ToniRDX19

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Your oil has been diluted with gasoline; report this to your dealer immediately.

dukeh62

You have oil dilution. I'm dealing with the same thing as well. Reported it to dealer and was told nothing can be done at this time and that Acura Tech Line had no info for the service team. Best bet is to get this reported to your dealer so Acura knows this is a real issue.

swansong04

Have had this going on now for 3 months .. onto my 5th oil change coming up this Saturday. the dealer has been great about it and Acura Canada have been horrible to deal with on this problem. Both times they measured more that 800ml more oil in the engine after they drained it. Acura Canada says they have never heard of this problem before and have no fix for it yet. SO FRUSTERATING.As the engine in the car slowly wears out due to diluted engine oil .

ToniRDX19

dukeh62

Agreed...Acura's "we've never heard of this and there's nothing we can do" is beyond frustrating. Interesting how there ARE in fact some of us that have reported the problem, yet they can just play dumb.

Isn't it interesting how problems don't exist and are unfixable until the manufacturer hears about them? If it's not happening to ALL RDXs, that means parts can be replaced and the issue can be fixed.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

The instant you get the oil sample sent off to Blackstone I would take your car to your dealer and demand an oil change. In addition, I would demand they start what I'll call a, "Reverse oil consumption test", or better said, they perform an oil change and you bring it in every 1,000 miles and have the oil level on the dipstick examined and documented.

swansong04

cruiserchuck

Honda/Acura knows exactly what is happening. Oil dilution has been widely reported with Honda's direct injection turbo engines, especially in cold climates. Honda has rolled out a purported fix for the 1.5 engines in the CR-V.

dukeh62

Yup. There's no mystery here.

swansong04

I know , and that's what makes it frustrating. Acura Canada says they are not aware of this problem even though Honda Canada has YouTube videos explaining the problem.

Wander

You need to run the engine briefly to fill the new filter with oil, then turn it off and recheck the oil level. This is standard practice.

The "old" oil probably wasn't black because there aren't enough contaminants yet in the barely used engine. The "green" tint could be molybdenum disulfide from the engine assembly grease. And in case you haven't smelled enough grease, that stuff stinks!

Not saying there couldn't be gasoline dilution of the oil, but I don't find current observations compelling. Did you ever get an analysis done?

Colin Whooten

Colin Whooten

swansong04

that's what the dealer told me also. that it may have come from the factory with a high oil level. so when they did the oil change they made sure it was right on the full line. lo and behold 2 weeks later the oil was above the orange plastic part of the dip stick. so, they changed it again . on Saturday this will be the 5th oil change since December.

dukeh62

Yup, after I brought the issue to my dealer's attention, they drained the oil and refilled it to the exact suggested specs just to confirm it had the correct amount of oil in the engine. 1,200 miles later it was up over the plastic piece on the dipstick.

Wander

Run the engine, turn it off, and let it sit a minute or two for the oil to drain into the sump.

Pull out the dipstick, wipe it, then reinsert it completely ( past the seal ) and pull it out immediately. In the photo, it looks to me like the dipstick wasn't wiped.

Sometimes it's hard to get a "clean" reading because residual oil from the side of the dipstick tube gets on the dipstick. You shouldn't see stray oil way up the dipstick like I see in the photo. Repeat as necessary.

Alias1431

LOL, fuckers.

Alias1431

What was the "fix?"

rikee

The fix was a software update and an oil change. I got it done on my Civic 1.5T and problem is a lot worst after the update. The oil level is 1-2 mm above the orange bar and oil is still at 90%. I even made sure it was at the good level after I came back from dealer. I had to remove oil because they overfilled. I do not idle the car and drive at least 45 minutes each ride. Not gentle with the throttle either. Did my oil change myself for the past 3 years and oil dilution was very low before the TSB. I was going to trade in my civic for a RDX but I think we are done with honda. Past 3 honda vehicle had engine problems.
2008 Civic 1.8 engine block cracked
2012 MDX 3.7 oil consumption
2016 Civic 1.5 Bad oil dilution

Not a good track record for a motoring company.

swansong04

Took my RDX for its 5th oil change on Saturday. they said they wont be able to get to it until Monday due to the Tech line not being open on the weekend. So I had asked if they had seen this in any other RDX's with this problem and the service advisor told me no they had not. so since the car will be in the dealer for a few day they gave us a new RDX to drive. when I got home I took it upon myself to check the oil in it. well wouldn't you know it. it has the same dilution problem we have. this car only has 2200km on it ..

dukeh62

I'm meeting with a District Manager about my oil dilution issue this week.

