Oil Dilution TSB

Mikeybc said:

When reading my notice I saw a part where after the procedure is done my oil level will read higher than normal...im assuming Honda is putting in more oil than the owners manual spec of 3.7 liters w/ filter to help mitigate the dilution? I know you can be a little bit over the full mark but how much more over the mark is the unknown...they doing 4 liters ? Would be nice to know for the DIY'ers

Click to expand...

I think what is is really saying is that

"some time AFTER" the procedure is done the oil level may read higher than normal.
This is the OIL Dilution.. Fuel ADDING to the oil. (Diluting the oil)

When the Honda Dealer does the Oil Change, the SHOULD refill with oil to the CORRECT level ... this is something you might want to check yourself just after the oil change so that YOU know what the "Reference level" of 100% Oil is, so that going forward, you can see if that level Increases due to Oil Dilution, or decreases, due to oil loss (not so likely !!)

DeftSalmon said:

Hi All,

Just letting you know I received a recall letter to get the dilution issue fixed. It states that after my civic gets fixed it will "heat up faster" after starting.

Alberta, Canada.

Cheers mates!

Click to expand...

Hey I want that option.....LOL. But I guess I can just use the remote starter and wait for it to warm up before I get in.....2 liter PI engines don't have the dilution issue....hopefully....ever.

I have a 2018 Civic 4dr EX-L with Sensing and am trying to figure out how to decipher TSB #18-137.

I'm part curious how the TSB is interpreted & part wanting to verify that the dealer did the correct procedure when I pickup the car.

Looking at pages 6, 7, & 8, they list some EX models which all use different Program IDs, but they don’t list my model. What am I missing? Am I looking at an old version of the TSB?

Pages 2, 3, & 4 list a couple Operation Numbers & they list the same “Failed Part Number”. But Operation Number 1245A9 states “A/C control unit replacement not necessary”, yet it lists the same “Failed Part Number”. If failed, why would it not be replaced?

BriteBlue said:

Looking at pages 6, 7, & 8, they list some EX models which all use different Program IDs, but they don’t list my model. What am I missing? Am I looking at an old version of the TSB?

Click to expand...

Each model and year has multiple software versions out in the public based on build date. Sometimes they update the software for new models etc. So the ex can have multiple softwares for the cvt, and then the 6mt for multiple years. Its just a honda thing.

BriteBlue said:

Pages 2, 3, & 4 list a couple Operation Numbers & they list the same “Failed Part Number”. But Operation Number 1245A9 states “A/C control unit replacement not necessary”, yet it lists the same “Failed Part Number”. If failed, why would it not be replaced?

Click to expand...

Some cars have the updated AC control module already in them so they dont need replaced, it can all depend on where and when your vehicle was made based on VIN.

The main thing to know is none of this FIXES oil dilution, its a band aid to help burn off excess fuel during the warm up stage where dilution happens the most. All DI engines will have some dilution due to the nature of how direct injection works.

dallasjhawk said:

Each model and year has multiple software versions out in the public based on build date. Sometimes they update the software for new models etc. So the ex can have multiple softwares for the cvt, and then the 6mt for multiple years. Its just a honda thing.

Some cars have the updated AC control module already in them so they dont need replaced, it can all depend on where and when your vehicle was made based on VIN.

The main thing to know is none of this FIXES oil dilution, its a band aid to help burn off excess fuel during the warm up stage where dilution happens the most. All DI engines will have some dilution due to the nature of how direct injection works.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply & information. I'm presuming the dealer is going to do what is required per the VIN, but I'm always concerned & like to know what's being done to my car.

BriteBlue said:

Thanks for the reply & information. I'm presuming the dealer is going to do what is required per the VIN, but I'm always concerned & like to know what's being done to my car.

Click to expand...

they should be able to tell you before they do the work what the TSB calls for on your VIN!

Another update: 4000km after the second oil change post-recall, so 9000km since the update and the oil is exactly where they filled, just over half of the orange tip. I guess they didn't fill all the way to prevent people from complaining in case of small increase in the level....
This winter was extremely warm, it never went under 9 degrees C, i rarely used the heater.

Got the TSB done over a month ago. Was not having any issues before and I do my oil change myself. After I got back from dealer, I noticed they overfilled the oil so I removed some using a pump and it was now on the top level line. Few weeks after, oil smell gas real bad and the oil is way over the high mark. I have not noticed any difference in the way the car drive or gas consumption. My bet is they made the engine warmup faster but that does not fix oil dilution. I was about to trade in my 2016 touring for a 2019 RDX but same problem has been reported multiple time already on the acura forum. I guess Honda went from a great motoring company to an average car maker...

