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420 Oil Change Questions...?

38K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  jeepwm69 
#1 ·
I've seem too many threads on stripped drain plugs.

Does anyone have the Honda Recommended Torque specs for the drain plug and oil filter housing?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
QUOTE (X-treme tech @ May 2 2009, 06:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=126374
How uses torque specs. make it snug and make sure you don't loose the plug washer. :)
How or Who?

I use torque specs. As I said there are plenty of threads with stripped out drain plugs.

And FYI its 18 ft lbs for the drain plug and the washer should be replaced. Oil filter bolts should be torqued to 7 ft lbs.
 
#4 ·
quick (not really) guide to 2008 Honda Rancher 4X4 TRX420FM oil change
posting this, because i lost my manual and took forever to find all the info. dealer didnt want to tell me this, cause he wanted the work/money.
read at your own risk, follow if youre desperate.

what you will need
-- castrol 10w-40 5 qt jug full - from walmart
-- castrol 10w-40 5 qt jug empty (but clean) - from last time you swamped your 4x4
-- one of those long orange cheap funnels - dont care where you get it, you should already have one laying around somewhere, say in the neighbors garage
-- cheap (loose term) greatneck inch-pounds torque ratchet handle - from autozone
-- the assorted aluminum oil plug washer set - from oreilly, because autozone was out of stock, and the one thats on the bike is as thick as a sheet of aluminum foil because last time your cheap butt decided not to spend the 25.00 on the torque wrench
-- large o-ring for oil filter cap - from hyperparts(dot)com [they ROCK]
-- small o-ring for oil filter cap - from (throwing a massive bone here) boats(dot)net, because you searched and searched for this **** thing and noone carries it, but john told you to go to this site and search the part number out of the technician repair manual that john bought online for a small fortune because he was pissed off late one night that he could not find his **** owners manual... anyway search the part number and discover that a honda outboard engine uses this same o-ring with the same part number, and buy a handful for less than 5.00 shipping included, and cheer when they come in - in the honda OEM sealed sleeves!
-- cheap oil filter - from hyperparts, because why buy an expensive one, the oil pump on the bike hasnt been swapped out for one that is gold plated and runs at mach 5, the filter FILTERS OIL, THATS ALL IT DOES, get over it, its not like an air filter that does allow for improvement... and your gonna swamp the bike again anyway, its gonna ruin the filter. if i wanted to pack 100.00 bills in where the oil filter goes to filter my oil i wouldnt be shopping at hyperparts, i'd be in a sanitarium - tied to a mattress.
-- body grommets - from cheapcycleparts(dot)com, because your too lazy to wash the bike before changing the oil and a grommet stuck to the peg when you pulled the "leg blister from ****" deterent side cover off the engine, you saw it, you saved it to put it back, but while reading this post it disappeared into thin air.
-- a 17mm 3/8 drive socket, it fits the oil plug and the lugnuts (hey something i can use other than just for changing oil, the dealer may have been cheaper but i'm now at the point my wife calls my "hardheaded" mode.) get a socket that is 6 sided, not one of those multitooth ones that never fit right and end up making the plug look like my great dane got ahold to it.
-- a 8mm 1/4 drive socket, if youve ever touched a bike - its always 8mm, unless your in europe - then i hope its 1/4" or something else US standard that way they have to buy 2 sets of every **** thing (funny how we have metric tools that have standard drives, do they even make ratchets with metric sized drives?) with a 3/8 drive adapter and a 3" 3/8 drive extension. dont just buy a 3/8 drive deepwell 8mm socket, it wont work as well, and i have the hole in the garage sheetrock where i threw it to back up my story.
-- a 3/8 drive rachet handle, unless you really enjoy shutting down your project to go get yet another cheap torque ratchet. i dont even buy actual ratchet handles anymore, it buy the flip over, non-ratcheting handles so when my buddy borrows it and manages to break it at least i know he had a challenge.
-- a flour/cereal rectangle shaped plastic storage container - from walmart (we'll get into this later, you'll also need a dremel 35.00 at homedepot, youre at do it yourselfer, why dont you have a dremel yet?)

