Honda Accord 2007 Maintenance and Repair

tg1994

I was told specifically when I bought my 07' EX NOT to use premium gas. In fact, I was told not to put anything any it except plain old regular unleaded. I was told that anything else would actually cause it to ping.

tg1994

Has anyone replaced their standard air filter with the K&N one and if so can you tell a difference in horsepower & gas mileage?

thegraduate

I was told that anything else would actually cause it to ping.

You were told wrong.

Your car will run similarly on 87 Octane as it will with 93 Octane. The only difference will be your fill up will cost you about $3 more!

Put regular in it, for sure, but premium won't cause a problem if you use it.

skinhealer

Wondering if you can help me.

My 1998 accord has about 225,000 miles on it and i drive it on the highway very often and change the oil every 3k. and my question is do u think i can use a different type of oil like the synthetic oil as compared to regular since i drive on the highway 95% of the time.

Thank you,

user777

well, you must be doing something right. 225K is great.

i suppose going to a synthetic is going to give you longer change intervals.

i think in your situation, proper operation of the cooling system is important. you don't want to over-temp. i think that's much more important than conventional vs. synthetic when you are changing the oil so often, or highway vs. city.

elroy5

Since you have 225k miles without synthetic, I would not change now. Just my opinion, however.

f0rl0rn

I would ask a mechanical engineer and/or several mechanics about switching to synthetic after such a long time and rely on their expert advice. Hopefully you already have a reliable mechanic who knows your vehicle well and can give you good advice. 225K is good mileage. I am only passing along what I have found.

http://www.royalpurple.com/homea/homea.html

I would recommend you research this motoroil/lubricant company. I have not been pointed to a better lubricant company yet. I had looked into and spent a lot of time on-line and asking different mechanics/race shops about using this product for day to day use and the companies overall reputation before moving over to them. Price was the only percieved issue. However the extended life to the drive train and less frequent oil change makes up for the cost.

I plan to keep my 07 until it doesn't work anymore so I see it as investing in my vehicles longevity. Some do not plan to keep their cars for extended periods of time so it may not be as cost effective for them.

I am at 5,400K on the odometer and just hit 30% oil life. When the time comes I will be using this brand for my new car as well. Even though the companies research shows the changes can be made less frequent I prefer to err on the side of caution so I will continue to follow Honda's recommendation for maintenance minmder but will use this product as the oil of choice.

You will usually have to order on-line or go to a race/performance shop to get their products. And the price is basically retail from what I have found. It is what it is.

Not sure if this helps you or anyone else on the forum.">link title

user777

How can you be at 5.4K and only 30% oil life? Is that oil life remaining?

Is the weight of the oil the same as recommended my the manufacturer?

f0rl0rn

30% oil likfe left. Sorry. Figured that would have been clear based on miles. My bad.

It is still the original Break-In Oil right now.

And the Royal Purple has varying wieghts/vicosities based on application purpose including Honda recommendation.

Sorry again about the miscommunication. Thanks for pointing it out. Hope this cleared everything up.

f0rl0rn

I mispell often as I am usually distracted and don't take too much time to review what I write.

user777

you're communicating effectively, don't worry. i went to the web site and 5W-20 does seem to be a formulation available.

interesting.

they are making some real claims w.r.t. horsepower, torque, fuel economy, and emissions... they don't indicate how the figures were derived (i.e. the baseline or methodology).

the expected improvement along these dimensions for a honda accord is likely to be less I would think than that of a racing engine, and the benefits realized offset by the additional cost, but that's just a hunch.

f0rl0rn

Yeah. If you dig around the website I believe you can find the testing methods and some reports on the testing results. I haven't looked for them on the site for a while and assume they are still there somewhere. I have mostly relied on talking to people who have actually used the product. I don't have the ability, or know how for that matter, of backing up claims made on their site. However the majority of feedback I found found has all been potitive.

I try to avoid paying attention to a companies own hype about their own product and prefer non-, potentially, biased information/sells technique. Afterall they are in business for reason, $$$.

And I am pretty sure they wouldn't remove their "evidence" from the site. I remember someone else I tol dabout these guys said they couldn't find it easily either, but it should be there somewhere

wise1

I have 50% oil life indicated on my 07 Accord SE and would like to know when did you get your first oil change?? I want to keep this break in oil in as long as is reasonable but don't want to over do it. Does the MOLY that suppose to be in the break in oil need a long 6-7000 miles to seal the internal components of the engine??? Any comments?? :shades:

elroy5

At least 5,000 miles is what they recommend for the break-in oil.

f0rl0rn

I am doing my first change soon. I am at 15% at just about 6,700K. I am sure you can wait all the way to 0% and then do it that day per HONDA's recommendation. I don't think you have any worries. I am waiting until under 5%.

And you should be more than broken in by now. Previous posts here have some break-in details.

