2019-2024 Honda Passport 3.5L V6 Engine (J35Y6): Problems, Longevity, and Specs

Honda is one of America's favorite Japanese car manufacturers with a lot of wonderful vehicles in its history records. The Honda Passport is undoubtedly one of the brightest ones. It was first introduced in 1993 and then discontinued in 2002 to experience a rebirth in 2019. We'll be talking about the 2023 Honda Passport and its only available engine.

Today, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the 3.5L V6 J35Y6 engine that's found under the hood of every Honda Passport in the US. We'll look at its common problems and advantages, we'll also see if it's going to live long enough for its money. before buying a vehicle like the Passport, you should be sure that the engine is really good and not problematic.

Key features and my opinion about the engine

• Production years:2015-2020
• Average lifespan of J35Y6:220,000-240,000
• Fuel supply type:direct injection
• Power range:280-290 hp
• Fuel efficiency:average
• Engine block material:aluminum
• Engine reliability score:high
• The most common problems:VCM oil leaks, throttle contamination, carbon buildup on intake valves, engine belt premature failure.

Some key facts about the 3.5L V6 engine in your Honda Passport

So, the modern-day Passport is equipped with the 3.5L 6-cylinder V-shaped engine codenamed J35Y6. You can also find this engine in the Ridgeline, Odyssey, Pilot, and also Acura TLX. The engine is naturally aspirated, so you won't find any turbocharger in it which is pretty good for longevity.

The J-Series engines have been manufactured since 1996, so the technology is quite old and very well-tested. It means you won't find too many hidden problems in the unit. Of course, it still has some issues and we'll talk later about each of them in detail.

Here are some of the key features of the 3.5L V6 engine in the Passport:

• the 6-cylinder engine offers 280 hp of power and 262 lb-ft of torque - which may seem a lot, but actually, it isn't;
• the engine is equipped with the VCM system (Variable Cylinder Management) and it can turn cylinders on and off when needed for the sake of fuel economy;
• the only possible transmission that comes with this engine in the Honda Passport is the 9-speed automatic transmission made by ZF company (9HP);
• the front-wheel drive is standard for the cheapest trim, but you can still pay more and get the AWD, in higher trims it comes standard;
• it's hard to say that the engine is fuel-thirsty, the gas mileage is claimed to be about 20 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on highways;
• the engine doesn't have a lot of cutting-edge technological features and it may sound like the problem but as for us, this is its advantage;
• we believe the 3.5L V6 engine in the Passport is one of the most reliable simple engines that are left on the market today.

No, we can't say it comes without its share of problems, it's not true. The engine will show some issues right after it reaches its average death mileage or even before that. But still, you are going to drive this vehicle for a lot of years and it won't destroy your budget anyway. One of the most important things is that you won't need to spend days and nights in the Honda dealership or in the repair shop.

The 3.5L engines of this series have been manufactured for over 7 years now with no significant changes. We've seen Acuras with a lot of miles on them and no major problems with these engines. So, it gives us an optimistic feeling about the Honda Passport engine and its future lifespan.

How long will the Passport 3.5L engine go?

Many future owners want to know how many miles Passport engines can go. It's quite a personal number for every driver that depends on driving style, maintenance quality, type of parts and oil, and also on climate zone. But the average death mark should be between 240,000 and 280,000 miles.

We should say that the potential longevity is much better than that, this is just an average figure. So, if you keep an eye on any problems and solve them on time, you can drive the Passport for more than 300K miles and have no major problems with the engine. However, other parts and units of the vehicle won't survive that long.

But keep in mind that even to achieve 150K miles with no major problems, you will need to maintain this engine well. We mean you should keep up with all the maintenance requirements that Honda offers for this engine. Otherwise, the first problems will be there quite soon.

What are the common problems with the Passport 3.5L engine?

We know that the engine is pretty good and doesn't cause a lot of problems for your budget. It can go for a lot of miles without any major issues that are expensive or hard to repair. Anyway, all engines come with their problems and this one is not an exception. We clearly know some common issues that happen with the J35Y6 engine in Honda Passport and other Honda and Acura models.

Here are these issues for you to consider:

1. Oil leaks through VCM gaskets

The VCM system is not the most reliable unit in this engine. It's placed in a not very convenient spot on the engine where the module may overheat and have all those common problems. It can glitch and not turn off the cylinders making the average gas mileage much worse. But this is the lightest problem this module can bring.

In many cases, the engine won't start when the VCM fails. Also, some cylinders in the engine may be completely deactivated. This will mean that instead of driving a cool V6 car, you'll be struggling to accelerate with only 4 or even 2 cylinders.

2. Direct injection issues

We won't waste a lot of time on this because you should already know that the direct injection system is bad for valves. They may be clogged with carbon deposits over time and this will require pretty expensive repair and cleaning.

3. Permanent oil leaks

Whenever you look at the 3.5L V6 engine in the Honda Passport, you should be able to notice some oil leaks. It may leak through the head gasket, VCM gasket, head cover seal, and other gaskets and seals. The engine is really good in terms of quality but it often gives some small problems that you have to solve immediately.

Replacing a gasket may not be that easy and we should warn you that OEM parts for Honda are not the cheapest parts in your life. Sometimes, you'll just be surprised by how much the simple gasket or seal may cost.

4. No hydraulic lifters

Unfortunately, Honda still manufactures this legendary engine without any lifters in the valve system. It means that every 50-60 thousand miles you will need to take the car in for the valve adjustment procedure. It's both expensive and long, so this may be a problem for someone.

On the other hand, if the engine has no lifters, these parts won't fail and won't cause any problems. We still see this as a huge disadvantage and we fairly believe all engines should have automatic valve adjustment systems.

5. Timing belt problems

According to the manufacturer's requirements, we see that the timing belt should be replaced after about 100,000 miles. And this is weird because no belt and pulley can survive that long, in our opinion, and still be reliable. So we would strongly recommend replacing the timing belt, the pulley, and also the water pump at least every 60,000 miles.

When the belt brakes in these engines, the pistons will freely go up and down and they will hit the valves. The valves will be bent and eventually, the engine will get stuck. Such an engine in a Honda vehicle is better to replace than to repair.

How to maintain the engine to drive it longer?

We've outlined some of the most important recommendations for the J35Y6 engine. You should change the oil and filters regularly, avoid driving this vehicle while it shows some problems, and also remember the issues we've listed above. If you just follow these simple recommendations, you'll be able to drive your Honda Passport without any engine problems for a long time.

Also, remember that the driving style is really important. This engine is not made for sport, so aggressive driving will not do anything good. Be careful with the gas pedal and keep the RPM under 3000-3500 to achieve optimal longevity.

Final words

We think the 3.5L V6 engine that is placed under the hood of each new Honda Passport in the US is really good. It offers great power and torque for this vehicle, is pretty economical, and can work for many years and miles with no major problems.

Just use this article to understand how exactly you should use and maintain the engine so that you could drive it even longer than average.