Spark Plug Blown on Low Mileage Fit (HONDA DENIES WARRANTY)
#81
[QUOTE=mahout;1139509]Look, we all are sympathetic to your problem, and certainly firing too early will cause higher than normal pressure stresses on the combustion chamber but here's my concerns:
1. did you do anything to ascertain the problem of your engine light being on? Honda, like most manufacturers, warn you about driving with the engine light on. Its a good thing to carry an OBD ii reader with you as a normal tool.
2. How quickly did you go to the dealer? Did you call him immediately? You have a responsibility to not harm your Fit by your action.
Well right now I'm just keeping an update for anyone interested in this problem and hoping in doesn't happen to anyone, if they can avoid it. I'm not trying to feel sorry about myself on the contrary I'm staying pessimist about the situation not thinking they will fix it. What annoys me mean while is
1. I have no car right now and i average 100 k a day, And they're not quick on giving me any news. at least pass a car.....
2. I bought this car to have something reliable for at least 5 years before issues.
3. When light got on it was in the morning on a Sunday doing groceries, feeling car wasn't responding properly figured it was some bad mix fuel/air prob., In the afternoon I had to go to work no matter what and at work they have an OBD 2 code reader but couldn't make it early enough. Wouldn't expected a blown spark plug.... (for the light to go on i did nothing to the car i drive it normally, change my oil when told, change my air filter, rust proof it, I maintain that car..)
4. The only reason why I'm getting at Honda, it's because this problem is unusual. Blown sparkplug don't make sense. I never touched them before.
So for anyone out there with that check engine light going on and bad engine responding... take it to dealer asap and maybe better get it towed....
Will hopefully update soon, glad i could help Honda 599 Mine was the 3rd cylinder that blown.
1. did you do anything to ascertain the problem of your engine light being on? Honda, like most manufacturers, warn you about driving with the engine light on. Its a good thing to carry an OBD ii reader with you as a normal tool.
2. How quickly did you go to the dealer? Did you call him immediately? You have a responsibility to not harm your Fit by your action.
Well right now I'm just keeping an update for anyone interested in this problem and hoping in doesn't happen to anyone, if they can avoid it. I'm not trying to feel sorry about myself on the contrary I'm staying pessimist about the situation not thinking they will fix it. What annoys me mean while is
1. I have no car right now and i average 100 k a day, And they're not quick on giving me any news. at least pass a car.....
2. I bought this car to have something reliable for at least 5 years before issues.
3. When light got on it was in the morning on a Sunday doing groceries, feeling car wasn't responding properly figured it was some bad mix fuel/air prob., In the afternoon I had to go to work no matter what and at work they have an OBD 2 code reader but couldn't make it early enough. Wouldn't expected a blown spark plug.... (for the light to go on i did nothing to the car i drive it normally, change my oil when told, change my air filter, rust proof it, I maintain that car..)
4. The only reason why I'm getting at Honda, it's because this problem is unusual. Blown sparkplug don't make sense. I never touched them before.
So for anyone out there with that check engine light going on and bad engine responding... take it to dealer asap and maybe better get it towed....
Will hopefully update soon, glad i could help Honda 599 Mine was the 3rd cylinder that blown.
#82
Hey guys. So right now I still haven't heard from Honda engineering. I've spoken with one of my clients that knows a friend that's had engine problems with her honda fit 07 at 95k. Seems that her problem had something to do with spark plug firing too early. Now here's the interesting part. Before the spark plug blew out the car, it was starting to act up like the was a miss fire. Like a sensor problem (was rainy outside figure it could be the reason). SO here it is that i take the car to work even with the engine light on thinking i'll get that checked with an OBD 2 code reader. After a stop I accelerate a lil and that's when the spark plug blows.... Now I'm wondering if i didn't have the same problem the spark plug firing before the piston was all the way up. So if it sparked too early, the explosion in the piston creates pressure at a wrong time and the compression had to come out... where does it go weakest place, spark plug blows out.. I've checked my car before the dealer took it in. there was no more threads at all in the spark plug hole. So I think it's a recall problem to come....
Its more likely that the spark plug had started to work its way out, causing that cylinder to miss.
#83
#84
Alright guys. After 2 weeks i finally got an answer from honda and they're saying I tampered with the spark plugs. They're saying they're new cause they're are no mark on the spark plug not enough carbon deposit on the white part.... here's the link they sent me.
