2012 Honda Accord V6 factory fill 8,396 miles

[Chris B.]

Here is my UOA on my 2012 Accord V6. It is the factory fill and has 8,396 miles on it and the MM was at 15% life left and said to change oil soon. I put Mobil 1 0w20 in it and will retest:

ALUMINUM 16
CHROMIUM 1
IRON 39
COPPER 160
LEAD 3
TIN 0
MOLYBDENUM 388
NICKEL 1
MANGANESE 9
SILVER 0
TITANIUM 0
POTASSIUM 7
BORON 144
SILICON 94
SODIUM 13
CALCIUM 1741
MAGNESIUM 68
PHOSPHORUS 654
ZINC 787
BARIUM 1

SUS Viscosity @ 210 F 47.9
cSt viscosity @ 100 C 6.64
Flashpoint 380 F
Fuel Antifreeze 0
Water 0
Insolubles 0.3

 

[2James1]

I hope you take the Oil Life Monitor to 15% this time also for a good comparison/trend of wear metals decreasing with wear in. Copper should drop considerably. Nice Factory fill.

 

[Chris B.]

I'm planning on doing 5,000 miles between changes to keep it simple.

 

[Chris]

8000 is a simple number too and the M1 would have no problem doing.

 

[Sayjac]

Dang, high high cooper, high iron, silicon and relatively high aluminum. I well understand that this is the break-in FF and wear metals are to be expected, but 'to me' this is more evidence that getting the FF out well before the 15% MM is very prudent indeed. After the FF is out taking the FF closer to or at 15% MM then makes more sense to me, and that includes well beyond 5k.

Took my 07 3.0L V6 to 4800 in 9 months before dumping the FF sump, and that was more than I would normally do with FF/break in oil, glad I did. Based on seeing another of these Honda FF UOA, the benefits of dumping the sump and getting wear metals out before 15% MM outweigh Honda's high moly assembly lube used and/or high moly FF. All that said, this is just my opinion.

Really appreciate the post and wondering where the UOA was done. This UOA result obviously caught my eye.

 

[Sam_Julier]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I'm planning on doing 5,000 miles between changes to keep it simple.


I have yet to see a UOA on this site for a Honda with oil changed per the OLM that wasn't excellent. Run any syn by the OLM in a Honda with confidence. It would appear that Honda engines are exceptionally easy on oil.

 

[fdcg27]

I think this looks pretty good for the FF.
I'll be posting a UOA from my '12 4 cyl Accord within the next month and I'd be happy with your numbers.
Nothing scary about this and I think that you should just continue changing by the MM.
I'm writing this as someone who used to change oil every 4-5K, until I started lurking here around '04.

 

[tc1446]

Originally Posted By: sayjac
Dang, high high cooper, high iron, silicon and relatively high aluminum. I well understand that this is the break-in FF and wear metals are to be expected, but 'to me' this is more evidence that getting the FF out well before the 15% MM is very prudent indeed. After the FF is out taking the FF closer to or at 15% MM then makes more sense to me, and that includes well beyond 5k.

Took my 07 3.0L V6 to 4800 in 9 months before dumping the FF sump, and that was more than I would normally do with FF/break in oil, glad I did. Based on seeing another of these Honda FF UOA, the benefits of dumping the sump and getting wear metals out before 15% MM outweigh Honda's high moly assembly lube used and/or high moly FF. All that said, this is just my opinion.

Really appreciate the post and wondering where the UOA was done. This UOA result obviously caught my eye.


My thinking also. I dumped my FF at 5K and will do the next at 5K with a lab test to see how its doing. Unfortunately the lab for the Wix test kits I've been using don't test for fuel dilution which is what I especially want checked since the Honda Direct Injection is new for '13 and still an unknown. Perhaps I'll use Blackstone for that one.

 

[fdcg27]

You could also use Polaris, which would typically be less expensive than Blackstone.
I've struggled with leaving the oil in my '12 to 15% MM versus the early drains of FF I've always done in the past with new cars.
I specifically avoided buying a '13 out of concerns about fuel dilution with the DI engine.
I decided to follow Honda's advice and to run the FF to 15% MM, breakin metals, rock catcher oil filter and all.
I'll post the UOA here.
I'm guessing that Honda knows more about the K24 as well as the rest of their engines than I do.

