Oil drain bolt size?
 

Whats the size of the drain bolt for a socket wrench/torque wrench? and the manual says to torque it to 33lbs. i heard 25lbs. somewhere. which one is best?

so no one knows what the size is?

Usually I just finger tighten it and then tighten it with a ratchet/wrench as much as I can with slight force and for the final touch I tighten quite firmly from the 3 o'clock to 6 o'clock position (or as close as possible to the 6 o'clock position). The crush washer will be a buffer for stripping and cracking the oil pan, always use new crush washers.

The socket size is 14mm.

Also if you really want to torque it down, if it says 33lbs/ft in the manual then do it, 33lbs/ft sounds right.

Thanks, thats what i was really looking for.

It's actually a 17mm hex, and the torque spec is 33 lb-ft with a new crush washer.

I will 2nd the 17mm.

I have had a tough time getting my 1/2" drive torque wrench to fit between the plastic air deflector and the drain bolt head (my 17mm socket is too long). The plastic access panel opening doesn't give me enough room toward the rear of the car. I just torque it by hand, no leaks, no thread-stripping so far.

I dont know what size it is. I just try the ones that look like it will fit and the one that fits is what i use to loosen and tighten it. It is a metric one though.

Oops correction it is 17mm. :rofl: Sorry it was late.

I strongly recommend replacing oil drain plugs with Fumoto Engineering's oil drain valves. They never leak, they eliminate need for any tools to open or close, there is never a lost drain plug or gasket to worry about and you will never have to worry about someone stripping the oil pan drain threads. I've used them for almost 20 years without any problems whatsoever. These valves are available on their website.

Have you installed one on a TSX? Do we need the extension adapter for the 2.4L Honda engine?

drain plug extension
 

Fumoto's website should be able to tell you if you need an extension; you might want to call them to confirm. I haven't tried one on a TSX myself. If they send you the wrong part in error, they are good at getting you the correct one quickly, in my experience.

Had 210,000 mlies on my previous '88 Acura Integra. Still had the original oil pan and plug when I sold it. If you change the crush washer every time and don't over-do the torque on the plug, you have no need for aftermarket "valves" or the like.

True but...
 

True, if you change your oil yourself, like I do, you won't likely strip a drain plug or an oil pan. It's repair shops and quick lube places where the damage will likely occur. A new oil pan installed costs a fortune and I have seen them replaced frequently just for this reason.

The drain valve eliminates one tool you need to change your oil; all you need is an oil filter wrench. If you need an oil change and you are away from home, who is going to do it? Obviously you would have to take the car somewhere to have it done. With the drain valve you never have to fish the drain plug out of the dirty oil (if it slips from your hand) and you can drain oil out easily if you accidentally overfill the crankcase. The Fumoto valves are supposedly standard equipment on many cars sold in Japan.

You definitely have me sold on the idea, it looks like it would cost about $30 if we need the extender.

I spent a half hour trying to get my girlfriend's Camry drain plug out a couple weekends ago. She had taken it to one of these instant oil change places the time before, and some gorilla tightened it down way more than needed.