Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

markc

I read about this before but can anyone tell me which web site I can find the idle lean procedure? Thanks in advance.

qbrozen

qbrozen, "Honda Pilot Owners: Problems & Solutions" #731, 9 Aug 2004 9:58 am

jay_24

With the towing package (includes coolers) you can tow 3500lbs or 4500lbs if its a boat. Honda believes boat pounds weigh less than other pounds I guess.
Without the coolers the towing is much less, but I'm not sure what its rated.

thedude2

Hi, just bought Honda Pilot Ex 2005 a week ago, and having this issue(?) I have a driveway which is uphill. Whenever I bring PILOT on my driveway and release brakes it rollback backwards (Remember I am still in "D" drive and not in Parking). It is not a inch or a feet rollback but a significant free fall till it gets the level fround. It's a big problem because this is a SUV designed to work on steep uphills, and if it rollback like this it's a big problem. I also read few forums saying that HONDA might have done this to save on mileage etc (Some CIVIC forum) But I need to contact dealer ASAP :mad: and get this sorted out. I felt sad after paying 30,000 loan money just to see vehicle rolling back, I have 2 other cars they never roll back. I don't think in this 20th century HONDA does not have ANTI-ROLLBACK solution....any thoughts my friends??? just loosing sleep you know......hmmmmmm

Thank you!

qbrozen

well, i'm just curious, but why is this such a problem?

yes, i have noticed it will roll back on a steep hill, while in drive, and not stepping on brake or gas. But... it has never posed any sort of problem for us.

thedude2

It's a problem :confuse: because, it can hit the vehicle behind on uphill traffic lights or stops, I have tested my friends MONTERO and it DOES NOT have this issue, it stops just fine, also I have 2 other cars they don't rollback like this. I wonder if this is the HONDA standard thingy!
Thanks gbrozen, I thought I was the only one, but I gotta get this sorted out, I am calling HONDA support for answers.

Oh mannnnnnnnn!...........

carguy1234

Ok, I'm confused (maybe I'm the only one). Why do you want to be stopped on a incline, and not use your brakes? You would rather have the tranny hold the vehicle in place than the brakes?

Or is the problem in the split second where you take your foot off the brake, and before you apply accelerator, the car is already rolling backwards? If that's the case, that would be bad. I'll go test that next weekend when I'm looking at cars (MDX and Pilot).

amiret

Please advise your Pilot: a) how many miles can/do you drive after the low fuel warning light comes on before filling, and b) how many gallons does it take to fill the tank after the low fuel light comes on.

bdyment

Hold the vehicle with the gas or use your left foot on the brake. Shouldn't be a problem. Perhaps your idle speed is low. This could cause a rollback on a steep hill.

laurheis

I have a 2005 Pilot. I can usually put about 18 gallons of gasoline into my tank after the low fuel light comes on. My owner's manual is in the car with the exact specifications for this, but I think the tank is just over 23 gallons. So you have about 5 gallons of gas to play with. You would have to determine how many miles that equates to with your own vehicle.

jay_24

According to Edmunds the tank is 20.4 Gallons. You probably have about 1 gallon of usable gas left, maybe a touch more if your able to pump 18 gallons in. Most vehicles can't get 100% of the fuel out of the tank.
I guess the question might be is the tank 20.4 gallons or can the pilot use 20.4 gallons out of the slightly larger tank.
If you only have about 1 gallon left that's not much for a 22mpg SUV.

If all the Pilots roll back this is fairly serious. I wouldn't want to tow if that happened. Pulling a boat out of the water is not a good time for even slight roll back.
Granted you don't want the tranny to hold you long term (2 minutes at a stop light), thats what the brakes are for, but if the Pilot starts to roll back before applying the gas it will cause a lot of stress on the tranny over time.

qbrozen

If I'm ever stopped on a steep incline and can't afford to have the truck roll back the 3 inches or so between letting my foot off the brake and hitting the gas, I just use both feet, like bdyment said. That's why I just don't see it as a problem. I mean, really, just about ALL automatic vehicles will do this, some just require a steeper incline than others.

laurheis

Thank you for correcting me! After re-reading my ridiculous calculation (why would a low fuel light come on when you still have 5 gallons???), I went out to the car and retrieved my Owner's Manual. It states a fuel tank capacity of 20.34 US gallons.

