Honda Pilot Maintenance and Repair

bob11

hi i have a honda pilot 2003 with transmission problems which i have been told needs to be replaced.
If i trade this car in, do i have to disclose to the dealers about the state of the transmission. If they dont ask then i am planning not to say anything about it.
i dont have much experience in this area, do the dealers typically ask questions about the car that is being traded in?
Thanks.

donix

I had an 09 pilot with 7,700 miles on it and now I hear anoise from the engine or valve tapping sound it`s not loud but it`s noticeable. Did any 09 pilot owners have this problem too?

I been already to the dealer and they said they will not adjust 6 cylinders only 4. but they try to listen it and the mechanic told me it`s normal.

It`s just ok if I`ll go back to the dealer and just let them check the clearance?, coz I know it`s not normal. beacause if they cannot correct the problem i will return it to the dealer. It`s a good Idea? Please can you give me some advices?

mbilardi

Just to let you know your not crazy, I have had an unbelievable amount of stalling with my leased 06 pilot. if you look back at old posts from last year you will see that I wasn't the only one either. After 5 long attempts at them finding the problem with no results, I took them to arbitration thru the lemon law and lost only because I needed to have 4 repairs for the same problem within a certain amount of milege on my car. Well I was over by 600 miles but I lost unfairly because all pilot leasers were awarded an extra 600 miles per year from some class action suit involving faulty speedometers. Anyway the state took my money cause they shouldn't have taken my case if they thought I didnt qualify due to over milege. So I lost an additional 250.00 just for the filing of the arbitration. But I am giving it back in a month when my lease is over and am so happy to be rid of it. Honda is great if you don't get a lemon but when you do, they are the most horrible people to deal with. /they actually said at one of their service centers that I was making my car stall purposely just to try to get rid of the truck. I'm a mother with a job,family and sick parents to take care of,( and one stall happened in a hospital parking lot as my dad was having open heart surgery)You think I would have better things to do then spend many hours waiting for tow trucks and going to every service center. Anyway if anyone wants to start a commotion of any kind, count me in even though I am done with them I will still help fight for all the other stallers out there.

donix

Now I know thanks for the Idea. well, for now I will just fix it by myself. Because some of dealer mechanic is going to be lazy or maybe they dont want to waste their time for nothing. They will wait untill the problem becomes worst. and then thats the time they will fix it and that time, the warrnty is over. or maybe some of the mechanic dealer has lack of knowledge. valve adjustment is verry basic.... I think they will go back to basic automotive course. ( That mechanic is from Union county NJ)

seaspotsranch

Does anyone know how to replace the lower console lights on an 06 Pilot. The Full Auto button and the button to the left of it are both out on my car. I can't figure out how to change them. The manual said to check the fuses however, I can't get close enough to be able to read the fuses. Of course I am out of warranty.

seaspotsranch

My car was hit front left last year. When I got it back from the body shop I noticed a loud oscillation sound coming from the front - the steering wheel also listed to the left when driving straight. The car never had a problem before the accident. They told me to get new tires and dismissed me.

I got new tires and had the car aligned. The oscillating sound continued and the steering wheel listed to the right when going straight.

I went back to the body shop and they aligned my car again and told me my brand new tires are defective (I don't for a moment believe they are) and that the alignemnt the tire shop did was faulty.

I am beyond frustrated. I am waiting for the insurance company to tell me what to do next. My husband thinks there is a bad bearing or additional suspension damage that the body shop doesn't want to address.

Anyone have any ideas? My claim is still open since the other insurance company is being difficult.

Thanks!
Ellie

mitch65

This has been covered before, but Honda definitely has problems with their batteries. I have an 05 Pilot Ex, and though the battery was nearly 3.5 yrs old, I still didn't think it should have had the problems it did. The last few months, whenever I turned the engine off and left it on accessory to listen to the radio, the battery would die after a few minutes and I could't restart the engine. Happened a half dozen times in a couple of months. I guess it was weak, since I replaced the battery and haven't had problems since. But what puzzles me is why the car would always start from a cold start, if the battery was truly old and weak? It never struggled. Only when left in accessory for a few minutes. Many others had the same problem.

franella

to the person who had some lights out and was told to check the fuses before trying to change the bulbs.....

