Honda Odyssey Care and Maintenance

macakava · January 2005

The aftermarket Ody oil filter are FRAM's TG7317, Purolator's 14610 or 14459, and Advance Auto's TotalGrip AA7317(made by Purolator even though it uses FRAM's number). According to an individual study in link below, the TotalGrip has a superior construction to FRAMs.

I have used the Purolators and I plan to get some TotalGrips soon.

PS: There is a 2 for 1 special for TotalGrip filters at Advance Auto for those who are interested, i.e. 2 filters for $2.48!!!

http://mymiata.paladinmicro.com/MiataOFilters.htm

Another link with a similar study is at,

http://www.bergware.net/tmbwww/oilfilter89honda.html

psm18 · January 2005

Has anyone changed tranmission fluid on their Odyssey and how easy is it? Any guidance will be most helpful.

Paul.

macakava · January 2005

I have not done mine yet and I have quite a while to go since my Ody is 6 months old. But I understand that there is a tranny drain plug as well as a fill plug - so this job should be straight forward like changing engine oil.

Take a peek below and it should be obvious.

e2d yah · January 2005

to sseell1:

Wintertire advice. Valid for any car.

Choices: all weather or winter tread.

All weather, use all year, longer thread life.

Winter tires, use in winter only for traction.

Softer rubber, hence less life if used all year long. Find three or four choices and compare price wise, thread life, warranty, NOISE LEVEL.

For winter/snow tires:

Need four, regardless of drive method.

Mount on separate wheels (cheap ones). Mounting on expensive ones may damage expensive rims. Cheap snow wheels are less than 40 dollar a piece. Most contracts provide free balancing and free mounting if on separate wheels. So do the math. Check for new type of rubber, that is softer all the way through. Most winter tires are only soft on the first few layers. Look at thread type. The more siping (small very narrow cuts perpendicular to driving direction), the better traction on wet roads. Look for V-type thread (quiet), the big cuts are at an angle to the driving direction.

LBNL, chains: buy the ones that are quick connect (do not walk out of store until dealer has shown you how to mount), and practice mount them in your drive way before you HAVE to mount them on the road somewhere in the middle of nowhere. TIP: Newspapers come in long skinny bags when it rains. Save a couple of them and use them over your arms to save your sleeves from getting filthy when installing or removing chains.

HTH, better late than never.

kengaroo · January 2005

I did not see any documents that came with my new Odyssey listing the schedule maintance intervals and what needs to be done. Can anyone list that out for me or provide me with a copy of the maintance schedule? Also the car claims to have a 105,000 mile tune up interval. Does that need the spark plug and spark plug wires last that many miles? What else is part of the tune up?

tcls · January 2005

No, it's not by the two screws inside the tailgate. It's through a little plastic piece on the lens itself. You pry open this piece (on the passenger side) from the lens to reveal the screw under the lens. Unscrew that to dislodge the light assembly from the tailgate. Then you can unscrew the light by 1/4 of a turn.

cheesehead · February 2005

Please register at Honda's ownerlink website to find Service/Maintenance details and other nifty tips:

https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/

Here is a relevant snippet i found:
Following the factory-recommended maintenance minder system in your is the best thing you can do for your vehicle. Regular scheduled maintenance helps prevent problems before they occur.

Because not everyone drives their Honda the same way, your Honda Owner's Manual includes normal and severe maintenance schedules.

vanhelp · March 2005

I, too, have looked everywhere for information on the maintenance schedule. The Honda ownerlink website does NOT provide this info. any more than the owner's manual does. All that Honda will say is to service the van when the little light comes on telling you to. My "Service History Booklet" notes that "Different items have different service intervals based on mileage or time (whichever comes first), mileage only or time only." But again, no info. on what those intervals are!! I find this very frustrating.

pricelister · March 2005

The 2005 Odyssey has a "Maintenance Minder". There is no predetermined time/mileage on the maintenance, except 1 year. The computer tracks your driving cycle and will turn on the indicator that corresponds with codes in your manual. A1 -
A - Oil Change 1 - tire rotation. No over or under maintaining your car. Best system ever.