I personally have never driven more than 10 miles after the light comes on before refueling. I either have kids in the car or am on my way to pick up kids to put in the car, so it's not worth the risk to me!

sybhol

I posted a message in the Honda Pilot Accessories forum, and no one was aware of an accessory for this, so perhaps someone in this forum can tell me how you solve the problem of where and how to hang clothes in the Honda Pilot for traveling and dry cleaning. The Odyssey has a clothes hook built into the grab bar, but there isn't one in my new Pilot. So what do other Pilot owners do? This is the first vehicle we've had without one.
Thanks in advance for helping me with this simple but frustrating problem!

chuminthewater

Is it that tough? Not trying to incite any riots here, I had a car once that the grab bar was tough to use for hanging clothes, I have not tried it in the Pilot, I personally hate the stupid lights being integrated in them though, my kids always play with them, I finally turned off the dome lights at the main switch - my battery thanks me.

For me, I just lay them out in the back of the car. I mean how far can it be from the cleaners to the house?

srl99

Congrats on your new vehicle. Did you (your installer) bring the old valve stems
(TPMS sensors) into the new rims?

I was incredulous as to the value of TPMS as I check the tires regularly anyway,
but the other day the other driver in the house heard a knocking sound from the
right rear when late for work. It was nice to be able to rule out flat tire as TPMS
would have told us that. We picked up some road debris in the tire which left our
employ after a mile or two. TPMS saved us being 10 minutes late for a mtg. -
which is nice.

--SRL

ontheroadgirl

After 3 years (well almost!) and 91,000 miles I have found that a) I average about 30-35 miles after the light. If I wait for 35-40 the Pilot gets sluggish and I get nervous! b) anywhere from 16.5-18.0 gals is what I find, depending on how many miles I drive after the light comes on.

ckshubin

Without the complete tow package you can only tow 1000 lbs. With the tow package you can tow a boat up to 4500 lbs. A trailer up to 3500 lbs. The difference is in the drag weight. A square trailer will cause more drag and an aerodynamic boat causes less. This info is from Honda.com

Re: Clothing bar. Check websites like Miles Kimball or such other types of catalog sites. They make adjustable bars with hooks on both ends to hook onto the grab handles in the back seat with a bar that hangs between them thereby giving you a "closet" in your back seat. You can also make your own with some large hooks and a lightweight shower rod or dowel. I just fold the 3rd seat down and lay them in the back.

sybhol

Thanks so much for the suggestion on the clothes hanging situation! Appreciate your taking the time!

cestrem

We are having the same problem--we moved up to a Pilot from a car (Passat wagon) and assumed that the two Britax seats would fit together on the 2nd seat in the Pilot. However, I couldn't get them installed in such a way that we could still access the 3rd seat--and the middle one kept "twisting" slightly because it was pressed up so tightly against the other one. And, they are so wide that I couldn't flip the single seat forward much anyway. Argh! For now, we have the rear-facing one (even more of a pain because of how much space it takes up!) behind the passenger side, which means that the passenger seat is nearly all the way up and the seat behind is nearly all the way back. This'll be a major pain to take in and out when we need access to the back seat.

Have you discovered any tricks, or does anyone else have any ideas on installing two carseats?

Thanks,
Heidi

pilot seeker

I have read a few threads here regarding 'when' to do a first oil change......bottom line; 3500 miiles? I have 3100 on my '05 EX-L..some have said to wait as long as 7000....

jlewis1

">I have a brand new 2005 honda pilot EX model. I purchased it in February. I am experiencing the same problem with a sloshing and thumping sounds coming from the gas tank. I did not notice the problem right away but it is very noticeable now, especially when the tank is full. I also have a problem with hard starting that just recently started happening. The hesitation upon acceleration when cornering, I have the same experience with mine too. It doesn't happen from a complete stop, only when cornering in motion. I took mine to the dealer about the hesitation and he couldn't find anything wrong. I just deal with it. As far as the gas tank sloshing, I'm calling my dealer to find out what that problem is.

qbrozen

I think we did ours around 4K.

bubba10

discovered the problem myself: dealer inadvertently installed the crossbar backwards - the airfoil (it is shaped like an airplane wing) was reversed . What bozos!

bubba10

curious if anyone has purchased on line running boards - specifically whether you purchased the light kit which is purchased for the boards separately. How tough is it to install the light set that is supposed to illuminate when the door opens?
thx

isellhondas

Chiming in late here...