My whole GPS/AV screen went out because I dropped a dime down in the cig. lighter hole inside the center console glove box and it blew a fuse. There are FOUR fuse boxes on the car and we had to check every single fuse in all four boxes before we found the one that had blown - it was the last one we checked. You need a tester light to do this and it's not hard, but I bet that's what's wrong with your lights - a fuse has blown. Don't bother trying to figure out which one it might be from the diagrams. Just check them all. There are extra fuses in the boxes and a puller, too. Very nice.

I've had a map light out for a year and can't figure out how to change it.

bigdadi118

Try this to see if one of the tire is really defective. Switch the front tires (L to R, R to L) if the pull goes to opposite direction then it is the tire. If the pull is same then it is not the tire.

bigdadi118

http://www.gsp9700.com/

quickest way to check for tire pull / vibration.

kipk

>"I am wondering whether owners of 04-06 pilots either (a) regretted not getting an extended warranty due to expensive problems arising after 36,000 miles or (b) are glad they bought an extended warranty, or (c) haven't needed one at all b/c their pilots have been trouble free. "

Too many things to go wrong that are very expensive to "fix".

Example: Our 03 CR-V AC compressor self destructed. Car had over 36K miles and was more than 3 years old. Service writer said the cost would be in the $3000 range as everything in the AC system would need to be replaced, due to pieces and particles from the compressor "floating" around in the system, that could damage any new parts.

Truthfully, I don't know if there was a problem with the AC that Honda was "Fixing" free under some type of secret extended warranty or what. But we do have a Honda Care Extended Warranty. We paid nothing and also got a free rental car, while repairs were being made. They even replaced the hoses, which are considered a "WEAR" item

Our 03 Pilot had some kind of issue that was covered under the EW, seems it was the EGR valve. Took them 2 days to find the problem. Part was under $100, but the labor would have been seriously expensive. Seems I paid a $50 deductible but maybe not even that. Got a free rental car.

'95 Maxima, that we traded for the CR-V, had EW claims that just about paid for the EW.

For us, the EW is negotiated, right along with the price of the car. We don't buy the car without the EW, so they are inclined to "DEAL" a bit better. :shades:

Kip

cheryl26

Thanks for your thoughts.

bobspilot

The same thing has been happening to my 2007 Pilot. I have noticed the car is usually covered with dew when this occurs. The dealer has worked on it twice. Once replacing a multiplex unit and the 2d time replacing both front and rear passenger door lock actuators. Three weeks later the same thing at 6 AM.

It would appear the dealer doesn't have a clue and is just guessing. Anyone have any ideas?

tjc30

I have a 06 pilot that has 9K miles on it. In '06, someone hit my vehicle on the passenger side and one door has to be replaced and the second one repaired. It was a hit and run. No other issues. It was repaired at a local shop not a honda dealer.

Now, I am thinking about buying an EW but wanted to make sure this incident does not bring any issues down the line ? Or is it ?

Can someone advice. Please..

odie6l

I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I'm always reading. Anyway, besides going through the local dealers parts department (which will be expensive) does anyone know where I would be able to get a replacement lower front air dam for the passenger side. Oh yeah, I have a 2006 EX Pilot. My wife the other night after our lovely development finally decided to plow the streets block the driveway with the mound of ice tried to go into our driveway by driving through the mound. she mis-judged the edge of the curb and caught the cement with the air dam and CRACK. this is the little black part that hangs down infront of the passenger front tire and has a little curve to it. I've also checked on College Hills Honda parts page and can't seem to find it listed as a part. I'm going to give a call to a local salvage yard on Monday to see what they can work out. Looks like an easy repair as it is only moulding and no electrical or A/C ducting there. :sick:

Odie
Odie's Carspace

bigdadi118

I know what you mean but I can't find it in the Bumper section either. Best is to take a photo or email them with below photo though this's 09 model pic that can show that piece.

odie6l

See more Car Pictures at CarSpace.com

This is a nice close up on it. Turns out it is te Right Fender Liner. Goes from this part all the way around the wheel well. Checked my local Hoda Dealer and they need to order it. $70 for just the part, or $92 for part and install. Colleg Hills has it for $53, but not sure on S&H. I'm gonna give a ring to a few salvage yard tomorrow and see what they can do.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

bigdadi118

Don't know whether this the correct one ...

