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Did the first oil change yesterday at 3700 miles. Ran in to a couple annoyances.
First, putting the Odyssey on a pair of ramps in the front was much more difficult than other cars I've had. The Odyssey transmission has a tendency to roll backward on inclines if you aren't holding the brake or accelerator just right. Other automatics I've had seem to hold hills much better, even without a foot on either pedal. This made getting it on the ramps a challenge. Instead of creeping to the top, it was more of an all or nothing attempt. Plus, the ramps seemed to slip a lot. Don't know if it is the weight of the van or what, but I never had this problem with these ramps before. Maybe the floor was unusually dirty. Anyway, I got it on the ramps after a few attempts, but I'm going to make sure the frame area behind the tires is higher than the ramps before I do it again. I can see the possibility of overshooting and coming off the front of the ramps.
Once up, access to the drain bolt and filter is very easy. Among the easiest of vehicles I've owned. The filter is so low, you might even be able to get at it from the passenger side without ramps. The filter socket tool I had for our Subaru Outback happened to be the right size for the Odyssey, so removing it was a snap. A small filter wrench would have done it, too. The drain bolt requires a ~17mm socket, and be sure to have a crush washer, too.
Only one other caveat for the Odyssey. Like many cars, when its on front ramps, the oil behind the filter tends to drain on parts of the frame, making a bit of a mess. Better than on our Saturn, though, where it tended to drain on one of the axles and then driped in an area larger than the oil pan I use to catch it.
The Honda filter instructions gave a torque spec, or said to rotate it 7/8 around from initial contact. I could only get it about 5/8 of the way around before it was very tight.
The transmission fluid bolt is also easy access, and also requires a crush washer. Don't know if I'll do an early partial change on the tranny fluid or not.Did one after 1000 miles on our Subaru, and the magnetic drain plug was coated with metal filings, though the fluid itself wasn't too discolored or smelly.
First, putting the Odyssey on a pair of ramps in the front was much more difficult than other cars I've had. The Odyssey transmission has a tendency to roll backward on inclines if you aren't holding the brake or accelerator just right. Other automatics I've had seem to hold hills much better, even without a foot on either pedal. This made getting it on the ramps a challenge. Instead of creeping to the top, it was more of an all or nothing attempt. Plus, the ramps seemed to slip a lot. Don't know if it is the weight of the van or what, but I never had this problem with these ramps before. Maybe the floor was unusually dirty. Anyway, I got it on the ramps after a few attempts, but I'm going to make sure the frame area behind the tires is higher than the ramps before I do it again. I can see the possibility of overshooting and coming off the front of the ramps.
Once up, access to the drain bolt and filter is very easy. Among the easiest of vehicles I've owned. The filter is so low, you might even be able to get at it from the passenger side without ramps. The filter socket tool I had for our Subaru Outback happened to be the right size for the Odyssey, so removing it was a snap. A small filter wrench would have done it, too. The drain bolt requires a ~17mm socket, and be sure to have a crush washer, too.
Only one other caveat for the Odyssey. Like many cars, when its on front ramps, the oil behind the filter tends to drain on parts of the frame, making a bit of a mess. Better than on our Saturn, though, where it tended to drain on one of the axles and then driped in an area larger than the oil pan I use to catch it.
The Honda filter instructions gave a torque spec, or said to rotate it 7/8 around from initial contact. I could only get it about 5/8 of the way around before it was very tight.
The transmission fluid bolt is also easy access, and also requires a crush washer. Don't know if I'll do an early partial change on the tranny fluid or not.Did one after 1000 miles on our Subaru, and the magnetic drain plug was coated with metal filings, though the fluid itself wasn't too discolored or smelly.
