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Gave my Pilot some attention yesterday

7K views 24 replies 13 participants last post by  abu  
#1 ·
Just a hair under 5,000 miles and about to take a 1,200 mile trip so yesterday I spent a couple of hours doing some maintenance on my Pilot Elite. I detailed the whole inside (but with 2 kids under 3, it won't take long to go back to a mess), put her up on jack stands and changed the oil, and then sprayed on a good half gallon of Surface Shield to protect it from the salty winter....
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I used a jack on the rear jacking point and got the rear stands on the pinch weld jack points. I used a board as a wheel chock on the front because even though in park, the car was moving back and forth a good bit just from loosening the lug nuts while it was still on the ground even in park.

When I went to change the oil, I used a good tip from an old forum where you use foil to keep things neat around the oil filter area. It worked alright but it still spilled some on the metal belly shield. I wasn't too concerned since I was just about to spray the whole underside with lanolin Surface Shield.
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Book says 5.8 qts on a oil and filter change and it took most of all 6 for me. Probably because I don't hold each quart for an extra minute for all the residual to come out, I am not that patient.

After the oil change I sprayed as much of the underside of the whole vehicle as I could with Surface Shield. It went on great with my compressor set to about 100 psi at the tool. No dripping at all and not that unpleasant of a smell. WAY better than Fluid Film, so we shall see how it holds up, supposedly it should last up to 2 years but I don't know. It might since my car is garage kept and I don't drive much in the winter.

Everything else looked good, all fluids were at their max and the engine air filter was spotless. Brake wear was nice and even. I wiped down the entire exhaust system with a rag and then took it for a rip to burn off the rest of the overspray.

I know Honda says even the factory oil can go 10,000 miles and that might be true, it had plenty of viscosity left. I mean, I didn't taste it Vice Grip Garage style so not sure if it has any gas or antifreeze in it 😜. But, I just can't go that long between changes. I feel way more comfortable doing 5,000 mile intervals but to each their own. There was a minimal amount of metal in the oil which I expected with it being a new engine.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, I only used the jack stands since I was coating the underside, too. Honestly, ramps or just jack stands in the front would be better than level since the drain plug faces towards the rear; the oil would actually drain better. Probably will always remove the front right tire to get the filter out. It makes it way easier. My filter was snug but I was able to get it off without hassle using plain old channel lock pliers.
 
#8 ·
I usually use 2 jack stands in the front. I feel confident with them. I do have solid wood ramps I built many years ago that would hold a 747 but I find I never bother to drag them out because I am usually going to rotate tires too at the oil change and so the jack and stands is ready for that job too. As others said, think about redundancy wherever possible. I've never set my car on all 4 stands like that although I'm sure it's fine. I just have visions of "what if" (what if somehow the car fell off those....now you have all 4 corners on the pavement rather than a front or back end only). I always make sure to give the car a good shove and make sure no movement or wobble on the stands. Keep the jack in the picture too if you can, why not. I also take off wheels as necessary....if I can just take off the right one for oil filter then I will leave the front left one on until time for rotation. And on rotation I'm generally having 2 off at most...so take one off, bring it to the new position, replace, move that one to the next etc. I do make a shortcut of just using the jack for the rear while the front is on stands when rotating, but I am not going under the car at that point and one of the 2 rear wheels will always be on too.
 
#10 ·
I am using a Harbor Freight 3 ton floor jack. The car weighs around 4500 lb dry so lifting half the vehicle, you might be OK using a 1.5 or 2 ton but hard to say for sure. I also have an aluminum 1.5 ton harbor freight jack, I might try it next time and see if it lifts the front or back OK
 
#13 ·
I have a Husky (Torin Big Red) which has an extension on it for suv or larger trucks.
Picked up the same thing last year to replace one of my older floor jacks: Torin Blackjack
They are good for low profile cars without the extension, and with extension work on a lot of vehicles.
I generally do the tire rotations with both jacks, finishing off with the right front tire so I have easy access to the oil filter.
Remove drain plug or open Fumoto valve before starting the rotation, and it will pretty much be done dripping once you have have gone around and finally changed the oil filter.
 