steps
-- run to wally world because you forgot you didnt get an oil drain pan.
-- cuss the whole way there and back.
-- put pan under bike.
-- beat overtightened drain plug off of bike.
-- put your arm in oil to the elbow, cussing the whole time, because you forgot to take the plugs out of the top of the oil drain pan.
-- take out dipstick, lets oil drain faster, so fast in fact that the oil drains at an angle and spills into the top of the, until now - wonderful, full length factory skid plate. now youve got oil dripping in 15 spots (find yourself wishing you had spent 5.00 more for the larger oil drain pan.
-- now that youre disgusted at looking at all the oil everywhere on your freshly cleaned garage floor because you told yourself that you were going to stay relatively clean this time - grab dremel and flour container.
-- cut bottom off of container about 1 1/2" up. it should fit in the recess of the floorboard on the oil filter side of the bike
-- cut the side off the container, not the side with the handle, the other side. slide under the oil filter cap, and measure to halfway of the mini drain pan you cut out earlier, cut your oil catching trough to length and position under oil filter cap. voila! you now have a oil catcher for the oil filter cap. pointless now, because theres oil everywhere from the skidplate dispersement.
-- CAREFULLY (SERIOUSLY) bump loose the 3 screws holding the oil filter cap loose. strip out one of those holes and you just thought the dealer oil change bill was high!
-- cheer at how well your little oil catch basin is working out, until you drop the oil filter into it, splashing oil everywhere totally defeating its purpose, all that wasted time, and the aroma of burnt plastic...
-- clean any debris off oil filter cap, change out 2 o-rings making sure to lube them up. lube up seal on mouth of new oil filter, slide whole deal back into place (dont forget the spring!) and hold the cap in place while straining to reach the 3 screws you set down too far away from the work area, being careful to not let the cap come back out - because you really dont want to cut one of those o-rings and have to start back over entirely. snug up by hand.
-- unpackage your torque ratchet to discover that you have figures to acheive in newton-meteres, the ratchet directions are in inch-pounds but for some reason do not match the inch-pound quantities marked on the ratchet, and that the increments in the ratchet adjustment are 1=12. so now your going to have to do 4 levels of math just to figure out how to set the **** thing. begin thinking the bike dealer sat in on the art dept meeting where they decided on what markings to put on the torque ratchets and that the ratchet manuals should be outsourced to india.
-- use these measurements if you have the MATW1 torque ratchet, 120 to 960 on the scale on the shaft and 0-8 twice on the adjustment:
oil plug - zero on 120, then add 8 and about 2/5 on the adjustment (about 25nm)
oil filter cap - zero on 120, then subtract 3 on the adjustment (about 7ft/lbs)
youre welcome
-- put funnel in empty oil jug. pour 3qt of oil from full jug into empty jug, reverse process if you pour too much, reverse again if you screw it up again.
-- now that youve discovered that its easier to measure oil before you pour it in the bike, pour your 3 qts into the bike with all the confidence in the world. but not too confident, or youll overfill the funnel and spill and have to pour/check, pour/check, pour/check, and pour/check anyway - like i had to.
-- put dipstick back
-- crank bike
-- check level
-- realize you are only on oil change #3, not #4, you still have water in the oil, you just wasted an oil filter and o-rings. repeat above steps again.
-- put your body grommet in or youll have a hellacious rattle
-- go swamp your bike again - because youre paying the note on the bike, your saving (haha) money by changing your own oil (actually your only goal was to hide the fact of how often you swamp your bike from your dealer, so when something major breaks you can say "this is under warranty isnt it?")

ok seriously, this bike was forged by the titans. take care of it and it wont let you down.
someone check my math on the torque, i am fairly certain i have it right.
the catch basin for the oil filter cap does work.
measure your oil before you put it in the bike if you have a known-clean jug around.
i am not affiliated with the parthouses mentioned, but they will save you a bunch of money for the same parts you would get at a dealer.
if you need part numbers, send me an email.
anyone have a good blueprint for a snorkel for this bike? i could use one.

later.
 
#6 ·
quick (not really) guide to 2008 Honda Rancher 4X4 TRX420FM oil change
posting this, because i lost my manual and took forever to find all the info. dealer didnt want to tell me this, cause he wanted the work/money.
read at your own risk, follow if youre desperate.
Ha, nice writeup.

Anybody know how many quarts a 420 Automatic takes? Since mine got wrecked yesterday, I'm borrowing one this weekend, still has break-in oil in it with 166 miles. Guy doesn't know where the manual is, but I told him I'd change the oil.

2008 (might be an 09, have to check) 420 automatic with PS.

Oil capacity and is there just one filter in the usual spot on this one?

I've googled and couldn't find specific info.

Thanks!
 
#7 ·
It takes just under 4qts (1 gallon). Just one filter on the right side of the bike. Be aware that it takes a special filter (different from all other 420's) and as far as I know Honda is the only one that makes that size. I use Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 in mine. Also, when filling mine with oil - I noticed it does't just flow in all at once. It takes a while on refilling with oil.

If it's a 420 auto with IRS, it an 09 or newer.
 
#8 ·
It takes just under 4qts (1 gallon). Just one filter on the right side of the bike. Be aware that it takes a special filter (different from all other 420's) and as far as I know Honda is the only one that makes that size. I use Shell Rotella T6 5w-40 in mine. Also, when filling mine with oil - I noticed it does't just flow in all at once. It takes a while on refilling with oil.

If it's a 420 auto with IRS, it an 09 or newer.
It DOES have IRS, so must be an 09. I gotta go get parts to fix my wrecked Foreman :)rant) at the stealership anyhow so I'll pick up some oil and a Filter while I'm there.

Thanks for the info!
 
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