I just checked my oil level again. Oil life at 90% and the oil is about 1-2mm above the orange bar. I never idle my car and temperature is above freezing since a few weeks. So if you ask me, this TSB is a big fail. I will check with my dealer if I can go back to previous version.

Rikee said:

I just checked my oil level again. Oil life at 90% and the oil is about 1-2mm above the orange bar. I never idle my car and temperature is above freezing since a few weeks. So if you ask me, this TSB is a big fail. I will check with my dealer if I can go back to previous version.

Click to expand...

Did you measure it hot or cold?

About 30 minutes after the car was shut off.

Rikee said:

I just checked my oil level again. Oil life at 90% and the oil is about 1-2mm above the orange bar. I never idle my car and temperature is above freezing since a few weeks. So if you ask me, this TSB is a big fail. I will check with my dealer if I can go back to previous version.

Click to expand...

Where it is now is somewhat meaningless, if you do not know where it was just after the oil change.
When Dealers do oil changes, they are not to precise to what level they fill, probably because if it is a little high, it should not hurt too much --- EXCEPT -- then you cannot tell later how much it has gone up with OD.

-----------------------------

Having the Dealer set it back to the "Previous Version" is an interesting concept !!!

I wonder
(a) If they would
(b) if they even can

Please be sure to let us all know how that goes ...

Please read my post above. I had originally received the car overfilled by the dealer and brought it back down to the max level on the dipstick. So I can confirm I at least gain 6-7 MM on the dipstick since the oil was changed. I noticed it go up a bit in the past between the oil changes but now it is way worst since the TSB.. Forgot to mention that my daily drive is minimum 45 minutes. I will stop by the dealer this morning and ask their opinion.

Rikee said:

Please read my post above. I had originally received the car overfilled by the dealer and brought it back down to the max level on the dipstick. So I can confirm I at least gain 6-7 MM on the dipstick since the oil was changed. I noticed it go up a bit in the past between the oil changes but now it is way worst since the TSB.. Forgot to mention that my daily drive is minimum 45 minutes. I will stop by the dealer this morning and ask their opinion.

Click to expand...

My Civic 1.5T Sport is 2 weeks old, 700km in it. It is the European version, but I think there is not much difference in engine.
So I had like 6 mm above the MAX on the dipstick after 10 days of usage (unfortunately I did not check the level at the dealer).
So I brought it to a workshop 2 dasys ago, and complained about the too much oil.
So what they did is that they stopped the car, waited for 15 minutes, and checked the level. There it was spot on the MAX mark.
I was pretty sure that for me it was over it. So finally we clarified that I made the measurement in the morning, so the car was parked whole night.

The service guy told me that this is incorrect measurement, and in that way it is normal that the oil level is little over the max (the 0-20 oil is thin like water, and every last drop flows down during the night. This was his explanation).
I did not argue with this and went home.
There I checked the owners manual, and to my surprise it clearly states that the oild level should be measured 3 minutes after the engine was stopped!
So I repeated the measurement according to this. And what I found is that the oil level was 5mm _below_ the max line.

summary:
overnight: 6mm above MAX
15 minutes wait: spot on MAX
3 minutes wait (according to manual): 5mm below MAX.

So I am not worried at this moment.

But the lesson is: the measurement must be done very consistent way!

dudeeg said:

My Civic 1.5T Sport is 2 weeks old, 700km in it. It is the European version, but I think there is not much difference in engine.
So I had like 6 mm above the MAX on the dipstick after 10 days of usage (unfortunately I did not check the level at the dealer).
So I brought it to a workshop 2 dasys ago, and complained about the too much oil.
So what they did is that they stopped the car, waited for 15 minutes, and checked the level. There it was spot on the MAX mark.
I was pretty sure that for me it was over it. So finally we clarified that I made the measurement in the morning, so the car was parked whole night.

The service guy told me that this is incorrect measurement, and in that way it is normal that the oil level is little over the max (the 0-20 oil is thin like water, and every last drop flows down during the night. This was his explanation).
I did not argue with this and went home.
There I checked the owners manual, and to my surprise it clearly states that the oild level should be measured 3 minutes after the engine was stopped!
So I repeated the measurement according to this. And what I found is that the oil level was 5mm _below_ the max line.

summary:
overnight: 6mm above MAX
15 minutes wait: spot on MAX
3 minutes wait (according to manual): 5mm below MAX.

So I am not worried at this moment.

But the lesson is: the measurement must be done very consistent way!

Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for this. I had no idea there could be so much variability in the oil level indications depending on when you checked it. That does calm some worries I had, at least until I have a few consistent 3-minutes-after-shutdown measurements that are problematic.