2008 Honda Odyssey oil and filter?

[WagonWheel]

Thanks for updating, even if the thread is vintage

I have the same example as you but mostly running 5w-20 conventional for 110k mi before I switched to synthetic & muzzled the VCM. OCI was always at 15-30% MM remaining which was usually 45-5500 mi. Had the front valve cover replaced @ 125k and the mechanic noted a tiny bit of sludge on the cover but the valve train was clean. Aside from a couple long road trips per year and some weekend driving, it’s mostly short trips in warm climates for past 10 yrs.

Maybe heavier wt oils are problematic, especially with short trips in cold climates?

 

[mahanddeem]

Update:

Did a valve adjustment on my `06 Odyssey EXL. Current 165,000. First valve adjustment. Keep in mind I mostly did `5000 mile oil changes with synthetics. Under the front valve cover was a horror. Varnish sludge, it was gross. Looks like I totally neglected it, but oil changes were following the OLM or less. 1x went 310 miles over, returning from a trip. 1x ran 8000 miles, but that was with an extended performance synthetic, that should have been a breeze.

Weights run over the years. 0w-20 to 5w-30. All synthetic, except 1x synthetic blend.

This van does soccer mom duty, lots of short trips. Occasional long trip too. But maintenance was never neglected. Being a car guy it was embarrassing how bad it looked. Definitely a engine design flaw. Under the rear valve cover was 70% good.

By the way it took me 10 hours to do the valve adjustment, PCV, throttle and plenum cleaning. FUN! Sorry no pics. Not as bad as the pics from the post from Trav. But still bad.

All that sludge and crap for not to spend $23 3 times a year? Not directed to you but for those who swear by "change every 8 to 10k miles".
I'm glad I change my oil 3 to 4k miles OCIs

 

[jayjr1105]

All that sludge and crap for not to spend $23 3 times a year? Not directed to you but for those who swear by "change every 8 to 10k miles".
I'm glad I change my oil 3 to 4k miles OCIs

So all these mid 2000's Civics and Nissan Frontier's you read about hitting a million miles going strictly by the OLM (on honda this is 6-10K miles) are full of it? 3-4K miles is a total waste on today's oils. Even conventional.

 

[zfasts03]

The problem is with the design of the J35A7 engine in my `06 Odyssey EXL, with a undersized PVC system and the VCM that shuts down the back 3 cylinders. It beats up the oil.

Bad design compounded with short trip soccer mom duty.

Whereas most cars longer oil change intervals are fine, this one is a problem.

I thought I was being proactive and doing mostly ~4500 mile change interval with name brand synthetic, but I guess, I wasn't proactive enough. Again, VCM kills this engine. Probably in hindsight I should have bought the EX which did not have VCM or use a VCM muzzler on mine when it was new.

Trying to get 5 more years out of it and it is gone!

 

[UnderDawgAl]

The problem is with the design of the J35A7 engine in my `06 Odyssey EXL, with a undersized PVC system and the VCM that shuts down the back 3 cylinders. It beats up the oil.

Bad design compounded with short trip soccer mom duty.

Whereas most cars longer oil change intervals are fine, this one is a problem.

I thought I was being proactive and doing mostly ~4500 mile change interval with name brand synthetic, but I guess, I wasn't proactive enough. Again, VCM kills this engine. Probably in hindsight I should have bought the EX which did not have VCM or use a VCM muzzler on mine when it was new.

Trying to get 5 more years out of it and it is gone!

Any difference in how the engine runs after doing all that work?

I put a VCM tuner on our '07 EX-L...and then sold it six months later!

 

[zfasts03]

I only did a test drive around the block when I finished the job late Sat. 8/15. My wife and son have driven it. I was a passenger yesterday. I "think" it is quieter, less valve clack and maybe a bit smoother. I would probably attribute the smoothness to the throttle body and plenum cleaning. Idle seemed a little higher as well again probably due to the throttle body and plenum cleaning. I did not do an idle relearn.

