Since buying the Pilot in May of this year, we've put on almost 13k miles. When the car had 10k miles, I did its third oil change with 5.6k miles on the oil using AMSOIL Signature Series 0w20 and Amsoil EA15K13 filter (previous OCIs were at 500 and 4.5k miles on odometer using same oil), 4k of those miles on a long road trip. Cutting open the filter, I saw lots of carbon deposits. Reading more about the J35Y8 engine, it appears to be highly prone to carbon deposits.
What I know so far: A) It's GDI, but I knew this when I bought it. My previous car was a 2022 Audi Q5 with GDI also, and I never saw carbon deposits like this, even running the oil several thousand miles longer. B) Using a scan tool, I've learned Honda's VCM system is constantly turning off the rear bank of cylinders, even at speeds less than 30mph and within a minute or two after starting the car and driving.
The Audi was always fed premium, Top Tier fuel, almost exclusively Shell V-Power. The Honda, requiring only 87 octane, has been fed Top Tier fuel, mostly from a Quik Trip close to the house.
used oil analysis from the Pilot have shown Manganese levels of 16, 14, and 18ppm respectively from the first three used oil analysis. I've used some fuel additives, but are the same as used in the Audi where Manganese levels were always 0. The only place it can (or should) be coming from is the Quik Trip fuel.
Since the last oil change, I am running almost exclusively Shell premium and have not used a drop of fuel additive. I pulled an oil sample at 3k miles and will be sending it to Wearcheck for used oil analysis to see if the Mn has disappeared. If not, I don't have a clue where it's coming from, as everything I've read about the J35Y8 engine says Mn is not used in any components in this engine.
I recently bought a scan tool and quickly learned in Normal drive mode, Honda's VCM system is constantly switching off the rear bank of cylinders, even at speeds lower than 30mph and within a minute or two after starting driving. This darn-sure can't be a good thing.
This is what I'm doing to see if I can mitigate the carbon: A) Using only Shell premium unless the used oil analysis shows otherwise. B) Using Sport or Tow drive modes, as these prevent the VCM system from activating on the J35Y8 engine, confirmed using the scan tool, but I've only just begun doing so. C) Shortening the OCI to a max of 5k, but may shorten to 4k unless I see a marked improvement.
What other things should I be looking at doing to help mitigate the carbon on this cursed engine? Thank you.
What I know so far: A) It's GDI, but I knew this when I bought it. My previous car was a 2022 Audi Q5 with GDI also, and I never saw carbon deposits like this, even running the oil several thousand miles longer. B) Using a scan tool, I've learned Honda's VCM system is constantly turning off the rear bank of cylinders, even at speeds less than 30mph and within a minute or two after starting the car and driving.
The Audi was always fed premium, Top Tier fuel, almost exclusively Shell V-Power. The Honda, requiring only 87 octane, has been fed Top Tier fuel, mostly from a Quik Trip close to the house.
used oil analysis from the Pilot have shown Manganese levels of 16, 14, and 18ppm respectively from the first three used oil analysis. I've used some fuel additives, but are the same as used in the Audi where Manganese levels were always 0. The only place it can (or should) be coming from is the Quik Trip fuel.
Since the last oil change, I am running almost exclusively Shell premium and have not used a drop of fuel additive. I pulled an oil sample at 3k miles and will be sending it to Wearcheck for used oil analysis to see if the Mn has disappeared. If not, I don't have a clue where it's coming from, as everything I've read about the J35Y8 engine says Mn is not used in any components in this engine.
I recently bought a scan tool and quickly learned in Normal drive mode, Honda's VCM system is constantly switching off the rear bank of cylinders, even at speeds lower than 30mph and within a minute or two after starting driving. This darn-sure can't be a good thing.
This is what I'm doing to see if I can mitigate the carbon: A) Using only Shell premium unless the used oil analysis shows otherwise. B) Using Sport or Tow drive modes, as these prevent the VCM system from activating on the J35Y8 engine, confirmed using the scan tool, but I've only just begun doing so. C) Shortening the OCI to a max of 5k, but may shorten to 4k unless I see a marked improvement.
What other things should I be looking at doing to help mitigate the carbon on this cursed engine? Thank you.
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) and see what I can see. I also plan on seeing how much oil is in the pan after draining using the scope, setting up a video camera focused on the drain hole, then pour a fresh quart of oil through the engine to see the color of the stuff coming out, then scope the insides again. LSJr advocates doing this when changing brands of oils, but I have a few extra quarts of AMSOIL Signature Series and I'd prefer to experiment with it vs the HPL I bought.
