DIY VTM-4 (differential) Fluid change with pictures

[TomStromie]

Originally posted by ED27
The VTM-4 fluid comes in a gallon jug and usually runs in the mid $20s at your local dealer.

I wish! It was $41 at one dealer and $31 at the other.

[lordhowe]

changing the diff fluid is easier than what i expect. I do it all the time for my wrx but the 1/2 bolt that i have to get off on that car is hard as hell.

thanks for everyone's input.

[ED27]

Originally posted by TomStromie


I wish! It was $41 at one dealer and $31 at the other.

It might be because of your local market pricing.....the dealer I use only charges me $25. Bernardiparts.com has it for $22.66 - great price if you're local to them otherwise you'll need to order a bunch of other stuff to make it worthwhile because of shipping charges.

[mainerunr]

was $48 at the dealer we bought the vehicle from and $31 at the one closer to where I work (normally $40 but they quoted me $31).

Man those plugs were in tight, next time I'll probably drop the spare so I can use a longer extension, too much going on in that area.

Filled it up, took it for a little drive, checked the level and it took another 3 or 4 pumps (~1/4 qt) before it started weeping out again.

Had fun getting my tq wrench around everything down there too (the lower coil seat was getting in the way). Overall, better than paying the dealer $80 to do it. I'll keep my $40 for 45 min of work (most of which was waiting for the fluid to finish draining).

If it lets me go 3 oil changes next time, I wont have to do this again for over a year.

[pdicola]

Does anyone know what the torque specs are for the drain & fill bolts for the VTM? I've searched this thread and couldn't find them anywhere.
I have a 2008 Pilot.

Thanks in advance.

[mainerunr]

Originally posted by pdicola
Does anyone know what the torque specs are for the drain & fill bolts for the VTM? I've searched this thread and couldn't find them anywhere.
I have a 2008 Pilot.

Thanks in advance.

my owners manual says 33 ft-lb.

[pdicola]

Originally posted by mainerunr


my owners manual says 33 ft-lb.

It does state 33 ft-lb for the filler bolt, but it does not list the torque for the drain bolt. Is it the same?

[Sunday Rider]

In the 2003 Manual, the specs are 35 lb.ft for both the filler and the drain plugs.

[blu_twstd_steel]

What about the drain/fill plugs in front of the driveshaft? They appear to have the same 3/8" plugs as in the rear. Does it require a drain/fill with VTM-4? These are not the drain/fill plugs for the auto trans.
Thanks.

[Tuck & Jack]

Yeah, the forst time i did the fluid change, it was $22/gal. Today the it was $33. I thought we were in a recession?

[carguy07]

Originally posted by blu_twstd_steel
What about the drain/fill plugs in front of the driveshaft? They appear to have the same 3/8" plugs as in the rear. Does it require a drain/fill with VTM-4? These are not the drain/fill plugs for the auto trans.
Thanks.

That's the transfer case. Takes about 1/2 quart of gear oil. This is on an MDX but it's the same thing: http://www.mdxers.org/forums/showthr...threadid=23082

Get a pump like this (Advance Auto has them) and it's a 20 minute job.




Mobil 1 75W-90 works great. 20mm washers for both drain and fill.

[

[blu_twstd_steel]

That's the transfer case. Takes about 1/2 quart of gear oil. This is on an MDX but it's the same thing: http://www.mdxers.org/forums/showthr...threadid=23082

Get a pump like this (Advance Auto has them) and it's a 20 minute job.




Mobil 1 75W-90 works great. 20mm washers for both drain and fill.

[ [/B]

Thanks carguy07.
It's barely mentioned in the Honda owners manual. Only states the fluid should be changed in the transfer case under sub item 3 of the maintenance minder... No mention of the type of fluid or capacity.
I'll use the pump I have already. It worked well for the differential and transmission fluid change already.
Do you have a rough idea as to the mileage I should reach for the transfer case fluid change? Not sure when "sub item 3" is going to pop up on the instrument cluster.
Thanks again.

[carguy07]

I don't know what Honda would recommend, but I think it is good for quite a while. Probably 50K miles would be a safe number. I don't think mine had ever been done before and I changed it at 74K miles and it still looked and smelled new. Since most dealers don't even admit that it exists and it would be a great money maker for them, I doubt it is something that needs serviced very often. It's easy to do so I will probably just change it two times (drive a month or two in between) to sort of flush it out and then maybe every couple years.

I would not reuse the same pump for the rear diff and the transfer case. I have read that even a little bit of contamination of the VTM4 fluid can lead to chattering in the rear diff. Sounds minuscule, but several people have posted reusing a gear oil pump made their diff act up, they flushed with clean VTM4 and the problem went away.

[blu_twstd_steel]

Originally posted by carguy07
I don't know what Honda would recommend, but I think it is good for quite a while. Probably 50K miles would be a safe number. I don't think mine had ever been done before and I changed it at 74K miles and it still looked and smelled new. Since most dealers don't even admit that it exists and it would be a great money maker for them, I doubt it is something that needs serviced very often. It's easy to do so I will probably just change it two times (drive a month or two in between) to sort of flush it out and then maybe every couple years.

I would not reuse the same pump for the rear diff and the transfer case. I have read that even a little bit of contamination of the VTM4 fluid can lead to chattering in the rear diff. Sounds minuscule, but several people have posted reusing a gear oil pump made their diff act up, they flushed with clean VTM4 and the problem went away.

Not to worry. I always flush the pump and hoses with mineral spirits and then blast it out with 120 psi of compressed air till it's bone dry. The pump I use can be taken apart, so I can do a thorough cleaning job. Never had a problem and I've been using the same pump for 25+ years on too many cars to count.

[KipK]

Originally posted by ecsw
VTM-4 Fluid bought from dealer. $40cdn.

How did that pump work for you.

Changed my VTM fluid yesterday according to your excellent pictures and explanations. It took an extension handle on the ratchet to break the drain and fill screws loose. They didn't "EASE" loose, they POPPED loose.

Also checked the air in the spare. It had 15 PSI, so got it back up to the recommemded 60#.

Bought a pump from Advanced Auto. Looks like the one "Carguy07" shows in above post but a different brand and solid black.. It seriously took near 300 pumps per quart of VTM-4. That is no exageration. Took nearly an hour to fill the case. . This pump actually screwed onto the gallon jug and reach to within 1/2 inch of the bottom. It did the job, but painfully slow.

Looking for another pump for the next change. The type you show is readily available and I have one, but have been using it for kerosene, so wouldn't want to use it with VTM-4. Mine works fine for thin kerosene but don't know how it would do for the thicker VTM-4.

Anyone with any suggestions would be much appreciacte.

Thanks,
Kip