First off thanks to everybody who has answered all of my questions over the last few days, I wouldn't have been able to do it without this forum. Thanks Again.
Background info:
Car is a 2007 Honda Pilot LX with 57,000 miles, I bought new 4 years ago. I always took it to the dealer and paid for the recommended services, but after the last 2 oil changes when the service guy asked me if I EVER CHANGED THE ATF FLUID, I ASKED HIM "DIDN'T YOU DO THAT WHEN i PAID $385 FOR 30K SERVICE," AND HE ANSWERED"OH YEAH RIGHT WE DID..." ...AND THEN FOR THE LAST OIL CHANGE He stated I should do the VTM soon and it would cost $180....well I decided to go through my service records, which I am meticulous about saving, and it appears they never changed anything (other than oil and air filters) ....I alwaysd just brought it in when the MM came on
I am not a car guy, but am generally able to use tools with competence and read schematics etc. Did this last night late in the afternoon into early evening. In the futeur I'lll start earlier for daylight, the flashlight work is sometimes a PIA.
Buying the fluids and washers:
There are 2 Honda dealerships where I live, one had the fluids and parts MUCH cheaper than the other...it pays to shop around....and if I had time to wait for delivery I could have gone even cheaper by buying off the internet even calculating in shipping costs...but I live in NY and everything is more expensive
*It pays to shop around.
Tools:
I used a 3/8" breaker bar, a 3/8 ratchet, a 3/8" 6" extension, a Kobalt $80 3/8 torque wrench a needle nose pliers,and a bic lighter, and a mallet
Auto store and Lowe's parts:
I went to pep boys/autozone and purchased a cheap plastic funnel and to the Lowes plumbing area and bought 3/8 clear vinyl tubing about 2 feet . Also picked up a new $80 3/8 10-100 kobalt torque wrench.
I also bought a more expensive funnel with a measuring funnel, a screen a clear vinyl tube and valve ---but it didn't fit the ATF dipstick tube and it will be returned.
At pepboys I found what looks like a hand soap pump, but giant sized it fit the gallon HONDA VTM fluid perfectly. It was well worth the $9 it cost me.
Changing the VTM fluid:
Using the breaker bar to open the filler first I had to strike the 3/8" breaker bar once with a mallet as it wouldnt budge. Trying to remove the filler plug I was exerting a lot of elbow grease in a motion similar to a shoulder press but it wouldnt budge until I used the mallet.
The drain plug I was able to remove with elbow grease alone.
I removed both the drain and filler plugs with the breaker bar alone, I did not need the ratchet, after loosening the plugs just turned the breaker so it was straight and turned it like a screwdriver.
The washer for the drain stayed on the VTM and didnt come off with the plug, at first I thought maybe Honda made a mistake, but then saw it had just stayed on the VTM and came right off with my hand ( and dropped right into the oil waste pan).
The oil still looked pink and the plug had some shavings on it but nothing too crazy.
It took a lot longer to drain then I thought it would. I replaced the crush washer on drain plug and replaced, using the torque wrench set at 33 to put it back on.
I then assembled my hand pump for the gallon of VTM and started filling, until it overflowed, and replaced the fill plug with a new washer and had to use a 6" 3/8 extension to put the fill plug back in. I should have reused the old one as my plan was to fill it drive around and then fill it some more. Which I did but I wasted a new washer, and replaced the washer affter the short drive, probably wasnt necessary but the washer was rerlatively cheap.
To replace the fill plug I had to drop the donut ( not even a full spare) as many recommended in the DIY thread , I should have done this before starting anything but I learned the hard way.
After a short drive I returned to my drive way removed the fill plug and topped it off. It took MORE fluid, so not sure why it was full the first time. Replaced the washer and re-torqued the fill plug back in.
***Concerns after completing VTM drain and fill:
My driveway is ever so slightly pitched to allow rain water to drain away from the house. The car was parked with the front pitched ever so slightly lower than the rear. I wonder if this didnt allow all of the fluid to drain out or if it allowed me to put TOO MUCH VTM FLUID BACK IN. Is that possible to put too much in????
The second test drive went well, no unusual noises and no warning lights on the dashboard...nice and smooth and I felt uneasy over how easy it had been.....had a guilty feeling like it was so easy I must have missed or messed up something......anyway felt a lot of confidence in that I had followed all instructions I learned here on this forum and in the DIY thread...so despite fading daylight decided to move on to the ATF fluid drain and fill
CHANGING THE ATF Fluid:
First I removed the dipstick , after checking the level of fluid ( the Honda way with engine shut off - and the level was slightly high above the top notch on the stick ) . Then I used the bick lighter and needle nose pliers to stretch out the clear vinyl tubing and fit it over the dipstick tube nice and snug and onto the funnel. That worked perfectly. I found the ATF fill plug, but I dont have an extension long enough to get to it and I figured the dipstick tube worked so well for so many here I would try it out.