 

[MajorCavalry]

You may want to read the following thread on Honda VCM V6 engines. It seems that depending on your driving habits, the deactivated cylinders seem to destroy oil more rapidly than the cylinders that remain activated. In some cases this has resulted in cylinder head damage. I think it was in those engines that did primarily highway mileage resulting in cylinder deactivation for long periods of time. I am pretty sure the bottom line was to use only synthetic oil in these engine (which the 2012 requires anyway in the form of 0W20) and change it at 5K intervals faithfully.

Here is the link to that massive thread.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/what-is-my-honda-pilot-engines-real-problem.178857/

Steve

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I'm planning on doing 5,000 miles between changes to keep it simple.


Smart move. If you go to 8000 as some recommend you will notice engine deposits at 30-40k. 5000 miles with synthetic will cover any driving style and keep the engine spotless. Note: You CAN run the oil to 0% on the OLM without engine damage. But as a practice 5000 miles will give you the best result. Extended oil drains are penny wise pound foolish IMO.

 

[fdcg27]

Another good reason to avoid the V-6, along with the sure to come expense of timing belt replacement after only ~100K.
When will Honda replace this aging engine?

 

[Chris B.]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Another good reason to avoid the V-6, along with the sure to come expense of timing belt replacement after only ~100K.
When will Honda replace this aging engine?


Nothing wring with this V6. Probably the most reliable V6 and has more power them most family cars it competes with. And it is way more fun then a 4 banger!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Another good reason to avoid the V-6, along with the sure to come expense of timing belt replacement after only ~100K.
When will Honda replace this aging engine?


Nothing wring with this V6. Probably the most reliable V6 and has more power them most family cars it competes with. And it is way more fun then a 4 banger!


Completely unsubstantiated comment, I'd love to see any real data to back that up.

Hondas V6 woes are well documented, yet I am sure the total numbers are low overall.

Nice power, and for sure will haul that huge vehicle around effortlessly. No fear in following any OLM around here as long as it's a "smart" setup. Early dump of FF oil is an old wives tale. And ignore the wear metals as it's too new, takes 2 or 3 changes to bring those down.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Another good reason to avoid the V-6, along with the sure to come expense of timing belt replacement after only ~100K.
When will Honda replace this aging engine?


Nothing wring with this V6. Probably the most reliable V6 and has more power them most family cars it competes with. And it is way more fun then a 4 banger!


Tell me that after you've shelled out for the timing belt service after some years of use.
The V-6 is strong, and a V-6 stick is really fun to drive, although the screaming fours are also fun with a stick.
Most reliable V-6?
Anyone who's ever had a Vulcan or even the Ford 4.0 OHV would beg to differ.

 

[Sayjac]

Point of information here, not all V6 J Series engines use VCM, my 3.0L J30A5 is one example which is a buttery smooth engine in my experience. Also, if I owned a V6 with VCM I'd would reevaluate taking the oci's to 15% MM on a regular basis, especially so if using mineral oil.

And to clarify my first post, the high wear metals results aren't really surprising, which with other than FF/break-in and/or early UOA's would be cause for concern. Also if based on this and other Honda FF UOA's, some feel that a high moly factory assembly lube and/or high moly FF, trumps the abrasive wear metals left in the sump for an extended period, so be it. Strokes for folks.

I'll keep myself in the camp of those commenting in the linked thread that feel otherwise with some long time respected members among them. As said in that thread by one poster if one likes high moly, get the wear metals out after a reasonable peroid and use a high moly oil. Either way the engine will likely last longer than the car but perhaps the chances of excess oil consumption can be reduced.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/2011-honda-accord-vcm-v6-factory-fill-6-300-mi.167183/

 

[Hokiefyd]

Honda's V-6 is a gem. The timing belt replacement is a cake-walk; a non-issue. A DIYer can replace it in an afternoon. I did the one in our MDX a few months ago. To me, the VCM issues are overblown *IF* you are the original owner (as the OP is in this case) and use a quality oil at a reasonable interval (which the OP is doing). In this case, I think a full synthetic oil at MM intervals are perfectly reasonable. I would not do MM intervals on a conventional oil (and do believe that Honda may need to reconsider its MM programming).

Now, if you're looking to buy a VCM engine used, and it has many tens of thousands of miles on it, you'd naturally want to scrutinze maintenance records a little closer.

OP, thanks for posting the UOA. I think this FF looks fine and dandy. M1 0W-20 at 5,000 mile intervals will be very easy for this engine.

 

[Boss302fan]

I had an 2003 Acura MDX with the V6 and had a lot of problems with it. I will not buy a Honda with a V6.. Burn me once, bye bye.

BUT the Honda 4 cylinders will run forever...