HondaAutomotiveParts.com (Majestic Honda)
Under FRONT - FENDER
P/N 2321147 FENDER, R. FR. (INNER) $48.54

rodut

Hi everybody,

Does anybody have a table showing how fast the battery should loose voltage because of the current draw when the Pilot is stored for weeks - months in a garage ?

I find it weird that my 2008 Pilot battery reaches 11.9V (so 60% of the charge is already gone) after only 2 weeks of storage.

I have an electronic rustproofing system (kept ON all the time) and I am afraid that it takes too much current. Or perhaps actually the Pilot itself wastes too much current when shutdown ?

I used the following table:

Voltage____State of Charge
12.6V_______100%
12.5V_______90%
12.42V______80%
12.32V______70%
12.2V_______60%
12.06V______50%
11.9V_______40% (so here I am after only 2 weeks !!!)
11.75V______30%
11.58V______20%
11.31V______10%
10.5V_______0%

Regards
:shades:

tidester

Is there any way to turn off the rustproofing system during extended storage?

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

kipk

Here is some info from the Trojan battery company.

TABLE I. State of charge as related to specific gravity and
open circuit voltage

Percentage of Charge Specific Gravity Corrected to
80o F Open-Circuit Voltage
SG 6V 12V 24V 36V 48V
100 1.277 6.37 12.73 25.46 38.20 50.93
90 1.258 6.31 12.62 25.24 37.85 50.47
80 1.238 6.25 12.50 25.00 37.49 49.99
70 1.217 6.19 12.37 24.74 37.12 49.49
60 1.195 6.12 12.24 24.48 36.72 48.96
50 1.172 6.05 12.10 24.20 36.31 48.41
40 1.148 5.98 11.96 23.92 35.87 47.83
30 1.124 5.91 11.81 23.63 35.44 47.26 Iffy
20 1.098 5.83 11.66 23.32 34.97 46.63 Killer
10 1.073 5.75 11.51 23.02 34.52 46.03 “

Discharging

Discharging batteries is entirely a function of your particular application. However, below is list of helpful items:
1. Shallow discharges will result in a longer battery life.
2. 50% (or less) discharges are recommended.
3. 80% discharge is the maximum safe discharge.
4. Do not fully discharge flooded batteries (80% or more). This will damage (or kill) the battery.
5. Many experts recommend operating batteries only between the 50% to 85% of full charge range. A periodic equalization charge is a must when using this practice.
6. Do not leave batteries deeply discharged for any length of time.
7. lead acid batteries do not develop a memory and need not be fully discharged before re charging.
8. Batteries should be charged after each period of use.
9. Batteries that charge up but cannot support a load are most likely bad and should be tested. Refer to the Testing section for proper procedure.

FWIW: Leaving the inside lights on can kill a battery in a day or so. Leaving the drivers door ajar and its courtesy light ON can kill a battery in a few days.

I suggest you keep a trickle charge going to your battery for your application. Trickle chargers can be bought at any automotive store or even Walmart. If an electrical outlet is not available, a solar panel is a good option. Of course it would need to be mounted outside so it can get sunlight.
Some solar panels have built in controllers that keep the battery from overcharging and keep the battery from draining when the solar panel is at idle at night. Others require a separate controller. Google "Solar Panels".

Kip

tsy

That's interesting- I've been wondering why my 2006 Pilot's battery dies so quickly. If I park it for 2 weeks without driving it I can't start it. And that's with a brand new battery! I wonder what is using up the battery while it's parked?

If stored for a long time (ha ha, 2 wks!) you should probably disconnect the battery or buy a trickle charger/battery tender.

Good luck!

tom

rodut

Kipk, your table data for 12V, and my table data are close to each other.