b_rad · March 2005

Spark plugs are cheap and the wires are EXPENSIVE. As the spark plugs wear, the resistance in the wires increase thus causing them to burn out. Changing the plugs will take at least a 6-pack and a couple of hours for us average shade tree mechanics. I plan to change my plugs between 50k to 60k if it needs it or not.

jtavares · March 2005

I would like to change the pollen filter on my 2002 Odyssey. The owner's manual simply suggests this be done by a Honda dealer. I have purchased an after market filter. Has anyone replaced this and can you share how you did it?
Thanks

race434 · April 2005

I tried changing the cabin air filter on my 2003 Odyssey yesterday. I got as far as removing the glove box and finding the filter housing. The filter is easy to find by simply snapping off the black plastic cover. That is where I stopped. A horizontal metal crossmember, as well as the plastic formed part of the dashboard blocks removal of the filter.

It appears that part of the dash must be removed to get by those horizontal supports blocking removal of the filter. I didn't want to go that far for a noncritical air filter change. Alternatively, I had no luck when I I tried removing some of the air filter housing screws to separate the two halves of the housing in order to remove the filter from below the dash. I'm wary of removing the dash without instructions. I don't want to break plastic fittings or clips that I miss. I also don't want to fiddle around too much in the area of the glovebox. All of those black and yellow wire bundles down there run between various air bag components, so you're basically working next to a bomb.

I think that I'll wait for a good Honda Odyssey shop manual to come out before trying it again. My replacement filter from Wix filters, part number 24897 looks like a perfect match, and comes plastic wrapped and boxed. I should be able to store it for a few years. Good luck on your task.

robr2 · April 2005

You have to remove the screws holding the metal bar in place. I have a link to some instructions but it is in another forum. I have a copy if you want - e-mail in my profile.

dsrtrat2 · April 2005

Check the handa.com site at the top to see if they still offer directions on your cabin filter replacement. What poor engineering that is. I tend not to change mine for that reason.

aaronwi · April 2005

Just as a follow up to the previous posts on how to clean up milk and vomit stains from the carpet.

Yes, you need to locate a QUALITY enzyme product. Natures miracle is a ok, just more of a consumer commodity item. If you can locate a professional cleaner, they will have significantly better products.

Rinse the spot well with water. If you don't have a carpet extractor (rug doctor type machine) use a spray bottle of warm water and a shop vac. You have to physically remove as much material as possible. Follow this with a mixture of 3 tablespoons white vinegar with a quart of warm water; spray the area and then rinse several times. Follow this with a solution of 3 tablespoons white non-sudsy ammonia (found in the laundry aisle at WalMart, Kmart, ect.); apply and rinse well. NOW, you can follow this with the enzyme cleaner. Liberally apply and keep warm and moist overnight. You may have to repeat several times. Extract well between treatments. Enzymes cleaners work by releasing non-pathogenic bacteria (safe for us) into the stain. These bacteria produce enzymes and digest the organic material in the stain. They must be warm and wet to work (they die when they dry out). As they eat, they produce byproducts that have a different odor (it may smell worse while it's working then it did before you started) and that need to be rinsed out AFTER they are done working.

If the staining material did not go into padding or through the carpet into the foam backer, it will be removed quite easily (as described above). If it penetrated the foam or backer, be ready for a lengthy process to clean it.

Aaron

ps. Yes, I do have a little experience in this; I have owned a professional cleaning service for over 15 years.

fuelguy · April 2005

I just changed mine on a 2002 with 45k - dirtiest filter I've ever seen. I googled a haynes manual which said to cut the plastic dash member off with a saw. After getting over the thought of sawing on my $30k vehicle, it really wasn't hard, and the member isn't needed. I think it's there for stiffness of the dash assembly prior to installation. The bracket screws are hard to remove though. I removed the right screw and could get a wrench over the left one just enough to loosen it. I was then able to wiggle the bracket far enough out of the way to remove the filter.
Anybody have suggestions on where to find the tranny fill plug?

dsrtrat2 · April 2005

See my post #4549 under problems and solutions for tranny fill plug. Was so nice of Honda not to have it in the owner's manual.

will22odyssey · April 2005

I just purchased a 2005 Odyssey and the dealer tried to convince me to buy Resistall protective coatings by Cal-Tex. Cost is $500. Does anyone have this coating? Is this just another way for the dealer to make a buck?

macakava · May 2005

IT is a quick buck!

