[BMW68]

I loved my 2005 Accord EX-V6, tranny went at 165K, so I decided to get a new car as I drive over 42K a year. Great car, not the best brakes, but I did my own anyways. I miss that car...

I bought a new 2009 Accord EX-V6....what a mistake.

13 months later, I regret buying this piece of crap.

All the threads about oil consumption, they are true. If you don't experience it, you are lucky. I change mine every 5K, and the dealer did my first at 5K, they wanted to change it at 3,750. The dealer never mentioned anything about a "break-in" oil with magical powers, just to bring it in at 3,750.

At 10k, I drained about 3 qts, a loss of 1.5qts in 5K miles. (But my maintenance minder said 50% - too bad it doesn't measure volume, so could I have no oil and still have "life" ? (nice feature Honda)

So i figured about 1/2qt every 1500-2000 miles oil burned. Brought it to the dealer with a long list of problems with the car, but oil consumption being my biggest concern. I was told it was "within spec". Honda will only fix if I burn 1qt every 1k miles. I told them why change the oil, just add a qt every 1k, same as a 5K oil change. They were not amused.

Then Yesterday.....

I got off the highway, went through the toll booth, and bang - no power, engine shaking, vibrating, then a engine light, but still running. Oil was good, I just checked it the day before. (Remember a few years ago when you didn't bother checking the oil because it was always good? That's how my 2005 Accord was....drive 5K, drain 4.5qts, refill 4.5qts)

Went straight to the dealer, and today was told #3 cylinder spark plug was fouled, replaced one plug, flashed the computer per the TSB. Tech said he checked all of the plugs, but only #3 would be covered by warranty. I asked to see the plug, and guess what - oil fouled. How can that be?? According to Honda, there is no problem with oil consumption.

My 2009 has 46K miles, when the plugs were changed in my old 2005 at 105K, they looked almost brand new. I finally got the tech to admit that he has seen this on Hondas with far less miles.

Hopefully the flash fixed the problem, but I have ZERO confidence in this fix, or the car as a whole.

Maybe I'll call the guy that bought my 2005, and buy it back. Seems Honda new how to make a good car back then.

BMW68
The 68 stands for my 68 Camaro - it doesn't burn oil, but my Accord does!

 

[orange_chicken]

Dang man...hope everything get better.

 

[SD70MAC]

That ****s man. I own 2 J35s neither one of mine burn oil. What kind of oil do you use if you don't mine sharing weight and brand? Also how many miles on your car and how many miles did you drive on the "break-in" oil? :edit I reread your post and see you changed the oil initially at 5k.

 

[yjm]

I've owned my car since March 13 of this year. I drive it everyday and I drive it hard (high rpm runs) often. I'm at 30% on the maintenance minder with 7,300 on the odometer. I check my oil weekly and have not experienced any oil consumption at all. I am not saying this to rub it in your face, but rather this is obviously not a universal problem.

Question, did you buy the car new and if so did it have lots of test drive miles? I ask this question because if so, it might have been driven very hard during the break in period. An engine that was not properly broken in will usually experience oil consumption problems for the rest of the engine's life. It also was not smart to have the original factory oil taken out so soon. That could be contributing to your problems.

 

[avs]

I'm guessing you're using 5w20? I still think 5w20's viscosity is a bit too low for the honda. I guess honda is forced to switch to 5w20 in order to accomplished their advertised mpg.

 

[SD70MAC]

I'm guessing you're using 5w20? I still think 5w20's viscosity is a bit too low for the honda. I guess honda is forced to switch to 5w20 in order to accomplished their advertised mpg.

5w20 here in both vehicles in my sig and no problems.

 

[thisaznboi88]

I think honda owes you a new engine.

 

[BMW68]

yjm - "not smart taking out the original factory oil"...The dealer should know this if it's so important. Notice I said they wanted to change it at 3,750 miles....Car was brand new, maybe 20 miles on it (dealer-dealer transfer) Maybe someone can shed a light on this so-called miracle oil.

avs - I'm using semi-synthic 5w20, same brand/visc I used for 165K miles in the '05.

