New 2011 Fit Sport
 

Greetings,

Brother just picked up a used 2011 Fit Sport with about 65,000 miles from original owner. Car is awesome. Super well maintained with just a few minor niggles. Sparkly blue with black interior. Auto transmission paddles are a lot of fun.

This is an ownership log.

Repost to this forum as there may be some links helpful for other new owners

Owner had about $5k in maintenance receipts from dealer, including:
- 20k, 30k, 40k, 60k full dealer service
- Changed fluids (brake, coolant, transmission, motor oil) at 60k
- rear shocks at 60k
- front discs/pads at 55k
- tires/alignment at 40k

Yesterday, we vacuumed interior and washed exterior.

MINOR ISSUES (detail below)
1. FRONT BUMPER
2. TIRES
3. STARTER NOISE
4. OCASSIONAL RATTLING NOISE FROM ENGINE OR EXHAUST WHEN ACCELERATING
5. RATTLING UNDER DASH
6. LOOSE SPARK PLUGS
6a. ADJUST VALVE CLEARANCES
7. SMALL BATTERY
8. KEYFOB NOT WORKING
9. POWER WINDOWS
10. GENERAL INTAKE CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
11. CLEAN ELECTRICS & ENGINE BAY
12. REAR CARGO COVER MISSING

MINOR ISSUES

1. FRONT BUMPER
Front bumper is a bit off. Passenger side had three clips at fender disconnected. The headlight clips are not really connected either so there is some minor damage inside, maybe with the big black plastic mounting bracket behind the bumper. We unscrewed the bumper at the fender and removed a few plastic knobs. Pressed the three bumper clips so they snapped in and the bumper lined up with the fender. Finally replaced the fender screw and plastic knobs. Headlight area is not quite 100% but close.

Driver's side bumper has a bit more damage. There is a dent size of quarter on the fender that requires some paint, minor paint damage on fender and fender that will mostly come out with polish. We pushed the bumper into the three plastic tabs and looks pretty good. We will remove bumper this spring and fully fix bumper to a higher standard (probably need to replace the rectangle black brackets under the headlights).

Bumper cover corner ripped (tab for the fender screw). How can that be repaired?

This helped with bumper refit
https://www.collegehillshonda.com/in.../foglights.pdf
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8GuW6Z5UJ0" Honda Fit Bumper and Headlight Removal and Replacement VIDEO

3. STARTER NOISE - COLD MORNING
Noticed the famous grinding type noise at start in the morning. This is how it happens. Turn key, starter sounds fine for say 2 seconds, just when engine starts, grinding sound for say 1 second. Based on the forum, it seems that is either the famous starter or

The sound is similar to this (albeit videos are for Accord & new gen Fit, respectively)

"www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMJaS9Cuwg&t=25" Grinding noise on cold start up - 2008 Accord VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNaLBUn4N20" 2015 Honda Fit VTC actuator rattle noise VIDEO

Probable diagnosis starter

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...old-start.html

Replacement video starter 2008 fit ($125 Denso part. Looks painful to remove!!)

"www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGUefYV-Q2s?t=98" Honda Fit Starter Replacement VIDEO

Maybe less likely VVT Solenoid

"www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEbR0WSiE80" Honda Fit (2007-2013) VTEC (or VVT) Solenoid Replacement VIDEO

I see some issues with VTC actuator but that seems to impact next generation FITs and other CRV/Accords as far as I can see.

4. OCASSIONAL RATTLING NOISE FROM ENGINE OR EXHAUST WHEN ACCELERATING
Hear a rattling sound when accelerating sometimes. Sounds like a rattling exhaust heat shield. Sound is not so different from the starter noise above. Reving engine 2500 to about 3500 rpm obvious.

Prior owner had Honda dealer adjust and screw down heat shield. And had independent mechanic do the same.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-high-rmp.html
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1421478

- Or axel heatshield
- Or catalytic converter heatshield
- Or loose spark plugs

No idea what this rattling on acceleration is.

6a. ADJUST VALVE CLEARANCES
Dealer told me he does not adjust valves until 100k (unless there are issues that indicate earlier adjustment). Maybe we will DIY this with spark plug change this spring.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1326069
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1426397

"www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwU0ydFg0o0" Honda Fit Valve Adjustment and Spark Plugs (2009-2014) VIDEO

** See spark plug replacement videos (Item #6 at bottom of post) for some access tips

7. SMALL BATTERY
Car did not start day after purchase lol. Used a new Harbor Freight "smart charger" for a few hours to rebuild & recharge and no problems since. This is a 2016 Autozone battery; we have receipt so maybe can get that checked at shop. Has a 3 year 100% warranty.

