use honda coolant!

hi,
this is in response to an earlier post from last year about water pump
failure for a 2005 Honda Pilot (bought in Dec 2004). basically what
happened was that when i bought the car, the coolant reservoir was
empty and i filled it to the max with Peak 50/50 coolant (the green
stuff). and shortly after that, there was a noise from the timing belt
area that apparently the Honda mechanics could not hear until just now
-- a year after i first heard the noise.
i took it in before the warranty expired (i''m at 35k) and they
finally heard the noise and diagnosed it as a bad water pump and a bad
tensioner. they replaced both under warranty.
just letting you all know that you should use honda fluids only
(except for the oil)...otherwise if i waited for the water pump to
really fail, this would have cost me several hundred dollars.

the previous posts diagnosing my problem were right on the money!
anyway, just sharing
thanks for the help i got
-jonathan

 

In

I disagree strongly. Ethylene glycol is ethylene glycol, and I've used a
50/50 mix of the cheapest antifreeze w/ water in both Hondas I've owned and
retired without any water pump problems. The first lasted 355K and the
second 346K miles before I retired them.

 

There was a time that was true, and it wasn't so long ago. Even 15 years ago
most cars used plain ol' ethylene green ehtylene glycol antifreeze, although
a few cars were beginning to use the weird red/orange/pink coolants. I was
even considered odd because I used demineralized water instead of water from
the garden hose to dilute antifreeze rather than tap water. Whatever
additives they had just weren't a big deal.

Now the specialized coolants with specific additives are the norm. The
unofficial Honda FAQ covers it fairly well at
http://tegger.com/hondafaq/mix_antifreeze.html and the other links from
there. To tell the truth, I can't keep track of what will work where, so I
go with the specified coolant from the dealer. I know it costs more than the
exact same thing in an auto parts store, but I can be sure I'm not getting
something that will damage the engine.

Mike

 

That was weird. Should'a proofread that at least a little bit!

 

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The timing belt tensioner and water pump failures have been a known
problem for a few years. Both of the TSB's are here, on Tegger's site:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/tsb/pilot/index.html

I don't think I'd buy a used HONDA if the reservoir was empty. What else
did the owner neglect ? ? ?

'Curly'