Last week I was on the highway when my 2011 Sport suddenly stopped accelerating and the engine light started blinking. It was moving, but wouldn't climb past 30. That dropped even lower when I took the off ramp which went up an incline. I pulled over and turned it off for a few minutes. When I turned it back on, it worked fine. I took it to the mechanic and they stated it was a "voltage event" and replaced the battery and cables.

Last night, the same thing happened, again while I was on the highway. We limped to the mechanic, again losing power going up hills and never getting past 30. Today they are replacing the spark plugs and ignition coils.

My wife insists this is a fuel pump issue, and I admit I don't see how this could really be electric related. Anybody experience anything like this?

 

You don't say but is it AT or MT transmission?

If AT, and you are driving in the "S" mode, over revving will put the engine into a "protection" mode and won't let you go fast. You have to turn off engine and restart to clear the protection mode. Just asking.

 

It is an AT transmission, but I'm not sure what "S" mode is. I don't think I was over-revving as I was driving as I always have. Restarting did clear it the first time, but not after the problem recurred.

 

Interesting. Both about the "S" mode and that the problem doesn't seem to be related to that.

I have a '11 Sport and my gear shift has P-N-D-S. The "D" is full automatic and "S" kind of forces you into sing the paddle-shifters on the back of the steering where hands grab on. Anyway, I was in "S" mode and "firmly" in 1st gear when I over-revved and the engine went into "limp-home mode".

Anyway, it doesn't sound like that is what is happening with yours.

I'm kind of surprised that the mechanic is taking advantage of you like this ($100 battery + cables + labor) and now spark plugs / coils ($12 ea spark plugs, coil pack $80 - $160 ea + labor). I wouldn't let them touch the car again. They don't know what they are doing.

I'm not a big fan of Honda dealers (on shady side) but they might have a better scan tool to figure out what the problem is. Is your mechanic a Honda dealer? Just asking

 

"S" mode, okay. Didn't consider it was the one under "D". I rarely have occasion to use "S", and never on the highway. Don't use the paddles, either.

The mechanic is not charging for the spark plugs / coils as they agree they should have been checked the first time. I'm still not convinced that is the issue, and I am insisting they take it out on the highway before I pick it up.

The mechanic is at CarMax, where I purchased the car. I've enjoyed them in the past, but it seems clear they are looking solely at the computer readout and not exploring further so I will definitely look around for a reputable mechanic for future needs.

 

From past experience, scan tools (look for computer codes) aren't all created equal. We had a VW Jetta that started burning up catalytic convertors ($1500 pipe / convertor) that were under warranty. I was really surprised by the depth the dealer's system could look in to and the parameter reset process. Worked in the end.

Maybe there is a recording device that can get plugged into the OBDII socket to record any transient issue.

 

Don't take this the wrong way Spike, but did you just make this stuff up?
And please define over-revving.

I though the rev limiter is the only engine protection against human stupidity.

My '13 Fit has the 5-speed MT, so obviously the transmission is different, however our cars have the same engine and other electrical & mechanical systems. In the two years of ownership I must have hit the rev limiter at least 5 or 6 times on different occasions. About 2-3 times I did it on purpose out of curiosity, while the other 2-3 times it just happened after downshifting into 2nd gear to overtake slow cars. Absolutely nothing bad has happened then and nothing went limp at home either.

So why would Honda engineers design the AT cars differently?

From my point of view, if that limp-mode is indeed real, it would be a safety hazard for drivers and a huge insurance liability for Honda.

Now on the other hand, if you managed to disable the electronic rev limiter and you rev'ed the engine well past the tachometer reading (past 8-9 K rpm), then that's a whole different story...

The only scenario where I can understand Honda engineers adding another protection system against human stupidity is while the engine is still cold and the dash has the cold engine blue light. In that scenario, revving higher than 3K rpm isn't recommended and it would make sense for Honda to implement an electronic protection system to keep your revs limited until the engine warms up to operating temperatures.

@ renfield1969
What's the mileage of your car?
And have you ever had your AT fluid changed, and if so, how frequently?
Perhaps your issues are transmission related, in which case a transmission specialist would be your best bet.
I would only go to the dealer for a free diagnostic & quote and then take my business elsewhere.

 

Andrei - nope, not made up. It happened to me - twice. That is the extent of my knowledge - personal experience, for what it's worth.

Anyway, it doesn't seem that Renfield's problem comes from that occurrence, real or imagined.

 

Sounds like you have water in your gasoline. I may be wrong but those are the symptoms i've experienced in the past.

 

UPDATE

I have not had any issues since the spark plugs and coils were replaced, so it seems that was the issue. Still plan to shop around for a different mechanic, though.

 

Thanks for the update. Always good to close the loop.

 

I hope your problem is fixed. A bad battery will not cause this. The engine runs on the alternator as an electrical source. I would find a new mechanic. He was just guessing and did a poor job.

That said, The first thing I would have done is look at the codes stored in the computer. If the engine light was flashing there should have been some stored codes. It is difficult to diagnose this remotely but the codes would give you a place to start. Was it electrical, maybe, was if fuel supply, maybe.

 

I was going to say replace plugs and coils. My 2010 fit was driving fine at 99K and the maintenance indicator suggested a plug change so I did both spark plugs and coils (all oem) and while it was running fine - it does feel smoother. I paid around $750 with tax just for reference

 

Had the same problem. Changed only one ignition coil and on testing the car, another ignition coil went bad. I changed 3 ignition coils on 4, and 4 spark plugs.
However since then, i notice that when i press the accelerator to start moving the car, the car has lost its acceleration. A slight press on the accelerator does not give a good enough acceleration as before. And then the engine seems to sound a bit louder before the car changes from first gear to second gear. Also, it seems to take longer for the car to enter the second gear.
​​​​​Does anyone know what's causing this new problem after i've changed spark plugs and ignition coils ?