Considering easy upgrade to bigger Groupe 51R battery

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...o-problem.html
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...y-issue-2.html
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvwLo3xt-8E" Honda Fit Battery upgrade VIDEO

8. KEYFOB NOT WORKING
One of the keys seems to have a dead battery. Will have to do some research there.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...till-work.html
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-base-fit.html

9. POWER WINDOWS
Broken rear-left window won't move. We will look at electrics.

Front-left window is a bit slow. We will grease tracks cables and motor; add some silicone on rubber.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...t-working.html

10. GENERAL INTAKE CLEANING & MAINTENANCE
Prior owner changed air filter and oil filter April 2018. Additional maintenance:

- Clean throttle body & IAC valve (caution as don't want to spray off moly lubrication at butterfly valve)
- Clean MAF (only special MAF sensor cleaner, don't touch internals)
- Clean EGR valve and passages (very easy access on Fit and common issue apparently)
- Replace PCV valve

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-question.html
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-PzkoGhv0M" Honda EGR Valve Cleaning DIY VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1xdHMWSFNM" Cleaning 2008 Honda Fit EGR Passages VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1cHn_ld2C8" HONDA CITY/JAZZ Cara Membersihkan Throttle Body dan IACV VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwo1Hs_0aSI" Honda Idle Air Control Valve, PCV and Throttle Body Cleaning VIDEO




11. CLEAN ELECTRICS & ENGINE BAY
The engine bays on the FIT seem to get very dirty in snowy areas. The battery contacts, clamps etc. are pretty crusty. So will do some "voltage drop" testing to identify areas of high resistance under load for cleaning electric contacts. For sure battery terminals/contacts will need cleaning. Will also look to clean grounds to engine/frame. Clean alternator contacts. Clean starter contacts. Redo "voltage drop" tests. This cleaning can: improve battery power/life, reduce alternator load, improve drivability, resolve some niggles.

Resistance testing & parasitic draw tests:

"www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTGz0PKIl84" Diagnosing Alternator Problems - EricTheCarGuy VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0" How To Perform a Parasitic Draw Test - EricTheCarGuy VIDEO

*** CAUTION ***
Battery and electrics are very dangerous (danger of death, shock, fire, explosion, blindness from acid, lead, destroyed car, etc). Wear googles and use extreme caution. Research hazards of car batteries and electric before starting. Make sure that multi-meter probes wires are plugged into to proper ports on multi-meter.

"working on cars.. voltage drop testing do you have a digital voltmeter..set it to 20 volts DC. engine off.. headlights on for one minute. then turned off.. check battery voltage.. 12.65 is a fully charged battery. 12.45 is a 3/4 charged battery. 12.25 is a 1/2 charged battery. if you have less than 12.5 volts have your battery charged and load tested.. once you verify that the battery is close to a full charge after you have removed the surface charge with the headlights on trick... get the engine started... turn the headlights back on.. Negative battery post to the positive battery post.. 14.1 to 14.8 volts is expected.. Negative battery post to the engine block. 0.04 volts DC MAX.. Negative battery post to the body of the car.. 0.02 volts DC MAX. Engine block to the Body.. 0.02 volts DC. if you get more than the 0.04 or 0.02 volts on tests 2, 3 or 4.. you have a bad ground connection.. you can and should also.. after running the voltage drop test above.. test from the battery post to the alternator output terminal.. because of the amount of output.. i normally expect this to be up around 0.07 volts.. "

FYI - simple diagnosis pictures on lean condition diagnosis (fuel trim, o2 sensors, throttle position, fuel tank filter cleaning)
https://www.vauxhallownersnetwork.co...n-warm.839453/

12. REAR CARGO COVER MISSING

OEM & DIY options
https://www.handa-accessories.com/fit/12cargocover.pdf
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...er-ge13-2.html
https://woodgears.ca/misc/trunk_cover.html
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/3rd-...o-cover-3.html
_____________________________
COMPLETED SERVICE

2. TIRES
Replaced 4 tires. Balanced all tires and realigned front-end. Rear end was in alignment already.
General Altimax RT43 (based on recommendation by @spike55_bmw on original alloy rims

2 tires are somewhat damaged so we will have to replace them this week.

