[NYdawn]

We replaced our '03 (@211,000) with a 50,000 mi 2016 last week. Due to the current "sellers' market" we bought it knowing that it had a soaking wet trunk well after rain just like our '03 ;-( This EX-L has a sunroof too.

We have both hope and trepidation that there is a possible happy solution. Happy because you guys collectively KNOW so MUCH! 😀Worried because you TELL too MUCH! 🧐 Just kidding, but sometimes it's like when you have an ache, looking up WebMD and finding out it could be nothing, rest and ice... or it just might be...AaaacK! So, I do want to know my options, but also the chance that it's "that bad" or not.

Our '03 kept leaking (despite doing the roof seam treatment that many wrote about in forum). I am writing because a) I'm going to video/post our attempts to discover it and b) I'm all ears if you want to give me the elimination order (I was thinking sunroof weep holes first, roof seams second, trunk glass last - what am i missing?) Tomorrow, I'm heading to a body shop for an estimate (and ask Qs). On the phone, he said he doesn't see many (none) leaking Ody's. I laughed b/c I'm 2/2! People often come to the forum when they have a problem, so here, it sounds like more Ody's have that problem, no?

I'm planning on having the 4 wheels powder coated to stave off the corrosion that made our '03 need weekly air fills toward the end. I guess my van is Modern Steel Metallic color. I'm thinking to nix the 'silver' wheel and do something darker - maybe matte black.... any pics from you all?

And I'm actually most concerned about the lurching between 2nd to 3rd gear and 3rd to 4th. I did see TSB 17-043 and it does look like a good candidate for that, so Wednesday, I have an app't at the Honda dealer for it. We purchased it from a non-Honda dealer AS IS. After reading lots here, I'm suddenly worried that they may have used a pump to change ATF. "AaaaacK!" This last dealer did the "80,000mi service" whatever that means. I have the CARFAX regular oil changes were at the dealer prior to it coming to sale.

- If i should have split this into different posts, my apologies - do direct me elsewhere.
PS: we were looking at buying an 2019 Traverse, you know, skip the minivan look. But, in our area, vehicles are selling 3-6 grand above the same vehicles of last year. So, for the spaciousness Ody's afforded, we stayed. We're all liking this '16 (yeah, prices jumped THAT much we had to go 5 years old). Feels good to be 'home' in an Ody again.

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

you did well steering clear of the GM junk and going to the ody.

muzzle it and it will be a solid reliable vehicle, with some quirks here and there.

regarding your rear leak... rule out a plugged rear hvac drain tube as well, roof rack roof seam,,seal around the rear hatch/liftgate.

pulling off the rear plastics will go a long way for troublshooting, esp if you can test with a pressure washer or hose and observe inside.

 

[viper74656]

If the transmission has never been serviced then a couple drain and fills may be all that is needed. Consider going to a good synthetic ATF rather than keeping DW-1, it'll hold up much better over time.

As for the wheels, here is my Modern Steel Ody with dark gray winter shoes.

 

[NYdawn]

you did well steering clear of the GM junk and going to the ody. That's also what I heard from my independent mechanic, an ex-Honda employee who runs his own shop.

muzzle it and it will be a solid reliable vehicle, with some quirks here and there. I am wondering what your muzzled VCMs run for MPG?

regarding your rear leak... rule out a plugged rear hvac drain tube as well, roof rack roof seam,,seal around the rear hatch/liftgate. I just checked the real well today (after having covered it with a tarp during our latest rain!) and it's still damp from last week's heavy rains - which makes me think it's rain - but I agree - I'm going to check every "alley"!

pulling off the rear plastics will go a long way for troublshooting, esp if you can test with a pressure washer or hose and observe inside. Hmmm, was planning a hose - but a neighbor has a pressure washer I can borrow. Any concern about too much pressure?

and
Body Shop #1 - "We don't do leaks." Next, Shop #2, on Thurs.