Tidester, my rustproofing system draws 10mA only according with their website, which for a typical 50 Ampere-hour battery should allow a battery life of 50 / 0.01 = 5,000 hours = 208 days = ~7 months. So it's not the rustproofing system who discharges the battery. It's something in the shutdown PILOT drawing that current !

By the way, I leave the driver door open all the time in the garage (there are no courtesy lights at the bottom of the front doors because I removed the bulbs the day I brought the car home from dealership). Could an open door raise the current drawn from the battery ?? If not, what the hell draws so much current from the battery when anything is shutdown ?!

Tsy, both you, other people, and myself saw this happening, so probably all our cars are OK. By design the Pilot draws too much current when shutdown. DOES SOMEBODY KNOW WHAT DEVICE TAKES THAT CURRENT? Perhaps I could put it in garbage, like I did with the door bulbs.

:confuse:

bigdadi118

By the way, I leave the driver door open all the time in the garage (there are no courtesy lights at the bottom of the front doors because I removed the bulbs the day I brought the car home from dealership)

Is there a reason to leave the driver door open instead of close?
Other than courtesy lights there may be something else (chime maybe) consuming the battery while door is open.

rodut

OK bigdadi, will do. I closed the doors, locked the car, charged the battery, and will monitor the battery voltage for about 10 days till my wife will need the car.

Initially I laughed at your idea, but now I realize that one of the many new&useless&fancy features new cars have is that they lock by themselves if you don't physically open the door sometime after you electronically unlock the doors. Which means that after you unlock the door, some stupid electronic device waits to see if you open the door or not. And if you don't open any door, it will lock back anything by itself. I wonder what current that device wastes, while the locks are unlocked.

So the wasted current could be related either with the door physically open (as you say), or with the unlocked locks. Or it could be related with none of them, and it's a "new feature" of the Pilot: it just wastes current at all times (even when shutdown).

justaveragejoe

In the old days, I used to check for battery draw by disconnecting the battery cable and touching it back to the battery post. It makes a slight spark that you can see in dim light. Then I would remove each fuse to find the circuit that had the draw (there would be no more spark) and go from there. If you don't see any spark at all, then it is the battery itself that has a bad cell. Today we can use a multi-meter and watch the amps when you pull fuses.

There is absolutely nothing (normal) that draws the kind of current that would drain a battery in a couple weeks, PERIOD. There is definitely something wrong happening. Lead acid batteries have a very low self-discharge rate but should be charged once at least every couple months during service, which your car does every time you drive it.

My forty-year-old truck sits outside all winter for months at a time and cranks right over. The problem with it is that the fuel evaporates from the carburetor and takes some cranking to get gas again.

rodut

Dear justaveragejoe,

With all due respect, your knowledge is obsolete ! Me too I had a 1989 Volvo 240 which I left for 5 months (winter included) unused. After that I turned the key and the damn thing started. Great cars we had in those old days !

But these days it's different. Cars have all kinds of memories storing engine settings, software programs, radio stations, etc. They all waste current, which kills the battery in a matter of weeks instead of months.

And by the way, I enjoyed reading about your method of finding the circuit that had the draw without using any instrument (not even a multimeter). As a side note I would like to mention that if you do your trick (battery post sparking) while you forgot to turn OFF the radio/CD, then you will burn the microprocessor in it ! Funny isn't it ? I read this in my other car User Guide. You should never disconnect a battery while the radio/CD player is turned ON ! If you do ... you will have to sing to yourself ...

Cheers

stever

I would have thought that the memory settings would be maintained with some sort of static ram instead of dynamic ram. And I would have thought that the electronics would just sit there until you had the key in the ignition, with the exception of the security system. Maybe they should just put in a reset button so you can retrain the ECU stuff that way instead of having to disconnect the battery.

The constant drain and subsequent failure to start would be rather annoying.

I don't read all the discussions about all the cars around here, but it sure seems that only Pilot owners are reporting this issue in any number.

ondaman

Hi, I'm getting code A16 on my '07 Pilot. I checked manual, looks like I will be needing oil change, tire rotation and VTM-4 fluid. Anyone knows how much it will cost me for having this maintenance? Any estimate? My local Honda dealer (San Jose,CA) where I purchased car quoted me $150 which I think a little pricey. Thanks in advance.

gmwalters

Maybe a little high, but my tire rotation plus VTM-4 fluid change cost me $ 100 including state tax.

kevman3

Anybody ever change their own brake pads on a Pilot? My 05 has 40K, needs brakes. I'd like to do it myself. Seems like the pad just slides in. Any advise or videos to share?

