P0962 - Linear Solenoid 'A' - Black Wire Snipped - Rats?
 

Hello,

Recently, I drove home and left my Honda Fit (2010) in the parking lot where I reside. The next morning, I came out and turned the car "on," to find the CEL and the blinking 'D' was on.

I checked with an OBD-II reader (from AutoZone) myself and the only code that came up was P0962.

But just to be sure, I took the car to my local Honda Dealership - Service Center. The service center representative talked to the mechanic and then comes back to me with the SAME diagnostic of P0962 (a Clutch Pressure Control - Shift Solenoid Valve 'A') and nothing else. Okay, that's good news.

However, the rep then proceeds to tell me that I need a whole new CVT for my car. Or perhaps, a used CVT, but that that won't be done by the dealership. I told him, "No way!"

Then the rep talks to the mechanic again, and comes back to me with, "You need all new solenoids, 4 of them --- two (2) shift solenoid valve 'A' & two (2) shift solenoid valve 'B'." Then, the rep gives me an outrageous price. At this point, I am just annoyed, so I said, "No, thank you" and left.

The Honda rep did provide me the Servo Body Illustration and highlighted two (2) No. 18 and two (2) No. 19, for the parts he "claims" that I need.

Yesterday, I stuck my whole hand with my cell phone down under the 'engine air filter compartment,' and lo and behold, the "BLACK WIRE" running to 'LINEAR SOLENOID 'A' is completely cut in half and you can see the COPPER on the inside. It looks to me like a rodent (rat) ate through the black electrical tape and right through the black wire.

To me, that looks like what my issue is, but the question is:

"Do I need to get a replacement of the entire "WIRE HARNESS - SOLENOID" (Part No. 28360-RMM-003) or do I just need someone to solder the "BLACK WIRE" back together?"

I have attached photos too, so I am hoping someone can look at the photos and give me advice on what to do to fix the issue.

Thank you.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...a7a0bcd295.jpg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...b735d1f601.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...d82bd3b65b.jpg

I don't see hurting anything if you were to solder that black wire together. I would give it a try before going to replacing everything as H suggested. If you get more codes look for more damaged wiring. I would think your rat would only be attacking wiring which can be repaired.

Yeah, disconnect the battery, solder and shrink tube it. No way would I buy a wiring harness for one wire.

I would solder and heat shrink the wire and call it a day.

Als0 never go back to that rip off of a dealer that should have checked for a bad wire!

It doesn't have a CVT trans, so that would be a neat trick.

But a low paid mechanic installing a trans replacement will net the shop a lot more money (far than paying a good troubleshooter tech who can find and fix the real problem).
Than after the trans replacement doesn't work and it still has the same codes, the mechanic guesses at replacing the computer...........

The same wire as the OP's damaged wire was completely devoured by rodents on my car overnight. I wanted to double check the part number for the harness. 28360-RMM-003 Wire Harness, Solenoid certainly sounds like it has to be the correct part, but I'm having trouble resolving the pics of the part in diagrams at parts websites with what I'm seeing on my car. Can anyone confirm that the part number matches what the OP is showing in his pictures of the chewed wire?

It looks like this:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...a2684cfedc.png
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...320beadab8.png

And my completely devoured wire:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...c3babccc33.jpg

Epidemic?
 

I've got exactly the same code and eaten wire on my 2009 FIT Sport automatic. Have you found the correct wiring harness or replacement? I think the next cable down also has some chewing damage and there was evidence of a nest having been built in this area.

I don't know if you still need the answer, but that's not the correct part. The part they chewed through is part of the entire wire harness for the engine. It's about $800 (https://www.hondapartsnow.com/genuin...ire-harness,,1)

I'm having the same problem, but trying to just solder a new connector on. I don't know what that connector is called, though.

I was able to find a replacement plug with pigtail leads at bonanza.com - "2009-2013 HONDA FIT LINEAR SOLENOID VALVE A WIRING REPAIR PIGTAIL PLUG" - and was able to repair it without swapping out the entire harness. Thanks for the link to the harness.

I wrapped the wires in this area with the Honda rodent resistant tape from Bernardi. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't become an attractive nesting site again.

May still want to watch for signs of rodent intrusion. Honda (and nearly everyone else) uses soy based material for wire insulation.

May look into simple traps and bait to try and combat the problem. I don't know the surroundings of where you live but a couple glue traps (with nothing on it, just place along an exterior wall, near a narrowing) or Contrac (rodent death blocks) in corners of a garage.

Thanks for the suggestions. If it were parked in a garage I’d follow them, but laying poison or traps outside may harm the squirrels and rabbits which live in the neighborhood. I’ve heard from a neighbor that she saw a wild rabbit expire in her yard, likely due to exterior rat poison used by another neighbor. I’d rather not be “that guy”.

I think the nesting occurred while my Fit was parked in my neighbors driveway for about two months without being driven. Our driveway needed to be widened and our snowbird neighbor offered the spot while they were gone. The shifting issues were evident when I went to move it after our concrete was poured. I hadn’t needed to use it but will be using it regularly now.

Yeah that doesn't do any good to lay down poison like that. I used to work for a pest control company, they were pretty particular to how we would bait, usually inside devices that were too small for a rabbit or squirrel to get into. Rats need about 3/8th inch of a hole to get in, mice need about a quarter inch so the traps we used were a little bigger than that to let them in.

I didn't ever like using glue traps. More often caught birds than mice in some locations.

You should be ok if you move your car regularly. They don't like environmental changes so they'd avoid something like a car that's in and out of a driveway.

I actually found the same listing! I have one on the way, going to hit up some pick n pulls and see if I can't just get that connector out of one. I'm kind of shocked that this could happen. Poor Fit drove fine the other day...I'm having a hell of a time trying to figure out what this connector is called, only one seems to be that ebay listing.

This forum is great! Yesterday I tried to go to an appointment. My Fit clunked into reverse, and clunked into forward. The D on the dash was blinking and the CEL was on. (Luckily I had access to another vehicle to make my appointment.) The OBDII showed the P0962 error code. A quick check on this forum, and I knew where to look. Sure enough, the wires to the solenoid were chewed on, and one was completely missing! A few months ago I cleaned out a rats' nest in the engine, and I thought that was the end of it. But it looks like the sucker is back. A friend of mine soldered the wires back together, so my Fit is happy again. But the rat's days are numbered...

Honda makes a rodent tape, it’s a chili flavored tape that you wrap around your harness like black electrical tape.

• Rodent Tape

• by American Honda Motor Company

Retail Price: $57.52 Our Price: $45.90

• Part # 4019-2317

I agree! Such a helpful platform.

Which OBD reader do you have?

Thanks.

Autel MD808pro and Snapon Modis, I work on a lot of different cars and the AUtel is fast and will see every module in the vehicle, does most service and resets, calibrations live data and some 2 way functions. The snapon is old, mostly use for pre 2012 American and for the lab scope functions.

Nice. Thanks for sharing. Is it

Yes, thats the scan tool I use, But if I were only working on Hondas I would but the Launch 9081, it could do a lot of things by directionally including program and new keys and remotes.

That sounds good! Do you know if it can connect and do things on non-powertrain systems like central locking, lights, ABS, VSA. And is it bi-directional?