Author: Steve McEvoy

Car Guy, Nerd, Canadian hiding in California

Refilling the Oil in your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To13 Comments

Pouring OilOne of the final steps in the Oil change service on your DB9 is to refill the oil.   Okay, Okay, I hear you laughing about this too (is he going to tell us which end of the funnel goes down?).  No, but there are just a few bits of advice to share (including that the narrow end of the funnel goes down ;>).

Refill the Oil BEFORE you reinstall the front under tray.  You need to be able to check the sump drain plug and filter for leaks, so leave the tray off for now.

Remember that your Oil Filter is empty, so there is a void in the system.  This requires that you refill in essentially 2 stages. Continue reading “Refilling the Oil in your Aston Martin DB9” →

Installing the Throttle Body on an Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To4 Comments

Throttle body on Aston Martin DB9Presumably you’ve recently removed your Throttle Body on your DB9 as part of another service event.   Reinstalling it is pretty much as simple as reversing the steps you followed to remove it, but with just a few Tips I can add here.

I definitely recommend that you clean the throttle body any time you happen to have it removed from the car.  Only takes a few minutes. Continue reading “Installing the Throttle Body on an Aston Martin DB9” →

Cleaning the Throttle Body of your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To3 Comments
Dirty Throttle Body Aston Martin DB9
Dirty buildup on Throttle Body

Periodically the two Throttle Body assemblies on your DB9 may need cleaning.   Cleaning is simple, and when you have them off for the annual oil change service, you might as well give them some love.

See my other post on Removing your DB9 Throttle Body. Continue reading “Cleaning the Throttle Body of your Aston Martin DB9” →

Changing the Oil Filter on your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To27 Comments

Aston Martin DB9 Oil FilterChanging the Oil Filter on your DB9 is an annual event, part of the 1 year and 2 year service requirements.   Changing this filter is a giant pain in the ass.  The position of the filter is very difficult to reach, and you’ll spend a considerable amount of time preparing.

Continue reading “Changing the Oil Filter on your Aston Martin DB9” →

Removing the Throttle Body from your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To5 Comments
Throttle body on Aston Martin DB9
Throttle Body

Removing one of the two throttle bodies on a DB9 is perhaps the easiest service task you can do on the car.   Right at the top of the engine, and its relatively easy to access all the connections.   The fact that it is in this position also makes it necessary to remove the throttle body for many other service items, essentially to get it out of the way so you can get to other stuff.  The most common reason is to change the Oil Filter on LHD cars.   The process will take less than 10 minutes.

Continue reading “Removing the Throttle Body from your Aston Martin DB9” →

Draining the Oil from your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To9 Comments

Dropping the OilDraining the Oil from your DB9 is mostly a process of preparation.  It’s a pretty simple DIY item if you have the desire.   It’s mostly like draining the oil on a regular car, but there are a few tips I can share. Continue reading “Draining the Oil from your Aston Martin DB9” →

Removing your Aston Martin DB9 Front Under Tray

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To5 Comments
Aston Martin DB9 Front Under Tray
Front Under Tray

Removing your Aston Martin DB9 Front Under Tray is part of many service events.   It’s funny to note that although removing the front under tray is referenced at least 50+ times in the official Workshop Service Manual, there is no section anywhere within that manual that explains how, or lists the torque of the bolts [Aston are you listening?].  Taking it off may sound daunting, but it’s not too bad.  Most of the work is in the prep which will probably take you 20-30 minutes.  I’ve made posts for each of the prep steps:

Front Under Tray Screws for Aston Martin DB9
Whole Lotta Screws

Once you have the car up on jack stands, it’s just a matter of crawling under and removing the forty (40) T30 Torx screws holding the tray in place.  Pretty simple actually, and only takes about 10 minutes.

Continue reading “Removing your Aston Martin DB9 Front Under Tray” →

Putting you Aston Martin DB9 onto Jack Stands

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To5 Comments

Many service events require you to raise the car and work under it.  If you don’t have a hoist or lift you can accomplish the same thing using 4 jack stands and a 2 ton trolley jack.

Aston Martin DB9 on Jack Stands
DB9 up on Jack Stands

Continue reading “Putting you Aston Martin DB9 onto Jack Stands” →

Removing a Road Wheel on your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To2 Comments

Aston Martin DB9 Road WheelAnother article where I hear you saying “Are you kidding – he’s going to explain how to take a wheel off?!”    Since this is part of many service steps, I thought I would chip in a few simple tips I have accumulated.

Of course you’ll be either jacking up the car, using a ramp or a lift.  Since I don’t have the luxury of a ramp or a lift (yet!), I am making do just fine with a simple 2 ton trolley jack [see my post on this]. Continue reading “Removing a Road Wheel on your Aston Martin DB9” →

Single Point Jacking of your Aston Martin DB9

On By Steve McEvoyIn Advice, How To2 Comments

I can hear you snorting from here – “Why the hell would you need an article on how to jack up the car?”  I get that, but as it’s the first step in many service steps, and there are a few DB9 specific tips to share, I figured I’d post a quick article and video in case it helps someone.

Some obvious stuff to start with that’s the same for jacking any car:

  • Level ground (so the car won’t roll off the jack)
  • Firm ground (so your jack doesn’t sink in)
  • Be sure automatic transmission is in Park
  • Set the hand brake
  • Close the doors (helps keep the shell of the car as stiff as possible)
  • Block the remaining wheels
FloorJack
2 Ton Trolley Jack

I used a simple 2 ton trolley jack.

My first tip (that I really learned from a post on 6speedonline.com) is to use a hockey puck on the jack lifting point to avoid scratching the car. Continue reading “Single Point Jacking of your Aston Martin DB9” →