2008 Honda Pilot 2WD J35Z1 Oil recommendations

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Hi all, I am new here and I have been doing a lot of reading.

Wanted to get started by getting an oil recommendation for my vehicle, here is how it breaks down.

1. What kind of vehicle you have?
08 Honda Pilot, 2WD, VCM, J35Z1 engine, 117k miles. Bought it used at 99k.
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
Owners manual states 5w-20 synthetic or non, API certified, change according to OLM (I usually change anywhere from 5k-7k using synthetic)
3. Where you live
Live in FL, its hot and humid.
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
I drive defensively but I like to give it some gas, keep it around 78mph on the hwy and 5 over in the city
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
I use this car for work and I travel all over the state. This includes lots of highway and city driving. Traffic causes a lot of stop and go. I carry tools and equipment in my vehicle as well.
6. Whether your car has any known problems
Car runs flawlessly. Burning 1qt of synthetic 5w-20 or 5w-30 every 4-5k miles. I switched to 5w-30 to combat this and it did not help. I was getting CEL P0300-P0306 (random cylinder misfire on all 6 cylinder) about once a month on cold start (for 1 yr) dealer didn't know what was wrong. This is a common problem with some Hondas apparently and I have extensively researched this. I did not feel I needed a valve adjustment as the car ran great but I had the PCM firmware updated and relearned at the dealer about 2 weeks ago and the CEL has not come on since. Hopefully this fixes it, time will tell. But the car runs great with no misfires despite what the codes said.

If you have any preferences -- synthetic vs. conventional, store-bought vs. ordered online, how long you'd like to go between oil changes, etc. -- or any other info you think might be important, let us know that as well.
I definitely prefer synthetic. I like to change my oil between 5-8k. I don't care I can buy in store or online. Price is not really an issue either as I would rather spend $25-$35 more and have the piece of mind that my engine is taken care of (cheap insurance). I have read the Honda J35 is tough on oil and a lot of them burn oil. I like to do my own oil changes. The inside of the engine also looks pretty clean through the fill cap.

Last but not least, I ordered 6 qts of Redline 0w-20 today to test out on my next oil change. I know its overkill but I just want to see if it makes a difference.
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I will suggest an oil with a lower NOACK number. Redline 5W20 is actually good in that regard and their 0W20 is better than most 5W20's in terms of NOACK.
 
If it were mine I would..

Check the plugs for oil fouling especially on the rear bank.

Install a VCM muzzler

Adjust the valves. Cold start is where tight (due to seat recession) valves will cause a misfire on an aluminum head engine as the clearance increases the hotter it gets.

Run Mobil 1 0w40

Seeing as it already burns oil and has misfire codes its not a good sign.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
If it were mine I would..

Check the plugs for oil fouling especially on the rear bank.

Install a VCM muzzler

Adjust the valves. Cold start is where tight (due to seat recession) valves will cause a misfire on an aluminum head engine as the clearance increases the hotter it gets.

Run Mobil 1 0w40

Seeing as it already burns oil and has misfire codes its not a good sign.


Changed the plugs already ~15k ago. They were pretty clean with no fouling. I have a VCM muzzler installed. I had the PCM firmware updated recently about 2 weeks ago so I am going to wait before I attempt to adjust valves or have the dealer do it. I feel like I need to isolate this issue so I have to wait until the firmware checks out and at least see if the code occurs again.

Many J35s burn oil. Honda says oil burn is acceptable up to 1 qt/1k miles believe it or not. I'm not that worried yet.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
I will suggest an oil with a lower NOACK number. Redline 5W20 is actually good in that regard and their 0W20 is better than most 5W20's in terms of NOACK.


Not familiar with NOACK and I don't see it on any spec sheets. What is that? Thanks.
 
Noack is basically a measure of how much of the oil evaporates or volitizes at operating temp. Lower is better. Typically the smaller number spreads will have lower noack but there are exceptions.
 
I have the same car but with 4WD.
I run M1 in mine. I've varied from 0w20 to 5w20 high mileage, and now on 0w20 EP for a year/11k change. It doesn't use more than one quart over a normal 5500-6k run.

92k on it, it's a great car. I got it for a steal in 2010 with only 28k on it.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I have the same car but with 4WD.
I run M1 in mine. I've varied from 0w20 to 5w20 high mileage, and now on 0w20 EP for a year/11k change. It doesn't use more than one quart over a normal 5500-6k run.

