Upon approach of a 60K service, I decided to take the plunge and start doing the work myself. Please forgive me for asking what may be redundant questions, as I am a DIY noob and a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information on this site!
My car is a 2008 Honda Accord V6 EX-L with 56k miles, used roughly 75% suburban surface streets / 25% freeway driving in inland SoCal - mild winters, HOT summers. Service history followed the Honda Maintenance Minder, with oil changes being done at 10% oil life, performed at local dealership with Castrol dino. Based on what I've read, I probably should have had them done more frequently, but what's done is done.
I did my first DIY oil change last week, using Pennzoil Platinum 5W20 and a Honda OEM filter, which has the car running smoother and quieter. Good choices, or are there better, particulalry with the filter?
One thing I did notice when draining the old oil was a few small chunks of sludge plopping into the drain pan - not a lot, as most of the oil, albeit dirty, came out in a smooth, steady flow. One reason I went with a synthetic was for the cleaning properties. Can I expect more sludge to be worked out with PP, and if so, what should my future OCI's be?
Finally, I've read a few posts that suggest I can expect some burning of oil when making the change from dino to synthetic. How much would be considered abnormal? Two weeks in, the dipstick reads the same, but I have detected a burny smell after some drives. No visible leaks.
My apologies for a long winded first post, but I'm in learning mode, so any advice from those with experience is definitely appreciated!
My car is a 2008 Honda Accord V6 EX-L with 56k miles, used roughly 75% suburban surface streets / 25% freeway driving in inland SoCal - mild winters, HOT summers. Service history followed the Honda Maintenance Minder, with oil changes being done at 10% oil life, performed at local dealership with Castrol dino. Based on what I've read, I probably should have had them done more frequently, but what's done is done.
I did my first DIY oil change last week, using Pennzoil Platinum 5W20 and a Honda OEM filter, which has the car running smoother and quieter. Good choices, or are there better, particulalry with the filter?
One thing I did notice when draining the old oil was a few small chunks of sludge plopping into the drain pan - not a lot, as most of the oil, albeit dirty, came out in a smooth, steady flow. One reason I went with a synthetic was for the cleaning properties. Can I expect more sludge to be worked out with PP, and if so, what should my future OCI's be?
Finally, I've read a few posts that suggest I can expect some burning of oil when making the change from dino to synthetic. How much would be considered abnormal? Two weeks in, the dipstick reads the same, but I have detected a burny smell after some drives. No visible leaks.
My apologies for a long winded first post, but I'm in learning mode, so any advice from those with experience is definitely appreciated!