This is a simple procedure and everybody knows how to do that although there is always someone who do it for the first time. So I would like to put this procedure up not as much for telling something new but rather to make that someone more confident in what he is going to do.

In any case here it is:

STEP 1.

This is al you need to perform the Oil change without a headache and more or less clean:
1. an aluminum sauce pan from dollar store as a replacement of an expensive oil container from Canadian Tire that costs from $10CAD and up;
2. a car jack;
3. a pair of rubber coated gloves;
5. funnel with attached tube (whatever it’s called);
6. two stands;
7. manual transmission oil (detailed info on the oil I use you can find all the way to bottom);
8. a set of tools or just a wrench to unscrew a drain/fill bolts;
9. a piece of cloth to wipe out oil spills
10. a big sheet of plastic to put under a car so you can lay on it an not on the ground – I use an old table sheet.

STEP 2

Use a car jack to lift a car and rest it on stands. One side at a time obviously. make sure the car is securely supported and parking breaks are engaged

STEP 3

Put a sheet of table cover on a ground under your car

STEP 4

Climb under the car and locate transmission block drain and fill bolts (se picture: #1 Drain Bolt; #2 Fill bolt), transmission located on the passenger side of the car (hint).

STEP 5

Place an aluminum sauce pan from a dollar store under the drain bolt then take a wrench and unscrew it. When it’s almost removed use your hand to hold it otherwise there is a chance to drop it in a pan so you will have to fish it out later.

drain all the oil, when oil stream become weak unscrew upper fill-in bolt and let the oil drain completely.

STEP 6

Now just sit and wait until all the oil will drain. It’s ok to leave your car jacked up while draining an oil as the drain hole is still the lowest point on the tranny.

Put the lower drain bolt back after there is no more oil leaking from your tranny. Get a plastic tube, cut about a meter and a bit off it and put it trough your engine compartment down to the transmission. From under the car put one end of the plastic tube into a fill-in hole of the transmission, make sure you leave an aluminum pan in place as a fresh oil will come out from upper filling hole after you top it up.

Get out form under the car and LOWER THE CAR on the ground. one side at a time – remove stands and make sure your car is leveled horizontally.:)

Attach that fancy funnel to another end of the tube, make sure you don’t pull the tube as you will take it out of the transmission. Now start to pour oil slowly. The scare part is that the oil will not go in! Don’t worry let it sit and it will slowly come down. For there is only one hole open in the transmission air prevents a new oil from coming in. But slowly oil pushes air out and fills in the tranny. Acura EL 2004 model requires 1.5 litters of OIL, so after that expected amount went in start to keep an eye on the pan below to see if oil started to come out from upper hole. Once it started to go out you know your tranny is full! Now go under the car (DONT JACK IT UP for you will loose some oil) remove the lower end of the tube and screw back the bolt, tighten it firm but not too much so not to break threads.

That’s all.

Don’t forget to remove the tube with the funnel before closing the hood.

See pictures in order