2008 Honda Fit Sport 5 speed manual. Purchased 4/2017 runs like a top. Now it has gotten cold (4 degrees) but anything 40 and under really. Start it in the morning and its a bit sluggish turning over and noisy.... let her warm up til the cold light goes off, pull out and down the street, come to a stop, the rpm drops to 0 and dies. Fires right back up and does this for the next 3 or 4 stops then its fine...WTF? No service engine lights, no codes, just dies and fires right back up ( either key or pop start while rollin ) but doesn't do it when its warmer out.... is it a Honda thing or what as I'm baffled with it since it has good rpm and everything, just dies coming to a stop the first few stops in the mornings even after warming it up first. Any clue how to stop that or what to check?

 

Have you ever had your valve adjustment done on the car? But have you done any maintenance done on it?

 

Havent done valves or plugs yet ( done everything else such as oil change , air filter...ect...) I tried to change the plugs but the bolts holding the spart towers are sieze, first was stiff all the way out, second snapped off before even breaking loose so ended up drilling it out and replacing with bolt and nut for now. I was going to pull everything but it got cold and I don't have a garage for now and didn't want to be stuck without a vehicle.
I thought to take it to the dealer for them to do but I'm afraid they are going to bend me over and ream me for a new head which I don't want and I can drill any broken ones out and replace with a bolt if they snap. Adjusting is the easy part. from my experience with used cars it looks like the last owner never touched anything under the hood being the bolts are seized and spark plugs look original. I'm just thumped with the dying, other than that it runs great after that, great mpg and all.

 

If your rpm drops to 0, I think one of two things is happening: you're not getting spark, or you're not getting fuel.

Not getting spark: Don't know how many miles on your vehicle, but if you're running past 100K on original plugs, that could be one culprit. The same if you're running on the original coilpacks, but coilpacks typically die one at a time, not all at once.

If you plan on keeping the vehicle, need to get the coilpack bolts repaired, otherwise you'll never be able to do maintenance and it will slowly die. Get the original Denso or NGK iridium plugs (don't cheap out on anything else), and get the original Hitachi coilpacks (part number ends 0053), don't cheap out on aftermarkets, they won't last to the 100K the original coilpacks are rated to.

Not getting fuel: Clogged fuel filter a possibility, or fuel pump is going.

Other random thoughts: vacuum leak, bad ECM. Valve adjust not as likely; the engine will still run, but you'll get less power and less mpg.

 

See that's the funny thing, it runs smooth as silk. Just at the first 3 or 4 stop signs (every block) it just drops to 0 and dies, fires right back up with key or pop start, no hesitations or anything, really you don't even know it died except all the lights pop on ( battery/oil/ ect ) on the dash, then after the 4th stop and dying I got like a 3 block run til I hit a light then it drops (sometimes to 0 or almost to 0 ) and jumps back up and no issues after that. Then I got about 9 blocks with 3 stops and on the highway with no issues at all for the rest of the day. it is only the first start and run of the day that it does this. I plan to use Denso plugs ($30 each) when it warms up enough to pull the plugs so I can adjust the valves as well because I will probly more than likely have to dril out the other bolts holding the coil packs on...? but it will be easier with everything out of the way as it was a PITA to drill out that #2 bolt with everything on. I'm also considering buying a wrecked 2008 Fit here locally for $200 not in bad shape but has 4 new tires and a good motor I can play with, not to mention a spare 5 speed and more. I have noticed slightly less power which I assume is the valves, mpg are still good maybe a little less due to the cold but again could be a combo with the valves.

** scratch that spare car, just checked and its gone**

 

Denso 3401 iridiums are $7.84 ea. at RockAuto plus shipping, it won't be $30 apiece:

2008 HONDA FIT 1.5L L4 Spark Plug | RockAuto

 

On those bolts, You need to soak them with Kroil. Drive the vehicle for a day and soak them again. After 5 days of this, especially if you have been driving it in between soakings, the bolts will come loose. Do not get impatient. Soak and wait the appropriate times.

I just freed up a frozen non-honda engine that had been parked for 19 years. Borescope inspections showed rust on cylinder walls at the piton tops meaning that the rings were rusted to the walls. A 3/4" drive socket on the balancer bolt with a 4 foot cheater would not move the crank.. After 7 days of soaking I was able to move it with a ratchet and socket. I now have it running on a temporary fuel tank as I still have to drain the regular tank and maybe clean it.

PB blaster might work but it is not anywhere near as good as Kroil. Kroil is available on line from Kano Labs in Nashville. We buy the stuff by the case here at the airport.

 

You are correct, I meant for the set not each...

 

Yes, I sprayed the bolts several times over with Kroil, PB Blaster, WD40, even from the underside of the bolts to get the threads, heated them with a torch, and they are still stuck. I was afraid to break another bolt and quit trying for now. I don't think I will have a break with the weather anytime soon as the weekend is calling for snow and raining up til then....