The valved were pretty far out of spec. The intakes were loose. The exhaust were tight. I did quick measurements on some. Exhaust were about .005 tight. and the intakes were about .005 loose.

Spec. INTAKE .008-.009
EXHAUST .011-.013

I set them to .008 and .012 to the best of my painstaken ability. I used Mahle gaskets from rockauto. The PCV and the thin straight seal down the center of the plenum cover came from majestichonda.com. I was pleased with the quality of the gasket sets. Also the car parts came apart nicely and went back together nicely.

Biggest pain was setting the rear exhaust valves as you are working in a mirror with a light and juggling tools. Viewing in a mirror is reversed which messed with my brain as I got tired.

If you do this yourself, plan on the full day and also watch some youtube videos first and aquire the needed torque specs and torque sequences from the service manual.

One huge positive is the valve cover oil leaks are resolved with the new valve cover gaskets. Haven't seen any new drips on the driveway yet. And it was consistently leaving 2 little puddles every time it was parked.

 

[zfasts03]

Changed the oil in the `06 Odyssey today since I had the engine open on Saturday for the valve adjustment and manual cleaned out some sludge. Ran it 71 miles after opening things up. Pulled off Carquest blue and Valvoline Maxlife 5w-30 with 2000 miles on it. There was a bunch of junk that came out of the filter and the oil didn't really look that great.

Put in Valvoline Synpower 0w-20 and a TG7317. Good enough.

My wife says it runs the same and now that I drove it I kinda say the same. Maybe slightly smoother and slightly quieter since the work I did on Sat. I need it for 5 more years. My fingers are crossed.

 

[zfasts03]

So I checked my maintenance records on this `06 Odyssey that is all sludged up. I changes the oil 37 times in 165,500 miles. So I am extremely disappointed in how bad this turned out. I can't blame 1 oil, as over the years I used about 8 different brands and 3 different weights. So that is about 4500 miles per run on average. 1x with synthetic blend the other 36 changes were full synthetic. Oil filter changes at every change except 2 times.

So I can only blame short trip driving and engine design.

 

[classic70]

So I checked my maintenance records on this `06 Odyssey that is all sludged up. I changes the oil 37 times in 165,500 miles. So I am extremely disappointed in how bad this turned out. I can't blame 1 oil, as over the years I used about 8 different brands and 3 different weights. So that is about 4500 miles per run on average. 1x with synthetic blend the other 36 changes were full synthetic. Oil filter changes at every change except 2 times.

So I can only blame short trip driving and engine design.

How many times have you changed the PCV valve? If it was clogged that would explain the oil leak and some sludge buildup

 

[zfasts03]

about every 40,000 miles

 

[WagonWheel]

One variable not always discussed is driving conditions that allow for longer VCM engagements. IIRC, driving on flat terrain at 45-60 mph for long periods had more significant negative impact for oil related problems.

I’ve never changed the PCV on my 06 EX-L. I was in CA for a number of years where you are either in traffic or going up or down a hill but added a S-VCM in TX given the change in terrain.

 

[zfasts03]

I do try to drive with a light throttle to maximize fuel efficiency which does engage VCM more. This sounds like an increased contributing factor.

Also the factory PCV was either defective or plugged quickly because I did notice lots of moisture under the oil fill cap. PCV change helped the moisture issue.

I am kinda over it and just trying to get to Fall of 2025 / 220,000 miles with it. Then off to the boneyard it goes.

 

[ctechbob]

Just for reference on how hard VCM is on these motors:

It just doesn't matter (Sometimes)

Ok, just kidding, oil does matter, but for a Honda J-Series Engine, it really doesn't matter what you use within reason as long as you change it at 6-7500 miles and take care of the car. I present my 220k under valve cover pics. Looking back at my maintenance log I've used: Mobil1 5W30 10W30...

www.bobistheoilguy.com

That's my J30A4 (Non-VCM) at about 220,000 miles with what I would consider a 'standard' schedule of oil changes. Usually between 6-7500, wide assortment of oils and filters used. PCV replaced, maybe twice? I'd have to look that one up. Might have only been once throughout the distance.

