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If you really don't think your cars burned "a drop" of oil, you are kidding yourself. They HAVE to use ***some*** oil. Maybe not enought to add between changes but nevertheless, some.
Then if the car is driven on a long highway trip at speed, the oil level drops as part of the contaminants are purged by heat and the engine normal operation, the oil level drops. People conclude that their car used oil on that highway trip while it doesn't ordinarily use oil. E.g., I had approximately 1500-2000 miles and the oil level had dropped about 1/4 quart on the dipstick. After a trip to a doctor of about 60 miles at interstate speeds, the oil level was down about 2/3 quart. The car was driven 10 miles back and forth to work mostly in cool/cold winter weather. The contamination was purged during that long drive and the oil level dropped showing the normal amount of oil useage.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
mrbill
Thanks,
Larry
So am I supposed to add water anywhere, or is just the windshield and coolant it? I mean aside from oils, that is?
If the reserved tank is empty, you may have to open the radiator cap (when the engine is cold) and fill mixed coolant (50% coolant, 50% distilled water, tab water is OK too) up to the radiator neck.
Anyone getting a similar story?
depending on your model year and presuming you don't have one, I believe you can download an electronic version of the owner's manual in .pdf format.
i'd recommend reading the document if you are new to cars. there is very good information in it on the location of the various resevoirs and what they hold, and where to find fuses, etc, or how to change a tire. this information could come in handy and also save you money in the future..
you should know where to check the oil, the transmission fluid, the brake fluid, the power steering fluid, the engine coolant fluid, and yes: the windshield washer fluid.
you should know how to check your tire pressure.
you should also know what the various indicators on the dash mean.
the diagrams and accompanying text found in the manual are useful, even to people who are not new to cars. there is no harm in periodically re-reading the important sections.
regards.
I must say I'm surprised how long the fog lights have continued to work with cracks and even small holes in the fog light lenses.
First congratulations on your Honda, you picked one of the best cars available.
As others have said read your manual, it has a lot of good maintenance information.
Assuming your dealership is good and you like them, you might want to consider letting them perform your maintenance at their recommend intervals. However, ask them questions and have them explain what they are doing. Verify that they are doing all of the recommended maintenance and not omitting or adding items.
Good Luck and enjoy, you should have many trouble free miles with your car.
cruis'n in 6th :shades: ,
MidCow
P.S.- There are a lot of helpful, knowledgeable posters on the Honda forums, post any questions you have and YES welcome to the Edmund's Honda forums
Maybe I do it too often but it makes me feel better.
Dennis
Here's the official word from Honda of America:
"...Engine Oil Additives
Today's engine oils are formulated to maximize performance. Additives are unnecessary and increase the cost of operation..."
http://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/Maintenance/maint_prev_maint.asp
Additive vendors would dispute the above, but we know where they're coming from.
Didn't say I didn't run them in some of my cars :-) , but I am saying with changes every 3-6k you are pouring a lot of expense oil in the recycle bin.
Dennis
mrbill
- If no cranking, may be your battery is dead.
- May be dead starter.
- May be no more fuel or other reasons.
- You may want to try a jump start.
Do you get the engine cranking? If somebody's over there with you it is much easier to diagnose the problem.
Dennis
I've reset the ECU/TCU and the car drives fine now with only the normal "malfunctioning EGR valve" error code...but I still wonder what the heck went down at that emissions place. Weird.
Changing at less than 5,000 is a waste.
Cruise on,
MidCow
P.S. - If you decide to use synthetic oil you can increase by another 25-50%
Pre-mixed is not thing new. Just convenience for consumers. More bucks for the
dealer.
I mix my coolant myself. And I don't use Honda coolant.
login. you should be at My Vehicle
click on Maintenance Schedule on the left.
Click on Owner's Manual
Click on View or Download.
it's there for my 02 Accord...all 373 pages of it.
try it.
It says:
Your Owner's Manual contains detailed information about:
Driver and Passenger Safety
Instruments and Controls
Comfort and Convenience Features
Operation Tips
Maintenance
Appearance Care
Taking Care of the Unexpected
Technical Information
Warranty and Customer Relations
Factory Authorized Manuals
Service Information Summary
To obtain a printed copy of your Owner's Manual or any other manual covering the operation and servicing of your vehicle, you can order it online or call this toll-free number during the listed hours:
(800) 782-4356
Monday - Friday, 8:00am-6:00pm EST
To order by mail, please contact:
Helm Incorporated
P.O. Box 07280
Detroit, MI 48207
I may e-mail them to ask them about a PDF copy since you say you can get one.
Dennis
i just tried the same for my '03 Odyssey and sure enough, the download link isn't there where it is for the accord, just the link to "order it online".
i assumed (bad assumption) since it worked for my '02 accord, it's there for other model years and vehicles.
perhaps the availability of the web-link depends on the availability of remaining product from prior print runs or something. i have no idea.
it's still worth a try for people with accords '02 or older.
someone else, please try and let us know.
good luck
Dennis
Thanks
Larry
You might want to try a hair dryer to very carefully apply heat to the adhesive, using just enough heat to permit gently dislodging the badge.
Mrbill
I can download Owner's Manual for my Accord 02 but no download for Accord 03. When I bought the 03 the saleman told me If I want I need to buy it. For the Accord hybrid they gave me a free owner's manual.
what i did find that worked well, even on dried-on pine sap was something called 3M Adhesive Cleaner (comes in a can - available at NAPA auto stores). I had read about this in another forum here at Edmunds. After removing the pine sap, I washed and re-waxed the area. The other forum (I can't seem to remember which one exactly ) had great advice on removing bumper stickers too. WD-40 might have been one of the recommendations for that purpose.
You should be able to easily remove pine sap with Bug & Tar Remover. You can find it at any auto supply store.
You wrote "Most text books advocate 3,000 mile oil and filter changes." That is VERY old-school. If that is in a textbook, the book was written many years ago, before advances in lubrication technology and engine design made 3,000 mile oil changes ancient history.
The only advantage to such frequent waste of oil, that could otherwise be used to refine gasoline (and therefore increase fuel supply and lower its price), is to increase the profit of the oil companies and local oil change emporiums.
You should consider following the oil change interval recommendations of the engineers who designed your vehicle's engine. That information is easily found in the the Maintenance section of the Owner's Manual in your glove compartment.