#14 ·
I may be paranoid, I am afraid of jack stands. I know they are the safest route to go, I just don't trust being under a vehicle that is supported by four stands. I usually still keep my floor jack under the car while using jack stands.
I hear ya. I use jack stands and I keep a jack with slight pressure under each center lift point, too. The jack stands and jacks are from Harbor Freight, their quality has gotten better but still, not going to put my life in their hands without some redundancy
And don't forget: if you're taking a wheel off anyway, slide it under as one more line of defense. You've got to put those wheels somewhere anyway while they're off, might as well put them there.
 
owns 2006 Honda Odyssey EX
#20 ·
I hope it is the last one for at least a good number of years. But I like performing my own maintenance. For the same sort of reason I prefer a manual transmission if I can get it. Something satisfying about doing it myself. Not to mention I just don't trust the stealerships
 
#16 · (Edited)
Sorry to bring this age old topic up again but do I need to worry about “break in oil” which seems to be just assembly oil that gets mixed into the regular oil? Or can I change the oil at 5k like OP

It wasn’t an issue on my Civic because the interval was around 5k. I plan on changing the oil at 5k but not resetting the light so I can still get the complimentary maintenance oil change. However when I was talking to my service advisor on how early I can bring it in, he said wait until 15% because of the “break in” oil…
 
#17 ·
Sorry to bring this age old topic up again but do I need to worry about “break in oil” which seems to be just assembly oil that gets mixed into the regular oil? Or can I change the oil at 5k like OP

It wasn’t an issue on my Civic because the interval was around 5k. I plan on changing the oil at 5k but not resetting the light so I can still get the maintenance oil change. However when I was talking to my service advisor on how early I can bring it in, he said wait until 15% because of the “break in” oil…
From what I’ve read nobody really knows for certain. Some claim there is break in oil and others say there isn’t. It’s the same argument people have regarding whether or not to follow the Maintenance Minder or change their oil at a shorter interval.
 
#18 ·
Yes an eternal debate with lots of speculation. I tend to believe there is no special oil. But in any case Honda doesn't recommend an early oil change so I just follow the manual and maintenance minder on the car and don't overthink it. I think for some people they are just eager for another project on their new baby and so they invoke the "can't hurt to change it early" excuse to do so.
 
#19 ·
Yes an eternal debate with lots of speculation. I tend to believe there is no special oil. But in any case Honda doesn't recommend an early oil change so I just follow the manual and maintenance minder on the car and don't overthink it. I think for some people they are just eager for another project on their new baby and so they invoke the "can't hurt to change it early" excuse to do so.
Agreed. I’m also going to stick to the MM for oil changes. The diff fluid I will change at the mileage suggested by Honda and for the ATF I will likely do drain and fills every 25-30k.
 
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#21 ·
Regarding break in oil, I just chose to change it at 5k because I just don't trust an oil to last 10,000 miles. Especially in my case where it will take me well over a year to go 10,000 miles. I will say that the oil that came out was quite dark. I felt it and it still had good viscosity but it was pretty black and smelled like it was ready to be changed to me.

Edit: forgot I figured I'd post a pic of my car on my vacation. Fully loaded down with lots of beach stuff!

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#23 ·
Regarding break in oil, I just chose to change it at 5k because I just don't trust an oil to last 10,000 miles. Especially in my case where it will take me well over a year to go 10,000 miles. I will say that the oil that came out was quite dark. I felt it and it still had good viscosity but it was pretty black and smelled like it was ready to be changed to me.

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That’s exactly why I wanted to do a 5k interval. Especially given the fact that I do more city driving with short drives than I used to. My old 02 TL had a 7.5k interval but I did mostly highway miles with it

Also watched some Honda techs on YouTube changing oil close to 10k and it doesn’t look too good.
 
#24 ·
Many lift kit jack issues stem from insufficient maxilum height or stability at the jacking point. If your jack only tops out around 18", it can be tough to get bigger tires clear once a lift is installed; extensions or a higher-capacity jack usually solve that. I ran into the same problem on my lifted Tacoma and ended up switching to a 3-ton jack with 23" lift height plus a set of tall jack stands, much safer and way less frustrating in the long run.
 
#25 ·
Good catch on the oil volume too — I’ve had the same experience where it’ll take nearly all 6 quarts if you don’t spend half the day draining the bottles. Running 5K intervals is a nice balance, especially on a newer engine where you still get that bit of break-in glitter in the oil. Like you said, peace of mind is worth it. Smart thinking hitting the underside with Surface Shield right after; that lanolin stuff is way nicer to deal with than Fluid Film, for sure.