1st Oil change

[johnakay]

just belt a screw driver into the filter it works every time for me inc my car.

 

[HondaTree]

I think the spec calls out for 19flbs for torque but I guarentee mine took about 80 to remove. Over tight imho

 

[showkey]

I think the spec calls out for 19flbs for torque but I guarentee mine took about 80 to remove. Over tight imho

Or the gasket is stuck to the block creating significant more friction creating the need for more torque to break it free.

 

[L.B.S.]

I over prepared for my filter to be on beastly tight, so of course that guaranteed that mine was only on finger tight, lol...

I bought the OEM Honda filter and cap wrench combo package offered by a Dealer, and added an extension (piece of steel tube I had laying around) to the socket wrench for uber leverage.

I psyched myself up for a battle and the cap wrench slipping on the filter, a giant pipe wrench, a big 'ol beater screwdriver and hammer, a swear jar at the ready, and beer in the fridge to soothe my nerves.

I swear the filter turned and came undone with just the weight of the socket wrench on it!

*shrug* the way of things lol

 

[bo7o]

Mine was not too bad... And like you I was preparing for a battle! Having the right tool helped...I used an OEM (that's the brand name) filter cap wrench, type F from auto zone ($6)

 

[netizen]

After reading all horror stories of getting the oil filter off, I finally decided I had to do it last month. After locating the oil filter I decided I'd try to use the universal oil filter wrench I got off of Amazon a few years ago. You attach it to your 3/8 or 1/2 inch drive ratchet and that seemed the best way to get the most torque on the filter.

I don't know if I was one of the lucky ones or if this universal filter wrench is just that good, but it came off without much of a fight.

I know I had a heck of a time getting off the filter on my sons car and that is why I bought it in the first place and it was never hard to get his filter off after I got this universal filter wrench, so maybe there really is something to this thing.

Amazon.com: World's Best Universal Oil Filter Wrench - 3 Jaws: Home Improvement

 

[westgl]

I had a little more metal than you did.

And they way Over tightened the Oil filter, Ping the sumo wrestler must have tightened mine.

The filter is hard to get at until you take out a 10mm screw that holds the lower body work right by the filter to the engine, remove that screw pull the body work slightly then you can slip in a pair of filter tongs and it is easy to get a good grip.

Performed my first oil change on the NCX last night. Attached is a picture of why it is important to do this oil change at 600 miles. As you can see, there was quite a few metal particles from break in, in the drain pan. Valvoline motorcycle specific 10w40 oil and a Bosch 3000 filter was used. Total cost $30 from Auto Zone

 

[Lou Wambsganss]

First Oil Change

So I just did my first oil change last weekend. I found a rare gallon jug of Shell Rotella T 10w30 at Lowe's for about $18. I used the Bosch 3323 filter, which is intended for pretty much any Honda car (Civic, Accord, Fit, etc). It is a little bit longer that the stock filter, but still fits within the engine cover without interference. The bypass pressure and drainback valve are the same as the Honda Powersports filter. It just holds a little more oil and costs a little less, and is available at any auto parts store or Walmart. With a filter change, the bike uses about 3 quarts and change (guessing based on oil remaining in jug).

I have always liked the Shell Rotella line of oils, dating back to my days as a heavy diesel mechanic. Going from the original Honda factory oil to this Rotella, I can tell two noticeable differences. 1. At idle, there is less tapping and clacking from the valvetrain. 2. The initial first gear "clunk" is less harsh. When I pull the clutch lever in neutral, I can actually hear the transmission bearings slow down and stop now (but still faint). This is probably a combination of the oil dragging less in the clutch, and the reduced clatter from the rest of the engine. I have put a few miles on the bike with the new oil and can verify that the clutch engagement is the same and does not slip when in gear.

Do these (or any) bikes come with a special "break in" oil, or does the Honda dealer just put in standard GN4 10w40? Whatever the case, the Rotella 10w30 sounds and feels better.

This oil is Rotella T 10w30, a standard petroleum oil (not synthetic). It is marketed primarily as a diesel engine oil, so it does not contain the "energy conserving" friction modifiers that car oils have that will make a motorcycle wet clutch slip. They also make a petrol 15w40 that is a good oil for air cooled bikes, but probably a little thick for the NC.

Once I have a few thousand miles on the clock, I will switch over to synthetic oil. Again, my preferred oil is Shell Rotella, but their T6 5w40. It is intended to replace standard 15w40 in heavy duty diesel engines and in my experience it does that very well. It has higher ZDDP content that most car oils, so it resists metal-on-metal wear. IT meets all sorts of certifications for diesels from Caterpillar, Detroit, Cummins, etc. It actually meets the JASO motorcycle oil standard, too, so you know it can't be bad for a wet clutch.

I have been using T6 in my small truck (Nissan v6), lawn mowers (engines and hydrostats), motorcycles (air and water cooled), and about anything else with a 4 stroke engine. It has never disappointed me. It might even make a good mix oil for 2 strokes, but I have never tried it. (If anyone has done this, I would love to hear about it!) It cranks easily like a 5 weight oil in extreme Indiana winter night cold, but still holds good pressure like a 40 weight when very hot in Dallas summer stop and go traffic. It currently retails for about $28 for a gallon, but Autozone had a sale a couple of months ago for $20 per gallon, so I bought 4. Being an oil intended for diesels, you can buy it in 5 gallon pails, or even 55 gallon drums if you're into that sort of thing... I've actually found that truck stops can be a good place to buy oils like this. I guess truck owner/operators really watch their expenses, so the stops need to keep costs in line with other retailers, and they sometimes run good sales.

