What have you tinkered with today?

[aj76]

Treating the SV to braided lines so removed the calipers this morning fully stripped, cleaned and rebuilt with new seals and titanium bleed nipple. Just the master cylinder rebuild to do then I can start putting it all back together

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[Chris_SVS]

Coolant change on the big Tracer, I'm assuming the stuff in it was from new.

Not far off oil change too so that's the last maintenance job for a while. Brake lines getting changed this winter

[yokohama]

If it's anything like the XSR, you'll need a filter wrench if you're planning to change the oil filter, or find a child with tiny hands and a grip of steel.

[Chris_SVS]

Not sure, I have no trouble with a rubber strap type wrench.

The Spark plugs however are a proper PITA, but I think that's common on most inline engines these days

[yokohama]

If you've a strap wrench, you'll be OK. I had to go out and buy one to remove mine.
It's a fairly small filter recessed into the bottom of the engine block.

[Red Herring]

I've had a busy day..... Brakes front and rear on my Landcruiser, plus new rear discs (with an internal drum brake for the handbrake, proper PITA) and then for good measure changed all the brake fluid.... then as I was on a roll put new pads and discs on the front of the wife's Skoda and did her fluid as well! I did finally make it into the garage where I swopped a couple of rear tyres around between my Hornet and VFR, and to top off the evening I changed the tyres on the SV....... Spring is in the air!

[SV650rules]

Originally Posted by yokohama

If you've a strap wrench, you'll be OK. I had to go out and buy one to remove mine.
It's a fairly small filter recessed into the bottom of the engine block.

Pretty much every filter these days seems to have that 14 sided shape on the bottom, the filters on a couple of cars I have had have been a real PITA and could not get a strap wrench on and turn it, so invested in a 14 sided 'cup' with a 1/2" drive square for socket set and no problem since no matter how tight they are they will unscrew. On the Civic the filter is recessed into the engine almost vertical so I have taken to slacking it off slightly and ether drilling or bashing a hole into bottom of filter can to drain oil before I remove it completely - I can keep the filter can pretty vertical till I get it over the drain tray, but whatever was in the oil gallery in the engine runs down my arm once the filter starts to unscrew.

You have to find the correct size and number of flats - but here is example. The filter on my AL7 is 66.5mm A/F the Honda car ones are 65mm
Looks like this stepped socket would do both https://lasertools.co.uk/product/4990

[Red Herring]

Originally Posted by SV650rules

....but whatever was in the oil gallery in the engine runs down my arm once the filter starts to unscrew.

Do you think some of these car manufactures have a dedicated employee who's sole purpose is to look for the most awkward, inconvenient and messy place they could possibly find to put the oil filter and other regular service items in....?

I changed the cam belt on my son's Clio recently, it was easier in the end to drop the entire front subframe (four bolts) engine, gearbox suspension and all, than to go in through the wheel arch!

[Chris_SVS]

^Yamaha must have used their Piano dept to design the CP3 heads

[SV650rules]

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Do you think some of these car manufactures have a dedicated employee who's sole purpose is to look for the most awkward, inconvenient and messy place they could possibly find to put the oil filter and other regular service items in....?

I changed the cam belt on my son's Clio recently, it was easier in the end to drop the entire front subframe (four bolts) engine, gearbox suspension and all, than to go in through the wheel arch!

To be fair the oil burning Civic has the oil filter tight on top of the engine, you can see it as soon as you open the bonnet... Modern cars have so much crammed into a small space that changing a clutch or gearbox repair now often involves taking large chunks of sub-frame and suspension off...

Not a new thing though, a bloke i used to work with years ago had a reliant 3 wheeler, he decided to change the oil and when he came to remove the filter there was not enough clearance to unscrew the existing ( factory fitted before engine and body were mated ) 'long' filter so a big effort later he got filter off, they made newer filters shorter so that they could be fitted and removed with engine 'in-situ'... happy days