PLUG STUDIO / NGK
That's all i got from 2 weeks of engineers looking after my car.... Very disappointed like i said i never touched them before... so now i'm gonna contact better business bureau, maybe a few local newspapers..... but meanwhile gonna try a helicoil fix myself... If it don't work gonna buy another engine found one for 1000$ i'll make sure to tighten sparkplugs before installing it.
I'm very disapointed in Honda, i think this can end up being a recall problem since i think the problem is just starting to show on cars.
I''ll take pictures of the fixing job and of the head....
Thanks everyone for the help and info.
PLUG STUDIO / NGK
That's all i got from 2 weeks of engineers looking after my car.... Very disappointed like i said i never touched them before... so now i'm gonna contact better business bureau, maybe a few local newspapers..... but meanwhile gonna try a helicoil fix myself... If it don't work gonna buy another engine found one for 1000$ i'll make sure to tighten sparkplugs before installing it.
I'm very disapointed in Honda, i think this can end up being a recall problem since i think the problem is just starting to show on cars.
I''ll take pictures of the fixing job and of the head....
Thanks everyone for the help and info.
#85
I wish I had a good word for you but I don't. I also wish I had a 48,000 or 50,000 mile set of plugs that you could take a picture of for comparison.
I wonder if calling NKG would help. I also wonder if NKG can tell how many miles (or kms) are on your plugs if you mailed them to them.
I wonder if calling NKG would help. I also wonder if NKG can tell how many miles (or kms) are on your plugs if you mailed them to them.
#86
[QUOTE=09sporthondafit;1139527]
So sorry to see Honda is not participating. One thing I would like to point out is why should anybody have to worry about a maintenance item that has an extended replacement interval. I remember the day when copper core plugs were replaced at 48,000km-and yes you could see wear from normal use. I replaced my plugs on my Fit with no noticeable wear 55% sooner than Honda's requirements. I honestly believe that no mechanic is at fault as plugs are not removed for any reason except for maintenance minder 4 which comes up at high mileage. This leaves holes at the manufacturer's level, and let's face it would be caused by human error in programming their machining centers. I have seen their manufacturing plant in Hamamastu Japan first hand on a factory tour.
When will Honda realize the problem? only when consumer's see a resulting failure, hard to document as most will not be buying a new cylinder head-hard to track. For those who suggest that more should be done by the owner when an engine light comes on-engine misfire codes will occur only after the plug has come loose-nothing is preventable except owner's who take the measure to have them pre-inspected.
Please review Hermanp's photos and look closely at the plugs-clearly the loose plug and burnt coil pack have obvious blow by gases from the combustion chamber on not only the ceramic area but around the hex head. One of the other plugs is clean with no discoloration around base, normal. One other had normal discoloration at base of ceramic not from being excessively loose. I had one loose and one discoloured similar but was fortunate not to have any thread damage in my cylinder head.
I can not fully inspect the threads in my cylinder head but the new plug went in smoothly and could be torqued correctly. Properly torqued spark plugs serve important functions other than the obvious-plugs help to dissipate high temperatures from combustion to the rest of the aluminum cylinder head for proper heat dissipation, and as you know heat is one of the biggest byproducts of combustion. Who knows what long term damage if any has been done by driving my car under these conditions.
I would continue to discuss with Honda simply on the mere fact that plugs are rated long life and no tampering has been done on your part.
Look, we all are sympathetic to your problem, and certainly firing too early will cause higher than normal pressure stresses on the combustion chamber but here's my concerns:
1. did you do anything to ascertain the problem of your engine light being on? Honda, like most manufacturers, warn you about driving with the engine light on. Its a good thing to carry an OBD ii reader with you as a normal tool.
2. How quickly did you go to the dealer? Did you call him immediately? You have a responsibility to not harm your Fit by your action.
Well right now I'm just keeping an update for anyone interested in this problem and hoping in doesn't happen to anyone, if they can avoid it. I'm not trying to feel sorry about myself on the contrary I'm staying pessimist about the situation not thinking they will fix it. What annoys me mean while is
1. I have no car right now and i average 100 k a day, And they're not quick on giving me any news. at least pass a car.....
2. I bought this car to have something reliable for at least 5 years before issues.
3. When light got on it was in the morning on a Sunday doing groceries, feeling car wasn't responding properly figured it was some bad mix fuel/air prob., In the afternoon I had to go to work no matter what and at work they have an OBD 2 code reader but couldn't make it early enough. Wouldn't expected a blown spark plug.... (for the light to go on i did nothing to the car i drive it normally, change my oil when told, change my air filter, rust proof it, I maintain that car..)
