According to the 2005 Accord Hybrid Owner's Manual, for normal operation the engine oil should be changed out at every 7,500 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first. (p. 194)

For severe conditions, change the oil out at every 3,750 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. (p. 195)

I'll be doing mine at every 5,000 miles, since it's easier to remember that interval, and because I drive in semi severe conditions. The choice is up to you. Just don't ever exceed the maintenance schedule.

There has always been a big debate on oil. It comes down to personal preference. Do your research and make an educated decision as to what oil and filter to use and at what frequency to change it.

 

For my first oil change (5,002 miles), I opted for Honda 5W-20. I bought 5 quarts at $2.49/quart.

I also picked up a Honda oil filter (15400-PLM-A01).

 

While I was there, I also picked up 10 crush washers. They're $0.27/each. I think I'll probably switch to Mobil1 5W-20 for subsequent oil changes, so buying these washers now saves me a trip to the dealership later. I'm also going to buy Honda oil filters in bulk from an online retailer. I believe they're $4.88 online. At the dealership, they're $6.49.

 

One thing to keep mindful of is if you'll be changing your oil without raising the car. If so, you'll have to buy an oil catch pan shallow enough to fit under the car.

So now you have an oil catch pan, a 17 mm socket wrench, a type F oil filter wrench (or equivalent), some rags, maybe a funnel (if you're not confident enough to pour the oil into the filler opening without spilling it), and all the supplies previously mentioned.

The first thing to do is run the engine until it reaches normal operating temps. Then shut it down. (p. 203 step 1)

Then, fit your oil catch pan under the car where it'll catch the oil. The pic shows the location of the oil filter as if you're looking at the car from in front of the passenger side tire. In the pic, you can see a brace. On the other side of that brace is the oil pan. The oil drain plug is on the back side of the oil pan. Remember, it faces to the rear. Fit your 17 mm socket wrench onto the bolt and loosen. Then slide your catch pan underneath where the oil will drain into. I didn't have much clearance between the oil catch pan and the drain plug, so I had to fiddle with the bolt until it came off, dropped into the catch pan, and oil was gushing out of the drain hole. (p. 203 step 2)

 

Here's another shot of the underside of the car so you can see where the drain plug is. If you look right above the 11, you can see where the pan dips down a bit at the rear. That's where it's located. A little oil has gathered there.

All the oil spots should be cleaned up with a rag so as not to collect dirt and become grimy.

After the oil has stopped draining, move the oil catch pan so that part of it is still under the oil drain hole and also under the oil filter. The factory oil filter is on pretty tightly, so the use of an oil filter wrench surely comes in handy! If you get the cap style, I believe it's a "Type F". I paid something like $3.99 for it at AutoZone.

As you unscrew the oil filter, some oil will run down the sides of it and drip into the pan. Be sure to unscrew it rather quickly to prevent hot oil from running down your hand/arm. (p. 203 step 3)

 

So after waiting for about 20 minutes, I went out and checked on my car. Looks like the dripping has stopped! So now, I prep my new oil filter by applying a light coat of oil to the gasket. Do this by dipping your finger into your clean oil and running it along the rubber gasket.

Then, screw on the new filter. (p. 204 step 4) As soon as the gasket comes into contact with the car, I then tighten it on another 3/4 to 1 whole turn. Look at the markings/writing on the filter to see about where the 3/4 to 1 whole turn point is. We don't want the filter on too tight!

Next, clean up your drain plug bolt with a rag. Attach a new crush washer (reusing the old one has been done my many in the past, without any ill effects, but is highly unrecommended. Besides, at $0.27/each, it's cheap insurance!) to the drain bolt. Start to thread the bolt into the drain opening. Remember, the bolt came out horizontally, so make sure it goes back in horizontally to avoid cross threading. Screw it in with your fingers to be sure you're not cross threading it. If it takes much effort to screw it in, then back it out and try again. It should go in nice and smoothly.

Once it's tightened down by finger, if you have a torque wrench, set it to 29 lb-ft (p. 204 step 5) and torque it in. If you don't own a torque wrench (buy one! A beam style is about $15-20 and is pretty accurate) tighten down the bolt with your 17 mm socket wrench. You want it on there pretty snugly, but not too tight! For one, we want to be able to take the drain bolt back off on the next oil change without too much effort. And two, too much pressure on the bolt can stretch out the threads on the bolt or the oil pan. A couple good tugs on the wrench and you should be all set.

At this point, do one more final clean up of the underside of the car. Where all the oil has dripped down or onto, make sure you clean it all off with your rags. If you leave oil on there, dirt will gather and make quite a mess of the undercarriage of your vehicle. And besides, if you ever develop a leak, it'll be much easier to find where the leak is coming from if your undercarriage is clean!

So now, we're ready to fill with oil. The filler opening is pretty wide, so it should be rather easy to pour in the oil without much spillage. I, for one, would rather just invest in a $0.99 funnel, so as to not have any spillage onto the engine.

 

Pour in 4 and a half quarts of oil (p. 204 step 6) into the filler opening by whatever method you choose. When you're done, be sure to put your filler cap back on!


Start your car. The oil lamp should go off within 5 seconds. If it doesn't, turn off the car and check your work! (p. 204 step 7)


Let the car run for a few minutes and check underneath for any leaks. (p 204 step 8) Then shut down the car, wait a short bit, then check the oil level with the dipstick. (p. 204 step 9)


If everything is good, then you're done! Now, clean up your work area. Make sure you pick up all the tools and rags you were working with. And especially make sure your oil catch pan isn't still under your car! All you need is for when you drive your car, you knock it over and spill oil all over the place!


Please dispose of the used oil properly. Most auto parts stores will take the old oil for free. I use a 5 gallon bucket to collect my oil with. The buckets I use are from a few different places. I don't pay extra for my buckets. I just buy products that come in buckets so I'll have somewhere to dump my oil. I buy cat litter in large plastic buckets. When we used to use powdered laundry detergent, I got a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff. Recycling isn't just for used motor oil and soda cans! Reuse or recycle!

 

For further information:

On page 202 of the owner's manual, is where it states the HAH uses 5W-20 oil all year long. Also, it goes on to say synthetic oil may be used, as long as it is of the proper weight. Just as long as the oil and filter change maintenance interval is followed!

It also goes on to warn against the use of oil additives.

 

Here's a pic of the filter wrench I used. Should be a Type F.

 

I've had seven oil changes in my HAH now. Six of which I did myself. One of them I had the dealer do just because the car was already in the shop for something else. I brought them 5 quarts of Mobil 1 5w-20 and a Honda filter. Seeing that the car only takes 4.5 quarts, I expected to get a half a quart of oil back. When I got home, I realized it wasn't in the car. It wasn't worth the drive back to retrieve half a quart of oil.

One thing I'd add to the above procedures is that I've found using a plastic grocery bag loosely wrapped around the oil filter when you're unscrewing it will help to keep the oil from running down your hand/arm. It takes some finessing to keep the bag around the filter and the oil going into the bag, but it's well worth the extra effort to keep the mess contained. Just be sure whatever bag you use doesn't have any holes in the bottom of it.