How to Change the Oil Pan on a 87 Honda Accord

The third generation of Accords -- 1986 through 1989 -- brought a larger body to the popular Honda. The 1987 Accord came fitted with a 2.0-liter engine generating 98 to 110 horsepower, depending on if the engine had a two-barrel carburetor or fuel injection. The oil pan on this 2.0-liter engine is on the bottom of the engine and is easily damaged if something large hits the undercarriage of the Accord. Changing the oil pan on your 1987 Accord is the only reliable way to repair a damaged pan.

Instructions

1

Raise the front of the Accord, using a floor jack, and position jack stands under the vehicle's subframe. Lower the Accord onto the jack stands.

2

Crawl under the vehicle and position a drain pan under the oil drain plug. Loosen the drain plug with a combination wrench and remove it by hand. Allow all of the oil to drain from the pan. Tighten the drain plug into the drain pan.

3

Position the drain pan under the engine oil filter. Loosen the engine oil filter, using an oil filter wrench, and allow the oil to drain from the filter. Remove the filter by hand and set it in the drain pan.

4

Clean the oil filter mating surface on the engine with a clean, lint-free cloth. Apply a thin coat of new oil on the new oil filter's O-ring and tighten the oil filter onto the engine until the O-ring touches the oil filter mating surface. Tighten the filter an additional turn after the O-ring touches the mating surface.

5

Remove the three front exhaust pipe-to-manifold nuts, using a ratchet, socket and 12-inch extension. Pull the pipe loose.

6

Loosen the hose clamp on the breather hose -- the rubber hose plugging into the oil pan -- using slip-lock pliers, and pull the hose from the oil pan.

7

Remove the oil pan-retaining bolts in a crisscross pattern, using a ratchet and socket. Pull the oil pan downward from the engine. If the oil pan is stuck, do not attempt to pry it down. Lightly tap the pan with a rubber mallet to free it. Lightly pull downward on the front exhaust pipe to create the clearance needed to remove the pan.

8

Pull the oil pan gasket from the bottom of the engine. Clean the oil pan-mating surface on the engine, using a plastic gasket scraper and a clean, lint-free cloth.

9

Apply a thin coat of RTV silicone to the corners of the new oil pan and set a new oil pan gasket on the oil pan.

10

Pull the front exhaust pipe downward to provide the clearance needed to reinstall the oil pan, and set the pan against the base of the engine. Hand-thread the oil pan-to-engine bolts. Tighten the oil pan bolts -- in a crisscross pattern -- to 10 foot-pounds, using a torque wrench and socket.

11

Reinstall the breather hose onto the oil pan, by opening the hose clamp with a slip-joint pliers and pressing the hose onto the oil pan.

12

Place the front exhaust pipe back on the exhaust manifold. Tighten the three locking nuts with a ratchet and socket.

13

Raise the Accord off the jack stands, using a floor jack, and remove the jack stands. Lower the car to the ground.

14

Open the oil filler cap on top of the engine and insert a funnel into the oil filler hole. Pour 3.7 quarts of 5W30 of engine oil into the engine.

15

Remove the oil dipstick and wipe it off with a clean, lint-free cloth. Reinsert the dipstick and verify the oil level is above the "Min" mark on the dipstick.

16

Start the Accord's engine and allow it to run for about two minutes. Check for oil leaks and shut the engine down. Wait two more minutes. Pull the oil dipstick from the engine and wipe it off with a clean, lint-free cloth. Reinsert the dipstick and remove it again. Check that the oil level is between the "Min" and "Max" marks on the dipstick. Add more oil as needed to bring the level to the "Max" mark.

17

Take the old oil and filter to an automotive fluid recycling center. Many auto parts stores take old oil free of charge.