marvinmartian

Hard to get to the bottom of this. I'm looking at several FWD and AWD TLs and was hoping to get an MDX for my wife later in the summer. It has the same engine, no?

Has Honda discontinued this engine figuring that eventually all the problem ones will go out of warranty, etc? Or is the problem just magnified on web forums? I've seen posts of official bulletins to Acura dealers, etc. This is extremely disconcerting, particularly since the TL is a favorite of Consumer Reports.

I gather that the friction reducing silicone/aluminum or whatever it is can cause piston rings to stick? Man, how did that not get caught by QA.

Anyhow, trying to get to the bottom of this. I'd prefer an AWD TL but I'll get a FWD if I have to. Similarly, I can always get the wife an RX350. :-(

marvinmartian

Ah, I guess this was the solution. The longer power train warranty? But still, if they replace the engine with another eventually-to-be-bad engine, that still sucks, no?

http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...-burning-claim

Anicra

35K miles with spirited driving, zero oil burnt in my 3.7. Pretty much hit and miss, except the hit (oil burning) is uncommon and good portion of people have received new engines.

marvinmartian

I guess one concern I have is that a higher percentage of the used 3.7s out there might have the oil burning issue vs. new (2012-2014). EG., it would be a reason to sell. When they were purchased new the problem was quite likely hit or miss. Although I did read one interesting article suggesting it had to do with break in. The 3.7s may prefer a harsher break in. But then again, I've read suggestions for a lot of things at this point (cylinder rings sticking, etc).

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^it def. has to do with different materials in the cylinder walls and the piston rings. and it COULD have been caused by people not breaking in the vehicle correctly.
that would mean even NEW vehicles suffered from this...because most people who bought them MIGHT have not broken the engine in correctly.

SO! that would mean, whichever TL and MDX you buy WILL BE A GAMBLE!!!! LOL
and it burns about 1 quart per 1000 Miles, so unless you measure before....then take a long test drive, then measure after...you wont find the car eating oil.

FOR ME! this would be a NON-ISSUE...because it's SO simple to top off the oil. I fuck with my car on a weekly basis. washing it and generally inspecting EVERY thing. so, TO ME....i wouldnt care if the car was eating oil.

ronricks

just turned 44k and had my car serviced yesterday and zero burnt oil in my 3.7 so far also. I have been getting the oil changed every 4k to 4.5k miles just in case. Not saying it won't happen eventually but I plan on getting rid of it as soon as the 6G comes out (if they have a performance engine avail) if not I am going to another brand.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

I'm with justnspace on this. The issue was a consideration I made when I purchased my TL but if I would have found an AWD that I really liked for a reasonable price I don't think this would have been an issue. I would have simply calculated the worst case scenario of adding oil every 1000 miles or so to the cost of ownership. You can get a 5qt bottle of Mobil 1 extended performance at Walmart for <$30 so worst case scenario, you'd be looking at an extra $30 of ownership costs every 5000 miles. That's really not much. It's not all that convenient to add oil frequently but it would be worth it for the added power and AWD IMO.

I purchased a FWD because I consider the AWD an unnecessary luxury and was more concerned about the cost of the propeller shaft issue and reduced gas mileage. Plus, around here, the AWD goes for a lot more, about 5k more because Utahn's think they need AWD for everything, which isn't really true if you have good snow tires. I could have gotten an '09-'11 for about 2-3K more than a '12-'14 but I really don't like the styling before the mid model refresh and I wanted the 6AT which they added after 2012. The FWD handles way better with the Continental DWS tires than my '06 TL did (with stock suspension anyways) so I'm more than happy with it. There are certainly days when I would have liked the AWD though, especially when taking sharp turns I don't know that I would have bought it for the extra power though. Since it weighs about 250lbs more than the FWD, it's only marginally faster in terms of 0-60. If I remember right, the 6AT SH-AWD is 6.2 seconds and the FWD is 6.5. That's not much of a difference in performance. Where it really shines is in handling.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

that's impressive! how much the FWD handles over your prior TL. and I know you had modified that to your liking. very impressive that Acura improved FWD in the next generation. That's something you dont hear or read about

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Well, that's compared to stock. Once I installed the BC Coilovers on my '06 and dropped all the weight, it handled like a go-cart. I'm still planning on going with aftermarket coils on my '12 but it's not high on the list since Acura seemed to have stiffened up the suspension on the 4th gen considerably. Even the FWD weighs 200lbs more than the 3rd gen but handles surprising better stock vs. stock. It might have something to do with the body stiffening or something. They touted that for the 4th gen as a pretty significant improvement.

I loved my 2006, but Acura really made some significant improvements on the 4th gen. I've been very impressed with the power increase, suspension and transmission (for an automatic). And the reduction in rattles. My last TL drove me nuts on the rattles. I was hunting them down weekly. They supposedly freed up the exhaust significantly as well so I'm not expecting miracles from the Jpipe and HFPC's like I did on the 3rd gen. The limited TC slip is especially welcome. The TC locks after just a second or two when shifting which gives it a more "sporty" (ie. jerky) feel but reduces drivetrain leaching. Some people have complained about that but I prefer it. The only kicker is the mileage. I frequently got 30+ with the '06. I'm lucky to get 25 with the 2012.

JoelHondaTL

I find when I drive the awd 3.7 hard it doesn't burn oil as much. Highway cruising in fourth, zipping around with paddle shifters makes for a more fun drive and less oil wasted. Doesn't even really hurt the economy all that much.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

interesting! FULL WOT AHEAD!!!!!!

Reorge

Mine doesn't burn any that can be measured.

KarKraze

Never had to add any oil to my 2010 Sh. Not sure if the break in process helped but if that theory is true then I must have done it right .
BTW, I always change the oil before it is necessary, usually around 6k Kms.

Reorge

I don't think the 3.7 is having any more oil burning issues than many new engines being sold.
Search the internet and you'll see many owners are complaining about oil burning.
Watch this video from John Cadogan who is a no-nonsense guy and he's usually right.
He didn't mention in video but modern cars also use much thinner oil which migrates past the rings and valve seals easier that older engines.

I was actually starting to burn some oil around 40k miles but it stopped after I started using a cleaner in the oil (MMO) and gas (Techron) between oil changes.
I also stopped oil burning in my Dad's 2008 Odyssey, my Ex's 2008 Odyssey, and my Son's 2004 Accord (4 cyl) using this method.

dregsfan

I bought mine last October and I've put about 5k miles on it since then. It had 27k when i bought it. I've added 1.5 qts. I'm now at 20% oil life so I'll get it changed in a week or 2.

I had read about the oil burning issue here before I decided to buy it. It was a consideration, but obviously not a deciding factor. No way to know how much any particular car will use until you own it.

WNY PAT

It's never been an issue for me. I think I've added maybe a quart and a half between 5K miles changes since I bought the car with 20,000 miles on it. It has 50,000 on it now. To me, it isn't an issue that would deter me from all the other features of the AWD 3.7. More power. Great in the snow. Torque vectoring improves handling a lot.