Then I moved onto the drain plug. The drain plug came out with elbow grease and the 3/8" breaker alone. The old oil came out faster than I expected and made a mess of the driveway as some of it ( okay quite a bit of it) missed the waste oil pan. This also prevented me from knowing exactly how much oil I removed. The plug was disgusting, coated almost in a thick grease like sludge, and sfter wiping it off I noticed some small metal shavings on the plug. The oil was almost brown and dirty, but without any strong burnt odors, and the oil was hot (from my VTM test drives) and came out fast fast fast.
I then replaced the drain plug with a new crush washer, and torqued on at 36 , the torque wrench I just bought, a kobalt, is long and it was hard to make it do the job, but I got it, felt it click and was happy it was on good. I then wiped clean the area of the car that got covered wit the old ATF fluid so I would know if any leaked out after refilling.
Refilling....I put the first 3 quarts in, and they went in a lot faster than I thought they would ( some here said it took them 10bminutes/bottle ) then when I got to the last bottle I decided to follow Hondas book value of 3.5 qts to replace the ATF fluid...so I only put half of the last bottle in.
I then removed my funnel/tube, replaced the dipstick, took a cold rweadng to make sure there was some in there (there was) , looked under the car at the AT and ATF drain plug for leaking/wet areas, but it was clean and dry...so I strated her up...no warning lights everything looked good, I let it warm up as per Honda recommendations, shut it down and checked it.
The level was slightly high above the top marker on the dipstick. But no higher than it had been before I touched it. So I took it out for a test drive...nice and smooth, not surer if I imagined it but it definetely felt different than before I changedit, but different in a good way. I brought it home parked it and checked the level again. Again sluightly high.
***CONCERNS after drain and fill of ATF fluid:
The level was slightly high and by slightly high I mean if you divided up the distance between the 2 dots on the dipstick into quaters it was just about a quarter higher than the top mark. I had no more ATF fluid, so didnt want to pull the plug and lose all the fluid as it was now late and I would not be able to get more fluid so just left it there like that. Not even sure that much over is bad as it appears the same as before I changed the fluid. After sleeping on it I realized today that my driveway being ever so slihghtly pitcjhed foward may be causing the higher level...not sure but it is raing heavy out today so I will have to find a covered dry level area later today to check it agian. Also concerned that the fluid/plug was so dirty maybe I should do this again real soon, like 1000 miles from now
*****Biggest concern with both VTM and ATF.....that I torqued the plugs back on tight enough, but I used the torque wrench and used the recommended torque ratings so it should be good....that there is too much ATF fluid in there....that there is too much VTM fluid in there...mainly I guess I feel nervous that it was TOO easy...something that would have cost me at least 260 and knowing the stealership probably 350 for both fluids, I didfor much much less.....
How will I know if I did something WRONG or dangerous to the car??
Background info:
Car is a 2007 Honda Pilot LX with 57,000 miles, I bought new 4 years ago. I always took it to the dealer and paid for the recommended services, but after the last 2 oil changes when the service guy asked me if I EVER CHANGED THE ATF FLUID, I ASKED HIM "DIDN'T YOU DO THAT WHEN i PAID $385 FOR 30K SERVICE," AND HE ANSWERED"OH YEAH RIGHT WE DID..." ...AND THEN FOR THE LAST OIL CHANGE He stated I should do the VTM soon and it would cost $180....well I decided to go through my service records, which I am meticulous about saving, and it appears they never changed anything (other than oil and air filters) ....I alwaysd just brought it in when the MM came on
I am not a car guy, but am generally able to use tools with competence and read schematics etc. Did this last night late in the afternoon into early evening. In the futeur I'lll start earlier for daylight, the flashlight work is sometimes a PIA.
Buying the fluids and washers:
There are 2 Honda dealerships where I live, one had the fluids and parts MUCH cheaper than the other...it pays to shop around....and if I had time to wait for delivery I could have gone even cheaper by buying off the internet even calculating in shipping costs...but I live in NY and everything is more expensive
*It pays to shop around.
Tools:
I used a 3/8" breaker bar, a 3/8 ratchet, a 3/8" 6" extension, a Kobalt $80 3/8 torque wrench a needle nose pliers,and a bic lighter, and a mallet
Auto store and Lowe's parts:
I went to pep boys/autozone and purchased a cheap plastic funnel and to the Lowes plumbing area and bought 3/8 clear vinyl tubing about 2 feet . Also picked up a new $80 3/8 10-100 kobalt torque wrench.
I also bought a more expensive funnel with a measuring funnel, a screen a clear vinyl tube and valve ---but it didn't fit the ATF dipstick tube and it will be returned.
At pepboys I found what looks like a hand soap pump, but giant sized it fit the gallon HONDA VTM fluid perfectly. It was well worth the $9 it cost me.
Changing the VTM fluid:
Using the breaker bar to open the filler first I had to strike the 3/8" breaker bar once with a mallet as it wouldnt budge. Trying to remove the filler plug I was exerting a lot of elbow grease in a motion similar to a shoulder press but it wouldnt budge until I used the mallet.
The drain plug I was able to remove with elbow grease alone.
I removed both the drain and filler plugs with the breaker bar alone, I did not need the ratchet, after loosening the plugs just turned the breaker so it was straight and turned it like a screwdriver.
