I just recently purchased a '96 Accord LX and time for a oil change is coming up. The owners manual lists oil change capacity as 4qts(w/filter) and total oil capacity as 5.2qts. What’s up with that? The center of the drain is approximately 3/4" from the bottom of the pan, but the circumfrence of the sump is such that there is no way that there is over a quart of oil left in there. Is there a cooler or reservoir somewhere that I’m ignorant of? I want to run some SeaFoam through there and change with Royal Purple, but I will have a very hard time pouring $9 a quart into 1.2qts of the contamination that the SeaFoam will produce. I greatly appreciate any information you can give me on this.
A common easy way to determine your oil capacity is to add four quarts (after draining oil and replacing filter), then check the level on the dipstick. Keep adding oil until the dipstick level is at the full mark.
The question you should have asked is:
“Will I ever see a benefit from using Royal Purple in a '96 Accord?
Or is it a complete waste of money?”
If the oil on your '96 Accord is changed at the recommended intervals, the engine should last over 300K miles on regular $2/quart dyno oil. Royal Purple might add another 5K miles.
Why are you messing around with SeaFoam? Do you suspect the car hasn’t had many oil changes and is a sludgemobile? If you suspect sludging I’d suggest a professional engine flush out. They use machines to put the cleaner in and properly evacuate it at the end. Then put in fresh oil.
Otherwise I’d just change the oil and filter with normal stuff. If the engine is running fine and shows no evidence of sludge or issues perhaps a couple of oil changes at 2,000 to 3,000 mile intervals will help you feel better that the inside of your motor is cleaned out.
I always check the level before the change. Then I drain into a catchpan and drain that catchpan into old oil jugs from previous changes, always it is just a hair shy of a full four quarts. I also drain the old filter into the same catchpan. The amount I put back in matches the amount I take out. The owners manual calls for about a half a quart more, but I’ve changed the oil on this car dozens of times and the method and result are the same. BTW . . . it’s an Accord. The Seafoam? I’d just change my oil twice as often for the first two changes, if I felt that the car was not serviced properly. Maybe a 1500 mile oil change two times, then go to the normal 3000 mile changes. Royal Purple is a great product . . . but I wouldn’t think that you would need it under normal operating conditions. I use Castrol or Pennzoil . . . or whatever is on sale as long as it meets specs. Rocketman
While all of your comments are appreciated, my question seemed to be ? where is the residual oil after drainage? If you do not know, I can appreciate that also. I trust that the capacities the Honda manual states are correct. My desire is to drain the total oil capacity. My rationale is this: While the car has been extremely well maintained at Honda dealerships per documentation, visual, and mechanical evidence, it does have 108K on it, so naturally there is going to be a buildup of the by-products/contaminates of petroleum hydrocarbon oxidation, which traditional mineral/detergent oils would leave right where they are (as they have been doing), and causing no problem. However, the much higher degree of solvency of Royal Purple will break down the residue relatively quickly, in effect contaminating itself. Hence the use of SeaFoam for 25-50mi. prior to the oil change. My reason for wanting to use RP is that in addition to the statistics/testimonies released by an exhaustive list of industrial, manufacturing, and energy production plants (and others that use ultra large quantities of lubricants) as to the reduction in maintenance costs- parts, labor, and shutdown time added to the substantial savings in energy expenditure, far outweighs the higher expense of the lubricant, more significant to me is the fact that three different parties, all whom are rational, intelligent and truthful friends/associates of mine, have personally reported between 1-3.5 mpg increase in mileage. This, along with the minor detail of: 3X (conventional oil change w/filters) = 1X RP w/high grade filter(+ 1 high grade filter) makes this a no brainer! My whole point is and was that I really don?t want to contaminate ANY new oil/filter with 1.2qts of residual left in the ? wherever it?s left.
I’ve probably changed oil on 1000+ cars over the past 40 years. I don’t remember the amount of residual oil ever being an issue. I seriously doubt it’s on the order of 1.2 quarts. I personally would not worry about the residual oil.
As for your justification for using Royal Purple, that is an amazing garden path you’ve taken yourself down. Right or wrong, I guess there’s no way I’ll get you to look at it any differently.
The Garden Path leads to bobistheoilguy.com where Oil Phreeks congregate and take showers in Sea-Foam, posting the most amazing Motor Oil Fantasies ever contrived…
I bet there is a market for $50/qt oil if you could get the right script-writer to design the label, dye it the right color and give it an irresistible smell…Once upon a time, there was a M/C oil called “Golden Spectro” that came pretty close…
I guess the only way I would know to get more oil out of the motor at oil change time would be to crank it over a few times while the oil is draining. Other than that you might have to take the motor apart and drain all the nooks and crannies. Having said that, my opinion is that you’re attempts are overkill. But I can appreciate your motive behind this rather thorough oil change procedure. Heck, I allow my oil to drain overnight in the garage (when it’s convenient) and re-fill the next morning, and people call me crazy for doing it. But I answer their comments by showing them the mileage on the odometer (504,000) and the mpg I still get with the car after owning it for 20+ years . . . about 32 mpg. Go for it and enjoy yourself . . . Rocketman
bnaward; I concur with other posters that a well maintained Honda with your mileage will happily go to 300,000 miles with continued tender loving care using nothing more than normal dino oil.
