Back in March 2025 we had an issue with our 2016 gray Honda Odyssey minivan. It wasn’t working right and then it stalled out. The technician said our piston rings were worn out and it was causing a range of problems including engine misfires and even an oil leak that shorted the alternator. The mechanic said there was a cheaper temporary fix and a more expensive more permanent fix. Addressing the piston rings themselves meant going into the engine and that’s a big deal. So we went for the cheaper fix.
About a month ago, in July, we got a letter from Honda about a piston rings recall! Apparently this was such an issue for Honda that they’re extending the warranty up to ten years to cover this fix. So we called up the dealership who said it could only be covered once the problem presents itself again and the error code comes on. And we had to be sure that happened before January 2026 when our ten year window runs out. The mechanic assured us it was only a matter of time, but we didn’t know when.
For the Sunday and Monday of Move-In Week, which marks the end of our summer season, we did a Two-Day End-of-Summer Alumni Trip including a Mini-Reunion in Crown Heights, an engagement party in West Hempstead, overnighted in Morristown NJ, attended an alumna’s mother’s funeral near Philly, and a alumnus’ son’s Pidyon HaBen in North Woodmere.
Wait – but didn’t a generous donor gift you a new minivan especially for these types of alumni trips? Yes! But for this trip we had to divide up. Our daughters took the newer minivan in and our on Sunday and we took the older gray minivan to continue on for the Monday piece.
So it was a lot of driving. And it was on the way to the funeral, just where Jersey and Pennsylvania meet that the Check Engine light started flashing and the car starting riding rough. After the funeral we had to find a one-way rental (Newark Airport was the only option) and a Park and Ride where we could keep the car until we could get it towed up to the dealership in Latham near Albany – which we finally did at midnight that night.
The good news is that it looks like the piston rings repair will be covered by Honda.
But what’s to be learned from this problem of leaky, weakened, worn-out piston rings?
(1) It’s Only a Matter of Time: Yet we just don’t know exactly when, or where we will be. For some such matters it may help to be prepared or aware, to know what to do when it occurs, so it doesn’t catch us totally unawares, blindsided. For good things we await, this can also be a message of hope and optimism. It’s gonna happen, we will get there, hang in there.
(2) Piston Rings Protect Compression Inside the Cylinder: For healthy engine performance, a combustion engine needs optimum compression levels inside each cylinder. That way the pistons get the most out of each stroke. There’s a certain protected sealed purity needed for that. But if piston rings are work and leak, compression levels go down and the engine gets less out of all that effort. The cylinders need to “lock in” and be totally focused without outside leakage disturbing or diluting its concentration levels.
(3) Keep Gas & Oil Separate: Following up on #2, worn piston rings (and/or leaky valves, too) can cause problems with both the oil and gas consumption as the piston rings actually help keep the oil and the gas in the engine apart. To most of us gas and oil seem kind of the same, but they are very different and have different functions inside an engine. The gas is fuel, the oil is a lubricant. Oil can burn, of course, but it’s not supposed to burn up in our engines. People-wise, too, there’s fuel that’s meant to be consumed and burned up like gas, and then there’s a fuel that’s meant to keep us engaged, involved, aware – but not used up.
(4) Much More Labor Than Parts: The piston rings and parts themselves are quite cheap. But it’s the labor to get to them that makes it expensive. Taking apart the engine or even parts of it is labor-intensive and that’s where the cost is. The same is with life fixes, and areas we need the most improvement. There are tools and techniques and equipment we can get. There’s stuff we can buy to help us out. But the heavy lifting, the main effort, is within ourselves. Our labor, our effort, our personal investment.
Working through all this. The repairs aren’t done as of yet. Let’s see what we can learn from this!