4. The only reason why I'm getting at Honda, it's because this problem is unusual. Blown sparkplug don't make sense. I never touched them before.
So for anyone out there with that check engine light going on and bad engine responding... take it to dealer asap and maybe better get it towed....
Will hopefully update soon, glad i could help Honda 599 Mine was the 3rd cylinder that blown.
1. did you do anything to ascertain the problem of your engine light being on? Honda, like most manufacturers, warn you about driving with the engine light on. Its a good thing to carry an OBD ii reader with you as a normal tool.
2. How quickly did you go to the dealer? Did you call him immediately? You have a responsibility to not harm your Fit by your action.
Well right now I'm just keeping an update for anyone interested in this problem and hoping in doesn't happen to anyone, if they can avoid it. I'm not trying to feel sorry about myself on the contrary I'm staying pessimist about the situation not thinking they will fix it. What annoys me mean while is
1. I have no car right now and i average 100 k a day, And they're not quick on giving me any news. at least pass a car.....
2. I bought this car to have something reliable for at least 5 years before issues.
3. When light got on it was in the morning on a Sunday doing groceries, feeling car wasn't responding properly figured it was some bad mix fuel/air prob., In the afternoon I had to go to work no matter what and at work they have an OBD 2 code reader but couldn't make it early enough. Wouldn't expected a blown spark plug.... (for the light to go on i did nothing to the car i drive it normally, change my oil when told, change my air filter, rust proof it, I maintain that car..)
4. The only reason why I'm getting at Honda, it's because this problem is unusual. Blown sparkplug don't make sense. I never touched them before.
So for anyone out there with that check engine light going on and bad engine responding... take it to dealer asap and maybe better get it towed....
Will hopefully update soon, glad i could help Honda 599 Mine was the 3rd cylinder that blown.
When will Honda realize the problem? only when consumer's see a resulting failure, hard to document as most will not be buying a new cylinder head-hard to track. For those who suggest that more should be done by the owner when an engine light comes on-engine misfire codes will occur only after the plug has come loose-nothing is preventable except owner's who take the measure to have them pre-inspected.
Please review Hermanp's photos and look closely at the plugs-clearly the loose plug and burnt coil pack have obvious blow by gases from the combustion chamber on not only the ceramic area but around the hex head. One of the other plugs is clean with no discoloration around base, normal. One other had normal discoloration at base of ceramic not from being excessively loose. I had one loose and one discoloured similar but was fortunate not to have any thread damage in my cylinder head.
I can not fully inspect the threads in my cylinder head but the new plug went in smoothly and could be torqued correctly. Properly torqued spark plugs serve important functions other than the obvious-plugs help to dissipate high temperatures from combustion to the rest of the aluminum cylinder head for proper heat dissipation, and as you know heat is one of the biggest byproducts of combustion. Who knows what long term damage if any has been done by driving my car under these conditions.
I would continue to discuss with Honda simply on the mere fact that plugs are rated long life and no tampering has been done on your part.
#87
When a spark plug is loose enough to leak past the threads there will be a lean burn condition on the cylinder the plug is leaking from and a lighter colored spark plug electrode... It seems to me that a few others on Fit Freak have had a plug blow out over the years I've been around here.. I have a 2007 model I got in July 2006 and have never had one problem with it even though it is supercharged, has numerous other modifications and I have been known to drive it pretty hard at times.. As a matter of fact the original battery is still good... I have changed the spark plugs three times in it though and once forgot to replace the last one due to cold weather and keeping warm with a pint bottle of Maker's Mark.. I think a person that tinkers under the hood regularly is more likely to take notice of a problem and avoids problems... My biggest blunder with the Fit was not replacing the oil cap after an oil change.. I caused a hell of a mess but caught it in time to add oil and cap off the hole where the cap goes with a plastic bag and duct tape... Another old Vietnam vet saw my disabled vet plates and raised hood and provided the duct tape.. Ya gotta love good ol' boys and rednecks when you need duct tape.
#88
It seems that Honda has a problem with this loose spark plug, at 90,000 miles, one of the spark plug in my 2007 Honda Fit pulled out and the coil pack broke.
There was no modification done on the engine,and the big problem now was the spark plug thread is loose, i tried putting a new spark plug but it wont go through because its too loose.
My warranty expired already & i'm really dissapointed it happened.
There was no modification done on the engine,and the big problem now was the spark plug thread is loose, i tried putting a new spark plug but it wont go through because its too loose.
My warranty expired already & i'm really dissapointed it happened.