Two tires' TPMS transmitters stopped working. Will have those repaired and paired to car's transceiver.

Excellent primer for alternate tire size calculations from @Pyts

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1426733

5. RATTLING UNDER DASH
The plastic knee panel under the steering wheel is a bit loose. Will have to look at that for missing screws or clips. Easy fix.
>> Fixed in 5 minutes. Removed panel under steering wheel and refit.

6. LOOSE SPARK PLUGS?
>> Replaced 4 spark plugs as noted in Jan 26, 2019 post below.

No idea if issue plagues this Fit. I see lots posts for blown plugs at 40k to 50k miles -- very expensive to fix.

Getting to the spark plugs should be easier but frankly does not look too brutal for DIYer.

Sister had spark plug loosen and blow out on old Buick and destroy engine, so a bit sensitive here.
Don't smell fuel and engine runs perfectly so not sure this is a problem. Maybe this spring when weather improves, we will just check torque, change with factory platinum plugs and consider a bit of lock-tite this spring.

See first link below; image of Honda service recommends 20ft. lbs. with a small amount of anti-seize (of course some spark plug companies recommend no anti-seize for certain shiny threads, as they may be specially coated). Other (older?) printouts seemed to recommend 13 ft. lbs.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1421486
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ue-remedy.html
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=asUgoPci52k" 2012 Honda Fit loose spark plugs p0303 VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hJh4e9GaCo" 2009 THRU 2014 HONDA FIT HOW TO CHANGE SPARK PLUGS HOW TO CHANGE COILS VIDEO
"www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwNxlGDngSU" 2011 Honda Fit Changing spark plugs, coil packs, oxygen sensor, master cylinder, or brake booster VIDEO

This week's maintenance:

- Washed exterior & vacuumed interior

- Refit front bumper at RH & LH fender. LH fender minor repairs and polishing to be completed in spring

- Replaced 4 tires. Balanced all tires General Altimax RT43 (based on recommendation by @spike55_bmw ) on original alloy rims. Only needed to replace 2 tires but there was a buy 3 get 1 free sale so that made sense.

- Realigned front-end. Rear end was in alignment already. Shop provided a printed diagram of measurements. Pre-alignment, 6 measurements were "yellow". Post-alignment, 1 measurement was "yellow."

Car handling even better with new tires/alignment. Tire noise much quieter.

Spark plugs and related bits just arrived in the mail; we will replace spark plugs on Saturday. If there is time and the weather is good, we may clean throttlebody, MAF, EGR, etc.

- Spark plugs are Denso 3401 (Iridium Long life = skj20dr-m13) which is on the recommended list at densoautoparts.com.

- Three sets of clips referenced here:
- We will probably follow the updated procedure recommended in photo of @Pyts (20ft.lbs. with a small amount of anti-seize to plug threads):

Nice work, sir! All jobs are DIY jobs, you just need a book and a friend :thumbups: two years later the certificates in the mail. Good luck to you and keep us posted! If all is well with the heat shield for the exhaust, inspect the rubber hangers. They serve to reduce wobble which may help on the end where the noise is originating. Crush washers may be relevant too! (Havent had that issue)

P.S. The info on voltage drop is neat.

Agreed - voltage drop is an great way to test resistance in your system when it matters (under load). So easy to do with a $10 MultiMeter and some safety goggles.

Cleaning the major connections at battery, grounding, alternator, starter, fusebox every few years makes a huge difference that is easy to measure. Alternator works much less to charge the battery. Battery gets closer to full charge. Battery and alternator life extended. Powerful battery and good connections permit starter to function well in ultra cold temperatures. Headlights may be brighter in some cars. Solves some difficult to diagnose electronic faults before they start.

Read that guy's quote carefully and watch the videos; very small difference in voltage = huge resistance.

Today we changed the spark plugs following steps outlined in post above dated 22 jan (Fit Sport auto has 64k miles). Took about 4 hours.

We also removed noisy plastic panel under steering wheel and reattached to kill squeaking/banging sounds. Took 5 minutes.

