and hold SEL/RESET again for about 5 seconds to reset to 100%.

---

✅ After Repair

• Recheck the dipstick level after a short 5-10 minute drive; top off if needed.
• Look underneath again for any fresh drips at the drain plug and filter.
• Dispose of used oil and the old filter at an oil recycling location (most auto parts stores accept it).

---

💰 DIY vs Shop Cost

Shop Cost: $80-$150 (parts + labor)

DIY Cost: $30-$65 (parts only)

You Save: $50-$85 by doing it yourself!

Shop labor rates vary but typically run $100-$150/hour. This repair takes a shop approximately 0.7-1.0 hours.

---

🎯 Ready to get started?

HowToo makes it easy: same-day/2-day shipping on every part, plus all the tools and specialty tools you need! Check out the parts and tools sections below to add everything to your cart.