Honda City VTEC issues

aamir_subzero · 20th March 2010, 02:46

Note from Mod : Kindly avoid typing in excessive dots........like.........this............Thanks

I own a old Honda city vtec 2001 model and recently i have had few strange issues with it .

-The first problem I would like to mention is that the vtec point is slightly flat (vtec is not kicking in like usual)...what could be the extent of the problem ?
would changing the vtec solenoid switch help ?

-second ..this was partly my fault was running on hardly any fuel

...and suddenly the car started to shake n jerk as if t was out of petrol the yellow engine warning light stayed on the whole time ..i managed to just about manage to get it to the bunk...re-fueled the car but still the warning light and the jerk continued for quite a while before it came to a halt ...now there seem to be no issues ..but what could have been the problem ? air bubbles in the fuel lines ? In that case why would the engine light stay on for so long ?

-while i was taking a U turn at around 30 suddenly the car just turned off

...i was clutched in ...no mistakes from my side what so ever ! what could have been the problem ?

A large thank you to all the people who are willing to help me out ..please do enlighten me about the problems and the prices for the repair (even rough would help)
..calling out to the vtec specialist out here ..please help .!!

vinayvtec · 20th March 2010, 04:16

Regarding the first issue:Have you got the timing belt checked? I am not sure about the solenoid switch

Secound one: Dude, at least try to maintain 5 L of fuel in the car anytime, it’s good for you. The latest cars should not be having issue once the fuel is filled. I see many of my company Toyota car running out of fuel and when the fill and turn on the ignition within a minute car will be in action and it’s not like old days where you need to manually pup out some fuel and then start.

I would suggest you to take your car to Honda Service Center and get the health status of your car, once you know what’s wrong with your car then you can see whether to get it done with Honda or outside. If in case its related to engine its always best to go to Honda guys.

aamir_subzero · 20th March 2010, 12:35

Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this. Thanks

Thank you sir , first of all, I am a major fan of your car!

I assumed my fuel pump (maybe just the motor is not working properly), but as you said very soon I will get it checked out at honda itself.

Exactly what I was thinking new cars should not have the need to prime the pump. Will get it checked soon.

Shan2nu · 20th March 2010, 19:22

Sounds more like a fueling issue. Could be a weak fuel pump or clogged injectors. Take it to a Honda service center asap.

Shan2nu

shantanumishra · 20th March 2010, 19:52

Hi Aamir,

Even I had faced similar situation, albeit in my NHC, it happened about 2 years back when I was coming from Lucknow to Gurgaon via NH24 alongwith my family, The fuel was really low and I had to drive alongwith waiting for a Fuel Pump. Finally got one and filled almost 44 ltrs, BTW, the fuel capacity of NHC was 45 ltrs. While filing, the car was standing on a bit of a slope with the front end lower than the rear.

We started after the refill and after about 5 kms I was trying to overtake a truck at around 90 KMPH and suddenly the car started facing severe missing and jerking, Even the Accelerator pedal went dead with no response, although Tacho was still hovering at around 1000 RPM, I had to make an emergency stop as the car had lost all its power and speed.

After making a safe stop, I Redlined the engine for about 10 mnts, offcourse not continously but with proper gaps, The engine kept on puttering and coughing and finally after about 10 mnts, it came back to its normal life, Later I drove continously for next 400 odd kms without any issues at all.

Later i realised that because of the extremely low fuel with a mix of adulterated fuel at the bottom of the fuel tank, the injectors had clogged,

I also had one more interesting observation here, The bottom part of my fuel tank was filled with debris from adulterated fuel all these years which went through because of the extremely low levels of fuel.

pranavt · 20th March 2010, 22:38

Weak fuel pump. And as for the problem with VTEC engaging, how are you coming to that conclusion? Does the sound not change when switching to VTEC lobes? Or are you using the seat-of-the-pants dyno to deduce that there is no extra push at VTEC engagement RPM?

There are various reasons for VTEC to not turn on, one of the biggest is the Check-Engine light. When the CEL is on, the car goes into limp mode and will not turn on VTEC. If that's not the case with your car, it could be a choked up solenoid, busted wiring or low oil pressure. Need more info regarding this before a conclusion can be reached. First, get the CEL turned off. Do that by disconnecting the battery cables for a few minutes when the car is shut off. Once the code is reset and the light goes off, try driving the car around for a few minutes. The performance might be a little different, don't worry about that. It's just because you've reset the ECU and erased the closed-loop maps that are learned by it. Drive around for a few kilometres, let the engine reach operating temperature and floor it.

Then post back with your observations.

