Honda Pilot - Honda Pilot Forums banner

Rear Differential Fluid Vs. Transfer Assembly 11 Pilot

8K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  gladiatorPilot 
#1 ·
What is the difference between these two in terms of where to change them? I know how to do the rear differential but what about the transfer assembly? Thanks
 
#2 ·
Not quite sure I understand your question.

Where to change them? Maybe in your garage or at the Honda Dealer service department.

When to change them? According to the maintenance minder, if you have it. On an older Pilot with out the MM, check your service schedule in the owners manual.

Transfer case fluid gets replaced at the same time that the transmission fluid drain/refill is called for. They are each different fluids, ATF, Rear Differential, Transfer case, so don't mix them up.
 
#5 ·
Make sure your Pilot is on a level surface before starting this process. You don't want to overfill any of these. The front transfer case and tranny can be serviced with the Pilot on the ground. The rear diff requires the spare to be removed but can also be serviced while on the ground. +1 to 2010exl on the fill plug. A nice breaker bar and steady pressure should be all that is needed. Remember to change out your crush washers and torque the drain/ fill plugs down to spec when done.


The rear diff requires a fluid pump (10-15 on Amazon) to fill it up and you will need a hose on the bottle of gear oil for the front transfer case to get it refilled. Tranny service requires a long funnel to get to the fill hole on top of the tranny.


Another point on the rear diff, when you break loose the fill bolt, leave it in place around a 1/4 turn. If you remove it then remove the drain plug, the VTM fluid will come out with enough force to go in the hole on the rear cross member and end up dripping all over. Voice of experience here... Ended up running some Castrol Super clean down the cross member once the diff was sealed back up to clean out the residual VTM fluid.
 
#7 ·
I suppose you could leave the spare up there and do it, however when was the last time you pulled the spare, checked air pressure and cleaned all the dirt off the rim? For me it gets done once a year or when the rear diff fluid gets changed. It is a pain to drop but I'd rather find if I have issues with the spare or the mount prior to needing it...
 
#9 ·
In case anyone is looking for the transfer case drain/fill ports on a 2003-05 they don’t exist since the transfer case for those years shares fluid with the transmission.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top