Good time to dump Honda factory fill?

[SSQ]

I bought a Honda Accord coupe with the 2.4L engine a month ago. I now have about 1800 miles on the engine and is considering to give it a oil change. Planning to give it Valvoline or Havoline 5w20 dino.

You guys think it's a good time? I know honda recommends letting the oil stay for a while, but I have always drained the factory fill at 1000 miles in for previous new cars.

 

[martyi]

I have a 2006 Honda Ridgeline and the manual also states to leave the factory fill in there for a while. People say it is a special "break-in" oil and others say that it is nothing more than a Superflo formula oil that is rich in moly due to the factory lubes during assembly. These people say the assembly lubes are designed to work hand in hand with the oil to help get the engine off to a good start.

Whatever the truth is, Honda recommends you change oil, including the factory fill, when the oil life monitor (OLM) reads 15% oil life expectancy. I am pretty sure your Accord has an OLM so if I were you I would not try to second guess the manual and the engineers that designed, tested and built these engines. Actually, you are suppose to be safe between 15% and 0%, at which point the OLM gives you a service past due notice.

You do what is comfortable for you but I find it so much easier to let the technology of the OLM do the work (and the worrying) for me.

 

[lukey]

I changed my 04 4 cyl Accord oil at 3900 miles or so.

I read a lot of material on it and decided to change it then. Came out looking real GREEN color.

Lukey

 

[Eddie]

Martyi would do what I would do. Follow the recomendations of the people who know-the factory people.

 

[surfstar]

I think if I ever had a new car (which I probably won't) I would change the filter only at 1k miles, with the finest filtering over the counter filter available - either a M1 or Purolator Pure One. Top off with a 1/2 qt of any oil and take it to whatever the factory recommends.

That way you can try and catch those smaller particles and figure that if they pass through the filter they're too small to do any real harm.

 

[1999nick]

And to think that those Honda engineers say the filter is good for 20,000 miles. By the way, any filter, air or oil, will catch smaller and smaller particles as it becomes filled up, until it goes into bypass mode. A new filter will pass larger particles than a filter that is half used up.

 

[PandaBear]

Yeah, changing just the filter is a good idea.

 

[lukey]

No mine is an LX model which is a step down from the EX. It doesn't have any monitors like that just the old "idiot light".
Didn't see a need for all the other fancy stuff.

Lukey

 

[Titan]

I've always changed mine quickly, including the Hondas. By quickly, I mean within 1000 miles, sometimes less. Never had any problems with consumption, never did an UOA. Always see MUCH more glittery material in the initial oil change compared to the subsequent ones.

I THINK (I do NOT know this for a fact), that the extended oil change intervals are partly a way to say, "our cars are so good, you don't have to do much maintenance on them at all." That said, I do think cars are now so good, they require much less maintenance than they used to, at least, as far as oil changes go.

 

[Schmoe]

UOA's have been proven to show that indeed, Honda "doctors" up the oil and for specific reasons. I'm a die hard oil changing nut, but my 06 V6 Accord will keep the factory fill until the OLM shows about 40% remaining. Put it this way, I currently have about 4800 miles on it and it still has the factory oil in it. I regulary change out the 02 Accord V6 at 5K miles. This is unchartered waters for me, but from what I've read into from UOA's and numerous other Honda forums, I am content that Honda has something going for them. Why mess with a good thing? Now, after I dump the factory stuff, I don't know if I'll follow the OLM or just go with my basic 5K changes. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

[H20024.6L]

I have the OLM, but I don't believe in it. I believe in UOA's via Terry Dyson, to determine the time to change based on my driving habits with my V6 Acura. Changed out the original factory fill at 3300 and the second fill at 3000 to get the copper levels down quickly. Then I extended the drains to 7000. UOA's have been taken with each drain. I know there is alot of debate on the OLM, but if it really 'knows' when the oil is dirty, it would also 'know' when the oil is new and reset itself.

 

[Auto-Union]

I changed the FF on my k-series at 2500mi with hi-moly Havoline 5w-20 plus a 4oz shot of VSOT. No complaints. I actually rinsed it with Delo 30 and the old filter first. How's that for nutty?

 

[sxg6]

no reason to dump the factory fill early. look at the accord with the 2.4 in the uoa section where the owner ran his for the first 10,000mi. he now has over 100k with excellent wear numbers. id dump the factory fill at 5,000mi.

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=003368

 

[pbm]

I changed the factory fill in my wifes Accord at 2000 miles and it doesn't burn a drop at 50K.
I normally change factory fill at 1000 miles so I actually doubled it. It hasn't caused any problems.

 

[the_oil_dealer]

earlier seems like the best idea. who would want to run an oil fill with half a brillo pad in it?

 

[Schmoe]

Nobody is saying that dumping oil earlier would prevent the engine from drinking oil, or vice versa. It's all a matter of whether the oil itself would hold up to the manufacturers recommendation. It's just that, a recommendation.

 

[toocrazy2yoo]

I drained mine at about 500, but mine's a 2005 bought in 2-06 new, the oil had been in there awhile. The coolant, THAT was another story. Didn't notice any particular grit in the oil, but it was a stinky odor. like a heavy gear oil been in the diff for awhile. Who knows WHAT the fill was!

 

[Auto-Union]

My theory was that it was ok to dump the FF "early" if hi-moly oil went back in. I'll run this stuff 3 months/5k and do the same again, then synth.

 

[Titan]

Fellas, the variability of which some do change and some don't, yet neither group reports any problems, might just show that it doesn't matter. It SEEMS (to me) that getting the glittery FF oil out of there quicker would be "better". People that leave the FF in waiting on the OLM to blink don't report problems. Oh, about the OLM, someone mentioned if it could really tell what condition the oil was in, it would reset itself...that's a good observation...it's just a computerized guess based upon, well, I don't know exactly. If it can take starting temps, idling time, WOT time, highway time, and several other factors into consideration, the more it considers the more I'd trust it. But, it certainly doesn't take other factors such as synthetic vs. mineral oil, PAO vs. EP, etc.

I don't think either camp has a stranglehold on what works well enough to guarantee no lubricant-related problems for a certain number of miles.

I'm still changing that initial fill out quickly!

 

[hominid7]

When the car was built and how long it sat on the dealers lot would also be a factor to take into consideration.

My mazda sat on the dealers lot for 9 months before i bought it. It had around 200 miles on it so i dumped the factory fill at 1000 miles (2 weeks after i bought it) and am glad i did.