Apologies if you've read this already on the other 1st generation GD1 forum, but I haven't gotten any replies yet.

I’ve got an ’02 Fit with CVT. When I come to a stop at a light, with foot on the brake and car in ‘D’. When I let off the brake, sometimes the car will make like it’s trying to go forward, and then almost “stall” in that it won’t engage the gear and it will be like it is in neutral. Revs will then kind of oscillate, going up, then down, up, then down and make some vibrations along the way at lower revs. To get over this I’ll have to switch back to neutral, then back into ‘D’ quickly, and then it’ll engage and go.

This tends to happen only on level ground. It doesn’t happen every time either. It does not seem to happen in reverse. When I come to a stop, I can feel small vibrations. Sometimes these diminish to almost nothing (I presume the car is disengaging the start clutch or something??). It tends to be that when the vibrations when stopped are smallest or not existent, I have this issue with the drive gear re-engaging. When the vibrations are stronger at a stop, the car launches normally.

I’ve already replaced the transmission mount under the battery that often fails in these. I’ve tried to visually inspect the opposite side, top motor mount as well as the mount underneath toward the back and center. They both didn’t seem too obviously worn, but I can’t be sure.

When I disconnected/reconnected the battery after replacing the mount, I didn’t have these issues, though the car would vibrate a bit at a stop. It’s like the ECU has been slowly learning and adapting in a way that it’s trying to increasingly disengage the clutch at a stop to reduce the vibrations, but then leads to a point where I have this issue where it doesn’t launch (foot off brake, revs go down, car vibrates, gear doesn’t engage, revs go up as though car is in neutral, revs go down and repeat)

Any ideas? Is the CVT/ start clutch on the way out? I replaced the CVT fluid not long ago

Are the other motor/transmission mounts worn out? Are there more than just the 3 of them?

Could it have something to do with timing or engine ignition?

I'm not positive, but it seems like this situation could be worse when the car is warmed up? ie, running less rich?
Engine runs fine once the car gets going. No misfires or anything like that yet.

Anything else?

Thanks for your help!

 

bump? could it have something to do with the start clutch solenoid valve assembly?

 

CVT start clutch problems are fairly common on the GD, so that may be a possibility. The driving conditions that cause the fault sound like one of the two creep modes that the car uses.

When you replaced the CVT fluid, how much did you drain and install, and was it the genuine Honda "CVTF" product? Be sure to use the correct procedure for checking the CVTF level, which is a bit counterintuitive:
ATF Level Check (CVT)
(NOTE: disregard the instruction to use Honda ATF-Z1; that was the original specified fluid, superseded by the CVTF.)

The CVT start clutch calibration procedure is easy and worth trying up front:
CVT Start Clutch Calibration Procedures (CVT)
(see "with Driving the Vehicle")

Does the car pass the CVT stall test procedure?
CVT Stall Speed Test (L12A/L13A CVT)
(Some sources say you can also perform these to burnish the surfaces of the clutch plates, to help with the notorious juddering problem. The advice seems to be to run several stall tests, allowing for cooling in between, then changing the fluid.)

See this page for more CVT troubleshooting information (esp. "Vehicle does not creep" entry):
CVT Symptom Troubleshooting (CVT)

Oh, if you do need more CVTF, I can recommend Speed Science as a source:
https://www.speedscience.co.nz/produ...cvt-fluid-3-5l
https://www.speedscience.co.nz/produ...e-cvt-fluid-1l

And yes, it is worth considering an ignition problem as well. Spark plug wear (especially if you have eight of them and don't realise it!) can cause excessive coil voltage, which on these cars can cause electrical interference on engine position sensor lines. This can mess up ignition/injection timing. This won't necessarily raise any DTCs. My GD1 had hesitation issues at 1000-1500 RPM until I changed the coils and plugs (use only NGK/Denso/Hitachi, and watch for counterfeits).

EGR valve problems can also cause hesitation or similar issues, and seem to be fairly common. I believe the EGR system (like the EVAP purge) only operates once the engine is warmed up, which you mentioned seemed to be associated with the issue.

Do take a look at your fuel trims on an OBD scan tool as well, during normal driving and when the problem occurs.

Hope this helps!