I almost did have a major problem last year when we were 1000 miles from home and I found a huge puddle of oil under the truck, on a Saturday.  Thought my pan was cracked and we'd have to spend 4 days waiting around for the part and fix, although it wouldn't have been terrible since we were just outside of New Orleans.  Turns out it was just a lose oil filter.  BIG alleluia on that discovery!  Plus the dealer I limped it to only charged me for 2 quarts of oil and had us in-out in 30 minutes.  They would have my biz for life if they were local.

 

I think the replacement gasket cost me $800+, most of that labor since the engine had to be basically pulled.  It was easy to figure out this was a problem across the engine line with a few searches on the internet showing thousands of complaints, but GM never had a recall.

 

Counterpoint for Toyota, we bought a used Sienna to replace that Venture and the transmission developed a fairly minor problem (stuck relay) not long after we bought it.  They replaced the whole thing under warranty, at their insistance.  I figured they would just open it up and replace the relay.

I think they are correct for the Odyssey. "Transmission Temperature is a manufacturer specific PID" and doesn't appear to have been discovered.

The Toyota forums are really active with this stuff. Looks like for Torque (Android) or Engine Link (iPhone), the following will work for 4Runners or Tacomas from 99 forward to 2014. At least that's what I understand...

I ordered a Elm327 WIFI Wireless OBD2 Scanner so should be able to confirm those codes (for Toyota) in a couple of days.

Good luck with Odyssey.

fred

They hook into the On Board Diagnostic (OBD) unit in your Odyssey.  They will basically display whatever you car's sensors are capable of giving information on, plus information on fuel consumption, temperatures, and so on.  You can also shut off check-engine-warning lights with it.  

Yes... I stand corrected on the overdrive issue.  I just found a listing of RL transmission ratios.  The final drive is actually 4.533.  In the Honda Manual, by the way, it very clearly states not to tow regularly in D3, or transmission overheating will develop.  

Thanks again.

 

I agree that on a 5 gear transmission 3rd is unlikely to be a good selection for the pod, except on big hills.  Usually "tow mode" buttons on light trucks are for heavy loads.  If you were towing near your limit then 3rd is probably the right choice.

 

I agree on speed, too.  I experimented with 60 mph (95 kph), 65 and 70+ speeds on my recent trip.  I already expected the best speed to be between 60 and 65 based on what I've found during daily driving.  60 appears to be the best when towing (10-11 mpg), with a drop to 9-10 mpg at 65, and a drop off a cliff above 70 to around 6-7 mpg.

 

Edit:  The last 2 long-range trips I've experimented with the gearing, too.  Tow-haul mode seems to drop about a half mpg off, mostly because it holds gears longer than I wanted, which is necessary for 4000+ pound loads but not the pod.  It also engaged the automatic engine braking (like the Ridgeline) which at first was nice but I felt like it dropped way down to 2nd too often, but again this would be appropriate for a heavy load.  This trip I left it in drive on the plains so it would hit 6th, and left it in 5th max the rest of the time, not using tow-haul mode.  I downshifted manually on the bigger grades only rarely going as low as 2nd.  I did use tow-haul for a few of the biggest climbs and 1 or two up-down-up-down climbs, since it also boosts transmission oil pressure.  This makes the gear changes a bit smoother when the tranny is under stress, and gets the heat to the tranny cooler faster so it keeps the temps down a bit.

After doing further research (some on the Ridgeline Owner's Forum), I made some interesting discoveries about the Ridgeline.  First, it does not have an overdrive in the transmission.  Second, setting the D3 switch on the end of the transmission lever prevents the transmission from shifting past third, which means fourth and fifth gears don't get used.

I noticed that by using the D3 switch, the RPM's jump from 1800 at 100 kph to 2700.  Literally, a 50% increase.  So, doing this is very much a step away from economical driving.

The general advice when towing with a Ridgeline is to simply put it in "D" and let it figure out what it needs to do.  The Ridgeline's transmission has a feature called Grade Logic Control which not only operates the transmission at its optimum while towing, but it also downshifts on grades to assist braking.

Locking the transmission in D3 while towing for extended periods will cause transmission overheating, and, ultimately, failure.

As far as driving economically, and perhaps this might apply to any TV, is to simply drop the speed.  I've found that 90 to 95 kph cruising makes a big difference. 

I have a 2013 176T with a 2013 Ridgeline as a TV.  We are well into our second season with both.  I have made the same discoveries as you re unloaded vs loaded engine performance and mileage.

Our home base is Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, and we make frequent trips to Prince Edward Island.

Nova Scotia is often very windy and is quite hilly, so towing anything gets quite challenging.  I travel with a WDH, which I found helps a lot with steering control in crosswinds.  The WDH brings the back end of the Ridgeline up about 3" when the torsion bars are installed.  This transfers weight to the front and improves power delivery and steering control.

I'm still experimenting to get better fuel economy.  I generally keep my speed at 95 kph, which helps a lot.  I have toyed with shutting off the overdrive, assuming this will reduce transmission shifts and momentum changes.

Overall this is a wonderful combination.  We love the 176, and plan to have it for a long time.  The Ridgeline (our second) is the most versatile and comfortable vehicle we have ever owned.  

Do you have any other suggestions to improve fuel consumption?

Thank you.

 

Happy podding.

 

Sam