DIY VTM-4 (differential) Fluid change with pictures

[Sunday Rider]

Originally posted by ExiledinIN
Has anyone replaced the fluid w/ a redline fluid or any other type of synthetic?

Is the Honda VTM fluid a mineral or synthetic?

Not sure if it is synth or mineral, BUT this is one fluid I wouldn't mess with. I had a bad experience where the pump used to put the VTM fluid in the case, was also used for tranny fluid. The VTM would grind whenever I took a tight turn, took me a while to figure it was the recent fluid change.
I changed it once more with a pump that was used only for the VTM fluid, and it went away. So just be careful with this.

[humanoid]

Originally posted by ExiledinIN
Has anyone replaced the fluid w/ a redline fluid or any other type of synthetic?

Is the Honda VTM fluid a mineral or synthetic?

No and no. The VTM-4 system is not meant to be used with any other fluid other than the Honda VTM-4 fluid. The VTM system is not a typical rear differential system and thus only uses the Honda fluid. You can use regular diff fluid if you're in a bind, but you will need to replace the fluid ASAP and replace it with the Honda fluid or you will fry your VTM-4 system.

[PolishSumgai]

I got the fluid at the dealer and went under the car to remove the drain and fill plugs. I can not budge them with a 3/8" ratchet or breaker bar. Any suggestions?

Thanx

[Sunday Rider]

Originally posted by PolishSumgai
I got the fluid at the dealer and went under the car to remove the drain and fill plugs. I can not budge them with a 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar. Any suggestions?

Thanx

Are you doing it with the spare wheel out of the way? Once you get under it, you should be able to get it with the breaker bar.
If you are doing all this and still not getting it, try a longer bar to give you the leverage you need.

Make sure you take the filler plug out first, just in case you get the drain plug off, and cannot get the filler off (learned this one the hard way once).

[5Gs]

I just changed mine recently. it is on very tight. I held the ratchet in place and gave the handle a good whack to loosen it. didn't need to remove the spare tire.

[andyschneider]

Originally posted by 5Gs
I just changed mine recently. it is on very tight. I held the ratchet in place and gave the handle a good whack to loosen it. didn't need to remove the spare tire.

I agree with the "give it a good whack" method. Many times, tapping the wrench with a hammer or mallet will loosen bolts like this (including lug nuts), whereas trying the long-handled "lean on it" approach many times breaks the wrench, the nut/bolt, or both.....

andy

[dontnomuch007]

Thanks to all the helpful info here, I was able to replace my VTM fluid a couple of weeks ago. I too had a hard time getting the bolts off. I ended up using a wrench and a piece of metal pipe attached to the handle to get more leverage to loosen the bolts. I also removed the spare tire to make access to the bolts easier.

When I purchased my VTM fluid and washers at the dealer, the person at the parts department said both the fill and drain washers were the same size. So I tought nothing of it, but of course I find out they are different sizes. I ended up just reusing the old washer on the drain.

Now I just need to drop off the old fluid at a nearby Jiffy Lube where they recycle old oil.

[iwc]

Does anyone know how much fluid to replace for and how would you measure that with using a hand pump ?????

[iwc]

Does anyone know how much VTM fluid needs to be filled for this change ? how do you measure this using the hand pump ?

[dontnomuch007]

Originally posted by iwc
Does anyone know how much VTM fluid needs to be filled for this change ? how do you measure this using the hand pump ?

It was about 3/4 of a gallon and you just pump until it overflows.

[RSD]

Just did it the other day and i think i may have a problem
i bought a handpump and to make sure i didnt ocntaminate the VTM4 fluid i pumped some out into an extra container to make sure there was no debris in the pumps tubes

when i open the filling bolt fluid did come out, my driveway is not 100% level but it is pretty good if you park it at the right spot

so i filled it up until the fluid spilled out a bit, closed the diff bolt and drove around teh block once.

came back and then drove the back wheels onto a wooden block about 3 inches high so i could get some more fluid in.

now when i reverse, stop, put it into drive, and give it gas, it feels a bit sluggish

i dont know if it was overfilled from the first fluid change which was done at a dealership or if i filled it up too much.

am i being paranoid or should i park the pilot somewhere level and drain some fluid until no more come out of the filler bolt

[Sunday Rider]

Originally posted by RSD
Just did it the other day and i think i may have a problem
i bought a handpump and to make sure i didnt ocntaminate the VTM4 fluid i pumped some out into an extra container to make sure there was no debris in the pumps tubes

when i open the filling bolt fluid did come out, my driveway is not 100% level but it is pretty good if you park it at the right spot

so i filled it up until the fluid spilled out a bit, closed the diff bolt and drove around teh block once.

came back and then drove the back wheels onto a wooden block about 3 inches high so i could get some more fluid in.

now when i reverse, stop, put it into drive, and give it gas, it feels a bit sluggish

i dont know if it was overfilled from the first fluid change which was done at a dealership or if i filled it up too much.

am i being paranoid or should i park the pilot somewhere level and drain some fluid until no more come out of the filler bolt

I don't think that overfilling it would cause that sluggishness. What happens when you turn the wheel to the extreme left and right and go slowly? Do you hear any strange sounds? Also do the VTM lock procedure, just go slow and in a straight line for a short distance cycle it on and off a few times. You have to be stopped and in L1 or L2 before you press the VTM button to engage it, but can turn it off while driving. Sorry to insult you by asking, but the parking brake is off?
I over fill mine the same way you did, and haven't had a problem. You used the Honda VTM4 fluid I assume.
Last thing when you put it in Neutral is the car easy to push?

[RSD]

yep the parking brake is off
i left it on once while backing out of my driveway a few months ago and nearly soiled myself thinking why is it not rolling on its own power hehe

tomorow i will see what happens with the steering fully left or right and going slow
and i will also try putting it into 1 and 2 and using VTM4
but you arent supposed to do that on pavement right? so driving onto the lawn should be fine?

for the neutral that is fine, i was waiting for a friend and threw it into neutral to see if it still rolled down his driveway that teh same speed it used to. but i will double check that

[Sunday Rider]

Originally posted by RSD
yep the parking brake is off
snip...
but you arent supposed to do that on pavement right? so driving onto the lawn should be fine?

snip

You lock the VTM4 on wet pavement. That is why on dry pavement you should go straight, so there is no stress on the system.

Did you do any other repairs at the same time as changing the VTM4 fluid?

It is odd that it would do this after a fluid change. Wondering what else is going on to cause this.

I guess the last thing would be to let out some fluid and see if that helps, but I doubt it. At least it would eliminate it from being a possiblity.

[jon316]

Aside from sounding like a dime-store novel detective, where are the jack points and jack stand points for the Pilot? (From Helm manual, not the owner's manual.) The unibodies are kinda picky about where you touch them. (Please, no RTM's; I don't have the Helm manual, yet.)

I didn't want to start a new thread for this simple question. Please forgive is this is out of place.