I don't understand your post because only Studebakers and some Subarus had a "hill holder". ALL CARS will roll back on a hill if you take your foot off the brake. some may roll faster than others.

That's what your brake pedal is there for.

Don't lose sleep, just use your brakes!

jond

I have a 2005 Pilot EX. When I activate the rear window wiper, it makes two sweeps, then pauses for a while and then makes two sweeps again, just like an intermittent wiper. That is the way it works. Is this the way it is supposed to work, or is there supposed to be a continuous setting. The manual is silent about how it is supposed to operate.

jay_24

The Subaru "hill holder" is for manual trannys. Automatic transmissions in the Subaru and Tahoe I own, will not rollback even on fairly steep hills while in drive.

--jay

durability05

Had to change mine at 3500 miles, because it was already at month 7. So far at month 10 it has 6800 miles, I'll have the dealer change it next Saturday at 6900 miles and the first tire rotation.

normkol

From the manual, this seems to be the way it works. Only intermittent, no continuous operation.

That's OK with me, I never use the rear wiper on continuous.

pklap01

:confuse:
'03 Pilot
Just started having a blower noise (in air or heat mode). I had the windshield replaced and they took off the wipers & black plastic shroud under them. I believe this is where outside air is introduced into the vehicle. Could these two events be related? Could something have fallen, unnoticed, into the intake area and now is causing the blower to make noise? It sort of sounds like the fan is struggling on high speed, and is definitely much louder than before. Any thoughts? 26,000 miles, covered? Thanks for your input.

pklap01

My dealer told me to change it at 4750. That kind of splits the difference between the usual 3000 and what the manual recommends. Hope that helps.

ajmiller7

Sorry if this has been beat to death, but what is the definitive fix for what I consider louder than normal road noise in a 05 Pilot? Undercoating? Earplugs? Turn up the stereo? I'm in Colorado, where a smooth road is hard to find...
Thanks.

bjaron

Not sure if it's my imagination or not, but my '04 Pilot looks as though it sits lower in the rear of the vehicle than in the front. Anyone else experiencing this?

bjaron

I have an '04 Pilot and have experienced a similar intermittent starting problem. While I've never experienced the black smoke and have always been able to start the car on the 2nd try, every month or so it fails to turn over. The dealer tried to tell me that the ignition wasn't recognizing the key but I'm not buying it - especially when the car turns over on the 2nd try with the same key still in the ignition!

I'd be very interested to know if anyone has had this problem successfully diagnosed and remedied...

cekirkwo

I have problem with the Navigation System in a 2005 Pilot. I set the PIN & it works fine for that session. I try to access the Personal List the next day. It states Invalid PIN & will not let me access my Personal Destinations List. I then try the same PIN very carefully for many times. After several tries it then lets me in.

cjb213

Is anybody aware of an adapter the can be hooked to the CD Changer that plugs into Sirius Radio. I have been looking on the Internet and cannot locate one. I am looking to install Sirius in a 04 Pilot and for sound quality reasons do not want to use the FM modulator.

acapacio

Hi there,

I also have 05 EX-L/RES with similar vibration problems when I start. It didn't start happening until a week ago when I start the engine every morning. The vibration (more like shaking) is very noticeable and I'd say it's definitely NOT normal because I've been driving the SUV for over 5 months now and the shaking just started happening. It is justifiable to be concerned whether there's already wear and tear with the starting system or something is loose that is causing the shaking.

Another problem that I am experiencing is the rattling noise coming from the moonroof or DVD system. Although it's intermittent and no discernable patterns when the noise occurs, it is loud enough to hear even when the radio is on loud volume.