Would all of you mind sharing the dealership (and city/state) where you have reported your oil dilution issue? I would like to supply him with a list of dealers who have reported the issue to tech line.

Thank you!

ToniRDX19

Schaller Acura; Manchester, CT

I am checking oil dipstick every week. Now Spring is here, warmer temps and I drive more oil dilution is not as bad if any.

I sent in my oil sample to Blackstone. Will publish the results when I get it. I also stock up on motor oil and Honda filters. I just change it in a few thousand miles at $30 per oil change ($24 full synthetic, $6 Honda oil filter) and 45 mins of my time. I enjoy working on my cars and l take my time instead of service shops rushing thru.

I do consider environmental impact so I minimize unnecessary oil changes. I recycled all my used oil to a local auto shop.

swansong04

This is what I’m going to end up doing I think. I will be very interested in your oil analysis results.

Midnight Mystery

Wander

Dunno what they're doing on the engineering, but Honda has a nice PR campaign going.

dukeh62

Isn't this video MINDBLOWING??? "We understand many of you are having a major problem with oil dilution. Here is what is causing that problem. Have a nice day."

bobby2478

The main thing is for anyone experiencing this issue, if the dealer tries to say they don't know about it and for you to go on your way and "report it next time" definitely don't accept this. Tell them to look at it right now and they'll smell gasoline, point to this thread and others on the Honda showing this is a KNOWN ISSUE. While they may not be able to fix the underlying cause at the moment because they don't have a TSB or other doc outlining the root cause and what to fix, they certainly can and should change your oil regularly for free until they've come up with a fix for this issue. Driving for extended periods of time with diluted oil puts your engine at risk for damage. Cheaper for Acura to pay for a few oil changes then to replace your engine. At the very least I'd demand they perform an oil change on the spot (for free) and would continue to do this regularly until the underlying cause can be addressed. There is no way they can argue it's normal for gas to be mixing with your engine oil or for your oil to be diluted and "runny".

swansong04

This is what my dealership has been doing. but when they go to communicate the issue to Acura Canada they seem to hit roadblocks. Acura Canada has been totally unreasonable with this issue. basically letting me know that until there is more cases of this issue there is nothing they will do unless there is catastrophic failure. CRAZY. Acura Canada is horrible.

bobby2478

Yeah that's stupid. At the very least they should be listening to customers/dealerships that report this and other issues if for no other purpose then to identify widespread issues or defects that may result in a recall. If they aren't logging complaints, they won't ever notice that something is a problem for more than one vehicle. Ignoring that part for a second, it's NOT NORMAL for gasoline to be mixed with your oil causing the oil to be diluted. Whether it is widespread or not is irrelevant to your vehicle. Your vehicle has an issue that needs to be corrected.

So when talking with them I'd just say absolutely be forceful that it isn't acceptable for them to say they won't do anything to fix the underlying problem, all they are doing is masking the symptoms by changing your oil frequently. Whatever is incorrectly causing gasoline to get into your oil isn't being addressed and as such the problem will continue indefinitely until they address the underlying cause for this happening in the first place. The mechanics at the dealership should be able to argue that this isn't normal for a vehicle. Escalate to a district manager with Acura or something if necessary (assuming Acura Canada has a similar structure as Acura USA)

Wander

To be fair, there is an ongoing campaign ( voluntary recall ) of CR-Vs with the 1.5T to install new engine control software and A/C control software ( and sometimes replace the A/C controller ) in order to allow the engine to heat up more rapidly under cold conditions.