Thanks..

cwoody

keyman3,

I replaced the pads on my 04 Pilot. By far the easiest I have done. If you have swapped pads an any disk brakes before then it is straight forward.

First you should probably double check how much pad is left. I got 75K miles out of mine and they still had pad left. Also you should probably replace both Front & Rear at the same time. My Pilot had worn them very evenly, side to side and front to rear. Next I wewnt to Majestic Honda on the web and bought my pads, they were a LOT cheaper than my local Honda dealer even after S&H. About $50/set and they were Honda Pads.

Changing them was very simple, Remove tire, remove 2 bolts holding caliper to the spindle (10mm or 13mm wrench), remove the pad farthest from the caliper piston, use a C-Clamp against the remaining pad to recess the piston back into the caliper slowly, remove the remaining pad, install the new pads (after applying supplied black goop to the back side of the new pad and between the pad and the thin metal shield, also supplied), slide them into the caliper, reinstall caliper, reinstall wheel. Repete on the other side. Press brake peddle to seat the pads, and you should be good to go..... Majestic Honda also has the diagrams so you can see where everything goes.

justaveragejoe

Yes, I understand todays cars are different, but they still are designed to not require the kind of power that drains a battery in a couple weeks. Something is wrong, wrong wrong. The only thing that should require power (at least that I can think of) is the clock (or radio clock) and the receiver for the key fob. Both of those combined can't be more than 1 or 2 milliamp. You have a 200 mA draw. That is big.

I have never heard of any radios or DVD players (or anything else) ever being damaged by leaving them on when replacing a battery. Possibly, if the key was also left on while changing the battery but I doubt it would happen in that case either.

Since electronic problems are difficult to trouble-shoot, even is Honda is aware of a problem, it may take them years to figure it out.

mitch65

I'm planning to change my tires on my 05 EX-L. I'm bringing my car to a local tire place that basically just changes tires and fixes flats. I know the TPMS sensors are in the wheel, but should I worry that the tires aren't installed correctly? Do they need special knowledge when they change the tire? I'm going to warn them about the sensors, but I'm not sure they'll really know what that means. Anything I should watch for?
Thanks.

kipk

Need "Check Engine" Codes. Dealer won't give them to me. All the sources on a Google search want to charge for the codes.

Anybody got a "Free" list Pilot: '03- 4wd and CR-V: '03- 4wd

Thanks,
Kip

tidester

In case you haven't tried it, enter "Honda Pilot" and the specific error code (without the quotes) in a search engine. That will almost certainly get you the information you need.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

srwendt

Check your local library; most library systems have a subscription to the ALLDATA database, where you would be able to find the codes.

kipk

Appreciate the info.

Kip

carollee3

I have lost my maintenance schedule and want to know when the timing belt is due for replacement. Has anyone lost an engine because they went beyond the recommened miles?

tidester

This may help: Maintenance Schedule

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

carollee3

NO, that was just a waste of 20 minutes. Can someone give me the answer without another search?

Mr_Shiftright

I'd do it no sooner than 90K and no later than 105K unless you are operating your vehicle in extreme heat (100+ degrees) or extreme cold (-10)--then at 60K.

bigdadi118

You need to find out your car is with timing belt or timimg chain first... what year is your Pilot?

tidester

I'm sorry you couldn't find the information you requested. It is right there, however, and it took very little time to find that the recommendation is 105,000 miles. ( http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/detail.html?styleId=100891072&engCode=6VNAG3.- 5&transCode=AUTOMATIC&mileage=105000&zip=19106&type=&serviceType= )

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

eteled

This is a replica of my post that I put into wrong place originally.

Just want to share some helpful information I didn’t find anywhere. I measured current drawing from the battery when car is parked. In my case it was new 2009 EX Pilot, 2WD, 1800 miles on the odometer. The data taken would also be useful for the future; if possible problems with the battery rose.

