I bought a used '07 Fit Sport in Jan. 2011, and have been INCREDIBLY happy with the decision to get it, but I do have a concern about something that I've noticed with it a few times since I bought it, and wondered if anyone else has seen the same.

About a week after I got it from the dealership, I noticed the check engine light was on. I know enough about Honda's to know that typically that's just a simply gas cap (or bad gas) issue. As it was super cold in CO at that time, I chalked it up to a mix of the cold weather, less than ample heat-up time I was giving the engine and a gas cap issue. I made sure the cap was clean, tightened it and started giving better warm-up times, and then after a couple of days the light cleared on it's own.

I hadn't seen any other problems with again until about 2 months ago. The light came on again, so I ran though my mental "check list" of things to do. As it was time for an oil change anyway, I changed the oil, changed the air filter, checked the plugs (perfectly fine) and cleaned/tightened the gas cap. After about 2 days, the light cleared. It seemed to be good, but then two weeks later after another fill up, the light was back on. I did my usual (cleaned/tightened the cap) and after about 2 days again, the light was gone. I had also considered at that time, that maybe it was some bad gas, as my wife had filled up (unknown to me) when there was a pump truck at the station.

This morning when I was driving into work, I noticed that the light came on again (I filled up about 2 days ago). I cleaned and tightened the cap again this morning, so I'll see if the light clears on it's own again, but I'm starting to get concerned that this might be something other than the typical gas cap issue. I've never lost engine power or had any other issues when the light has come on, and with the fact that it seems to be easily cleared with the cap check I do, I'm at a complete loss for what could be happening.

Has anyone had this same sort of problem, or have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

Why don't you go to your local auto supply store (AutoZone, O'Reilley, NAPA) and have them pull the code off your car?

Then you can better pinpoint the problem. They should do this for free.

 

^ Yea use a scanner to find out exactly why your car's throwing a light.

Also, when my 07 had a defective gas cap, there was text in the odometer display that read "Check fuel cap" or something similar. Did yours have that? I don't remember if it threw a CEL, but I do remember the text.

 

Mine doesn't have any text on it, and the first time it happened after I bought it, I scoured the owners manual and quick reference guide to make sure that it was really something with the cap and not another, more severe problem.

I've got other family members with newer year Honda models ('08 and newer) that all have the "Check Fuel Cap" text come up instead of the CEL, but '08 was the first year I noticed the change personally.

I'll have to stop by one of the auto stores on my way home tonight if the light is still on and see what the code is. Thanks for all the help thus far everyone.

 

So I ended up stopping by AutoZone last night on my way home, and had them pull the code.

P0420 - Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold

I did a bit of digging around on the boards this morning for the code, and I'm not liking what I'm reading...

 

Sounds like a catalytic converter fix. Very costly on Hondas, unfortunately.

 

It's probably because it is damned cold up there....Pull the negative wire off of the battery and put it back on in 30 minutes or so and the CEL should go out... The cat may not be getting hot enough. or the sensor needs to be cleaned with muriatic (hydrochloric) acid.

 

Also, pours some cleaner in the tank... there are various products at the local auto store. There's lots of crap that can block up the chamber in the catalytic converter, reducing the efficiency. It would be odd in a car that's 3 years old to have a truly worn-out converter.

 

Take a look at this video. It's interesting and deals with one person's dealings with the dreaded P0420 code. Maybe it's worth a try.

Fixing Bad Catalytic Converters With Inefficiency Code P0420 - YouTube