Don't fall for it.

There is no need for this option. Standard factory paint with clear coat is fine.

robr2 · May 2005

Darrell - First, no advertising allowed.

Second - are you and your friends driving exactly the same roads at the exact same time? If not, then the comparisons are not exact. Further, I highly doubt anyone would be getting 30 mpg with an Odyssey right off the bat unless they are doing nothing but highway road trips at 55 mph.

Third, the EPA sticker is an estimate - not a promise. It is to be used as a guide for comparison.

Last, Honda engines seem to get better gas mileage as the miles pile on. If you are still getting lousy mileage at about 10K miles, then have them check it out.

macakava · May 2005

Put an egg below the X and make sure that you do not break it! SMILES!

This would gaurantee better mpg!

rom2 · June 2005

I had no trouble changing the engine oil and filter in my 2002 Odyssey. But I could not locate the Fill plug for the ATF. I located the ATF dip stick (yellow colored ring) to left of the battery and the ATF drain plug at the bottom next to the driver's side tire. Did you receive any guidance on the ATF fluid change. Any guidance on locating the Fill plug for the ATF would be appreciated.

rom2 · June 2005

I had hard time locating the fill plug for the ATF for my 2002 Odyssey EX. I found the drain plug and the dip stick but not the fill plug. Any guidance would be appreciated.

macakava · June 2005

Here is an earlier reply to your inquiry,

#4549 of 4552 Re: '04 Ody ATF fill location? [beckyinma] by dsrtrat2 Apr 24, 2005 (11:47 pm)
Bookmark | Reply

The fill plug is located on the top of the tranny toward the firewall and has ATF stamped on it. If you have a retrofit to the tranny that goes into the refill plug. What someone suggested then is to fill the tranny through its dipstick, which is what I did, tho it is slow. I used a small funnel at the dipstick hole and a tube to reach it with a funnel at the top of the tube. Remember, patience is a virtue and you will need it.

rom2 · June 2005

I just could not locate the fill plug for my 2002 Ody. Any suggestions ?

macakava · June 2005

I have quite a while to go still before I change my tranny fluid on my Ody.

So I would look for the fill hole OR use a lot of patience and fill it SLOWLY through the dipstick hole like the referenced article suggested.

I am sure others who have changed their tranny oil themselves on this forum would be willing to share their experiences.

psg · June 2005

I'm thinking I will need to use the dipstick method on my '04. Towards that end, I picked up a piece of tubing at Lowe's. I haven't had a chance to see if it fits, but here is what I'm scheming, I'm thinking to place the appropriate amount (I'll replace the same volume I remove) of replacement ATF fluid into one container. I'll then place the container with the fluid in it on top of the motor (on a block of wood if need be) so the bottom of the container is higher then the top of the dipstick tube. One end of tubing will then go into the container, I'll start a flow (with a bulb syringe, no ATF fluid in my mouth thank you) at the other end of the tubing and then stick the tube into the dipstick opening. Once I'm sure all is stable and flowing, I'll go do something else. The tube I have has a small bore, about the size of a fish tank aquarium air line, but if it takes an hour or two to fill, who cares? Any thoughts? I'm thinking this will be my weekend shade tree mechanic project.

macakava · June 2005

Just to satisfy my mechanical curiosity, I just went and looked under my '04 Ody's hood and the easily found the tranny fill plug - a shiny metallic bolt with ATF staring at me. Bolt is located on top the tranny towards the firewall on the driver's side. To locate it easily, just look down close to the brake fluid reservoir/brake booster area and you would see the bolt between two black connectors with wires coming from a common wire harness. You would probably need a long extension(s) for your socket wrench to reach the bolt unless you can angle a regular wrench down there to loosen/tighten the bolt.

