All,

Thanks in advance for all your hard work and diligence in this forum.

I have an '08 Fit, 138000 miles. Dealer maintained vehicle. Getting repeated codes on the number 2. Looks like its the issue we have all come to know about with this car.

Other symptoms I see are acceleration can be sluggish to damn near warp speed.

Check engine light just plain eff's with me (#2 cylinder misfire). Goes from a solid on for two weeks straight. Then it will go off for a month and then be on for half a day then off for a week, vice-versa, etc. Some times blinks at start up then goes away. Rough idle then smooths out. Getting the exhaust/gas smell.

So my question is this: What am I in for here?
IS there a permanent solution?
Am I just waiting to blow the spark plug out and suffer a cracked head and then a new car?
Whats the consensus?

Ben

 

Have you checked to make sure the spark plug is tight?

Don't drive it another mile until you check the plug.

Ours loosens over time, but I just tighten it when it gets loose. Been doing that for over 100,000 miles.

The problem doesn't come until it ejects the plug and possibly takes the threads with it. Keep the plug tight and all will be OK.

 

If you wait, as my good friend did, and the plug blows out you then have the choice of putting a threaded insert into the head with the head on the car (many do this without problem, but you risk getting metal bits into the combustion chamber and risk putting the insert in too deep) or pulling the cylinder head off the car.

We opted to go the distance and pulled the head. Had a machine shop put inserts in all 4 plug holes, install all new seals, and do a valve job. This way it's permanently fixed with steel inserts.

Waiting will also cost you a coil as the plug blows it apart on it's way out of the head.

In short, check NOW to see if any plug is loose.

 

I agree - check your plugs to either fix them or excluded it as an issue.

 

I have driven over 4000 miles with this issue.

Called the dealer. Asked if they would do anything like the steel inserts but they said that wasn't a Honda recommended thing to do they would just replace the engine.

My next oil change is in a month or so. I will get those tightened then. In the mean time I will search out a private Honda certified shop to look into the steel inserts fix.

Anyone recommend a shop here in Chicago?

 

I wouldn't recommend waiting a month to tighten a loose spark plug, if in fact that is the issue, the heat coming out / around a loose spark plug degrades the $100+ coil pack sitting on top of it.

You can work on it yourself either by reaching in behind the motor with your left hand or do the "long method" by starting with the wiper arms and then remove the cowling to access the rear of the engine / coil packs / spark plugs. Either way, it isn't rocket science.