 

[NYdawn]

As for the wheels, here is my Modern Steel Ody with dark gray winter shoes.

viper74656 your wheels look great - Soooo much better than the silver IMO. Of course, my wheels are standard. I have an appointment for a powder coat next week! Pics to follow.

 

[viper74656]

viper74656 your wheels look great - Soooo much better than the silver IMO. Of course, my wheels are standard. I have an appointment for a powder coat next week! Pics to follow.

Thanks. Crazy thing is, when I was looking for winter steelies a couple years ago, they were as expensive as cheaper alloys! $100+ per wheel was way too much for me to pay for steelies. Anyway, maybe these will become my summer wheels eventually but for now the old man in me is still digging the OEM Honda alloys.

Gotta post pics of yours when they are done. Love to see a nice powder coat job!

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

Any concern about too much pressure?

yes more than 1500 psi will take off paint, esp so if you have the white paint that peels off easily by breathing on it wrong.

garden hose soak on the roof will likely be all you need.

 

[phattyduck]

garden hose soak on the roof will likely be all you need.

A garden hose with a fan sprayer will be plenty for this - especially if it is caused by rain.

-Charlie

 

[NYdawn]

Heading to the Dealer in half an hour. I forgot to ask you all...
Any thing else I should ask about besides the judder?
It's just above 50,000 miles, so there's not much available to a second owner, right?
(I will mention the leak and ask for remedies, but last van they said, 'never heard of such')

 

[NYdawn]

So glad this 🦉 forum exists bc i might not have known to go from dealer to Honda dealer w/in a week of purchase! Honda dealer did say it needs that TSB, now since I had scheduled an estimate, they were just able to perform the "transmission control module software update" today. Wow, it showed marked improvement! 🚗 I will go back for the drain-n-fill.

They found my right rear tpms sensor was leaking (that light had just gone on two days ago). Since I'm getting my wheels powder coated, I think I'll buy the Honda stem and have the other guy put it on {actually the blast-n-coat business uses a tire place to dismount/mount/balance them} - although, the Honda service guy said that a lot of people don't know how to match it up with the car's computer system. (Dealer total for replacing the stem/labor is $210). I'll check that my mechanic has the machine that'll re-educate my van's computer.

They also found the radiator is aftermarket and its hose to the transmission cooler was leaking. That hose replacement/labor = $500.
The carfax had shown 2 front-end accidents w/no deployment of airbags, so I guess the prior owner cheaped out.

 

[2011.2017.odyssey]

rear tpms sensor was leaking

you can buy the tpms seal kits on rockauto for cheap.

Have done them twice on my 2011TE, still on the original tmps sensors, and had the rims powder coated recently as well.

you should really avoid any additional work at the dealer for these remaining items, they will efficiently separate you from your money.

the worm clamp for the at cooler line is likely low quality and needs to be replaced, hardly 500 dollars.

 

[viper74656]

You can buy the TPMS reprogramming tool for less than $210! But yes, the new sensor code will have to be uploaded to the computer. The tire shop should be able to do it with an OEM sensor though....but double check with them.

 

[NYdawn]

Some bolts (like third row seat belt lower mount bolts) are exposed to the exterior of the vehicle as I recently learned. When I removed them while installing the panels for 3rd row speakers, I noticed I can see through the floor onto the ground.

Found this while searching for my leak solution. How far back do models have exterior openings? (In researching used cars, I had read about how Ford Explorers were having CO poisoning d/t smaller gaps!)
From the looks of my van, the prior owners probably used it as an SUV - kids in middle, back flat.

That's just ONE of my leak problems, the rug was soaking wet when I looked at the car after a few days of rain.
YES, I did purchase this Knowing about a GLARING problem. You'd have to live in NY in 2021 to understand I'm really not that stupid -
I am That Hopeful that I can solve this problem.

pay no attention to the white flour and grass from our last haul! The rug is not dirty, it's actually clean (detailed) from the dealer. It is discolored below the "water line". Oh, CarFax says NO FLOOD damage. I am fairly certain that's correct as it's spent its 5 years in upstate NY. After the leak is fixed, I'm putting new carpeting in and sewing new backs on the split bench.

