2004 Honda Pilot purchased

[krismoriah72]

Here is the 2004 Honda Pilot EX. 222K miles.


Was listed for $500.. purchased for $250.

Upon arriving the Pilot had 1 flat tire.. both front tires bald. The gas gauge was below Empty. The exhaust is hung with a coat hanger and is broken right past the catalytic converter. It has 1 broken rear tail light. Has a few dents in the doors. The rear camber is way off.. looks like a volkwagen beetle.


I pumped up the tire with a bicycle pump and started the engine.. no issues with starting..and engine has no misses or vibrations. With the help of a friend drove it to the nearest gas station and put gas in the tank and air in the tires. Drove it 25 miles to my house.. So it starts/runs/stops.. and has plenty of power.

I need to patch the exhaust with a coupler to get it to a shop..its going to need a new pipe. I think a set of adjustable rear control arms will fix the camber. I am guessing by the total lack of maintenance, it will need plugs/filters and all new fluids. Also will likely need a timing belt/waterpump.. No doubt it has OEM front struts and rear shocks as well.. so those will be replaced. Braking was good... will have to inspect. Since this is an oil forum.. my guess is that its wayyyy past due for an oil change.. on top of the engine cover is written in grease pen.. '5w20 7mm wrench' Perhaps in its early life someone cared.



I am not sure if this is AWD or 4wd.. i didnt really look. No idea if ac works..heat does.

I think i can get this in tip top shape for less than a grand.. and i have a friend that really needs something like this.

 

[skyactiv]

They could have got more money selling it to a junkyard up here. You did good.

 

[cpayne5]

Great deal for $250, IMO. Stuff like that sells in minutes here in my area.

 

[HangFire]

Great deal! I would have hopped on that, too. I have an '05. PM me if you get the Blinking "D". Check this list of things:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...lx-pilot-vs-2006-mdx-touring#Post4974683

Don't be surprised if most of them need fixing. All are approachable.

I need to add to the list, clean the intake to the rear HVAC. It is located under the plastic trim on the driver's side of the center console. If you don't, the motor and/or electronics for the rear HVAC will burn out.

 

[Chris142]

You may be able tom pull that dent out of the door with a toilet plunger.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by HangFire
Great deal! I would have hopped on that, too. I have an '05. PM me if you get the Blinking "D". Check this list of things:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...lx-pilot-vs-2006-mdx-touring#Post4974683

Don't be surprised if most of them need fixing. All are approachable.

I need to add to the list, clean the intake to the rear HVAC. It is located under the plastic trim on the driver's side of the center console. If you don't, the motor and/or electronics for the rear HVAC will burn out.


I did not see the blinking D. I would be surprised if the timing belt was ever done, or the transmission serviced... I will check the rad tomorrow.. I can usually tell how it was treated by looking at the air filter.. i hope its not OEM.. but possible.

 

[HangFire]

Oh yeah, If it's 4WD/AWD, change the VTM-4 fluid in the rear diff. Use only Honda fluid.

The Blinking D can show up at random times, sometimes it takes a lot of driving. Good news that it doesn't show up too easily.

 

[maxdustington]

$250 with no rust is insane. You could octuple your money easily within hours if you brought it here to Toronto.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by HangFire
Oh yeah, If it's 4WD/AWD, change the VTM-4 fluid in the rear diff. Use only Honda fluid.

The Blinking D can show up at random times, sometimes it takes a lot of driving. Good news that it doesn't show up too easily.


I looked up the value on KBB and it gave no options for AWD so must be 4wd.. I suspect the rear diff has never been changed.

 

[dishdude]

$250 and you drove it 25 miles? You already got your money out of it

Sounds like it has potential.

 

[Ursatdx]

06 Pilot owner . 155k
The best car/truck I have ever owned.
The full/part time 4wd is great. It is transparent in operation and very competent.
Lost a wheel sensor and the traction control was nullified. Wife said we needed new tires as the
front tires would spin on acceleration in the rain. New sensor and 4wd no more spin.
It is a beast in the snow. Take time to learn the VTM and trac loc systems.
Mines had Shell Full Syn since new. New timing belt, water pump, serp at 110k.
3rd set of tires. PITA cabin filter.
The 3.5L is powerful and dependable if maintained. (275 HP?)
It's now my Daughters' 1st car. Heavy and safe.
Good advice above with changing the pink VTM oil at 15k intervals. Trans every 30. Drain and fill.
It does have a front differential/transfer case that you should probably change, too.
Easy to work on and maintain.

 

[HangFire]

Most years the Pilot had 250HP. In 2005 it had 255HP.

Intake manifold used to have major changes every year in those days, J35A4 (2004), J35A6 (2005), and so on. Keep in mind when ordering parts. The FelPro intake manifold kit deals with it by covering all of them. Most of the rest of the parts stayed the same.

