Definitely would like to hear what yours is doing. I'm familiar with what re-engaging the starter after the engine is running sounds like and my car is *not* making that sound. It's a sound consistent with a shaft running in a worn bushing, which makes me think there's a tolerance issue in the bendix/shaft assembly that's exacerbated by low temps. Something will eventually gall if it continues, which will cause the starter to fail, hopefully not with the bendix engaged.

es

 

I finally got a recording of the starter making the noise. It's not as good as I would like, and maybe I'll get a better one later, but I thought I should post this anyway.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9znsz2bg0...Cu8gvuMEa?dl=0

 

that is 100% what mine sounds like.

i don't have a start button tho, that's about the only difference.

 

I should have mentioned that I posted two files in the Dropbox link. One is a video I took inside the car with my phone. The other is an audio file that I recorded with my laptop sitting on the ground outside the car. The noise is easier to hear in the video since the laptop audio sounds like it got overloaded by the sound of the engine itself.

 

Well, here's another thought. Try keeping the brake pedal firmly pressed throughout the starting sequence and see if that affects the occurrences of this.

 

Since the car won't start otherwise, I keep the brake firmly pressed as a normal procedure. I can't make a change in this regard. I'm curious, however, what hypothesis lies behind your suggestion.

 

After many cold starts, I got the sound for the first time yesterday morning. The only difference was that I lifted my foot off the brake when I released the button. Usually, I keep it on there. I've since kept my foot on the brake and it hasn't recurred. I offer this to others as a way to get more data on the issue.

There's a note on page 333 of the owners manual that says, "You may hear a motor sound coming from the engine compartment while system checks are being performed immediately after starting the engine or while driving. This is normal." I suspect that may be a VSA/ABS pump.

 

Thanks for the explanation. That's very helpful. I know I have the brake pressed firmly, but I am not sure if I take it off the pedal immediately. I'll watch. The noise also happens when my wife is driving the car, so if there is a correlation, it must be something we both do. If it's a "normal" noise, I hope my dealer can offer some assurance in that regard. The noise is not all that objectionable; I am simply afraid of some kind of damage or long-term reliability issues.

 

My Superduty Ford diesel has a loud thump after starting out after a start up. After 12+ years, it's still startling. There was a lot of concern about it initially on the forum. Turns out it's a damper door closing in the heating system and no one knows for sure why it doesn't do it after starting until you take off. Just to put our starting noise in perspective.

 

I have a '99 Super Duty (Powerstroke). Your damper door is vacuum-operated, and I suspect the vacuum drop when you first take off (hit the "gas") is what's causing that. My truck has a vacuum leak somewhere I haven't been able to find, and none of my heat controls work - the heat or a/c only comes out the defrost vents. Found lots of hits googling that problem, now I just have to find the leak!

es

 

you know what it sounds a lot like the abs

 

I think so too. Just as an experiment, I pressed a little lighter on the brake this afternoon and it did it, but not as loud as without the brake. More interestingly, it coincided exactly with the brake pedal then dropping under the pressure of my foot as the boost built up.

 

i will have to test this as well. i will post the results after a few starts tomorrow.

 

Eight below zero this morning. Hard pressure on the brake pedal, no noise. Also, the brake pedal stayed firm and there was no drop. So I'm wondering if in the case of the noise, if something has bled down and needs to be pumped up at start, and whether light rather than heavy pressure on the pedal bleeds it down. Our Fits have Brake Assist that can brake harder than you are, so there has to be a reserve of pressure somewhere. I'm getting more convinced this noise is a pump in the braking/VSA system.

 

I took my 2015 EX with the odd starter noise to the dealer. I sent in an mp3 recording of the rat-a-tat-tat noise ahead of my visit so they could listen to it. Since the problem occurs only at temps below about 15 degrees, I had to pick my window carefully. They had the car two days at temps below 10 degrees; started it four times over the two days; never heard the sound. They called Honda dealer tech support and explained things. Support asked, "Does the car have a genuine Honda oil filter?" The answer was no; I had put a Wix filter on it when I changed the oil (the company that makes Wix also makes the genuine Honda filters). Tech Support said that it was likely the filter, but they didn't say why.
I bought a bunch of genuine Honda filters to have on hand, but the cold weather is gone (thank God), so it will be next winter before I can try the car with the genuine filter. Somehow I doubt it makes any difference, but what can I do? My take away is this: don't innovate, modify, or improve in any way if I expect to get help. Also, lower your expectations significantly if your problem is hard to reproduce. Ironically, the car made the sound once more later in the day that I picked it up from the dealer. Argh!

 

Hmmm, that's interesting, can't think how the oil filter would make a difference. Not sure why the Honda tech would suggest that, if its only a ploy to get you to use Honda parts, he would be outed the first time it happened again with the Honda oil filter installed. Or did the dealer replace the filter before you left and the noise occurred again later that day with the Honda filter already on?

 

I'm convinced it's related to the brakes. Since my prior posts, it hasn't happened the rest of the winter with firm pressure on the pedal--except once when I only pressed lightly to see if I could make it do that--and it did.

 

I haven't experienced the noise yet, but I do know the ABS system makes a very distinctive noise when it's activated. I wonder if the sound is the same or similar?

 

I have been mulling over Tech Support's suggestion that a non-Honda oil filter is causing the noise. The dealer tech said that the support tech made the suggestion almost before he was done describing the issue. It was the very first thing and spoken as if it were a known issue.
But why? The only difference between filters I can think of is the pressure bypass and flow characteristic. Filters are designed to open a bypass if the pressure rises too high on the input side since dirty oil is better than no oil. So if the filter gets clogged, or if the oil is so cold it won't flow fast enough, the filter lets oil flow around the filter element. Maybe the support tech was guessing that the bypass mechanism was making noise. It is strange that he didn't ask the service guy at the dealership what the oil viscosity was. What if I'd put in 20w 50? That would certainly have been a relevant fact! (I used Mobile 0w 20 full synthetic.) Or maybe he suspected that the bypass valve was not activating when it should have, thus starving the engine of oil at start up and activating something else in the system that is responsible for the noise.
Bottom line is that if the support tech wasn't simply blowing smoke, 2015 Honda Fits must have an issue with non-Honda filters, at least at low temperatures.
If you do buy a genuine Honda filter, try to get the -01 version rather than the -02. The scuttlebutt online is that the -01 filters are much better made; the -02 have poorer quality filter material and other cost-saving changes.
I like Fitmo's brake suggestion on this problem, but it's too warm now to experiment with it. Not that I want the cold weather back...

 

Hi all,

I have also been experiencing this. I was able to catch the symptom happening on video and posted it here. See the 3 second mark. Is that the same noise that you have all been experiencing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu0K...ature=youtu.be

Should I get this looked into? Someone mentioned to me that it could be ABS? I have only gotten my oil changed at Honda so I would assume I have a Honda oil filter.

Thanks,
Jeffrey