Honda Car Forum

I own a Honda Pilot that has about 20k miles on the odometer and is 1.5
years old.

The Maintenance Manual calls for the replacement of the VTM-4 rear
differential fluid "every 15k miles up to 30k miles or every 1 year, then
every 30k miles or 2 years." So, I guess replacement is due. Have I done
any harm by waiting so long?

I haven't even looked under the rear of the car iet. What's involved in
replacing the fluid? What type of special fluid is required(Honda I
presume)? Any special tools necessary? Any other parts required?

I'd appreciate any tips or advice. THANKS

~pjw

pjw wrote:
> I own a Honda Pilot that has about 20k miles on the odometer and is 1.5
> years old.
>
> The Maintenance Manual calls for the replacement of the VTM-4 rear
> differential fluid "every 15k miles up to 30k miles or every 1 year, then
> every 30k miles or 2 years." So, I guess replacement is due. Have I done
> any harm by waiting so long?
>
> I haven't even looked under the rear of the car iet. What's involved in
> replacing the fluid? What type of special fluid is required(Honda I
> presume)? Any special tools necessary? Any other parts required?
>
> I'd appreciate any tips or advice. THANKS
>
> ~pjw


-----------------------

No harm, but it might make bad noises when doing tight left-hand turns
atlow speed. Start here to look in the articles, or sign in, and use the
SEARCH function. There are other forums too.
http://www.hondasuv.com/pilot/index.php
It's easy to do, but the nuts might be TIGHT.

'Curly'

In article <15eca9423c1b00183d2a8232a1498db3@localhost.talkab outautos.com>,
pjw <pjwrabel@comcast.net> wrote:
>I own a Honda Pilot that has about 20k miles on the odometer and is 1.5
>years old.
>
>The Maintenance Manual calls for the replacement of the VTM-4 rear
>differential fluid "every 15k miles up to 30k miles or every 1 year, then
>every 30k miles or 2 years." So, I guess replacement is due. Have I done
>any harm by waiting so long?
>
>I haven't even looked under the rear of the car iet. What's involved in
>replacing the fluid? What type of special fluid is required(Honda I
>presume)? Any special tools necessary? Any other parts required?
>
>I'd appreciate any tips or advice. THANKS

Check out the Maintenance section of the forums on http://hondapilot.org.
I think someone did a complete write-up on how to do it, what he used,
etc. It's pretty easy if I remember correctly. You do need to use
the Honda fluid though, and make sure the funnels, pumps, etc. you use
are not contaminated with any other fluids. Some people have mentioned
that any non-Honda fluid, even a small amount, caused issues.

Here's the URL for the VTM-4 fluid change. You'll need to go in a
few pages to get to the list of things you need.

http://hondapilot.org/forums/showthr...5&pagenumber=1


--
Mike Iglesias Email: iglesias@draco.acs.uci.edu
University of California, Irvine phone: 949-824-6926
Network & Academic Computing Services FAX: 949-824-2069

"pjw" <pjwrabel@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:15eca9423c1b00183d2a8232a1498db3@localhost.ta lkaboutautos.com...
> I own a Honda Pilot that has about 20k miles on the odometer and is 1.5
> years old.
>
> The Maintenance Manual calls for the replacement of the VTM-4 rear
> differential fluid "every 15k miles up to 30k miles or every 1 year, then
> every 30k miles or 2 years." So, I guess replacement is due. Have I done
> any harm by waiting so long?
>
> I haven't even looked under the rear of the car iet. What's involved in
> replacing the fluid? What type of special fluid is required(Honda I
> presume)? Any special tools necessary? Any other parts required?
>
> I'd appreciate any tips or advice. THANKS
>
> ~pjw
>
I had our Pilot serviced by our local Honda dealer at 15k, which included
the VTM fluid replacement, for a total cost of $109.31. Given that you
probably paid around 30k for the vehicle, the service cost is "chump
change."

Thanks for your responses. With your input in mind, I slipped under the car
(without jacking it up) and realized that the fluid change was going to be
a breeze.

I placed the drain pan under the differential, removed the "fill" then the
"drain" plugs and let the fluid flow.

While it was draining I used my floor jack to take the front end up 6-8".
After the drain was completed, I dropped the jack, attached a cap which
turns "open/shut." The cap has an 18" flexible tube on it(I use this for
tranny fills) to the top of the gallon container and slipped back under
the car.

I plugged the "drain" and inserted the tube in the "fill." The hollow of
the spare allowed me to hold and squeeze the conatiner until the fluid
began oozing out. Popped in the "fill" plug and the job was done.

Thanks Again!
~PJW