To sum it you need to (1.) go easy the first 500 miles and (2.) at some point a few thousand or so miles later take it to the redline. If you haven't redlined it you will probably want to before your first change. I

And if you never redline it I don't think it is going to send some type of curse on HONDA reliability although some have posted it is the last break-in procedure to make sure the scoring goes as high as possible under heavy engine load.

No reason to doubt what was posted about that. If you have a mechanic you trust I would recommend asking for their input. I assume it should match what people have posted on this forum.

thegraduate

Plus, redlining a Honda engine, be it a 4 or a V6 is a sweet experience anyway!

f0rl0rn

I have an '07 EX Sedan 4 Cylinder Manual Accord.

Aside from the basic tail-light and trunk differences brought in '06 are most of the other replacement parts interchangeable from '03 until the present?

Engine, Suspension, Brakes, Electrical?

Just so I know if looking to swap components if I am able to look only at '06-'07 or if I can look back to '03 and forward.

I know their probably is not a blanket answer. Just looking for a general guideline or rule of thumb. I would always research thoroughly before actually purchasing anything but I just like things narrowed so I know where to not waste my time, and at the same time have all my options available in front of me.

Thanks to anyone who has advice, experience or an educated opinion.

elroy5

Actually, there are differences in some parts in an 03 to an 05 Accord, so you have to be careful about it. I have the 03-05 service manual, and many times the parts change between those years.

f0rl0rn

Thanks Elroy. I was assuming parts have been changing over the years of the generation, if they are differnt from 03-05 I am sure there are more changes into 07.

Thanks again,

elroy5

For instance, some parts may fit an 03, 05, and 07. Another part may fit the 05, and the 07, but not the 03 or 04. It's a very mixed bag. I would assume though that less and less parts changed as the years went by, so the 06 and 07 are probably the most closely matched.

georgporsche

I changed the oil in my 07 Accord VP today. The filter could have been placed in a more convenient location but since I could reach it without having to jack up the car, I can live with it. But what I *really* do not like is the fact that I cannot pre-fill the new oil filter before screwing it on. Those first few seconds of cold-start are horrible on a vehicle...especially when it is starved for oil.

mrbill1957

The horizontally mounted filters are quite common. My gripe with them is the oil that runs all over when you remove them. If you think the Accord is bad, my 1980 RX7 actually has the filter mounted upside down.

What I like to do before draining the oil and changing the filter is to run the car for a few minutes. This way, all the bearings will have a good coating of oil, so during the first start up, everything will have protection while the filter fills.

Mrbill

blufz1

That's why I drive the car to my dealer's express change dept. I provide the filter and the Mobil 1. They do it for $10.

elroy5

But that's wasting time, and $10. :surprise:

blufz1

I combine all my errands for the route so it works out o.k.

wise1

I've tried to redline it but it always upshifts BEFORE redline. I tried from a standstill flooring it by stomping it. It still didn't redline. What next??? :confuse: :confuse:

hondahenry

I have a front passenger window creaking noise in my 07' SE V6 only when the window is up and when driving slow on uneven roads. It sounds like the window is something like sand or small particles are rubbing the glass. I took it to the dealer and they lubricated the window channel. But the problem is not fixed. The noise is not too loud but enough to drive me nuts. Does anybody here have some similar problem?

thegraduate

If you are within about 200-300 RPM of redline, this is quite normal. If this is the case, I'd imagine 6,000-6,200 RPM multiple times is probably plenty anyway (redline is only 6,500 in the 4-cyl). If you wanted to though, you could pull the gearshift to "1" and run it to redline (you don't have to floor it at first, apply throttle somewhat gradually to avoid a spin-off start). That should send you to redline, and eventually past it, when the rev limiter should cut in. I wouldn't try going past redline though, and frankly, wouldn't worry over 200 RPM from redline.

Let us know when your car DOES shift when floored.

thegraduate

Henry,

This is a VERY common problem with 03-07 Accords; its a minor aggravation to me, but my 2006 has it too. Only at certain weather conditions/road conditions though.

My dad's 2005 happened to avoid it, but his 2003 had this rattle as well.

user777

yes, shouldn't you bring the engine to temperature before changing the oil? more opportunities for burns.

i tend to run a little bit of new oil through the engine with the oil pan drain-plug out.

i also like to also pre-fill my new filter with oil before putting it on. i'm not sure it gets oil to rotating parts faster, but it just seems like the right thing to do.

Mr_Shiftright

Pre-filling is smart, nothing wrong with that.

hondahenry

Thanks, the graduate. Do you know any other workable fix to this problem?

thegraduate

I haven't even carried mine in since it rarely occurs. I'll get to it before the warranty is up, but I have a good 15k miles left on it - I'm just too busy for that right now!

I think I've heard of people adding some shims (?) in the window track allowing less movement back and forth.