The only exception is if you suddenly moved to Alaska and parked the car outside, then a 0W30 synthetic would be a good choice. I also assume you are not going to tow a trailer with this vehicle, another high stress use.
Countless studies and surveys ranging from Popular Mechanics to 2 very comprehensive ones by Consumer Reports concluded that for NORMAL vehicle operation and use, regular oil and filter changes with the right spec and weight of mineral oil allowed those vehicles to reach very high mileages without engine falure.
Oil change FREQUENCY turned out to be far more important that the brand of oil. Those that used the SEVERE oil change interval had far fewer engine repairs than others. This was established as far back as 1984 in a Consumer Reports study!
The exceptions are cars that are specified to need synthetic, such as Volkswagesn, Corvettes, etc. I would also use synthetic in any turbo application.
If you want to have fun experimenting with various expensive additives and oils, go ahead. Just remember, up to 75% of the price of these expensive fluids is ADVERTISING AND SALES PROMOTION. It’s the only way they can get people’s attention.
The worthless blue junk with the sweet smell was “Bel-Ray”, not “Golden Spectro.”
OK, you opened the door…
“However, the much higher degree of solvency of Royal Purple will break down the residue relatively quickly, in effect contaminating itself. Hence the use of SeaFoam for 25-50mi. prior to the oil change.”
All engine oils (RP included) have components to keep dirt in suspension. I doubt RP has a ‘much higher degree of sovency’, that would interfere with its main job of lubrication.
“My reason for wanting to use RP is that in addition to the statistics/testimonies released by an exhaustive list of industrial, manufacturing, and energy production plants (and others that use ultra large quantities of lubricants) as to the reduction in maintenance costs- parts, labor, and shutdown time added to the substantial savings in energy expenditure, far outweighs the higher expense of the lubricant,”
Those testimonials have nothing to do with cars. If an industry can cut maintenance schedules safely by switching lubricants, they’ll save money, sure. No car company recommends extended change intervals with synthetics over conventional oils. You are taking a risk by doing so.
“…more significant to me is the fact that three different parties, all whom are rational, intelligent and truthful friends/associates of mine, have personally reported between 1-3.5 mpg increase in mileage.”
Personal testimonials are the least reliable way to judge milage impacts. When someone is spending big money to save gas, they drive differently, easily resulting in the changes reported.
“This, along with the minor detail of: 3X (conventional oil change w/filters) = 1X RP w/high grade filter(+ 1 high grade filter) makes this a no brainer!”
Again, extended change intervals are not recommended by anyone except the oil manufacturer. You can do the same with Mobil1 ‘Extended Performance’, and get a guarantee in the process, for a lot less money, I’d bet. Does RP offer that guarantee?
“My whole point is and was that I really don?t want to contaminate ANY new oil/filter with 1.2qts of residual left in the ? wherever it?s left.”
There must be some mixup, there are no cars I know of that leave over a quart in the engine. And unless something really bad is in that old oil, it’s not a big deal to have a little of it mixed in with the new oil.
I doubt I’ll change your mind, but I don’t want others to be confused.
I have seen engines fail because they were run without any oil…
I have seen engines fail because they were run out of oil…
I have seen engines fail when the oil was never changed and it turned to tar…
But I have NEVER seen an engine fail that had received regular oil changes and were never allowed to run low on oil…Never. Engines DON’T CARE what KIND of oil is being pumped through their innards. They just want some good, clean, Motor Oil…
If the Honda in question has an automatic transmission, it will go to the shredder when that transmission fails which will be long before 300,000 miles are ever recorded…
An owners manual on one of my cars (not a Honda) also shows a variance in the amount of oil but it also comes with a footnote at the bottom; *go by the level on the dipstick.
You’re also wasting your money on SeaFoam and Royal Purple.
Your friends who claim to have attained these fuel mileage increases are also suffering from a placebo effect, which is a pretty common symptom after using a product with a lot of hype behind it.
If Royal Purple actually increased fuel mileage even .2 MPG then the Feds would have already mandated that RP be used in every new car built.
Well stated, Caddyman!
That’s right ponick, HaHa, you stick to your consumo reports. I never stated my purpose was to take it to 300K, someone else did. But, IT IS A FACT that less friction on the molecular level = less heat = less wear + less energy(fuel consumption) to overcome the resistance.
and then the other companies would be scrambling over themselves to meet or beat that 2MPG difference so they can claim better fuel economy