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Honda Civic Hybrid Owners Care & Maintenance
Discuss your Civic Hybrid's routine care and maintenance.
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You will need:
* Long neck funnel (has to reach over 1 foot in length)
* 10" or longer socket wrench extension (I had to use an 8" and a 2" extension in tandem)
* 3/8" socket wrench
* 3 quarts ATF-Z fluid
* Aluminum washers for the drain and fill plugs
Take the bottom plastic engine pan off like you would to change the oil.
Place the 3/8" socket wrench (without a socket) into the head of the drain plug and loosen it. The drain plug is keyed with a square drive head, so the 3/8" socket wrench fits just fine. If you cant find the drain plug, it is located closest to the drivers-side of the car towards the back of the transmission. Still cant find it? Invest in a shop manual!
Drain the ATF fluid and dispose of properly. Wipe the excess debris off of the magnetic side of the plug. Make sure not to leave any foreign particles. Be as clean as possible. Throw away the aluminum washer and replace it.
The fill plug is a 17mm bolt (if I recall correctly) and can be easily reached with a long socket extension of at least 10". Again, depending on how dirty your engine is, take care not to get ANYTHING in the transmission. Degrease the housing around the plug before you remove it if necessary. Replace the fill plug washer as well.
Use the long funnel and replace the fluid. Tighten the drain and fill plug to specs (look them up).
If I missed anything please post it here. I just did this after 30k miles and the fluid was really dirty. I may increase the frequency of CVT fluid changes to hopefully make the transmission last longer. :shades:
Where did you get the fluid, what type is it and how much does it require, how much does it cost?
Thanks in advance
The fluid is called ATF-Z. You get it from the honda dealer. I just asked them to give me enough for one change and they gave me 3 quarts. It was just enough according to the dip stick. I will have to check with the shop manual to get an exact amount.
Also, I looked at the socket extension I purchased for the job, and its a 10", so I added the 2" on top of that to reach the fill plug. Make sure you have at least a 12" extension to reach the plug.
I dont remeber what it cost per quart.. I think it varies per dealer.
Also in the manual, it states that synthetic oil is acceptable, anyone know where to find 0w-20 synthetic oil? Do they make it?
So far on my first tank, I've averaged 42.3 MPG. This seems to be alot better than what alot of folks got on their first tank...and with gas prices over $3/gal, I'm very happy with my investment.
Apparently the HCH takes a hard-to-get oil weight that nobody else carries -- is this true, or is there another source?
Does the oil really need to be changed every 5K miles?
Will I void my extended warranty by taking the car elsewhere for an oil change (assuming that this is possible)?
Thanks in advance.
1. Other people make 0W-20 oil. Mobil 1 discontinued it recently, but rumours are they are going to start making it again in the Fall. Pennzoil also has a newly released "Hybrid Car Oil" in their Platinum line. Not sure if they make 0W-20 or not. Amsoil makes a 0W-30 that I have used in my hybrid also.
2. The oil does not have to be changed every 5000 miles. The oil of today has a lot more "good stuff" in it, especially the Synthetic oils, which allow for longer changes. I used Amsoil for 22,000 miles between changes in my Chevy Avalanche, and it's still going strong at 85,000 miles. A good number is 7,500 or 10,000 miles between changes if you use Synthetic oil.
3. You will ABSOLUTELY not void your warranty by using different oil nor will it be voided if you change it elsewhere than the dealer. There are laws to protect consumers in that regard.
Hope this helps !!!
I bought my 2004 HCH used from a Mitsubishi dealer. Since there is a sticker right on the oil cap about the OW-20 oil, I assumed they used the proper oil when they did an oil change when they acquired the car. Now reading this I am not so sure-- I doubt they would have had it on hand. I also doubt I could get a straight answer out of them at this point, 2 months later. So is it worth it to take it to a Honda dealer for another oil change? It's only been about 700 miles since it was done. Is the proper oil just for increased mpg, or does the wrong oil also harm the car?
I also have read about a recall repair and have no idea if that was done on this vehicle or not, so could get that checked out at the same time I guess.
I bought a Civic Hybrid '05 in Sept - and I commute more than 120 a day (mostly NJ Turnpike) My odometer reads about 8,600 miles.
I drive pretty fast -- and I average 42 mpg.
I've already added a quart of 5W/20 (I'm not a car expert at all.) I have NOT added any coolant. The Honda dealership just called and said I should come in for first service checkup. My questions:
Should I wait til 10,000 miles, as stated in the manual?
Can I take the car to a place like JiffyLube? (I live an hour away from the dealer!)
Should I first buy Honda coolant and oil?
Does winter in NJ require different coolant for the hybrid?
I'm worried about snow (I traded a Subaru Forrester for the hybrid -- and the AWD Forrester was GREAT in snow.) Are there certain snow tires I can put on the hybrid?