 

I experienced the same symptoms and the fix was to replace the spark plugs and coil packs at enormous expense. I have since had two other replacements at the dealers expense. Your in the bucket with a lot of us with this issue. So far many avenues for s permanent solution on this forum. I am going with the thread locker one. Best of wishes to you and your Fit.

 

I'm not saying that the problems aren't related to the coil packs but it would seem that a loose / worn / damaged spark plug would be more likely.

I eventually had both #2 and #3 cylinder plugs create misfires / turn on the the CEL but in the beginning it was just #2. The dealer immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was the coil pack and got me ($$$) on that one. Within a day or two the CEL was back on showing misfires in both #2 and #3, and again, the dealer says it has to be coil packs. BS!

When I dug into it and noticed how lose the #2 and #3 plugs were (25% unthreaded), I realized that the dealer would hose me a 1000 times like this (lose plugs is a know problem) if I let them. I put in new plugs and went back to using the original coil pack (#2) and haven't had any problems (yrs & approx 30,000 miles).

Because of the very high cost of a coil pack or all 4, I would opt to change out the spark plugs first, drive it, then see if the problem is fixed. Both the changing of the coil packs and spark plug replacement can be done without disassembling the heating / air conditioning cowling, the real cost to wait on the coil pack change out isn't great.

Maybe after I get over 100K miles on mine (70K now), I'll sing a different tune but I'd only change the coil pack that is failing, not all four.

 

A bad battery can cause all sorts of issues, so please quit spreading bullshit on the internet!

1) A bad battery can come in many ways -internal short, bad cell, worn-out, low fluid, cracked post, open circuit, and many more problems

2) With a bad battery, the alternator is working overtime to charge the battery. If the battery is simply "old," it may keep enough charge to prevent the alternator from being overtaxed. HOWEVER , if it has a bad cell, an open, a short, or an issue with physical damage (bad post, hole leaking acid, overheat damage due to improper jump, etc.) it can cause issues in vehicle performance, AC, even braking and cooling!

My 2009 Fit would seemingly be fine. Turned AC on one day and the car went bonkos. Was only at 11v with car off. Was at 13.3 running. I felt the battery post when I parked and it was SCORCHING hot. The alternator was also very hot.

I let the car cool, and then drove .1 mile to Napa for a batt.
New battery, problem gone.

I will mention the car was also having overheating for the week before while in heavy traffic. New battery fixed this, too.

The OP could be in limp mode due to electrical gremlins.

The car "runs" on the alternator, but the battery is the most important load the alt sees, and a bad batt can send even a seasoned car guy into a screaming fit chasing problems that don't exist. You always test the battery, especially on a car like the Fit, with a teensie alternator and puny battery to begin with, and a system that limits power distribution via the ECU.

A badly worn or damaged battery can also kill your alternator in short fashion. I have warned customers of aging batteries in the past, only have them ignore my advice to "save" 100 bucks short-term. A few months later, $120 battery seemed cheap when they needed an alternator AND new battery installed.

Older vehicles usually tax the alt worse than new ones when struggling to charge a bad battery, as newer cars have more in place to protect them/prevent burning-out the alt. But the Fit, as well as many Hondas, BMWs and other imports all have problematic charging systems due to over-engineering. Heck, even new Chryslers have up to THIRTEEN on-board compuers, linked together so closely that a bad window regulator can cause limp mode!


Source: Me. MECP Certified mobile electronics tech since 1998, installer since 1992. Car dealer and shadetree mechanic since 1999...

 

No need to attack a poster who is trying to remotely help someone. Remote diagnosis is difficult and anything posted is at best an educated guess.

It is obvious that you have some knowledge in the area and can probably help. While most of what you posted it true, the problem is wading through all of the possibilities mentioned and coming up with the correct diagnosis.

In your example on the 2009 Fit, the first thing I would have done is address the scorching hot battery terminal. Where there is heat there is resistance. Where there is resistance there is a bad connection as far as battery cables are concerned. A battery terminal should never be hot even under high cranking conditions. So my remote diagnosis / guess was you had a poor electrical and maybe mechanical connection at that battery terminal. Cleaning this properly should have solved your terminal heating problem and probably your alternator heating problem. Most of the time just cleaning with a battery post brush and re-securing tightly will do it. I also have seen where a more aggressive approach like file or some kind of scraping tool or large grit sanding is required. When that cleaning is finished further diagnosis to see if there are more problems would be in order.

The battery is an accessory just like many other things on the 12 volt system. It's primary purpose is to start the car. Once the vehicle is started the battery is reduced to a secondary role and the vehicle can even run without it. I do not recommend it except in an emergency. I have done it on a several occasions both in the air and on the ground.

The battery does one other important thing and that is to act as filter to the rippled 14 volt DC output of the alternator. With a bad connection at the battery some or all of that filtering capacity is lost. Another thing it does is to briefly (for a matter of a few seconds) cover the changes in load on the alternator. Running on the alternator only when you step on the brakes and the lights go on it is enough of a load change to kill the engine because of the alternator response time delay. The battery normally covers this.

All of that said replacing that battery on the 09 Fit was an acceptable move to correct the problem. Aggressively cleaning the hot terminal(s) MIGHT have also fixed the problem.

 

Oh.Never.mind.org

 

how long on average should the battery in a Fit last? i have a 2009 Fit and the first battery lasted 4 years, the 2nd battery lasted 2 years. the 3rd battery is still working at 3.5 years.