[DrD123]

Recently picked up an 05 EX-L for my daughter. Planning to do the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, idler tomorrow (using the Aisin kit) - also replacing the plugs (NGK Iridium), thermostat (and obviously the coolant) as well as the serpentine belt and tensioner, filters, etc.. Went with aftermarket almost everything (Aisin for the timing belt - have used this several times on our old and current Odyssey - it's a great kit), I think I went with continental for the serpentine belt, gates for the tensioner and thermostat, etc. - all through rockauto (to eliminate counterfeit concerns with the plugs) - everything looks nominally identical to the 05 odyssey I did this on (twice...) in the past - looks like easier access for some things, and maybe the rear plugs will be a pain lying over the engine...

Anyway - are there any gotcha's I should be watching out for? I am pretty comfortable with the timing belt fiasco (only annoying thing really is the crank bolt...), using honda coolant, etc. (the pilot has just shy of 200k miles and has been pretty meticulously maintained)

 

[Tacoma'03Pilot]

Sounds like you're a seasoned veteran, so doing those jobs shouldn't have any surprises.

You didn't mention doing the valve adjustment. You might as well, while you're in there. That will also be a good chance to clean out the EGR labyrinth on the inside of the intake manifold lid, and check / replace the PCV.

I would replace the upper and lower radiator hoses when you do the t-stat, too.

Finally, check the front and passenger side motor mounts before you begin. If they're original, they're probably shot.

Good luck!

 

[plplplpl]

And fluids all around...

First-Gen Pilot Buyer's Guide Checklist - The Final...

Shopping for a First Generation Pilot This is the final version of a checklist that was collaboratively developed to help prospective buyers evaluate first-gen Pilots (2003 - 2008). Many of the most experienced forum participants as of late 2020 contributed ideas, reviewed the content and...

www.piloteers.org

 

[DrD123]

shockingly the passenger side motor mount is intact and hasn't torn and dumped brown stuff out... seemed to happen ever 100k miles or so on the 05 and I just replaced that on my wife's 16 Odyssey. Valves probably isn't a bad idea - I need to order the valve cover gaskets (on our 05 Odyssey, I didn't do them until 243k and most weren't that far out - a little loose on the intakes and a little tight on most of the exhaust valves). The oil was just changed at Honda about 200 miles before I got it, so I might leave that for now. Will probably do a single drain and fill on the transmission (previous owner has been doing it once ever 20k based on the receipts - all from the dealer, which is nice - even the rear differential was changed approx 9k miles ago. (curious what the VTM-4 fluid is - looks like ATF in color, so not the normal gear oil in the rear diff...)

I probably should have picked up radiator hoses... doh! they feel ok, so I'll leave them for now (have tomorrow set aside for the timing belt, etc.) - I'll probably clean the throttle body as well (haven't even pulled the intake to see if it's really gross)

kinda morbidly curious what the cabin air filter will look like - I have receipts back 5 years on the car with nothing for that...

 

[Dallas2007Pilot]

Isn't the 2005 the worst for SMOD ? Change the radiator. 2WD ? Muzzled ?

 

[STMech]

What Dallas above just said. 2005 is notorious for atf cooler fittings corroding and causing atf/antifreeze mixing.

A new Denso radiator is not all that expensive. As long as you are going for reliable mechanicals, it should be on your list.

 

[DrD123]

Isn't the 2005 the worst for SMOD ? Change the radiator. 2WD ? Muzzled ?

Need to help me out with what "smod" is. not looking to arbitrarily throw parts at it. They've been pretty good about changing coolant (PO already had the belt, water pump, and tensioner replaced twice by the dealer - so coolant then) so I certainly wouldn't expect internal corrosion. It's been a NM/AZ vehicle it's whole life, so there is pretty minimal rust under the car. It's AWD so not a VCM engine (VTM-4 fluid only has 9k miles on it).

 

[Rusty_and_halfway_trusty]

Need to help me out with what "smod" is. not looking to arbitrarily throw parts at it. They've been pretty good about changing coolant (PO already had the belt, water pump, and tensioner replaced twice by the dealer - so coolant then) so I certainly wouldn't expect internal corrosion. It's been a NM/AZ vehicle it's whole life, so there is pretty minimal rust under the car. It's AWD so not a VCM engine (VTM-4 fluid only has 9k miles on it).

