My story we were driving from Seattle and got the red light on the I-5 saying the charging system was failing.
Made it to Longview and had a new alternator put in.
$500 installed, waited 3 hours.
Don’t wait to long as you will need a battery also if you do.
To me, anything under 13 volts means a charging issue.
If you don’t fix the leak first, put a piece of metal to stop the leak from entering the new alternator.

 

To me, anything under 13 volts means a charging issue.

The Ody has 2 stage charging. It will lower from 13v when the high output is not required. So the 'spike' that Peter was posting above sounds normal to me.
But that may not apply to the problem, since the spool valve leak probably is killing the alternator. Replace it with a Denso definitely!

 

Hello,

I noticed my 2010 odyssey has a red battery warning that comes on in the past 2 out of 3 drives. Sometimes it would disappear after ~15 minutes of driving. Sometimes it stays on for the entire car ride.

When driving:
A 12 volt cell phone charger which has a volt meter is connected to the cigarettes 12v outlet. It jumps ~11.0 -- 11.7. Rarely it will spike to 13.6 volts for couple seconds.
When the alternator is good. Volt meter shows 12.9 almost constant.

This damaged alternator is caused by leaking spool valve. The leakage is weeping oil out. I haven't seen oil drips on the ground yet.
If necessary I can post a picture of the alternator.

When I fix the leakage, can I clean the alternator and without replacing it? If the alternator completely dies, is it dangerous to drive? Or am I gonna get a dead battery and leave me stranded in a parking spot?

Why not put in a temp baffle or piece of something to stop the oil from getting into the alternator until you get around to preventing the drip? Hall. Gorilla Duct tape and some wires etc might even work. Maybe something simpler.
Just don't stop the air flow through the alternator,
I don't know what chemical would be safe to spray into the alternator to help 'degrease' it.
Buffalo4
PS: Doing nothing will cause it to fail quicker.

 

Doubtful. I'd just replace it for peace of mind.

 

Sounds good. I am gonna get some price quote from a dealer and two indy shops that I worked with in the past.

 

Avoid dealer.
if you get a new alternator make sure you get a remanufactured Denso. Less than $200 at Rock Auto.
Spool valve can be easily replaced. $167 for new part. ( I just ordered one yesterday. )

 

Avoid dealer.
if you get a new alternator make sure you get a remanufactured Denso. Less than $200 at Rock Auto.
Spool valve can be easily replaced. $167 for new part. ( I just ordered one yesterday. )

Hey Scott, do you get spool valve at RockAuto too? Or can I buy that from the dealer? Does dealer in general marks up a lot for parts?

 

@OddyPapa
Honda doesn't sell the gasket officially, link I send you is aftermarket gasket. Some people think it will leak again. But some people says just replace the gasket is fine. They did it and 30k miles later no leaks.
Other route is to buy the whole valve for $167 new like thescott said. Pick out the gasket and put the top part of the valve in. Only need the top part. I see this maybe kinda wasteful, but it is geniue Honda parts.

 

@OddyPapa
Honda doesn't sell the gasket officially, link I send you is aftermarket gasket. Some people think it will leak again. But some people says just replace the gasket is fine. They did it and 30k miles later no leaks.
Other route is to buy the whole valve for $167 new like thescott said. Pick out the gasket and put the top part of the valve in. Only need the top part. I see this maybe kinda wasteful, but it is geniue Honda parts.

Honda's TSB states the leak could return without replacing the upper half of the assembly.

 

Yes, you can save your oil-fouled alternator!
I had bad spool valve oil leak above alternator and it caused same symptoms you are seeing.
I removed the alternator and literally gave it a hot bath in water and dawn disk detergent.
I brushed all oil off the case and even removed a cover or two on the alternator.
I let it soak for about 30 minutes, then shook it in the bath.
Blow dry w/compressed air, then let air dry for a day or two.
I put it back in and all was back to normal.
I found this cleaning technique on youtube and gave it a try.
Worked!

 

Yes, you can save your oil-fouled alternator!
......
I found this cleaning technique on youtube and gave it a try.
Worked!

I emptied a can of electronics cleaner and brake cleaner in it and let it dry..

 

The spool valve gasket is much easier to do than alternator change. Get your gaskets from a supplier and replace. You most likely do not need to buy a new spool valve. Replacing the entire spool valve is a much more costly and labor intensive job. Try replacing the gaskets (about $12 for the set) and see if it stops the oil leak. It did on mine for about 1 year now.

 

Replacing the whole spool valve is a big job yes, but replacing the upper half per the TSB is not. The upper half has to come off to replace the gasket anyway.

 

Hey Peter,

I just went through a very similar issue the last few days, so thought I'd chime in.

Here's the thread I started you can review and see what others helped me with. They were extremely helpful.

Alternator/front VTEC solenoid gasket issue

New Odyssey owner, just purchased a 2010 Honda Odyssey EX-L with 194,000 kms. Seller made me aware of some of these problems based on basic and recent mechanics report, but neither of us knew them in detail. I think I may have diagnosed the issues, but wanted to get input here before spending a...

www.odyclub.com

In my case, it was like the alternator was 'slowly dying'. It would boost, then after idling for 5 minute the car began to die- lights flashing, things off in sequence, then engine decreasing in power. So I started driving to try and get home. It was very sluggish. Then after 5 minutes of driving all lights went off, had full power, essentially normal. After idling again later it started shutting down.
It's like it was functioning enough to work when it was getting full power from engine, but not at the 700-1000 RPM's from idling.
It took a few days. Like you, battery would test normal, then when running i would test at 11.8 volts initially, then decreased over a couple days.
It also made a whirring/humming noise that sounded (to me) like power steering. Replacing alternator has alleviated the noise, so I'm relatively confident it was the alternator.

