I'm nearing 70,000 miles in my '04 5AT TL. I'm now driving 30,000 miles each year, and I'm planning on keeping the car another year or two.

I'm wondering what preventative maintenance I should do. I'm going to change the spark plugs soon. My brakes are still good, but should I change the pads/rotors now since I'll have to do it eventually anyway?

Anything else other than regular maintenance I should be thinking about?

I love this car - it's going to be hard to part with it when I have to.

 

oil... tranny fluid.... tires rotated... check n inspect drive belt and timing belt....power steering fluid change... all the filters.... general overall inspection. if the car hasnt gven u problems then you should be good to go..... make sure u take care of the recalls they have on the powersteering hose and windshield wiper motor....put some grease on the door lock mechanism the hinges..... throw some seafoam in to clean out the fuel and emmissions system....throttle body cleaning..... if you have done these things its ok you will last....if u havent.... at 70K i recommend doing it.....you will fall in love all over again and wont want to return it...

 

What services have you done before?

At 30K the filters, oil and trans fluid was supposed to be changed
At 60K the filters, oil and trans fluid was supposed to be changed.
at 90k the filters, oil and trans fluid are supposed to be changed.

I suggest you get the recalls done if you haven't had them done yet.

Good things to do at 70K:
1. Check tires for uneven wear
2. Rotate tires
3. Rebalance tires if necessary
4. Align suspension if necessary
5. Check condition of battery
6. Check filters, replace if dirty (cabin and engine)
7. Check spark-plugs, replace if necessary ONLY with NGK iridiums!!!!
8. Add seafoam to the gas tank for a mild cleaning.
9. Add seafoam to Intake Manifold for a deep cleansing
10. Replace brake fluid if it has been 3 years since the car was made, or 1 year since the last brake fluid change. If it has never been changed, change it ASAP and check condition of calipers, a rebuild may be in order.
11. Check power-steering fluid, drain and refill if necessary.
12. Check coolant, add if necessary.
13. Add wiper fluid
14. Check drive belts for any signs of fraying.

 

lol i just got all that done for my 70k service....

 

Thanks everyone!

Tripnbeats - what's throttle body cleaning?

csmeance - Spark plugs will be replaced next month. I already bought NGK iridiums, thanks to the great advice on this board.
Didn't check the drive belts, is that something I can do myself? I don't know what to look for?

Do you think I should I change the pads/rotors now or wait until it needs to be done?

 

If you look in your engine bay, there is a ribbed tube that connect to a sliver block of metal about 5 x 5 inches. This block is the throttle body and controls the amount of air going in to the motor. Cleaning it involves dis-assembling it and cleaning by hand.

As far as the brakes, replace them when you need to, why waste some good ones right now?

 

taking note.

 

i just hit 70K and am about to do all of this. not that i've been slacking but just dont drive it that much. AZ is the $hit for information.

 

you can clean the TB by removing the main air tube from the air filter box to it,
spray some TB/Carb cleaner or Deep Creep (seafoam in spray can) on the round plate- gen3 turn the key on and the plate will open in a self test--spray more on edges and backside of plate
Turn key off and spray more as needed- wipe up with rag if needed

gen2 use throttle cable control to open plate
Toothbrush plate and sides if really bad

The smog system `PCV` pumps oil and fuel vapors into the tube and right at the TB plate- thats what builds up on it and causes idle probs and rough airflow at speed

 

seafoam the intake manifold thru the big vac line right on top of the manifold at the TB

 

i took my whole manifold off the other day and gave it a scrubbing.... insanely dirty....it def needed it.

 

Tripnbeats, how did you take it off - do you need any special tools to do this?

 

10mm deep socket, rachet, screwdrivers philips n flat.....all new gaskets and patience. oh and my handy torque wrench

 

the TL has a tendancy to plug the EGR ports n the intake manifold in about 75k miles
A good scrubbing with a few cans of carb cleaner will fix that problem
Couple hour job

 

Does the timing belt need changing at 100,000 like regular Honda's need?

Thanks

 

meng Id recommend it.....the tensioners like to leak and the waterpump could be healthy but there are other components that may need to be changed so you might as well go for it... taking it apart 2 times costs more

 

The TL uses maintenance code "4" for changing the timing belt and spark plugs; it's not based on mileage alone like some other Hondas, which recommend that change at 105K miles.

I'd probably have the belt (along with water pump, etc.) changed @ 120K if the code hasn't popped up by then.

 

went looking around the Bx for some sea foam today but couldn't find any. someone know where i can get it at?

Today i installed my cai and p2r so as i was doing i also cleaned my throttle body and man was that $hit dirty. behind the valve was all this gunk( i got 70K miles second owner but i dont think it was ever cleaned) also cleaned inside the mouth of the manifold. There was alot of dirt in there!! overall the car now with CAI and P2r responds SO MUCH BEtter but i really think it was the cleaning of the throttlebody. i suggest everyone doing it.

 

Well found some Seafoam in Jersey. just bought the cabin filter from rockauto.com charcoal activated, and cleaned throttlebody will install fujita.

the throttlebody cleaning in itself was worth removing the air filter. it was really dirty back there behind the plate. i can just imagine taking apart the intake manifold. ima seafoam for now but one day might take it apart.

 

infamous it took me 20 mins to tear down the plenum this weekend....its insane how nice it feels after a total cleaning....i havent done a seafoam yet....but i cant wait to do it.

 

SAme thing i noticed once i cleaned it. i did add the cai but i swear it was the cleaning of the TB. we gonna clean apb04tl to see if he notices a change in just the cleaning itself. took out the old filter today just to see how it looks and WOW.
i'll post up a pic later.

 

Pic of my cabin filter. should get the new one on friday.

 

Can anyone post a DIY for the throttle body cleaning and what the part numbers are for the new gaskets that we will need? Id like to do this soon, but have not had any experience dealing with this part of the engine.

Thanks.

 

^+1

 

16176-RCA-A02 throttle body gasket. only 1 needed unless u have a spacer. then u need 2. the process is easy....you take everything thats connected to the TB off of it and then you take the TB off the intake plenum.....you obviously need TB cleaner they recommend to get a clean rag spray it heavily and clean away using ur finger i like to use a toothbrush and my fingers when i have to if theres more than enough carbon deposits on the the butterfly..... in the mean time disconnect the battery and the computer has to be reset.....you also need to do the throttle body learn procedure.....

after the cleaning and reconnection of the battery... turn the key to accessory and wait 2 secs
start the car and hold the engine at 3000rpm in park or neutral until the fan comes on or until the temp is 194F ( the middle) then let the car idle for 5 mins with the throttle close (no foot on the gas)
if the fan comes on do not include its running time in the 5 mins.
and ur done.
shut the car off let it sit for 5 mins and if ur ready to drive....do ittttt

 

When u take the big rubber(Intake Tube) the throttle body has some really sharp spots i cut my finger on.

 

can you use seafoam deep creep spray as a TB cleaner?

 

wondering the same thing too. Also is it necessary to disconnect the battery when taking off the Intake manifold and TB? Do you guys stuff a towel or cover up the block with the TB off so no dirt gets into there?

 

can anyone answer that?

 

Yup thats what u supposed to use, in tb only.

 

i use seafoam and honda TB cleaner....i found some other stuff that cleans n lubes the tb as well.

 

wheres the best place to buy the tb gasket? honda/acura dealer? I havent seen them online anywhere.

 

acuraoemparts.com