Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
Originally Posted By: Indydriver
Not necessarily. Some of the problems showed up later in life. It is also related to how the engine is used. The 7/2011 TSB blamed it on light throttle conditions causing the VCM to engage and disengage frequently I.e., steady highway cruising. My 2011 Accord hasn't had any problems through 10,000 miles but it is 98% driven in the city.
Steady highway driving would not cause the VCM to turn on and off a lot. It would stay on because you are at a set speed. City driving(stop and go) is what would be causing it to come on and off all the time.
Perhaps I didn't express it clearly enough.
TSB 11-033 dated July 15, 2011 says,
"PROBABLE CAUSE
The VCM (variable cylinder management) function may repeatedly switch on and off during certain light throttle operation, at cruising speeds, on flat roads. This frequent switching can contribute to increased oil consumption. The updated PCM software improves VCM timing during very light throttle operation which may reduce oil consumption." [emphasis added]
If you read the problem threads at various websites, it seems that those with a higher percentage of highway miles (and a penchant for never checking their oil level) are the ones having the issue. I present our own case in the alternate, a city car with a low level of oil consumption. Ours is also a 2011 where Honda changed oil control rings and added moly impregnated piston skirts in an effort to address the issue, so that no doubt helped. Glad to read you are not having troubles.
I understand now. Was light throttle while crusing enought to make the "ECO" light turn on and off? Mine does not come on and off at highway crusing speeds. "ECO" just stays on till I mash the gas again.
I suspect many Honda VCM drivers (remember this includes all the minivan drivers) do not have as steady a foot as you do on the highway. I have stuck to the official Honda party line so far but from reading a lot of the problem threads, I came to believe that long periods of highway cruising with the VCM on contributed to the problem as differential cooling occurred. That's just one of my theories and had not been officially acknowledged by Honda as a cause. Anyway, when the wife needed a new vehicle this spring that would double as her DD and our long range hauler and she wanted to stay in a minivan, I did not even consider Honda because of VCM.
There are apparently a lot of Honda owners who never pull a dipstick. There are a lot of stories of them running their VCMs nearly dry. While I agree that this isn't right, I do believe that every automobile owner is responsible for basic routine maintenance checks including at a minimum underhood fluids and tire pressures once per month. If you can't do that then you're deserving of surprises.