OLD PLUGS
- After removing coils and before removing spark plugs, blew compressed air into the hole to clear dirt

- Plugs 1,2,4, were surprisingly tight. Plug #3 was not loose but it certainly was not tight; we think that could have been a problem down the road

- Coil packs were very clean; coil pack 3 had just a bit of white powder at the tip

- The holes for the plugs in the head were all clean and shiny around the entrances

- Spark plugs all looked fine with no evidence of wear or fouling. All four spark plugs looked the same with a very light tan "coating"
https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/...olorchart.html

NEW PLUGS
- Gently cleaned threads/seat with toothbrush and TB cleaner

- Applied very little anti-sieze to spark plugs; gently started and very smoothly torqued to 20lb.ft

- Applied dielectric grease to coil boots & connector

- Tightened 10mm coil bolts to 7lb.ft

- Good thing we had all three types of replacement clips for windscreen plastics as we broke several

==> Engine runs a bit quieter and smoother

I was going to torque my coil packs like you did, but the bolts are short and were easy to tighten by hand without over tightening.
I also applied a very generous amount of Permatex Dielectric Grease using a crap load of Q-Tips.
Didn't clean my threads. Plugs looked worn, but plug threads weren't dirty.

Decided on 16 ft-lbs for my plugs with no anti-seize (or locktite). Likely not much of a difference between 16 and 20.

I can think of more critical areas to get torque close to spec.

I don't know. Using anti-seize & cleaning threads can impact torque significantly but this varies by application. I'm not an engineer so surely some qualified engineers will correct.

- In a quick scan of sparkplug web sites, lubricated vs dry plugs might increase "torque" by 20%-30%. Obviously this will vary significantly by anti-sieze type/quantity, plug thread finish, etc.

- Very clean threads vs. somewhat dirty threads will impact readings and might also increase "torque" (estimating that amount is difficult). FYI - the OEM threads on our old 64k mile plugs were slightly powerdy brown; the corresponding head threads were also slightly dirty.

Unadjusted comparison:
- 16 ft.lbs on SiXiam (measured)
- 20 ft.lbs on Fiting (measured)
~ 25% delta

"like-for-like torque" comparison assuming dry & uncleaned head threads might (or might not) be:
- 16 ft.lbs on SiXiam (measured)
- 26 ft.lbs on Fiting (estimated 130% x 20ft.lbs)
~ 60% delta

Alternatively, "like-for-like torque" assuming lubricated & cleaned head threads might (or might not) be:
- 12 ft.lbs on SiXiam car (estimated 16ft.lbs /130%)
- 20 ft.lbs on Fiting (measured)
~ 60% delta

I have no idea how liner the clamping force changes for spark plugs in above scenarios. These estimates are purely for fun discussion and should not be relied upon for actual work.

After how many miles/kms would you change the spark plugs.

Also, awesome thread.

Check out the service manual that came with your car. You can also speak with the dealer as it seems Honda has changed some specs related to spark plugs in the Fit.

If your car has long-life plugs from the Honda factory, original service interval could be up to c100k miles, in theory.

HOWEVER, several people have posted that Honda Fit spark plugs are coming loose at low mileage. Consequences include but are not restricted to: poor engine performance, damaged coils, blowout destroying the alu head. For this reason, I would check the torque of your spark plugs ASAP; that takes a few hours for the DIYer. So I thought it made sense to just replace the plugs the week my brother purchased the car used (with 64k miles but would have checked at any mileage). Based on posts from several people here, it seems Honda recently increased the spark plug torque spec. but you need to see if that is applicable to your car.

Thanks. Easy to access log and consolidated links might be useful for others.

This deserves a sticky, either now or down the line.
Really liked seeing the estimated torque comparison all lined up.
funny thing about torque, its so inconsistient! Which is why its so important. Even the speed at which you torque affects ...correct..fulness. which is why theres little torsion rod extensions available for wheel nut applications. Used to use em at the tire shop instead of simple extensions because we torqued fast. I think a more accurate fastening would use a torque angle meter, but I sure as hell wouldnt fumble around with one of those if it aint truly necessary. I'd take this arguement and apply it to torquing v the old wrist click method.