SD70MAC - I'm more of a GP40-2 kinda guy!....Thanks for the input. Glad you aren't having the problems. At least the Accord doesn't smoke like an Alco!

thisaznboi88 - It'll never happen. But I kinda hope I continue to have problems, plenty of people in my dealership are aware of my displeasure with this car. I have no complaints with them. If I can foul a few more plugs, I'll have more grounds to fight Honda.

 

[thisaznboi88]

I know nissan has a mass recall since there call were burning oil. Maybe there something like that for the gen8 accord?

http://g35driver.com/forums/g-spot/188688-owners-vq-oil-consumption.html

 

[SD70MAC]

SD70MAC - I'm more of a GP40-2 kinda guy!....Thanks for the input. Glad you aren't having the problems. At least the Accord doesn't smoke like an Alco!

Its good you're an EMD guy! We don't see very many "geeps" around here anymore even the SD40-2s are getting to be rare sight. The 645 used in the SD40/GP40 just wont die. Are you a rail?

 

[fastball]

I'm going to interject a modicum of logic before everyone looses their heads here.....

The J3(x) series of engines has been one of the most reliable and well engineered V6 engine designs in standard production passenger cars in the last 12-15 years since it debuted. While there are instances of people having problems with theirs, these engines are generally bullet proof when maintained as outlined in the owners manual. The notion of "all the thread" and "you are lucky if yours does not burn oil" is simply false.

Which brings me to how the car should be maintained...... a dealer who advises changing oil at 3750 miles is incorrect.....

HOWEVER, the owner should also read and understand the owners manual where it specifically states to leave the factory oil in the engine until the MM is at 10%, which can be 6-10k miles, depending on driving style and conditions.

It is also the expectation and responsibility of the owner to check their oil level regularly, no matter what kind of car you drive. Every car I've ever owned I always check the oil level every time I fill the tank and if there ever was suspect burning going on, especially under warranty, I would have brought it to a dealer's attention..... and if I didn't get satisfactory results, I would have taken it to another dealer.

There could most certainly be issues with your engine not resulting from what sounds like complete disregard for standard vehicle maintenance that you seem to have. Or, they could be caused directly from disregard for maintenance.

The bottom line is everyone who has followed the break in procedures as outlined in the owners manual now whomp on the gas pedal of their J35 Accord and never burn a drop of oil.

 

[BMW68]

Attn: Fastball....

"like complete disregard for standard vehicle maintenance that you seem to have. Or, they could be caused directly from disregard for maintenance."

The bottom line is everyone who has followed the break in procedures as outlined in the owners manual now whomp on the gas pedal of their J35 Accord and never burn a drop of oil.

Wow,

The problem with these forums is people like you.

You stated no facts, just regurgitated the owner's manual. I'll be sure to notify the Honda dealer that "Fastball said...." I'm sure the will listen then.

I'm glad you know how I maintain my vehicles. I've managed to somehow get over 165,000 miles on at least 4 separate vehicles without your help over the years. Never junked one - sold them all, I must have not maintained them well enough.

And another request, can you give me the list of people that "whomp" on their gas and "don't burn a drop of oil" as it seems you must be monitoring all of their engine oil consumption at every fill-up. How many J3(x) motors are out there, and you have first hand knowledge of each and every one of them? How do you do it?

Maybe you can come check my oil for me? I'll expect you to report back to me daily how I'm doing.

You are simply amazing.

I will now move on and disregard your message. I've wasted enough time reading your #$%^&

 

[tommypenguin]

For the record when I got my Accord there was a sticker on the windshield that said to get my first oil change done at 3750, I waited till 4k but got it done much more prematurely than the MM would suggest. I have not had a drop of oil consumption and do monitor my oil checking the level twice a month. I'm at 17k currently.

If I were the OP I would get a compression test done, see if compression checks out. If it does, I would then get a cylinder leakdown test. I would presume one of those tests if not both would indicate you are in need of a new motor given seeing oil on the plug. Oil typically can get on a plug from worn piston rings, worn cylinder walls, excessive clearance in valve stem guides, or other internal engine issue, but sometimes can be from a clogged pcv valve. Hopefully it is the latter, best of luck keep us up to date on things pan out.