 

[kernel]

Common areas for water infiltration are- cracks in the body seam under the roof rack and black trim strips, and taillight gaskets that need replacement.

 

[phattyduck]

How far back do models have exterior openings?

Every car I have owned has had at least a few bolts that go right through the floor pan. Not unusual at all.

I'd suggest taking off those interior panels and start looking for 'snail trails' on the panels and the sheet metal for clues about your leak(s).

The OEM roof rack and hitch install instructions will be helpful for 'how to' on getting to popular leak areas.

-Charlie

 

[NYdawn]

Thanks phattyduck, you pre-answered my question of good info to find how/where to get clips/panels off. I'll bookmark this page Honda online store - Select your vehicle to view the installation or DIY instructions for an Accessory
Yes, I was planning on looking for dirt/rust/mineral deposits, right? Any other clues? (have not seen ANY signs on interior or headliner, etc.)

Is there someplace I (the non-mechanic) can download the info/physical diagrams of weep holes/drainage tubes? I recall seeing a page (black and white line drawing of whole van) with a schematic including the rubber drain tubes (which go down pillars) for the sun roof, but I didn't bookmark that page - may have been on different forum.

Taillight gasket seems like the quickest/easiest place to check. However, when I watched the video someone posted (silent) of the liftgate (lost the link) -removing the plastic and pointing to holes> I was not clear on what to do next. I don't want to stop up random holes b/c i understand the need for drainage.

The roof/body seam was my tackle on the weekend job, if i don't get called into work again.

 

[NYdawn]

Common areas for water infiltration are- cracks in the body seam under the roof rack and black trim strips, and taillight gaskets that need replacement.

Would that include the black plastic trim just inside the chrome? Even on the stationary third windows? I imagine that slider doors cannot drain into interior.
I'm definitely planning to look in the roof seams soon.

Cruddy at the exit. Although, on my '03 leak, we cleaned and resealed same to no effect. Not sure what I'm looking for in this location. I imagine that since the trunk gets a noticeable amount of rainwater that I should be able to see some holes. Or maybe it's just a lot of tiny holes.

Oh, safety question - can you drive around if you've removed the panels? Knowing my life, it won't get buttoned up in one weekend.

 

[phattyduck]

Oh, safety question - can you drive around if you've removed the panels? Knowing my life, it won't get buttoned up in one weekend.

As long as you don't have kids sticking their hands in the openings (they can be a bit sharp), I don't see an issue with it.

I've ridden/driven around in plenty of cars with basically 0 interior...

Since the leaks are from rain, the general plan of attack would be:

• Remove roof drip rail covers (same as you would when starting the roof rack installation)
• Remove rear interior panels (both sides from the sliding doors back)
• Have an assistant spray/pour water over the van and find your leak.

Water will (most likely) be coming in from top (well, above the floor pan). Open weep holes at the bottom should never be covered/filled.

-Charlie

 

[skeetie96]

I had a leak in the rear of my 2011. It was from a loose XM antenna.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NYdawn]

Forgot to tell y'all that the dealer's 3x drain N fill made this car feel brand new. It accelerates quite smoothly and powerfully when entering highway! That's a big relief!
Then a little panicked b/c of statements ATF possibly shocking the system, esp. when done at a dealer. CarFax shows it had gone to dealer for maintenance on schedule.
The previous owner took 5 years to get 50,000 miles (and we'll probably drive ~10,000 miles/year). From reading the 4th gen drainNfill posts, our van probably needs every other oil change as my alert for a single ATF drain/fill.
Does that sound right for no towing, good driving, and always less than 80 mph hwy speeds?