Transmissions changed every year 2003-2006 as well. From '05 on the front diff is lubricated by the same ATF as the transmission.

The Cabin air filter is a major PITA the first time because you have to cut a small steel beam. After that it just involves dumping, unclipping and removing the glove box.

Yes, it is a beast in the snow.

 

[zfasts03]

Nice find. With some TLC it has lots of life left in it.

 

[Jim_Truett]

If there is no rust in or on the rear subframe a set of Moog Problem Solver adjustable upper arms will fix that negative camber in the rear. They all do it. If there is no button to lock the rear diff on the dash, it is front wheel drive. Don't have get on the ground for that. Get the Aisin kit for the timing belt and water pump. Check the transmission cooler lines at the radiator for corrosion. If corroded, don't wait for it to fail, just replace the radiator. They like to put coolant into the trans. Good score at $250. Just getting ready for the 250,000 mile service on mine.

 

[CKN]

If owners drive around with dents-I wouldn't count on fluids being changed........but you already indicated there are obviously things broken never bothered to be fixed.

While it "is a Honda"-in a situation like this personally I'm not sure how many serviceable miles are left. But that's just me.....

 

[spk2000]

Very nice find. They are FWD and rear kick in on demand. Very rare they need to kick in. They ride nice and get pretty good fuel economy for that time. My wife wanted one but we never did get one. I bought the Montero instead. The Pilot is a great road SUV with slight off road capability. The Montero is an off road SUV with ok road manners. It also eats alot more fuel than the Pilot. Great find at a great price if you can keep repair costs to a minimum.

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by CKN
If owners drive around with dents-I wouldn't count on fluids being changed........but you already indicated there are obviously things broken never bothered to be fixed.

While it "is a Honda"-in a situation like this personally I'm not sure how many serviceable miles are left. But that's just me.....


Some years ago I posted about my 2003 Subaru Forester.. i bought it for $150 with blown head gaskets, it had never had a timing belt at 280K miles. It was a sales vehicle for a local oil company that went to mine sites. 3 out of 4 struts were blown as well. I ended up putting a radiator/struts/axles/ wheel bearings/ engine mounts/catalytic converter and a tuneup. I put 110K miles on it after that.

I consider this Pilot to be in the same ball park... I see no reason why she cant go another 100-200K

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by HangFire
Great deal! I would have hopped on that, too. I have an '05. PM me if you get the Blinking "D". Check this list of things:
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...lx-pilot-vs-2006-mdx-touring#Post4974683

Don't be surprised if most of them need fixing. All are approachable.

I need to add to the list, clean the intake to the rear HVAC. It is located under the plastic trim on the driver's side of the center console. If you don't, the motor and/or electronics for the rear HVAC will burn out.



Mr. Hangfire.. i spent around an hour in the Piloteers high mileage club posts.. (usually gives me an idea of where to look for problems in high mileage units)..

To add to your list.. i saw a few posts about engine mounts, alternators and power steering fluid leaks... those seem to be on the list of things to look for as weak spots.

Is KYB the preferred strut/shock replacement on these? I saw quite a few of those posts as well. Assemblies of course..

 

[HangFire]

I haven't done front struts yet, but yes KYB is a top choice.

Before changing the rear suspension, throw on a pair of Gabriel Ultra shock absorbers. They have the most gas charge and brought up my 05's rear end to the point that alignment was within range again. That also fixed my squat and headlight alignment issues. I have 52K miles on the Ultra's and they are still good. If they do blow or settle I'll just put on another pair.

That site is excellent, however some information was lost on a crash, and the older DIY archives are incomplete or wrong (point to the wrong thread). I use this Internet Archive link for 2013 for the best list of old How-To's:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130607000157/http://www.piloteers.org/forums/18-maintenance/36594-all-diy-maintenance-threads.html#post447538

The external ATF Filter changed between 04 and 05 from spin-on to canister, maybe between 03 and 04 as well. If you do that, make sure you get the correct filter and/or have a good easy return policy. Aftermarket filters are now available. There is also an internal filter but that's a full overhaul replacement.

 

[caprice_2nv]

My friend recently bought one around an 06? He wrote off his old 98 Jimmy and needed something fast. He asked my opinion on the pilot and I said I hadn't heard anything bad. He's happy with it so far. It has a little piston slap on startup but no big deal. At the garage I used to work at the company had a Ridgeline that was driven by the operations manager for years. He babied it and used synthetic oil. Treated it like his own. It needed an engine swap around 350-400k (internal coolant leak they didn't want to diagnose). An axle seal required the transmission removed at one point (240k maybe). Overall it was a great vehicle though.