The washer for the drain stayed on the VTM and didnt come off with the plug, at first I thought maybe Honda made a mistake, but then saw it had just stayed on the VTM and came right off with my hand ( and dropped right into the oil waste pan).
The oil still looked pink and the plug had some shavings on it but nothing too crazy.
It took a lot longer to drain then I thought it would. I replaced the crush washer on drain plug and replaced, using the torque wrench set at 33 to put it back on.
I then assembled my hand pump for the gallon of VTM and started filling, until it overflowed, and replaced the fill plug with a new washer and had to use a 6" 3/8 extension to put the fill plug back in. I should have reused the old one as my plan was to fill it drive around and then fill it some more. Which I did but I wasted a new washer, and replaced the washer affter the short drive, probably wasnt necessary but the washer was rerlatively cheap.
To replace the fill plug I had to drop the donut ( not even a full spare) as many recommended in the DIY thread , I should have done this before starting anything but I learned the hard way.
After a short drive I returned to my drive way removed the fill plug and topped it off. It took MORE fluid, so not sure why it was full the first time. Replaced the washer and re-torqued the fill plug back in.
***Concerns after completing VTM drain and fill:
My driveway is ever so slightly pitched to allow rain water to drain away from the house. The car was parked with the front pitched ever so slightly lower than the rear. I wonder if this didnt allow all of the fluid to drain out or if it allowed me to put TOO MUCH VTM FLUID BACK IN. Is that possible to put too much in????
The second test drive went well, no unusual noises and no warning lights on the dashboard...nice and smooth and I felt uneasy over how easy it had been.....had a guilty feeling like it was so easy I must have missed or messed up something......anyway felt a lot of confidence in that I had followed all instructions I learned here on this forum and in the DIY thread...so despite fading daylight decided to move on to the ATF fluid drain and fill
CHANGING THE ATF Fluid:
First I removed the dipstick , after checking the level of fluid ( the Honda way with engine shut off - and the level was slightly high above the top notch on the stick ) . Then I used the bick lighter and needle nose pliers to stretch out the clear vinyl tubing and fit it over the dipstick tube nice and snug and onto the funnel. That worked perfectly. I found the ATF fill plug, but I dont have an extension long enough to get to it and I figured the dipstick tube worked so well for so many here I would try it out.
Then I moved onto the drain plug. The drain plug came out with elbow grease and the 3/8" breaker alone. The old oil came out faster than I expected and made a mess of the driveway as some of it ( okay quite a bit of it) missed the waste oil pan. This also prevented me from knowing exactly how much oil I removed. The plug was disgusting, coated almost in a thick grease like sludge, and sfter wiping it off I noticed some small metal shavings on the plug. The oil was almost brown and dirty, but without any strong burnt odors, and the oil was hot (from my VTM test drives) and came out fast fast fast.
I then replaced the drain plug with a new crush washer, and torqued on at 36 , the torque wrench I just bought, a kobalt, is long and it was hard to make it do the job, but I got it, felt it click and was happy it was on good. I then wiped clean the area of the car that got covered wit the old ATF fluid so I would know if any leaked out after refilling.
Refilling....I put the first 3 quarts in, and they went in a lot faster than I thought they would ( some here said it took them 10bminutes/bottle ) then when I got to the last bottle I decided to follow Hondas book value of 3.5 qts to replace the ATF fluid...so I only put half of the last bottle in.
I then removed my funnel/tube, replaced the dipstick, took a cold rweadng to make sure there was some in there (there was) , looked under the car at the AT and ATF drain plug for leaking/wet areas, but it was clean and dry...so I strated her up...no warning lights everything looked good, I let it warm up as per Honda recommendations, shut it down and checked it.
The level was slightly high above the top marker on the dipstick. But no higher than it had been before I touched it. So I took it out for a test drive...nice and smooth, not surer if I imagined it but it definetely felt different than before I changedit, but different in a good way. I brought it home parked it and checked the level again. Again sluightly high.
***CONCERNS after drain and fill of ATF fluid:
The level was slightly high and by slightly high I mean if you divided up the distance between the 2 dots on the dipstick into quaters it was just about a quarter higher than the top mark. I had no more ATF fluid, so didnt want to pull the plug and lose all the fluid as it was now late and I would not be able to get more fluid so just left it there like that. Not even sure that much over is bad as it appears the same as before I changed the fluid. After sleeping on it I realized today that my driveway being ever so slihghtly pitcjhed foward may be causing the higher level...not sure but it is raing heavy out today so I will have to find a covered dry level area later today to check it agian. Also concerned that the fluid/plug was so dirty maybe I should do this again real soon, like 1000 miles from now
*****Biggest concern with both VTM and ATF.....that I torqued the plugs back on tight enough, but I used the torque wrench and used the recommended torque ratings so it should be good....that there is too much ATF fluid in there....that there is too much VTM fluid in there...mainly I guess I feel nervous that it was TOO easy...something that would have cost me at least 260 and knowing the stealership probably 350 for both fluids, I didfor much much less.....
How will I know if I did something WRONG or dangerous to the car??
