Civic_4life

hello, my uncle just brough a pilot, it runs and drives but its hestate little bit, i believe 1 or 2 cylinder is misfire due to egr?

so i went to start the engine today:
turn key on ll, vtm-4 flashes and goes off
start the engine, no lights,
then rev to 3000 rpm, vtm-4 light comes on, pretty sure its misfire.

from all research i did on google, everyone having problem with EGR or idle speed sensor.

anyone have this problem with their pilot? suppose to be common issue.

ill get code from autozone tomorrow, i work all day today.

thanks for any help in advance.!

Duane_in_Japan

We will wait for your codes to narrow down possiblilities. Disable the EGR system to see if the misfire goes away, remove and plug vacuum hose or unplug the lift sensor on top of the EGR valve and test drive to check for miss. Idle speed sensor should not cause misfire off of idle.

Honda_Enjineer

Sounds like the valve gaps may need adjusting to me. Do you have a MIL code? Check your LT and ST fuel trims if you can get access to an analyzer (Autozone rents them).

Mine was also hesitating and had the VTM-4 light coming on but I also had the check engine light with it and P0175. I chaged the EGR valve but it only temporarily resolved the issue - the final fix was adjusting the valves and it has been fine since.

Based on what I have seen ALL of these engines need their valves adjusted after about 50-60K.

Duane_in_Japan

Check the MAP sensor voltage at a fully warmed up proper idle speed, no accessories on, 1VDC plus or minus a little, a little lower is better, anything away from here will need a valve adjustment (cold).

Civic_4life

well havent worked on it for a while, but he took it to autozone they reset the codes, and then check engine light still comes on, the guy at autozone said he cuoldnt pull a code even with check engine light on... i think he might have been a newbie or a moron, lol.

im gonna check the map voltage and and egr thing.

Civic_4life

well something so simple yet we always over look, it was 1 of the

COILPACK.... omg, i got mad so i start to unplug the pack 1 by 1, first one bingo, bad, then i unplug rest 1 by 1, all had noticeable difference at idle, just cynlinder 1 didnt do ****, so $60 dollar later, everything fixed!!!!

thanks for all helps guys!

Honda_Enjineer

So the ignitor on one cylinder was bad? Did I understand that?

Thanks, Bob

Civic_4life

yes, i think its called the coilpack, its like sparkplug wire.

from now on, im going to check the most basic thing first before i check all the crazy sensor and complicated stuff lol.

plug
plugwire/coilpack
injector
fuses
etc haha

here is a pic of coilpack i was refering too
http://www.partshelper.com/images/co...045%20each.jpg

Duane_in_Japan

Thanks for posting the FIX, its all good, many folks go straight technical and blow off the basic stuff. The good part with coil packs like yours is, you can swap them around and see if the problem follows the pack.

The code would have been nice though, especially if it was a P030x, it would have been a bullseye.

Civic_4life

ya the guy at autozone is a moron, my uncle took it there, maybe they had difficult language barrier, dude said he codes was found when there was a check engine light on....

reason i though it was coilpack was because

1: we changed sparkplugs all new
2: engine check light was flashing when i rev the motor, so that indicate it was misfire.

wannanotherrex

im having the same problem...could it be just the cheap autolite plugs i had them use?

p10hlm

yes

wannanotherrex

and it would cause my VTM light to stay on? not the switch, but the light on the cluster.

wannanotherrex

got the plugs changed, running bosch plat +2's
still running codes and VTM light.
we checked my coil pack and, just like yours, my cyl1 wasn't doing anything.
havent had the money to get the new one yet.

Honda_Enjineer

Hi again,

My experience of this problem - as counter-intuitive as it may seem it is NEARLY ALWAYS because your valve gaps now need to be adjusted.

I think that there are 2 real issues when I hear about this:

1. The lights that the car shows (esp. the VTM-4 one) are very misleading with this problem
2. All VTEC Honda engines need their valves adjusted MORE FREQUENTLY than Honda will admit.

I have done two of these engines now (both well before schedule) and discovered that the gaps had almost closed up completely on the exhaust valves. The inlets were all fine.

This happens because the exhaust valves get very hot and they slowly recede into the soft alloy head and they only have some old-fashioned manual adjusters (because the duplex VTEC valve system takes up the space that would be needed to have automatic valve adjusters).

Adjusting the gaps fixes this issue and the engine runs noticeably more smoothly.

Honda_Enjineer

Oh and I forgot to add - it is also a lot cheaper than buying a new EGR valve if you are doing it yourself.

So IF you see these symptoms - adjust the valves first! You'll most likely save $$$.

Also, when setting the gaps to fix this it is better to err on the wider side - although don't overdo that. My buddy's wife was yelling at him to get the Odyssey back when he did his and he ended up over-gap'ing a couple of them.

His engine runs fine again but also now makes a nice "tick tick tick" sound

bobinda808

my 06 van sounds like it needs valve adjustment @ 50k miles. it seems to run a bit rough @ about 1500 rpms. could the two be relaed? and how do i reset the check engine light?