Test1. The ignition switch is in LOCK (0) position, the key is in the ignition switch – 156mA
Test2. The ignition switch is in LOCK (0) position, the key is removed – 45mA

What does it mean for the owner? If you leave your car in the garage with the key in the ignition switch (which most of us do), the 100% charged 60Ah battery will lost 80% of its capacity within 13 days (or within 45 days without the key). That was theoretical calculation. In addition to that, flooded lead-acid batteries have relatively high self-discharge rate even without any external circuits. It could be 8-40% per month (2-10% per week) depends on how old the battery is.

One note for those, who will replicate this test on your car. Right after connecting MM, the current jumps up to 2-3 Amps, then gradually gets down within 10-15 seconds. So, set your MM properly or it could be damaged.

justaveragejoe

On test 1, that would make sense since the dash panel lights (among other things) come on with the key in.

On test 2, any idea of what would be causing a 45 mA draw? That still seems really high.

As for the 8-40% self discharge per month, that too is a very high figure. That number is typical of a NiCd or NiMH (or maybe a deep-cycle type marine battery that should be kept on a trickle charger). A sealed lead acid battery should only loose around 5% of it's charge per month, or less if it is well made.

rodut

Dear justaveragejoe, eteled and bigdady,

YES YES YES, I finally understood the battery discharge cause !

justaveragejoe you are right, the high current is caused by the lights in the dash being ON, and "other things". This is not important because those lights will go OFF by themselves after a minute or so.

eteled, about the 45 mA you measure, that is caused by at least one door being open. The current drawn is function of how many doors you keep open. I think bigdady suggested that longtime ago, and he was right. Probably the security system is responsible for this current waste. So, I measured the following (with anything in the car shutdown, and with the bulbs at the bottom of the front doors removed - I always removed those door bulbs on all my cars):

_ all doors closed: 21-29mA (it's switching between these values for some reason)
_ one door open: 59-65mA
_ two doors open: 65-71mA
_ three doors open: 71-77mA
_ four doors open: 79-83mA
_ all 5 doors open: 84-87mA

_ four doors open, with the lights in the dash ON: 200-207mA. My 2008 model has these lights. I am not sure if your 2009 model has this stupid "always lighted" kind of speedometer dash. I hope you don't have them because it's the unsafest option I ever saw installed on a car (I forget to turn ON the headlights at night time, because I see light in the dash all the time). What can be unsafer than driving without lights ?!?!

eteled, it was funny to read your last paragraph ! Me too I burned my multimeter fuse during these measurements. I am happy the multimeter survived though ! The initial current is huge (very visible spark when you connect the ampermeter in series between the battery terminal and the cable). This could burn a delicate multimeter. The safe way I found for doing this measurement is "4 hands". Use the negative battery connection, not the positive one (the User Guide says that).
So have your wife keep the negative cable touching the battery's negative terminal. Then use your hands to connect the ampermeter (the initial current will be zero because all the current will go directly from the battery terminal to the negative cable). Then tell your wife to disconnect the cable from the terminal. Now the current flows through the ampermeter (without any dangerous spike), so you can read it. Using some clamps could substitute the wife, and would also lower the probability of divorce !!!

Cheers

tidester

Now the current flows through the ampermeter...so you can read it.

Agreed. Ammeters are hard to read when the current spikes and fries it to a crisp.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

bigdadi118

I have 2008 Pilot VP AWD and the car is 1 year old with 13K mi..
Lately I have message of the "Check Fuel Cap" blinking at the window of Maintenance Minder. The message goes away if I press the little stick to choose Trip-A, Trip-B, Oil Life%.

I am sure the fuel cap is tight as I used to click it 4-5 times so really have no clue what's wrong.

Does anyone experience this thing?

Car is under warranty and I will mention to dealer when I take it to dealer as the maintenance is due.

kipk

Could be a faulty fuel cap. Look at the "O" ring inside the cap for any flat spots or tears.

Do you leave the car running for any reason when re-fueling?

Definitely tell the dealer about the problem, so it will be documented.

Hopefully they can find an error code on the computer.