Alternator dying was from the VCM solenoid gasket leaking oil on it. I had only bought the van 2 weeks earlier, but the alternator mpstly appeared only a few days ago (though I knew about the leak at time of purchase). It hadn't been driven much for several months, so I wonder if me doing a 1500km road trip right away caused the problem to speed up as more oil was being pushed through everywhere.

My van has 190,000km's. I wanted it fixed ASAP and didn't wanna wait weeks for parts. I wanted to start with a 'clean slate'. These drove my decisions.
I decided a new/Reman alternator was worth it rather than removing, maybe trying to clean it, then potentially having to replace later anyway.
I ordered a Reman-Denso for $200 CAD.
The VCM solenoid wasn't available at Rock Auto, so I bought from Honda for $300 CAD. I didn't feel like buying the aftermarket gasket that might not fit for 15$, not working, and needing to buy new anyways. I used the top half, gaskets, and spacer plate.

I replaced both things at the same time just on Saturday. I'm not the most mechanically inclined, and it took me a good several hours.
Alternator was hard to squeeze out, but it came out after about 15 minutes.

I just followed Ranger's video for alternator:

And also for solenoid gasket:

Sorry if it's too much info. Good luck!

 

When taking things apart and putting back in. How would I keep screws organized and torque them back the same amount. Use some kind of paint to mark all screws before unscrew them?

 

As I'm not a mechanic, and I forget things like that really easily, I make it very simple for myself.
I either put the screw back in the part they came off and then off to the side, back in the threaded hole on the car without the part, or often ill leave a piece of cardboard on the floor with the pieces laid on it exactly as they were in the car. Some people will take videos of what they do, but I haven't found that to work best.
Watching rangers videos multiple times helped, and then watching it in parts as I out things back periodically to make sure I wasn't missing anything was helpful.

 

Looks like Mr RangerZ did not take the serpentine belt off when taking off the alternator. One suggested earlier if there is oil on the belt, the belt should be replaced too. I think there are a few drips of oil not much. Drips of fluid were from when I replacing the power steering o-ring on the hose.
Do I need to replace the belt if it is a few drips of fluid and oil?

 

Looks like Mr RangerZ did not take the serpentine belt off when taking off the alternator. One suggested earlier if there is oil on the belt, the belt should be replaced too. I think there are a few drips of oil not much. Drips of fluid were from when I replacing the power steering o-ring on the hose.
Do I need to replace the belt if it is a few drips of fluid and oil?

I would install a new Honda belt. Regardless of the oil, how old is the belt? BTW, you do have to remove the belt to replace the alternator. At least remove it from the alternator pulley. The belt drives the alternator. For $30, I'd install a brand new Honda belt. Do not get an aftermarket belt.

 

Before doing anything expensive, like replacing the alternator, is your belt slipping? If the belt has never been replaced or over 50k miles, I would try a belt first.

 

I ends up getting a reman Denso alternator put in by my mechanic. Cost to replace the alternator is: $480 before tax.
I think that's acceptable. A new alternator has warranty and maybe good for a few years.

Now, the volt meter on cigarettes 12v outlet reads 14.1 - 14.2 volts when driving. Compares to before 11 -- 12.7 volts.

Taking it apart cleaning and putting back may risk of doing the work again.

 

reasonable action.
but you will be doing it again if the oil continues to seep out of the spool valve gasket.

 

I think this is not over for me yet. It is still leaking oil after replacement with OEM spool valve gasket + top part.

I attached some pictures.
(gonna remove the paper towel to avoid catch on fire...)
(Tin can is a poor man fix trying to divert oil leak, it is not leaking badly yet)

Here are a few questions:

1. How can I find where it is leaking exactly? Is it lower part of the gasket or top of the gasket or somewhere else around it?
2. My mechanic put the OEM gasket last time when changing the alternator. We can't tell for sure if it is the gasket. He doesn't want to just redo the work again.
3. Is there value if I take apart and put gasket in one more time myself? Can I still reuse the gasket in there? It is less than 2 months old assume not pinched or damaged.

Maybe I buy a cheap rock auto non OEM gasket and put on myself. If that fixes it, I am just gonna save the OEM one for later. I don't think Majestic Honda will take used part back.

It is kinda unfortunate, but it is what it is. Trying to not ruin my new alternator.

 

It’s hard to see your oil leak because you have paper towels and tin cans in the way.

 

Hey Scott, the last pic doesn't have anything blocking the view. What's some the smart ways to detect where the leak is from. My mechanic says is hard because is near the fan and it will blow on this are.

 

What “OEM gasket?” Honda doesn’t sell the OEM gaskets for the spool valve and instructs you to buy the entire part through them for around $150-200. If you want this fixed proper, you need to replace the top part of the valve as per TSB 20-023 says. Yes, some aftermarket gaskets work but can result in a comeback and engine behavior issues.

Edit: Never mind, seems like you replaced the OEM valve + gasket. Maybe retorque the valve to 6 ft ibs?

 

Doesn't look like it's leaking to me. A leak will result in oil sitting in that little depression.