If you decide to use tubing, I would get a larger diameter tubing than the dipstick tube so that it fits snugly outside the dipstick tube. This larger tubing would allow for faster filling up compared with the smaller diameter tubing that fits inside the dipstick tubing.

VIP: Make sure you use genuine Honda ATF as it is specially formulated for this tranny. I understand that many garages and even some Honda dealers use the cheaper Dexron/Mercon type. This would definitely screw up your tranny.

So essentially this exercise becomes a "piece of cake" GO FOR IT!!

psg · June 2005

but I'm ready to go look for the ATF fill plug now. I'd really prefer to use the fill plug. (I also have some larger diameter tubing and will look into macakava's suggestion should it come to that.)

Is Honda fluid available through a retail parts store or do you have to go to a Honda dealer for it?

macakava · June 2005

Only at your friendly neighborhood Honda dealer. I won't use any other "equivalent" for my peace of mind.

Make sure you have enough qts if you do the tranny change when they are closed on Sundays or even Saturdays for some. I beileve that 6-8 qts should suffice.

rsht · June 2005

Just got my new 2005 Odyssey EX with VMC a month ago...

Anyone knows if its appropriate to begin using 5W-20 Synthetic Oil starting the first oil change (after the break-in period)?

I recall seeing in the Owner's Guide states "...not to change the oil sooner than what is recommended...", I assume that would be after 7500 miles or 6 months...correct? I don't believe the engine is with any special break-in oil from the factory, or is it?

gina171 · June 2005

My in-laws LOVE their new Odyssey (my husband and I are Toyota owners, but are adjusting to this new Honda in our lives, wink, wink!) , but are hearing that they should not change the oil for the first time until 7500 miles, because of a special additive in the oil when it leaves the factory? True? We changed our Sienna oil at 5K the first time, so I am not sure if there is something to this Honda rumor. Can anyone help or advise? Also, their manual says to change every 5K miles, but do you all still change the oil every 3K? We change every 3K with our Toyotas (even though our manuals say 5K), and are just wondering if this is different with the Hondas? Thanks!!!! They want to drive this Honda for 10 years, so any advice regarding an oil change schedule to encourage this longevity would be appreciated.

macakava · June 2005

Oil changes every 3K miles or 4months whichever comes first is cheap insurance.

I do these myself and cost less than $5 in materials I buy on sale.

While there may be some merit to the special additive(i.e. for break-in), I believe that 3K miles for first oil change would not be a problem. I have done so with my Ody.

fibber2 · June 2005

Lots of speculation on this, and it sparked a lively discussion about 3 or so years ago. Honda does recommend, and my dealer pretty much insisted that we wait until 7500 to do the first oil change. Why? Nobody ever really came up with much of an answer. Some said that the OEM oil had special break-in additives, others supposedly with the inside track said it was the same oil that the dealers receive - ie., nothing special.

So while I had the urge to do it early, I waited.... and everything at 3.5 yrs, 45k miles seems great.

Steve

captainrmw · June 2005

I also have a 2000 beige silver and the dashboard around the glove compartment scratches off easily, the dealer does not have a touch up kit, and suggestions out there?

minivan561 · June 2005

Is the 7500 mile oil change interval based on conventional or synthetic motor oil?

macakava · June 2005

Conventional mineral oil.

siesta20601 · July 2005

The manual strongly recommends that Honda engine oil (5W-20) should be use. Can anyone tell me why? Does it matter to use other brands on the market? Warranty issues?

Thanks
Siesta

macakava · July 2005

I have been using 5W20 oil from name brands like Exxon, Valvoline,etc with no problems. As long the oil meets the current API/SAE certifications, they are fine.

As a habit for over 30 years with my cars, I have been doing my oil/filter changes every 3K miles or 4 months which ever comes first. Cheap insurance.

yuri1 · July 2005

anyone knows how 2 reset oil sensor/monitor to 100% after changing oil?