92k on it, it's a great car. I got it for a steal in 2010 with only 28k on it.


Thanks Chris, that is great to hear. I know these J35 motors burn oil. Did you find that M1 EP reduced oil consumption? I have been running 5w-30 M1 Synthetic with no problems and the engine seems happy. Switching back down to 0w-20 to see if there is any change in performance/consumption with a top tier oil. If I do not notice any change I may change to M1 EP. Do you have a VCM muzzler installed?
 
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Try a high mileage oil and a Wix filter for the OLM-suggested intervals. If that's not enough, you can add a can of Liqui Moly Motor Oil Saver.
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
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Try a high mileage oil and a Wix filter for the OLM-suggested intervals. If that's not enough, you can add a can of Liqui Moly Motor Oil Saver.


Thanks! Is there a downside to using a product like this?
 
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
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Try a high mileage oil and a Wix filter for the OLM-suggested intervals. If that's not enough, you can add a can of Liqui Moly Motor Oil Saver.


Thanks! Is there a downside to using a product like this?


I have not used liqui-moly motor oil saver so I cannot speak to its effectiveness. However, be aware that many if not most oil additives are snake oil in one form or another. Your engine was designed for motor oil. When you add something other than motor oil now you have no idea what's happening inside the crankcase. If you have leaks use a high mileage oil or replace the leaky seals. If you have valve train noise try a thicker oil. Or a thinner one. Point is there are 100s of distinct finished oils made to deal with what an internal combustion engine needs. These companies also work closely with the auto manufacturers to make sure their oils meet the needs of the newest designs.

If you choose the oil appropriate to your situation, you don't need additives.


Possible exceptions would be some of the engine crankcase cleaners that are meant to be used right before an oil change and then drained.
 
Thanks for the input. I am hesitant to put any additives in my oil. Especially because I need this truck to last another couple 100k for work. It really is driving very well.
 
On another note, the owners manual recommends 5w-20. I have heard other say they use 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-20, and 0w-40 was even recommended. All synthetics of coarse. What would be the reason to go up in weight other then better protection? Won't the oil shear back down to a 20 wt anyway if that is what the engine is designed for? Thanks!
 
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
Originally Posted By: Chris Meutsch
I have the same car but with 4WD.
I run M1 in mine. I've varied from 0w20 to 5w20 high mileage, and now on 0w20 EP for a year/11k change. It doesn't use more than one quart over a normal 5500-6k run.

92k on it, it's a great car. I got it for a steal in 2010 with only 28k on it.


Thanks Chris, that is great to hear. I know these J35 motors burn oil. Did you find that M1 EP reduced oil consumption? I have been running 5w-30 M1 Synthetic with no problems and the engine seems happy. Switching back down to 0w-20 to see if there is any change in performance/consumption with a top tier oil. If I do not notice any change I may change to M1 EP. Do you have a VCM muzzler installed?


I haven't noticed one bit of change in consumption (or lack thereof) when going from 0w20, or 5w20. This is the first time it's had EP in it. But it has had M1 its entire time with me since 2010, minus when my mechanic dumped a brand-new fresh sump of M1 and put in Starfire 0w20 on accident. The UOA on that oil came back just fine.
 
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
On another note, the owners manual recommends 5w-20. I have heard other say they use 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-20, and 0w-40 was even recommended. All synthetics of coarse. What would be the reason to go up in weight other then better protection? Won't the oil shear back down to a 20 wt anyway if that is what the engine is designed for? Thanks!


Going up in weight "may" decrease the amount of consumption you are experiencing. The down side is you might take a small hit to your gas mileage but it would be minimal. Running a 30 weight or 40 weight for the most part will have better NOACK and less of an issue with evaporation loss than using a 20 weight. As far as shearing using the heavier weight won't mean it will go back down to a 20 weight over an OCI.

Since you live in Florida and the climate is mild you can run a 5w or 10w vs a 0w oil without the concern for flow during the winter.