Check out the 2003-2006 maintenance and repair forum for a lot of helpful people as well (the 2003-2006 cars are practically identical to the 2007s so I'm not sure why this forum is completely seperate from those).

elroy5

I vaguely remember reading about the window noise somewhere. I think the remedy was some felt, applied to the window run channels by Honda dealers.

wise1

My 07 SE had some noise coming from the headliner and the dealer put some foam pieces between the headliner and the windshield. I still have some vague sound over rough pavement and bumps but I can't seem to isolate it just yet. I also have a clunking sound from the rear of the car when descending steep hills with firm braking, any of you have this happening to you?? Is it likely a strut problem??? My old Accord 92 LX did the same thing, also our town and country van does it too. Any input would be appreciated. Our driveway is very steep downhill and requires firm braking so as not to hit the house when pulling into the carport. Thanks!! :confuse: :shades:

tallman1

I vaguely remember reading about the window noise somewhere. I think the remedy was some felt, applied to the window run channels by Honda dealers.


I posted about this problem and the dealer was able to fix it. I can't remember the specifics but it would be on the 2006 M & R thread. I think I posted the exact wording on the repair order. I'm not home right now or I could look it up.

As for the headliner issue... I also had that fixed because there was this horrendous cracking sound in cold weather. They were able to fix that by adding insulation to the headliner. All has been great since then.

hondahenry

Tallman1, it would be great if you were able to post the dealer repair work. I tried to look for similar posts on the 2003-6 thread and couldn't find the exact post with the repair work. But it seems to me that this is quite a common problem of Accord.

tallman1

I found the message: 03-06 Thread

The headliner was fixed after another trip.

hondahenry

thanks a lot, tall man. i will take it to the dealer next month to get if fixed.

alink

Does this mean that even though it is synthetic oil, the light of the maintenance minder would still go off at almost the same time?

alink

My first oil change of my 07 accord is coming up soon.
I am considering going for Synthetic oil change but
Synthetic oil costs about double regular oil change based on the calls I made recently.
Is the oil change interval also double?

If I tried Synthetic and found it's cost double and yet i still have to go change oil almost the same amount of time then is it bad to switch from Synthetic back to regular oil?

dudleyr

I have the window rattle issue, but I have not noticed it with the windows up (or down). For me they just rattle as they are moving.

Seems like it would be the same fix though - tightening up the run channels.

Thanks Tallman

It is not bad to switch back to regular. I use synthetic for superior startup lubrication (especially in the cold) very slightly better fuel economy and longer change intervals.

I know the Accord has a maintenance minder, but I would probably change at 20 or 30% with regular and will be comfortable going lower with the synthetic.

adamr1

I just purchased an SE V6 Sedan. What a great car! For the money I don't think you can beat it. This is my families 5th Honda in a row. I had a '94 Prelude that I kept till about 120K miles. I sold that and got an '02 EX V6 Coupe. Now with kids, I just got the SE V6. My wife had a '99 Civic which we traded for an '02 I4 Accord Sedan. Honda continues to impress. The SE V6 offers a great engine, and a ton of safety features for a great price.

Anyway, just purchased the car on Saturday. While I noticed this problem at the dealer, I didn't think much of it. But now it is bothering me. Both of the rear windows make a grinding noise when I close them. It is usually the last third of the way up. I don't notice this noise when I lower them. The Drivers side rear window grinding is worse than the passenger side. Any thoughts on this?

robr2

Does this mean that even though it is synthetic oil, the light of the maintenance minder would still go off at almost the same time?

AFAIK - yes. The maintenance minder in Hondas uses an algorithm that measures engine speed, temps, hours, et al to measure oil life and recommended service intervals.

It cannot tell the difference between dino and synthetic oil and since Hondas come with dino oil from the factory, that's what it uses as a basis.

Other manufacturers that use synthetic oil from the factory will create algorithms based on that parameter.

f0rl0rn

You can overide the Maintenaince Minder if you want. Read the owners manual.

If you keep the minder schedule then your primary switch from Petro to Synth Oil is lower engine temp., greater film strength, lower thermal breakdown, (film strenght stays better longer)

Your decision to switch is probably going to come down to if you want to extend the interval (ignore the minder) and/or are fine justifying the cost for better quality product.

f0rl0rn

I don't have the auto but I think you could also just put the car in Nuetral and rev it to the redline/limiter. Make sure you are safe and no one and nothing is in front of you in case you put it in gear accidentally.

thegraduate

I don't have the auto but I think you could also just put the car in Nuetral and rev it to the redline/limiter. Make sure you are safe and no one and nothing is in front of you in case you put it in gear accidentally.

It would seem that way. Personally, its just too much darn fun (and excusable given the practical reason for doing so that one time) to floor it through a gear or two, say, on an empty onramp.

Mr_Shiftright

Revving an engine that high in neutral can also be risky...the engine has no load on it and forces on the internal parts are extreme and basically ungoverned.

wise1

Several tries at redlining it it upshifts at 6000. I have to back off as I have limited distance to work with. I'm in a semi-rural area that busting out at the seams with new housing and subdivisions going up. Odo is at 4370 miles.

blufz1

You should be more careful w/ the car. You can damage it,you know. If you want to see fast, go the drag strip.