#89
good news everyone! Fixed my car on Saturday. Took me about 4 hours of work. Did a helicoil fix. Was the most nervous fixing job i ever did. And installed NEW spark plugs. The helicoil kit cost me about 100$, needed new coil which was 100$, spark plugs costed me 15$ each bought the same kinds that was in the car already. i took pictures of the job if i can ever help anyone. I'm still gonna complain at honda and tell them their engineers aren't doing there job. Thanks everyone for your support!! I appreciate everyone that tried to help. CHECK YOUR SPARK PLUGS!! don't count on Honda to help.
#90
Glad the helicoil kit worked for you. Still going to have to keep a eye on the plugs. Think if it happens enough here south of the border we might get some action out of Honda.
What I find interesting here is that AHM is much like VWoA. Hopefully I will find AHM better in the long run. At least we don't have to mess with any special AHM oils unlike VWoA's special oils that they did not have in the US way back when.
What I find interesting here is that AHM is much like VWoA. Hopefully I will find AHM better in the long run. At least we don't have to mess with any special AHM oils unlike VWoA's special oils that they did not have in the US way back when.
#91
good news everyone! Fixed my car on Saturday. Took me about 4 hours of work. Did a helicoil fix. Was the most nervous fixing job i ever did. And installed NEW spark plugs. The helicoil kit cost me about 100$, needed new coil which was 100$, spark plugs costed me 15$ each bought the same kinds that was in the car already. i took pictures of the job if i can ever help anyone. I'm still gonna complain at honda and tell them their engineers aren't doing there job. Thanks everyone for your support!! I appreciate everyone that tried to help. CHECK YOUR SPARK PLUGS!! don't count on Honda to help.
#92
I just wanted to let everyone know it happened to me 2 days ago. I noticed a rattle about a day prior and just as I was thinking about getting it looked at, I heard a very loud clunk and the car shook. Thought I hit something in the road for a second, but then the knocking started.
I have the same car as Herman, '09 Sport M/T w/ 50.1K miles.
When the mechanic told me that a spark plug had shot out, my first thought was the recall I took it in for over the summer, they had to go near the plugs- either that or it happened in the factory. Aside from break jobs and oil changes, I never touched them. I did not take it to a dealer to be repaired. 500 bucks and it's running nicely again. 4 days before this happened the dealer called letting me know it had been 4 years since I bought the car, and to call them and let them know how it was going.
I'm gonna be calling them alright.
This forum was a big help when deciding back in '08 between a focus, a cobalt and a fit. Decided to check and see if this happened to anyone else on a hunch. : )
I have the same car as Herman, '09 Sport M/T w/ 50.1K miles.
When the mechanic told me that a spark plug had shot out, my first thought was the recall I took it in for over the summer, they had to go near the plugs- either that or it happened in the factory. Aside from break jobs and oil changes, I never touched them. I did not take it to a dealer to be repaired. 500 bucks and it's running nicely again. 4 days before this happened the dealer called letting me know it had been 4 years since I bought the car, and to call them and let them know how it was going.
I'm gonna be calling them alright.
This forum was a big help when deciding back in '08 between a focus, a cobalt and a fit. Decided to check and see if this happened to anyone else on a hunch. : )
Last edited by Detroit; 12-13-2012 at 10:38 PM. Reason: typo
#93
I just wanted to let everyone know it happened to me 2 days ago. I noticed a rattle about a day prior and just as I was thinking about getting it looked at, I heard a very loud clunk and the car shook. Thought I hit something in the road for a second, but then the knocking started.
I have the same car as Herman, '09 Sport M/T w/ 50.1K miles.
When the mechanic told me that a spark plug had shot out, my first thought was the recall I took it in for over the summer, they had to go near the plugs- either that or it happened in the factory. Aside from break jobs and oil changes, I never touched them. I did not take it to a dealer to be repaired. 500 bucks and it's running nicely again. 4 days before this happened the dealer called letting me know it had been 4 years since I bought the car, and to call them and let them know how it was going.
I'm gonna be calling them alright.
This forum was a big help when deciding back in '08 between a focus, a cobalt and a fit. Decided to check and see if this happened to anyone else on a hunch. : )
I have the same car as Herman, '09 Sport M/T w/ 50.1K miles.
When the mechanic told me that a spark plug had shot out, my first thought was the recall I took it in for over the summer, they had to go near the plugs- either that or it happened in the factory. Aside from break jobs and oil changes, I never touched them. I did not take it to a dealer to be repaired. 500 bucks and it's running nicely again. 4 days before this happened the dealer called letting me know it had been 4 years since I bought the car, and to call them and let them know how it was going.