They are taking a tiered approach to the recall, beginning in Canada and northern US states, since colder conditions are more likely to provoke the issue. My daughter's CR-V has had the "fix" performed, including replacement of the A/C controller.

Whether this fix will be sufficient isn't yet established.

The extent to which this problem may affect vehicles with the 2.0T isn't yet established.

Whether Honda was aware of the issue and implemented mitigating design elements in the 2.0T and its controllers isn't known.

Whether there will be a "fix" for the 2.0T isn't known.

FWIW my oil level is just above the orange plastic on the dipstick, maybe half a quart high, but it doesn't smell like gasoline. I have not monitored the level over time. I'm at 30% and have not yet had a change, although I bought it last June and drove it occasionally through the winter. I've mostly been driving another vehicle.

I'm monitoring the situation, but I'm not freaking out. YMMV

fiatlux

A software update to get the engine to heat up faster seems like a pretty hacky way to address a design flaw. All it does is masks one issue, but doesn't resolve the underlying cause.

Wander

Yeah, what I don't understand is why this problem isn't cropping up in similar direct-injected turbo engines from other manufacturers. Or is it?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Yes the oil dilution issue does show up in other DI engines; it varies by manufacturer.

Mluisgr81

Toni that sucks man. I'm in CT too and wanted to buy an RDX ASPEC next year. I was originally going to purchase a CRV but the oil dilusion issues there are pronounced. What a shame the RDX is having similar issues. Does anyone know if the CTR has similar issues? I really want the RDX but won't sink hard earned money into a car with this kind of issue. I currently have an Insight at 236,000 miles and going strong. Need an suv that will last similarly as long.

ToniRDX19

Postal Office lost my package. Waited a week after I shipped to Blackstone but the status did not change. Called USPS to create a case. After searching the warehouse/shipping they found the package(little container with 3 oz of used oil inside). Ship status changed to “delivered” on Friday, 4/5/19. I guess the oil analysis will come anyway now. Blackstone did not charge my debit card yet.

Weekly oil dipstick check indicates normal reading (below full mark). I wonder if the cold weather, long Idle w/remote start and short trips contributed to the oil dilution. The other theory is oil overfilled from the factory.

I will share the results once I get it. Vehicle has less than 2,500 miles.

dukeh62

Thanks. I'm going to be sending sample out to Horizon/Polaris for testing soon, as well. Just waiting for my testing kit to be delivered.

Alias1431

100% this. I don't want a hack. I don't want higher RPM's when the engine is cold to make it warm faster. I don't want a software fix for a hardware problem. Acura needs to address the root cause, not the symptoms.

swansong04

sent my oil sample into Finning Canada Fluid Analysis. should be getting it back shorty.

gizzard

Can someone explain the relationship between the A/C controller and the oil dilution problem on the Honda engines? Does oil dilution lead to failure of the A/C controller somehow? For the CR-V issue, it seems the cabins were not warming up fast enough due to too efficient heat absorption by the turbos (at least that's my understanding based on this website)

Last week as the weather warmed up I realized the A/C in our 2019 AWD Tech is not cooling at all. The feel of the air remains unchanged despite the temperature setting, whether the system is on automatic or manual mode (you can manually turn the A/C on or off), or whether the car is warmed up or not.

According to the MM, oil life reached 10% around 4000-4500 miles so I had the oil changed at the dealer in January. As of now, we have 5520 miles and oil life is already at 60% on the MM. According to this post, the MM does not physically monitor the oil at all, so perhaps this number is reflective of our driving patterns. On that topic, we continue to get terrible MPG with 95% city, mostly <40 mph, stop and go traffic. Fuelly has my average at 15.9 mpg, might be a touch better with 93 octane vs 91 or lower. Sport mode for the majority of the time.

I wonder if these issues (A/C failing, oil life prematurely wearing, poor MPG) are all related. I have an appointment Saturday for the dealer to take a look at the A/C. I also have a Blackstone kit with me so I'll try to send the oil sample this afternoon or tomorrow.