About the shifting not being smooth at all, I only feel the gears shifting when climbing up hill. I live in central California where I am surrounded by hills. I used to have a Camry that had similar situation with shifting so I think it is normal.

I can't help you with the tranny fluid because I haven't check it myself. But I will keep you posted with the shaking problems , I will go the the dealer sometime next week.

Good luck!

thelemonhonda

I've similar problem with my 04, took it to dealer once but give the run around saying they can't diagnose it with an the Check Engine light on.

Anybody has any suggestion for this? It's very annoying especially for the car with less than 10k on it.

doobie4

Hello... I don't own a Honda but am on this Honda problem site to see if anyone is having a lot of problems with one as I may be looking to buy either a Pilot or a Ford Freestyle. I saw your lock problem and bingo --- thatis EXACTLY what happens to my car, except ALL of the locks do it. I have a 02 Hyundai Sonata and I have taken it back to the dealer at least 5 times for this problem. They reprogrammed the clicker twice and that doesn't solve it. They claim it doesn't do it for them so they can't trace the problem further or order parts. I saw in later posts you used the lemon law -- what are the specifics of that? I thought the car had to be in the shop for a certain length of time within a certain time period to apply. In addition to the lock problem, my rocker cover gasket had to be replaced and now my car will hesitate for a second before moving at times when I press the gas. I just had the oil changed by an independant mechanic and he said something is leaking from where the motor and transmission meet. Didn't diagnose it as I still have my warrantee -- which of course doesn't matter if they don't fix it! My car only has 35,000 miles on it and I've had the trans fluid changed as reccommened. Do I sound like a case for the lemon law? My car was never in the shop over night.

dep

Trade it for an MDX

Karen_S

If you look back thru this topic, you should get a fair example of the issues owners have had. However, please remember this is a problems and solutions discussion, so you will not see a great many positive posts. I suggest you also go to the Honda Pilot topic in SUVs as those who are pleased with their Pilot are more likely to post there. This way you will get a balanced assessment.

For the lock issue, you've posted about it in Hyundai P&S where it is more appropriate. You might also pose your question in Got a Quick Technical Question?

For info concerning Lemon Laws, see this article:

Getting Some Lemon-Aid From Your Lemon Maker

grgr

We own a 2005 Pilot that we purchased Dec. 04. Loved it, especially all of the get up and go. Did notice when shifting however from reverse to drive it was very slow changing gears-I could count 1-2 before gears would change. Now in the past couple of months just driving around town seems very sluggish, like I'm pulling a boat or something. Took it to our dealer and they could not find anything wrong.
Any clues????
No longer any fun to drive.

crawfish

Change your oil... :P

sk2

My pilot A/Ccondensor is leaking(16k). Dealer refused to cover this under warranty saying that it is caused by accidental damaga like road debris. what are my options

qbrozen

fix it or do without AC.

By the way, we had the same thing happen to ours. Rock hit the condensor. After replacing, I bought one of those grille inserts for the big gaping hole in the bumper cover. Its just way too easy for something to fly in there and hit the condensor.

qbrozen

I'm with crawfish. How many miles since your last oil change. I really don't know what it is, but on both our Pilot and my sister's CRV, when the oil starts getting old, they complain of sluggishness.

rholowczak

We have a 2003 Pilot with the same type of thing.
We had it to a local mechanic twice and the dealer once.
In all 3 cases, their "test drive" consisted of stomping on the gas
down the highway and coming back to report "no problems here".
When we drive it, we find it hard to maintain 25-30 Mph as the
car seems to want to stall.
It feels quite like driving with the emergency brake on.

This happens directly after an oil change as well.

Neither mechanic or dealer can find anything wrong.

Any other reports of this out there?

Cheers,

R.H.

roooddy

I have the same problem with my 03, it seems to be worse before the engine is hot. I have noticed the missing, jumping, shifting up-down or whatever at speeds as low as 16mph.??? I just finally after 4 visits to the dealer got a rattle solved, they replaced the left rear shock.
ROOODDY

qbrozen

have any of you tried a different dealer?