I'm gonna be calling them alright.
This forum was a big help when deciding back in '08 between a focus, a cobalt and a fit. Decided to check and see if this happened to anyone else on a hunch. : )
#94
I'm glad it worked out for you not too badly!! Honda dealership wanted to charge me 6000$ for the repair which was just completely ridiculous. So fixed it myself cost me about 200$. I think this is a serious matter! I strongly recommend everyone who owns a Honda fit to re-torque spark plugs. It's not worth it to wait until it breaks down.
#97
There are over 260,000 2nd Gen Fits in the US and Canada alone, while unfortunate.. <50 people having a spark plug blow out is not going to spur a recall. That is ~0.002% of vehicles affected.
This is not the fault of an engineer not doing their job, this is an inevitability in mass production.
Being pro-active, like actually inspecting your vehicle when you hear a noise (like a rattle) or a check engine light comes on, will prevent this.
Everyone wants something or someone to blame, rarely is it ever themselves. When I got water in my spare wheel well do I blame Honda? No, the car is 5 years old and subject to thousands of hours of use, abuse, and exposure to the elements.
Because a handful of you had a bad experience does not tarnish the cars reputation.
They are an exceptionally well built car.
This is not the fault of an engineer not doing their job, this is an inevitability in mass production.
Being pro-active, like actually inspecting your vehicle when you hear a noise (like a rattle) or a check engine light comes on, will prevent this.
Everyone wants something or someone to blame, rarely is it ever themselves. When I got water in my spare wheel well do I blame Honda? No, the car is 5 years old and subject to thousands of hours of use, abuse, and exposure to the elements.
Because a handful of you had a bad experience does not tarnish the cars reputation.
They are an exceptionally well built car.
#98
Like check the torque? Then you're tampering lmao. Dude this thread makes me nervous! I guess once my warranty runs out i'll check those plugs yeesh what a mess.
#99
This was posted on "another car forum somewhere". This is not a problem unique to Fits.
Crown Victoria Project Update - Spark Plug Repair - Car Craft Magazine
Crown Victoria Project Update - Spark Plug Repair - Car Craft Magazine
#100
Hi everyone. First time poster but long time lurker -- since buying my '10 m/t base new. Never ever a problem with it, then suddenly Sunday, with just over 50K miles on it, while on my way to work, I heard a noise from the front end, turned down the radio, and heard a rattling when I depressed or released the throttle. Then suddenly, the car lost power, and the Check Engine light came on. Car never gave any indication anything was wrong, except the gas mileage dropped a bit on the last tank, which happens sometime, and it has been cranking over a bit hard, which I think has been discussed on here before, and which I've intermittently experienced, so I dismissed it. Limped about 2 miles down the street to a gas station and parked it. Got towed to Peters Honda in Nashua, NH Monday, they called me today.
They told me that the # 2 spark plug had blown out, destroying it's coil pack. They also said they found the other three plugs "loose" I've never touched the plugs, and afaik no mechanic has either. The car has only been to mechanics 5 times, for oil changes per the Maintenance Minder. No Lost Motion Spring recall on this one. I thought it was strange that I had EXACTLY the same problem, including the cylinder # that popped, as the OP
Peters never questioned anything. They Time-Serted the plug hole and torqued the others to spec. The power train warranty covered the tow, evaluation, and repair. Not a penny out of my pocket. When they called and told me what it was, I Googled the problem and it brought me to this thread, which I am forwarding to the service manager at Peters.
The hilarious part is, the next day I was supposed to trade my '01 Ranger for an '06 F250 with a 5.4L that's known to have this type of problem, and I've been apprehensive about that!
They told me that the # 2 spark plug had blown out, destroying it's coil pack. They also said they found the other three plugs "loose" I've never touched the plugs, and afaik no mechanic has either. The car has only been to mechanics 5 times, for oil changes per the Maintenance Minder. No Lost Motion Spring recall on this one. I thought it was strange that I had EXACTLY the same problem, including the cylinder # that popped, as the OP
Peters never questioned anything. They Time-Serted the plug hole and torqued the others to spec. The power train warranty covered the tow, evaluation, and repair. Not a penny out of my pocket. When they called and told me what it was, I Googled the problem and it brought me to this thread, which I am forwarding to the service manager at Peters.
The hilarious part is, the next day I was supposed to trade my '01 Ranger for an '06 F250 with a 5.4L that's known to have this type of problem, and I've been apprehensive about that!