Honda took a really good engine design and didn't make it a total POS, but certainly made it marginal.

(Fair warning, the forum upgrade took longer posts and smashed them all together making them hard to read sometimes. The original post was more spaced out and legible.)

 

[willbur]

I do try to drive with a light throttle to maximize fuel efficiency which does engage VCM more. This sounds like an increased contributing factor.

Also the factory PCV was either defective or plugged quickly because I did notice lots of moisture under the oil fill cap. PCV change helped the moisture issue.

I am kinda over it and just trying to get to Fall of 2025 / 220,000 miles with it. Then off to the boneyard it goes.

Zfast- thank you for your informative posts. I am puzzled by your(and by some others) reported problems with that VCM V-6 equipped Odyssey. I have an 08 Accord ELX-V6 with about 100K and have experienced zero problems that engine or motor mounts (or anything else). Car still drives like new. Checking under the VC shows it to be spotless and all spark plugs with slight tan deposits. I have been a fanatic in keeping that PCV valve clean, cleaning it every 10K and replacing it at 30K. Perhaps that is the key? Gonna keep this car until I can buy an EV. No more gas for me. Good luck reaching 2025.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

If its a VCM engine throw the book away and use 5w30 or 0w40 in that engine. No, the engineers didn't get it right on this engine, the clowns who dreamed up with this nightmare (they have been sued for it) need to go back working at a McDonald's drive through like they did in high school.
Get a VCM muzzler for it.

I totally agree with Trav. I had an '06 and once I knew I was going to own it, I had a VCMTuner for it the day I brought it home. I ran several different Xw20s, Xw30s, and 0W40 in it, and it was happiest (quietest, smoothest - I know it's subjective but this is my story ) using Pennzoil Platinum Euro 0W40 when Walmart clearanced it. There was a negligible hit to economy but the UOA was stellar on the PPE. I used an XG3593A for the filter, but based on my UOA's I'd personally suggest getting one done at the 7.5k mark before you go farther. Even with the Muzzler/Tuner these engines are still fairly hard on oil.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Zfast- thank you for your informative posts. I am puzzled by your(and by some others) reported problems with that VCM V-6 equipped Odyssey. I have an 08 Accord ELX-V6 with about 100K and have experienced zero problems that engine or motor mounts (or anything else). Car still drives like new. Checking under the VC shows it to be spotless and all spark plugs with slight tan deposits. I have been a fanatic in keeping that PCV valve clean, cleaning it every 10K and replacing it at 30K. Perhaps that is the key? Gonna keep this car until I can buy an EV. No more gas for me. Good luck reaching 2025.

100k is nothing, plus Honda had some changes in the programming to Accords that was different than the Odysseys and Pilots that bore out in significantly "better" results for the Accords IIRC.

 

[willbur]

100k is nothing, plus Honda had some changes in the programming to Accords that was different than the Odysseys and Pilots that bore out in significantly "better" results for the Accords IIRC.

Thank you for that info... Source?

 

[WagonWheel]

Maybe not scientific, but the Odyssey is lugging around an extra 1,000 lbs or so of body weight as compared to the Accord, so the load on the same engine will be higher.

I too have a “EOL plan” of sorts for out Ody, then I’m out of the minivan business lol. It is a great cargo hauler , even if it guzzles gas.

 

[willbur]

Maybe not scientific, but the Odyssey is lugging around an extra 1,000 lbs or so of body weight as compared to the Accord, so the load on the same engine will be higher.

I too have a “EOL plan” of sorts for out Ody, then I’m out of the minivan business lol. It is a great cargo hauler , even if it guzzles gas.

I think I read years ago the VCM setup in the Honda Odyssey results in 18% better fuel economy that the Toyota equivalent (Sienna?)

 

[jayjr1105]

I decided to give 5w30 a try in my muzzled 05 thanks to Subie's 0w40 UOA. I still may go back to 5w20 in the winter just because I have it and have very little to no 5w30 in the stash.