 

[Gosha]

Breaking in an engine doesnt mean sh!t. You have to drive the car normally, rev it here and there and be done with it. If you baby the car it will give you issues sooner or later. This is an engine and not some plastic toy, its meant to be driven.

Fastball if you're saying that an engine that wasnt properly broken in, whatever that means anyway (yes i read the manual) then it will burn oil, well that would be the dumbest thing to say. If you red lined the car from the start then sure, otherwise no

 

[yjm]

yjm - "not smart taking out the original factory oil"...The dealer should know this if it's so important. Notice I said they wanted to change it at 3,750 miles....Car was brand new, maybe 20 miles on it (dealer-dealer transfer) Maybe someone can shed a light on this so-called miracle oil.

I read the part in the owners manual for engine break in when I brought the car home the first night I got it. Most of the stuff was common sense, but there was a line about not changing the oil the first time until the MM says to, and after that you can move to your own schedule of oil change. This seemed like a strange request to me, so I called Honda corporate customer service number and asked them about it. I was told by the rep that Honda fills its cars with a motor oil blend not sold commercially that has properties specifically formulated for engine break-in. I asked specifically about the compound and he did not know. All he could tell me is that lots of people call about that, and so he went to engineering to find out why the recommendation is there and that's what he was told. That is why Honda specifically includes that in the break-in section, rather than the end of the owner's manual where they discuss maintenance of the car.

Honda is very picky about fluids that go in their engines, and in some cases you can void your warranty not filling with Honda fluids (I think coolant is one of them). So Honda using a special blend of motor oil for engine break-in does not surprise me, this is Honda we're talking about, and they build the most reliable engines in the market.

Again, whether or not the early change is a cause for any of your issues is completely unknown, but I wanted to throw it out there as a possability. Many people here don't even believe there is any special oil used from the factory and change it out immediately. However I follow the owners manual, and this way I don't have to ever worry about Honda denying any kind of warranty work should I ever need it. Good luck with the repairs.

[EDIT] As far as the dealership knowing about the break-in oil, you have to understand most dealership service techs are fairly clueless. You can't rely on the dealership service techs to know anything beyond what they have been trained to do, you must be the knowledgeable one. I do all of the routine service on my cars and keep them as far away from the dealership as I can. The only time they go there are for the big service intervals, and that is only to be in compliance with the warranty. I also stand and watch them the whole time because I do not trust them.

 

[Lagging]

itd be nice if new members werent lashed at on assumptions
we should go about this in a nicer manner, itd be awesome. or at least be neutral

 

[PatronTequila]

Maybe someone can shed a light on this so-called miracle oil.

In a previous Honda Service News, it stated the factory fill engine oil has molybdenum (that’s “moly” for short), a special lubricant applied by the factory to critical engine components during assembly. Generally, Honda recommends the factory fill engine oil remain in the engine until the first scheduled maintenance interval.

 

[fastball]

Wow,

The problem with these forums is people like you.

You stated no facts, just regurgitated the owner's manual. I'll be sure to notify the Honda dealer that "Fastball said...." I'm sure the will listen then.

I'm glad you know how I maintain my vehicles. I've managed to somehow get over 165,000 miles on at least 4 separate vehicles without your help over the years. Never junked one - sold them all, I must have not maintained them well enough.

And another request, can you give me the list of people that "whomp" on their gas and "don't burn a drop of oil" as it seems you must be monitoring all of their engine oil consumption at every fill-up. How many J3(x) motors are out there, and you have first hand knowledge of each and every one of them? How do you do it?

Maybe you can come check my oil for me? I'll expect you to report back to me daily how I'm doing.

You are simply amazing.

I will now move on and disregard your message. I've wasted enough time reading your #$%^&

I speak from first hand experience, I know exactly what I'm talking about.