SMOD stands for "Strawberry Milkshake of Death". This happens when the ATF that runs through the radiator mixes with coolant in the radiator leading to the coolant mixing with ATF and causing severe problems with the transmission if not addressed within a few miles. This occurs due to the coolant eating through the aluminum separator between the coolant and ATF (from what I've heard). OEM Denso radiators have been improved quietly ever since the frequent problems that seemed to plague the '05 and some after that too. Replacing the radiator has been recommended to reduce the chance of SMOD.

 

[plplplpl]

kinda morbidly curious what the cabin air filter will look like - I have receipts back 5 years on the car with nothing for that...

How morbid is your curiosity? (Right-click and select "View Image" for full resolution morbidity.)

Spoiler

Don't forget to clean the blower, too, if necessary.

Spoiler

I've attached the Honda procedure, but he's a somewhat easier way...

Easier Diy Cabin Air Filter Replacement

Empty out your glove box and locate the clips on the inside left and right side of the glove box (GB). Tools 8mm socket 1/4 drive Rachet 1/4 drive Phillips Screwdriver Small hacksaw (DISCLAIMER): Please keep in mind that these procedures are what worked for me and my situation. I merely wanted...

www.piloteers.org

And here's a cleaner, non-Photobucket-vandalized version:

Easier Diy Cabin Air Filter Replacement - Honda Pilot - Honda Pilot Forums

Empty out your glove box and locate the clips on the inside left and right side of the glove box (GB). Tools 8mm socket 1/4 drive Rachet 1/4 drive

web.archive.org

What Dallas above just said. 2005 is notorious for atf cooler fittings corroding and causing atf/antifreeze mixing.

A new Denso radiator is not all that expensive. As long as you are going for reliable mechanicals, it should be on your list.

Need to help me out with what "smod" is.

SMOD stands for "Strawberry Milkshake of Death". This happens when the ATF that runs through the radiator mixes with coolant in the radiator leading to the coolant mixing with ATF and causing severe problems with the transmission if not addressed within a few miles. This occurs due to the coolant eating through the aluminum separator between the coolant and ATF (from what I've heard). OEM Denso radiators have been improved quietly ever since the frequent problems that seemed to plague the '05 and some after that too. Replacing the radiator has been recommended to reduce the chance of SMOD.

Hopefully, you've been inured by the previous pics and can now handle the scariest of all... SMOD.

VML = Valvoline MaxLife ATF (and other Acronyms)

 

[DrD123]

I replaced the cabin air filter (had to do a bunch of cleaning of the leather, floor mats, etc. so that was part of the fun)

Got the timing belt, water pump, idlers and tensioner replaced along with the serpentine belt and tensioner, coolant, plugs, and engine air filter today. The 05 is odd - some things are like the 03-04, but others are like the 06+... puzzled why Honda opted to do a cable actuated cruise control (I am guessing that's what it is - weird for a drive by wire car...) - our 05 Odyssey certainly didn't have that...

Looks like I need to replace the o-ring for the low pressure line to the power steering. Honda say it's a 14.4 x 1.9 o-ring - do folks know if that's a 14.4 ID? I'll see if the dealer has one on Monday - if not, I'll just get something from Parker seal (there's a distributor in town)

 

[DrD123]

One thing that was sort of annoying - the previous owner had all of their services done at the dealership (on in AZ and one here in NM) - working on cars is not their thing - I was surprised at the little things the dealer did/didn't do - missing fasteners (the annoying one that holds a wiring harness to the side motor mount - the one that's hard to reach without removing the PS pump and a couple from the timing cover), broken clips, threadlocker on places it shouldn't be. All 6 sparkplugs had some sort of gunk on the threads - they came out with much more effort than I expected (enough resistance that with the first one I was worried I was going to get a plug plus the remains of the threads in the head) - they had some sort of really sticky stuff on the threads - definitely not oil or anything like that (it was clear or maybe greyish in color) - was really odd. They had done the timing belt twice before, and replaced everything except the idler pulley each time (thought it was odd looking at the receipts, but was clearly what was done when I removed the idler - significant rust inside the idler and the bolt was a mess - idler still turned smoothly, but you could hear the bearings rattle when you shook it) - lots of little stuff like that. Otherwise the job was pretty typical for the Honda 3.5.

 

[aggrex]

Looks like I need to replace the o-ring for the low pressure line to the power steering. Honda say it's a 14.4 x 1.9 o-ring - do folks know if that's a 14.4 ID? I'll see if the dealer has one on Monday - if not, I'll just get something from Parker seal (there's a distributor in town)

Local Honda dealer should have the OEM o-rings in stock. Probably one of the least expensive part from the dealer

 

[Daltongang]

With a used vehicle unless the records are meticulous and completely up to date on time every time, I would change out every fluid in the vehicle just to be on the safe side.