I'd also like to give an opinion on torquing the coils. If those little bolts come loose it could potentially serve as an indication of a loosening plug. assuming thats correct, it would be wise to ensure a specific, consistent tightness for each the of said bolts.
On to the clippies! Honda knew. They knew they would be a pain. Heres a link to the oem p/n clip pliers whose quality and usefulness I can certainly attest to.
Clip Pliers
and here's the non-marring trim pry tools
Pry Kit
and here's another relevant set of pliers still on the shopping cart
Rivet

They find use on every vehicle I service, and the non-marring pry tools are TRULY non-marring. Just dont rough em up.

Howdy, sir. Checking in to see how your car is running given the time since maintenance was performed.

@Pyts Fit has been running awesome since we did the maintenance highlighted above.

Eventually will get to: valve adjustment, clean TB, clean MAF, clean EGR passages, clean PCV.

The front bumper cover popped out again a little on driver's side so need to revisit that, but purely cosmetic.

:thumbups: those valves are game changers! And I'm so glad to hear the good news. I was getting a little bored up until the PMCS procedures were performed and have followed quite a bit of your advice along the way, I'm really not too sad about missing out on that 92 MR2 anymore. Still need a rear sway bar (mine has none, I checked.. its not in the axel beam) and will soon address the fuel tank slosh. There IS some kind of baffle, styrofoam or something in there thats failed. If you havent yet, you should try one of those Ebay T-REV contraptions.
:p
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fit...e06c03285f.jpg
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The 3/8 copper allowed me to mount it to the intake manifold in a very neat and rattle-free manner

Though I'm not sure how much youll notice in (I think you have) an automatic? Its really proven itself to me by reducing block pressure when dropping off the gas pedal as well as coming out of idle. Spun the tires a time or two on accident.

Battery died today; it was 3 year old AutoZone Gold. Car didn't have enough juice to turn over yesterday. Shop said it was only 60% capacity.

Replaced with Groupe 151R AutoZone Gold (3 year 100% warranty) as too lazy to shoehorn bigger Groupe 51R battery in today.

Blower motor resistor failed last week (fan only worked at max speed).

Fan sounded fine & cabin air filter from 2014 looked clean. Replaced blower motor resistor with Honda part last week & it failed today. Assume failure is from cheap OEM blower fan bearings. (there is a TSB on this issue).

Ordering $35 blower motor and another Honda resistor. The OEM motor is $300 and a bit quieter, especially at higher speeds per "reviews".

FYI - Replacing the blower motor is super easy and takes 5 minutes. Replacing the blower motor resistor is quick; requires some awkward body positioning and a very short screwdriver (we used one that looks like a hex key).

Also, found some tips on programming 2nd key. Not clear if these steps sort out immobilizer (e.g. if set immobilizer with 1st key, will 2nd key be able to start car)



https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...-base-fit.html

Replaced blower motor and another OEM resistor pack. Took less than 30 minutes total.

The original blower motor was not spinning freely and only moved about 1/2 a turn when spinning by hand, so that was likely cause of failing resistor packs. New blower motor spins 2-3 times in same hand spin test.

The resistors were toast? I'd replaced my blower when it got a little noisy, but the TYC is a little noisy brand new. Never considered inspecting the resistors since there was no absence of function prompting me to do so. Would you recommend replacement of the two components as a pair? (I'm wondering if old resistors could impede function)
Always appreciative of your content, my friend.

@Pyts Honda had at least one service bulletin for the Fit so that is important. I think it was for failing blower fan bearings but can't remember.

If your blower resistor pack works fine (e.g fan works fine at all levels) I would not replace. Should last decades on average but will fatigue with heat, vibration and increasing load from fan bearings deteriorating.

Blower resistor packs prevent fires from high amperage so always replace with Honda OEM from a very reliable source. Never Amazon, eBay etc.

With some cars, the resistor pack can be rebuilt with a thermal fuse of the same rating although one needs to be careful soldiering as that heat can damage the new fuse. The Honda pack seems to use a carefully bonded metal strip that can't be DIY rebuilt safely IMHO (as we can't see the OEM specs).

For the benefit of others, blower resistor packs typically fail from clogged cabin air filters or failing blower fans. So keep the filter clean and change frequently.

Blower fans frequently use cheap oiled bronze bearings. I have disassembled a few noisy fans and (soaked the bearings in) oil and cleaned. Worked perfectly in some cases. In one case fan works fine but is a bit noisy at higher speeds; good enough for free! Disassembly takes more than a few minutes and sometimes is destructive.