I picked these for example/NOACK and HTHS(high temp high shear)

Redline 0w/20 is 9%/HTHS is 2.9%
Amsoil 10w/30 XL is 5.7%/HTHS is 3.3%
Mobil1 0w/40 7-9% ? unsure but believe it is less than 10%/HTHS is north of 3.5 probably 3.7-3.8%
 
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
On another note, the owners manual recommends 5w-20. I have heard other say they use 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-20, and 0w-40 was even recommended. All synthetics of coarse. What would be the reason to go up in weight other then better protection? Won't the oil shear back down to a 20 wt anyway if that is what the engine is designed for? Thanks!

The shearing down is more of a 5w-30 issue and I think it is limited to some of the thinner 30 weights.

I live in N. Florida. IMO there is absolutely no reason NOT to run 10w-30. I am currently running M1 HM 10w-30. It has an HTHS of 3.5 (40 starts at 3.6). A smaller spread means less VII and a lower noack. Mobil does not publish their noack data but consensus puts it somewhere in the 5-7% range. It is a very good shear stable oil, and will stand up to stop and go when it's 100F outside. It helped reduce consumption in my Fusion that just rolled 163k miles. I also replaced the PCV valve, so I don't know how to split the credit, but the M1 didn't hurt.
 
Originally Posted By: Swifty
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
On another note, the owners manual recommends 5w-20. I have heard other say they use 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-20, and 0w-40 was even recommended. All synthetics of coarse. What would be the reason to go up in weight other then better protection? Won't the oil shear back down to a 20 wt anyway if that is what the engine is designed for? Thanks!


Going up in weight "may" decrease the amount of consumption you are experiencing. The down side is you might take a small hit to your gas mileage but it would be minimal. Running a 30 weight or 40 weight for the most part will have better NOACK and less of an issue with evaporation loss than using a 20 weight. As far as shearing using the heavier weight won't mean it will go back down to a 20 weight over an OCI.

Since you live in Florida and the climate is mild you can run a 5w or 10w vs a 0w oil without the concern for flow during the winter.

I picked these for example/NOACK and HTHS(high temp high shear)

Redline 0w/20 is 9%/HTHS is 2.9%
Amsoil 10w/30 XL is 5.7%/HTHS is 3.3%
Mobil1 0w/40 7-9% ? unsure but believe it is less than 10%/HTHS is north of 3.5 probably 3.7-3.8%


I am going to try redline for my next oil change. If I do not notice anything special about it, I will probably switch to PUP, QSUD or M1 EP. Question about the winter weight, I have heard running a lighter weight 0w gives better flow on startup giving better startup wear protection opposed to a 5w or 10w. Is this true?
 
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
Originally Posted By: Swifty
Originally Posted By: shurguywutt
On another note, the owners manual recommends 5w-20. I have heard other say they use 5w-30, 0w-30, 0w-20, and 0w-40 was even recommended. All synthetics of coarse. What would be the reason to go up in weight other then better protection? Won't the oil shear back down to a 20 wt anyway if that is what the engine is designed for? Thanks!


Going up in weight "may" decrease the amount of consumption you are experiencing. The down side is you might take a small hit to your gas mileage but it would be minimal. Running a 30 weight or 40 weight for the most part will have better NOACK and less of an issue with evaporation loss than using a 20 weight. As far as shearing using the heavier weight won't mean it will go back down to a 20 weight over an OCI.

Since you live in Florida and the climate is mild you can run a 5w or 10w vs a 0w oil without the concern for flow during the winter.

I picked these for example/NOACK and HTHS(high temp high shear)

Redline 0w/20 is 9%/HTHS is 2.9%
Amsoil 10w/30 XL is 5.7%/HTHS is 3.3%
Mobil1 0w/40 7-9% ? unsure but believe it is less than 10%/HTHS is north of 3.5 probably 3.7-3.8%


I am going to try redline for my next oil change. If I do not notice anything special about it, I will probably switch to PUP, QSUD or M1 EP. Question about the winter weight, I have heard running a lighter weight 0w gives better flow on startup giving better startup wear protection opposed to a 5w or 10w. Is this true?


Not really. I don't know how to elegantly explain it...

First, the difference between 0w, 5w, and 10w only comes into play below 0F. In your climate that doesn't apply.

Second, within a range of viscosity, the oil pump flows about the same rate for any given rpm. A thicker oil will make the pump require more power, but as long as the oil isn't way thick it pumps about the same speed/flow.

I know the 3.5L ecoboost has a variable displacement oil pump, but i haven't researched them so I don't know how they operate.
 
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