Sorry for so many questions. Again -- I'm grateful for your patience and any advice you can take the time to give!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I am not from USA and in my country HCH is planned for sale at the beginning of next year. I wish to buy it but concerned about some exploitation issues. For example does anybody has problems with usage HCH in low temperature climate. I mean 20F and lower.
Thanks for feedback in advance.
:confuse:
Q: Lift required for maintenance?
A: NO. It does help, but you can do oil changes and tranny fluid changes on the car with a regular floor jack and jack stands (ALWAYS use jack stands!!!)
I have 51k miles on my 2004 HCH. My average lifetime mileage is still 46.1 MPG. I do all maintenance on the vehicle. The only time it has been in the shop was for recall service. I HATE other people working on my cars and I avoid taking my car to anyone unless absolutely necessary. Even with the Hybrid, I expect to do most work myself except for major engine repair or replace the transmission.
Does anyone has the Honda filters (air,oil fuel, tranny etc) numbers for the 06 civic Hybrid? or equivalent. I do my own oil change and stuff.The car is speck brand new,I like to change the oil after the first
I'll be back
Chris
Thanks
You may want to check with the service people at the dealership about the early oil change. I used to do the same but was told not to because keeping the oil in the engine for 5000 miles will help with break-in.
Good luck with your HCH. It is a terrific car!
Jon
Chris
I drive too fast and speed between stop lights and have to stop doing that. anything else a beginner should know?
- what kind of oil should i use
- what kind of gas should i use
- what other tricks do i need to increase my lousy gas mileage?
Thanks, any thoughts, suggestions would be useful.
(k) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2008, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2008, deletes or extends that date.
So yes, there is a way to extend it... write your state representative and let them know how you feel. My understanding is that were going to be monitoring the effect this bill had on traditional carpool users (non-hybrid). As long as there is no significant negative impact, the bill will possibly be extended. But again, the only way for sure is to voice your opinion to your lawmakers.
does their own fluid changes, I would appreciate a blow-by-blow demo on doing an oil and transmission fluid change.
Thanks.
1: CVT transmission fluid - $10.14 ea (3) for $30.42
2: Dust & pollen filter - $13.75 ea (2) for $27.50
3: Engine air filter - $27.32 ea
Does anybody know of any place cheaper to to buy these parts ?
Sorry if this is a silly question.
Do I have to go to the Honda dealer to get oil changes on my hybrid? Or, would your typical oil change shop (i.e. Jiffy Lube, Oil Changers) know how to do it?
Thank you!
You can go anywhere, just be sure and keep the receipts in case something happens to the engine. Honda has to know the car is maintained properly.
However, you might check prices. My Honda dealer is cheaper than Jiffy Lube. And my service history is right there in the Honda computers.
I purchased my 06 civic hybrid in December 2005. I had first oil change when it was 7500 miles. My dealer told me that I should have changed it when it was 3500 miles. I told him that I just followed maintenance reminder screen. Now it is 12300 miles and maintenance reminder says 40% to oil change which will be the time I guess 10% about 15000 miles. The dealer sticker says 10500 miles or 9/1/2006. I am confused what I should do. Listen to the dealer or maintenance reminder. I need an advise for the time period of oil change.
Thanks
As long as you check your oil level on a regular basis, and the correct oil and filter are used, there is no harm in following the Maintenance Minder system. Be sure to keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure between services as well to maximize fuel economy.
Kevin in CT
2006 Civic Hybrid # 2
2003 Civic Hybrid # 1 Sold in 2003 with over 50k Miles for $13k
ENEOS has 0W-20 Engine Oil and an attractive option for CVT ($10/quart) vs. ($18-25/quart) at the dealership.
For more info:
www.eneos.us
Full disclosure: Yes. We are an ENEOS distributor.
Kevin in CT
2006 Civic Hybrid #2
2003 Civic Hybrid #1 Sold in 2006 with over 50k for $13k :shades:
Responses would be appreciated.
The manual says the fluid should be drained and refilled, then the car should be driven for a short distance. This process should be repeated 3 times, then drain and refill a fourth and final time. This seems ridiculous. Why would you not just replace with new fluid every 6,000 miles instead of wasting 9 quarts of new fluid each 25,000 miles?
I checked with the Honda Dealer Technician and was told no, they just drain and refill.
Which procedure are you using?
The manual says:
"To thoroughly flush the transmission, the technician should drain and refill it with Honda CVT fluid, then drive the vehicle for a short distance. Do this three times. Then drain and refill the transmission a final time."
Just after that, the manual says:
"The transmission should be drained and refilled with new fluid when this service is indicated by a maintenance message in the information display."
The information display says:
"Replace transmission fluid."
I am going to take that to mean the drain and fill (once) instruction.
There is no "Thoroughly Flush" instruction on the maintenance display.
Thank you for your reply.