Honda_Enjineer

Yes - it DOES! Also, reset any fault lights easily by disconnecting the battery and then putting your foot on the brake pedal for 10-15 seconds.

Be sure to have the radio code number handy and know how to reset your automatic window openers if you have them (instructions in the owners manual).

bobinda808

should that valve ajustment job be covered under warranty? i have the extended warranty.

Honda_Enjineer

Personally I never go to dealerships myself except to buy parts OR a new car so I have no idea. Maybe you should just call them and ask?

bobinda808

i will but before that i wanted to throw it out there to get some kind of perspective of what kind of bs i will be hearing when i do call.

p10hlm

it sure would.

you should of known by looking at roberts character that he was getting ready to take you for a ride.....

willar

2006 Pilot, 82,000 miles, bought used for wife's work vehicle almost 2 yrs ago, got what I thought was a pretty good deal, first "foreign" vehicle ever owned, likely the last. Never was quick to accelerate, needed ample time and distance to pass, didn't seem serious, no other issues that I could pick up. Wife was never quite satisfied, though, complained that it was sluggish & sucked fuel. I figured she just missed her previous work vehicle, an Astro van she loved, also no rocket on the take off but doggedly reliable and trouble-free. She eventually quit, I was relieved and then the VTM-4 light started coming on intermittently several months later. Eventually, both the VTM-4 and the engine light came on and stayed on. At first, no apparent change in performance but soon noticed it was slow to shift during acceleration, bogging down on acceleration, escalated to a couple near stalls under hard acceleration and her refusal to drive it. Took to local auto repair shop, scanned code P0420, said probably a CAT but waste of money to do anything, expensive repair that won't help and neither did he, similar ineptitude at another shop, might be CAT, BUT might not....did other "stuff" that lightened my wallet and not much more. Drove it for a few more weeks, acceleration problem worsened, took it to nearest Honda dealership (2 hrs away) for seat belt recall and check of this issue. Scanned and got codes P0172, P0175, P0420, P0430. Consult with service mgr coupled with mileage under 100,000 prompted initial opinion that probably nothing drastic, gave us a loaner car, come back in a couple hours. Ended up leaving it for a week, gave us the loaner at no charge, kept us informed at every step & before taking any action. MAP sensor below spec, suspected valves were out of adjustment; valves adjusted, found air tube from air box to throttle bottle ripped; replaced. Test drove again, acceleration problem worse. Exhaust blockage suspected, took apart, large amount of debris plugging CATS, all 3 replaced. Rechecked for additional problems with fuel trims; replaced evap canister and "odd-looking" spark plugs (never seen anything like them before, German, certainly a DIY & not a good one in their opinion), recommended Honda OEM plugs, more expensive and not mandatory but believe they add to performance; okayed that. Since it was there & they were knee deep, asked them to flush & change all fluids & filters & check belts; replaced timing belt & water pump, couple other small things like windshield wiper system, loose connection causing flaky dash lights, They did a courtesy wash and detail the day we were scheduled to pick ot up. Total bill $4330. Didn't bring our good deal to the level of a bad deal, but lesson learned! Service Mgr we dealt with thru the whole thing assured us this IS a good vehicle & we'd see that immediately now that it was fixed, considers 80,000 to be low miles on these, 200,000 typical, seen them up to 400,000. RESULTS: significant improvement in gas mileage, runs like it's just off the show room floor, better than it ever did, and damn well should for the foreseeable future! . Only positive thing was coming away mightily impressed with the crew & service at this dealership. Dealt with alot of repair shops/garages in my 60 yrs and thought this kind of service was a thing of the past, quality in every area. Not cheap by any means, but they GOT THE JOB DONE and I'm good with that. Don't really care to see them again any time soon, but that's not a bad on them. Yea, Honda Pilots with VTM-4 & engine lights staring you in the face......could be as simple as an ill-fitting gas cap or the makings of a nightmare. If it's the latter, pray the nearest Honda dealership has a skilled and determined service dept!

airheart

If anybody is still here, here's my issue. Both the VTM-4 and check engine light came on a month or two ago. The engine is running kind of rough, but otherwise is fine. At the same time, my air conditioner stopped working. I don't know if it's related. When I start the car, I can drive maybe a quarter of a mile before the VTM-4 light comes on. Is it possible that the a/c issue is related? I've kept up the regular maintenance on this vehicle and have never had any problems with it.

speedlever

Do you hear any ticking noise? I would immediately check all spark plugs to make sure they're tight. The J35 is known to develop loose spark plugs which can do significant damage. Also, when cool, check your radiator/coolant for proper fluid level and color and no strawberry milkshake of death.
Transmission issues? - Honda Pilot - Honda Pilot Forums

The AC issue could be a simple relay that needs to be replaced.

From my 2006 FSM (but mostly likely the same in your 2004):