 

[cnelson0641]

I'll second a valve adjustment - even if you don't do it yourself. I read that the rear bank was a PITA, so I let my dealer do it for me. Wasn't more than $400 if I remember correctly.

Improved my mpg by 1-2mpg, from roughly 17 to 18 or 19.

--Chris N.

 

[Pilot2003_1]

If you plan to do the valve cover gaskets, do the rear cam plug o-rings as well. They’re only a few dollars at the dealer and easier to access when everything is off.

Valve adjustment isn’t too difficult. The rear does involve a little stretching but it’s far from impossible.

 

[DrD123]

If you plan to do the valve cover gaskets, do the rear cam plug o-rings as well. They’re only a few dollars at the dealer and easier to access when everything is off.

Valve adjustment isn’t too difficult. The rear does involve a little stretching but it’s far from impossible.

my calfs are not happy with me after doing the timing belt job - the valves are definitely not hard on these engines, the rear bank will be annoying no doubt, but since I am not getting under the car then back up as much, it shouldn't be too horrible. Thanks for the tip on the cam plug gaskets - will add them to the list when I do the valves.

Going to wait for now - trying to be realistic about the car - I'll see how it's doing in terms of what repairs it needs/doesn't need to be reliable - timing belt, tensioner, and associated rotating bits were a no brainer since the vehicle was due (and it's an interference engine) - the serpentine belt and belt tensioner made sense since I had to take the old ones off, so might as well replace with new parts.

Interestingly, the water pump was weeping a little coolant at 9 years and 69k miles (for our vans, I changed it closer to 100k miles each time, but more like 4-5 years - never saw that) the timing belt tensioner was weeping silicone oil (that's been the case on every timing belt I have done, so I wasn't surprised there), the serpentine belt tensioner actually seemed ok - on our 05 Odyssey the serpentine belt tensioner failed at 180k miles - at that time, the idler pulley bearing was pretty rough, but the primary failure was the body around the spring had cracked and it wasn't holding enough tension on the belt (so the tensioner would jump when the AC kicked on, etc.) - this one had no signs of cracks and both bearings were good, so there's that...

 

[plplplpl]

Looks like I need to replace the o-ring for the low pressure line to the power steering.

If you don't mind salty language (he says "pukin'"), this guy's video is all about that o-ring, and he gives you the part number.

 

[ConrodM]

I’m not letting you off the hook regarding the radiator/ATF SMOD issue. Please please verify that the radiator and atf hose connections have been replaced. I got Lucky at 213k miles that my failure was just at the connections and not internal! All that work & $ you are putting in- it would be horrible if you lost your transmission. Our 2005’s have High Failure rates on these parts!

 

[Surfin' Bird]

Recently picked up an 05 EX-L for my daughter. Planning to do the timing belt, water pump, tensioner, idler tomorrow (using the Aisin kit) - also replacing the plugs (NGK Iridium), thermostat (and obviously the coolant) as well as the serpentine belt and tensioner, filters, etc.. Went with aftermarket almost everything (Aisin for the timing belt - have used this several times on our old and current Odyssey - it's a great kit), I think I went with continental for the serpentine belt, gates for the tensioner and thermostat, etc. - all through rockauto (to eliminate counterfeit concerns with the plugs) - everything looks nominally identical to the 05 odyssey I did this on (twice...) in the past - looks like easier access for some things, and maybe the rear plugs will be a pain lying over the engine...

Anyway - are there any gotcha's I should be watching out for? I am pretty comfortable with the timing belt fiasco (only annoying thing really is the crank bolt...), using honda coolant, etc. (the pilot has just shy of 200k miles and has been pretty meticulously maintained)

Motor mounts and front crank seal.

 

[ckeator]

I would consider suspension - rear shocks and front struts, sway bar links all around, and look at the other bushings.

I believe the consensus on here is you don’t really notice those parts necessarily feeling or sounding ‘bad’, but you definitely notice a dramatic improvement when you replace with new.

Many of us bought the KYB brand and had good success.

Motor-wise, it’s lived it’s entire life in the SW and you just changed the TB, I would probably drive it. The radiator is 15+yo so I would recommend changing it as preventative maintenance when you do the valve job - it will also simply give you that much more space for working on the front bank. FYI -unless prices skyrocketed, the new Denso rad is only ~$100, well worth the peace of mind knowing you won’t get SMOD (which can destroy the trans and engine).