oil and filter change heads up

[mikeyd123]

I did the initial (100mi) service on the 500 yesterday and came across something I thought is worth sharing.
To access the oil filter cover you need to remove the plastic seat pan under the passenger side seat bottom.
It is held in place by about 12 clips and 3 phillip head bolts.
I found the three bolts to be SUPER TIGHT and difficult to remove.
One came out but I needed to use the screwdriver the whole time, one came out about 1/4 of the way and would not go any further, the last one would not even move, I could not get it to go at all. I wound up using a "screw out" gadget on one and having to drill out the other.
All three were promptly replaced by hex head bolts and washers so future oil and filter changes wont take so long!
If I had to do it again I might try a phillips head ratchet attachment on a large handled wrench to get good leverage but honestly don’t know that would have worked.
Also when you remove the oil filter cover, take care to notice the small O ring location. It may be stuck to the cover itself but needs to be in the little groove around the intake before putting the cover back on.
Hope this helps!

 

[Admin]

 

[onlyhonda]

thanks for the heads up. Getting real close to time for my first service. I was looking at it while cleaning this weekend trying to get an idea of what was going to be involved.

 

[Crookedcreek]

Thanks for the info. It will be a while yet before I need to perform the first change, but I'm getting prepared. Oil filter and a pack of 40 clips are on order through Amazon. I was at Walmart and found Rotella T6 for $21.74 per gallon with a $5.00 per gallon mail in rebate sticker on the bottle (limit two rebates per address), so I bought two gallons. $16.74 per gallon of a full synthetic that is getting very good reviews and rated for atvs with wet clutches ain't bad. I also picked up a long skinny funnel (like the one pictured in another post here) and a nifty (I guess you would call it a funnel, of sorts) container that is clear and has a handle and lid. It has molded in measurement lines on the side, both standard and metric and holds a full liter. The bottom of the unit has a valve that turns to allow the measured amount of oil to flow out of the container through a clear flexible tube ( about 10-12"long) that also has a cap on the end. I may just take the tube off and open the valve to let the oil flow into the skinny funnel. What I liked about the measurement container is I can nail the correct amount of oil fill down to the milliliter.