2005 Oddysey

jjtrindc · July 2005

I can't tell you off the top of my head, but the manual gives very specific step by step instructions.

rsht · July 2005

I assume you have an 05 Ody EX. Press the "Reset" knob on your gauge until you see the Oil Life (%) indicator, then Press and Hold the Reset Knob until the percentage changes. I think this first time will set the % to 80% or 90%, then you have to press and hold the Reset knob a second time to set the Oil Life to 100%. Good Luck!

rsht · July 2005

Although my dealership would not say it, but, they sorta kinda said that there should really be no difference between the Honda motor oil vs. any other name brand oil as long its 5W-20. Two things my dealership were very specific are the initial oil change at 7500Miles, and the use of Honda Z1 ATF. Personally, I will follow their recommandation on the initial engine oil change interval, and replace with Synthetic 5W-20 oil every 5K thereafter.

dwake · July 2005

A non-dealer service put in brake shoes that are after-market. Ever since I get a noise from my brakes when I brake in a new direction (in other words, if I back up and brake, I get the noise. Then if I continue to back up - I get no noise, until I move forward - then the first braking action gives me the noise). The noise is kind of a clunk. Dealer service told me that the after market brake shoes are not the right size and thus the noise.

My question is this? Having spent the $ for the after market, I am reluctant to turn around and spend another $598 for the Honda brakes. Other than the annoyance of the noise (which I think I could live with), is there any other safety or damage issues with using the brake shoes that are not installed?

David

rsht · July 2005

Sounded like the after market brake pads are just a bit small, small enough to allow the pads to slide forward/backward in the calipers as you apply the brakes for the first time in a new forward/reverse direction. I have had the similar situation with my other car, the noise eventually got louder and louder I just replaced the pads myself. If you choose to do the same, its always a good idea to replace the brake pad retaining clips too, just in case this after market store did not do so for ya... By the way, the noise will get worse, so, if it bothers you (sounded like it does), you may want to do something about them while you may still have warranty on them pads. Oh! by the way, I don't believe the pads will cause any performance related problems. Good Luck!

fibber2 · July 2005

Interestingly enough, Honda considers this situation to be a 'feature', and not a 'problem'. In '02, the Ody switched from rear drums to rear disks. Many of us early buyers experience the pad shift clunk on the first brake application after changing direction. Honda put our a service advisory, telling dealers to explain that the little extra free play is normal - will prevent rust binding that could result in uneven wear.

Steve

keith_hester · July 2005

Here's the scoop ... my entire dashboard and doors are starting to flake and peel. According to the Service Manager at the dealership where I purchased my Honda Odyssey, if you use any type of vinyl cleaning product (e.g. Armour All) on your dashbaord, the paint will begin peeling off the plastic. It only takes one application, and the more applications the worse it gets. The dealership claims the biggest offender of ruining these dashboards are the Car Cleaning places which use vinyl cleaners on the car interior. The Serrvice Manager indicated that he has been aware of this for at least 3 years and that there is something about this in the vehicle manual (I can't find it anywhere). Even if they repaint the dashboard, the paint will continue to peel off since the vinyl cleaner has already been applied. The only fix is to replace the entire dashbaord.

WHAT? I have started the escalation process with Honda and the regional rep is supposed to call me with-in 3 days. In my mind, this is a quality issue with the vehicle and Honda should have caught this in their usability study ... the paint chemist had to know this too.

The only people that will not be affected by this oversight are the ones that never clean their Odyssey.

geoff4 · July 2005

geoff4 · July 2005

The Owners manual for my 05 Odyssey EX gives no miles when oil, filters, timing belt etc should be change.
Where does a do it your selfer go to get this info?
I do not want to be visiting to the dealer for every little thing.

mlangley · August 2005

I HAVE A 99 ODYSSEY WITH 173,000 MILES AND JUST FOUND OUT I MAY NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. HAVING PROBLEMS SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR WHEN VAN HAS BEEN WARMED UP - DRIVEN FOR 40 MINUTES - SEEMS LIKE TRANNY SLIPS AND AT THE SAME TIME A LOUD CLUNK WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE. DOES ANY ONE THINK A TRANSMISSION COOLER WOULD HELP? IT WOULD BE CONSIDERABLY CHEAPER THAN REPLACING TRANNY. LET ME KNOW. THANKS.

Honda Odyssey Care and Maintenance

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