I know that oil threads are notorious for causing controversy. I'm not looking for that here. I'm just putting my experience out there, so maybe others can use it. I will go on record saying that I have been putting Shell Rotella T and T6 in my motorcycles with wet clutches for years with absolutely no ill effects, and many benefits. I'm done. Flame on...

 

[OriginalRocket]

The only issue I have with the t6 is the wide viscosity spread, with a shared engine, trans. Clutch the oil will be shredded in no time. How long do you plan on running this oil? Hondas oil change interval is 8,000 miles.

With that said, I've only seen 1 used oil analysis on our NC's. I forget who, but he ran Mobil 1 4t racing 10w40 for 8,000 miles.

Wear metals where fantastic, the oil was just barely a 30 weight on the cst scale. TBN held well. At I believe a 2.1

I'm tempted to use the T6. I too like the shell product line, their t5 semi synthetic 10w30 is in all my small engines, and can be had for less than 20 bucks at a Walmart.

Ps I ran that 3323 Bosch filter after my first change. And at 5000 miles I have the FRAM ultra for Honda engines on it.

 

[maxwellian]

I'm using the t6 and bosch filter. Pretty sure it's overkill, but won't hurt anything.

I thought the 10w30 isn't JASO rated like the 15w40 and 5w40 are. Maybe it would meet the spec, but they didn't bother with the testing since so few motos take 10w30?

 

[Lou Wambsganss]

Yes, the 10w30 does not list the JASO spec like to others do, but it still lists all of the same diesel specs. At any rate, it's not energy conserving, so it should still be OK.

As for shearing with the T6, I'm not sure how it performs on a UOA, but I've ran the T6 5W40 in an aircooled 350 and 750, and a water cooled 1000 for years, all Japanese bikes with wet clutches, and have never had a problem with the oil, engines, transmissions, or clutches. It's a really good oil for the price, I think. You could spend a lot more money to get a slightly better oil, but with the low stress, low RPM NC700 engine, I don't think it's worth the extra cost.

 

[T.W]

Having worked for Honda for almost 6 years and having spoken with the techs/support at Aliston assembly plant due to the nature of my work, I learned quite a bit. One of the things is the type of oil they put in at the factory. Pretty sure this is the same idea with bikes as with cars: but the oil that they put into the case at assembly is not normal oil. The oil is specifically designed to help break in the seals and so forth.

As for oil, the best in my professional opinion is the one that uses PURE synthetic base stocks, like Redline (which I personally use). You would be surprised how many "synthetic" motor oils are actually not. Due to a legal battle a number of years back, Mobil1 was able to sell non-synthetic oil, as synthetic for example.

Cheers.

And just a little fun fact about oil standards. If you drained 12,000km old oil out of a car or a bike, and ran it through this industry standard test, it would pass.

 

[ST/SV]

Been using T6 since around 2004 when I got my ST1300. Walmart carries for a little under $22

 

[n30r3l0ad3d]

I run the Mobile 1 Racing 4T, K&N oil filter. Video of my 1st oil change in the link below.

 

[MZ5]

Due to a legal battle a number of years back, Mobil1 was able to sell non-synthetic oil, as synthetic for example.

It was Castrol that wanted to call hydrocracked bases 'synthetic.' Mobil didn't want that, mainly because they were the primary (perhaps only, at that time?) supplier of polyalphaolefins, which could be called 'synthetic' at that time. Castrol won that battle.

And just a little fun fact about oil standards. If you drained 12,000km old oil out of a car or a bike, and ran it through this industry standard test, it would pass.

What standard test?

 

[670cc]

There are no less than 4 threads already titled "First oil change", so to avoid yet another one, I have appended this new thread to a randomly chosen existing thread of the same title.

Moderator

 

[kjang]

I have lots of oil filter wrenches from almost every darn size you can imagine.
I had no problems getting mine off.

I used honda oil filter and also honda oil 10/40

 

[Lou Wambsganss]

I didn't mention it, but just for the record, my original filter was very hard to get off. I had to use a filter wrench with an extra 30mm box wrench on the handle for leverage. Had to push against the bike while doing it, I was lifting it off the side stand. As mentioned before, no evidence of oil on the threads. Maybe some workers at the assembly line doesn't oil their gaskets, but others do

 

[670cc]

I didn't mention it, but just for the record, my original filter was very hard to get off. I had to use a filter wrench with an extra 30mm box wrench on the handle for leverage. Had to push against the bike while doing it, I was lifting it off the side stand. As mentioned before, no evidence of oil on the threads. Maybe some workers at the assembly line doesn't oil their gaskets, but others do

It's already on the record. Most first filter changes reported on the forum have had filters be very difficult to remove. A variety of methods were employed to remove them. Read about them earlier in this thread.

Greg

 

[T.W]

It was Castrol that wanted to call hydrocracked bases 'synthetic.' Mobil didn't want that, mainly because they were the primary (perhaps only, at that time?) supplier of polyalphaolefins, which could be called 'synthetic' at that time. Castrol won that battle.



What standard test?

Yes, you are absolutely correct, it was Castrol, my apologies.

As for the test, I was referring to testing done for API certification for example.