My previous car was a 2000 Prelude with the H23A engine which I purchased brand new in December of 1999. Honda had the same guidlines for that car, leave the factory oil in until the green light on the dash turned red (it was mechanically connected to the odometer, and would change from green to yellow to red approx. every 7500 miles)......

I thought it was foolish to leave the oil in so long, so I just changed it every 3000 miles.......

The engine started burning oil shortly after the warranty was up, and I was informed if I didn't want to spend a couple thousand to have all the internals rebuilt to just live with puting a half quart of oil in it every week when I fill the gas tank.

Which I did. Now granted, that car lasted 220,000 miles and 10+ years (sold it in May of this year). The engine still ran great, it passed emissions, and I could still take it up to 7000 RPM when I wanted to. I just kept a bottle of oil in the trunk.

Long story short I learned my lesson speaking with different mechanics, that the oil Honda puts in at the factory combined with the moly compound applied to the engine parts DOES matter, as it is designed to seat the rings, seals, and gaskets properly. It is MEANT to stay in as long as the oil has any useful life at all.

 

[BMW68]

I used the same oil/filter/change @ 5K in my 2005. Never had one ounce of oil loss. It was the 3.0 V6, the 2009 is the new 3.5. My point is that I am not the only person with this problem. If I did something totally different than on the 2005 - I would understand. And after 30+ oil changes in 4 years on the '05 I never lost oil, why would I think the 2009 would be an issue?

And again, if Honda says that the oil should stay in the car until MM says to change, EVERY DEALER SHOULD KNOW THAT.

And since Fastball had a car, let everyone know he is an expert.

 

[xJoeMama78]

It is also the expectation and responsibility of the owner to check their oil level regularly, no matter what kind of car you drive. Every car I've ever owned I always check the oil level every time I fill the tank and if there ever was suspect burning going on, especially under warranty, I would have brought it to a dealer's attention..... and if I didn't get satisfactory results, I would have taken it to another dealer.

There could most certainly be issues with your engine not resulting from what sounds like complete disregard for standard vehicle maintenance that you seem to have. Or, they could be caused directly from disregard for maintenance.

The bottom line is everyone who has followed the break in procedures as outlined in the owners manual now whomp on the gas pedal of their J35 Accord and never burn a drop of oil.

Yes, the manual says to check the oil level regularly and you should, but these two statements contradict themselves. If following the break in procedure outlined in the manual meant that a engine would never burn a drop of oil, then there would be no need to ever check the oil level if you broke in the engine exactly as the manual said. Yet you still check the oil level every time you get gas (as do I in all of my vehicles).

I speak from first hand experience, I know exactly what I'm talking about.

My previous car was a 2000 Prelude with the H23A engine which I purchased brand new in December of 1999. Honda had the same guidlines for that car, leave the factory oil in until the green light on the dash turned red (it was mechanically connected to the odometer, and would change from green to yellow to red approx. every 7500 miles)......

I thought it was foolish to leave the oil in so long, so I just changed it every 3000 miles.......

The engine started burning oil shortly after the warranty was up, and I was informed if I didn't want to spend a couple thousand to have all the internals rebuilt to just live with puting a half quart of oil in it every week when I fill the gas tank.

Which I did. Now granted, that car lasted 220,000 miles and 10+ years (sold it in May of this year). The engine still ran great, it passed emissions, and I could still take it up to 7000 RPM when I wanted to. I just kept a bottle of oil in the trunk.

Long story short I learned my lesson speaking with different mechanics, that the oil Honda puts in at the factory combined with the moly compound applied to the engine parts DOES matter, as it is designed to seat the rings, seals, and gaskets properly. It is MEANT to stay in as long as the oil has any useful life at all.

I followed the break in procedure on my 2008. Left the factory fill in until the MM told me to change it. Varied the RPMs constantly, didn't run it to redline, didn't use the cruise, didn't get on it until the engine was warm (and still don't). I'm at 30% and over 5k miles on my third fill and just put in 1/2 a quart. I'm not worried about it. I do lots of short trips where it doesn't have time to really warm up, and when I do drive it long enough to warm up I get on it. All engines consume oil, sometimes it is just not measurable.