Shan2nu · 21st March 2010, 00:32

Quote:

Weak fuel pump. And as for the problem with VTEC engaging, how are you coming to that conclusion? Does the sound not change when switching to VTEC lobes? Or are you using the seat-of-the-pants dyno to deduce that there is no extra push at VTEC engagement RPM?

Once when my car was very low on fuel, i noticed that the ecu used to limit the rpm @ 4000-4200. It doesn't even give the engine a chance to revv beyond vtec point. So im not sure about the vtec issue here.

Shan2nu

aamir_subzero · 21st March 2010, 00:43

@Shan2nu: will take it to the Honda service center as soon as possible . Will let you know about what Honda has to say to the problem .

@pranavt : the sounds seems to change but the rpm jump seems to be more gradual than before ..also the CEL light switched off by itself ..should i still disconnect the battery terminal ??

@shantanumishra:

thank you very much for your detailed report ..will be very useful ..my car seems normal now ..will keep you posted about any issues .

pranavt · 21st March 2010, 00:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Once when my car was very low on fuel, i noticed that the ecu used to limit the rpm @ 4000-4200. It doesn't even give the engine a chance to revv beyond vtec point. So im not sure about the vtec issue here.

Shan2nu

Are you sure it was low on fuel? I've driven on really really low amounts of fuel quite a lot of times and never had that problem. And there's nothing in the ECU specifications/software that has anything to do with fuel levels. It could simply be a lack of fuel pressure which might not be able to let the injectors spray enough fuel, which would make the ECU limit the revs.

@OP: Your ECU might have reset itself if the CEL is gone. And if you drove slowly after that, it will have created closed-loop maps based on that style of driving. Reset it again and push her for a few kilometres, should make it re-learn the maps for your particular style of driving.

aamir_subzero · 22nd March 2010, 00:27

I reset the ECU as directed and it seemed slightly faster after the engine ran for around 4km. I should mention there is a definite change in sound near the VTEC point , but however i remember faintly rpm climbing faster than now after VTEC point .

All issues related to the jerking and CEL light have sort of disappeared as of now . Guess my best bet would be to get the fuel tank , lines and injectors cleaned out .

Jaggu · 22nd March 2010, 11:44

As advised get the tank, fuel lines and injector cleaned. Do connect the scanner and check for any error codes also after this. Maybe a good idea to get the throttle body checked to get the wooooosh back, also double check if air filter is in good shape.

Shan2nu · 22nd March 2010, 12:30

Quote:

Are you sure it was low on fuel?

Yup, it was low fuel for sure. Coz the moment i filled fuel in the car, the limiter went back to 7100 and started performing normally. If there was a weakness in the fuel pump. causing low fuel pressure irrespective of fuel level, the engine shouldn't have gone back to normal after increasing fuel level (that too with just 300 bucks worth of fuel).

Shan2nu

KSM-Vtec · 22nd March 2010, 13:32

@ AS - This clearly was a result of the dirt getting into the fuel pump, filter and injectors.

It is very very necessary to get the fuel tank cleaned once in every 20-25k kms i would say. It helps in increasing the life of the fuel pump and injectors. i change my fuel filter on every service.

If your vtec solenoid switch is not working the ecu should throw an error code. I suggest get a scan done first.

pranavt · 22nd March 2010, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSM-Vtec

If your vtec solenoid switch is not working the ecu should throw an error code. I suggest get a scan done first.

Nope, the ECU does not throw an error code. Rather, if the solenoid is choked up by mechanical means, it will not throw an error code. However, if there is an electrical fault, the CEL will glow. But I have never ever read of a VTEC solenoid having an electrical problem. Incompatibilities with standalone ECUs, sure; but never with the solenoid itself.

vinaygurudutt · 12th November 2015, 19:26

I have a 2008 honda city ZX Vtec, done 70000 kms. Serviced at 65000 and Clutch not yet replaced. The car has been revving up on its own since this morning. The car revs upto 3000 rpm without accelerator input. The car was pressure washed on Sunday and refilled at the usual petrol station, it ran fine on Monday when it was last driven.
Please advice on what might have gone wrong.

20th March 2010, 02:46	#1
aamir_subzero BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Honda City VTEC issues Note from Mod : Kindly avoid typing in excessive dots........like.........this............Thanks I own a old Honda city vtec 2001 model and recently i have had few strange issues with it . -The first problem I would like to mention is that the vtec point is slightly flat (vtec is not kicking in like usual)...what could be the extent of the problem ? would changing the vtec solenoid switch help ? -second ..this was partly my fault was running on hardly any fuel ...and suddenly the car started to shake n jerk as if t was out of petrol the yellow engine warning light stayed on the whole time ..i managed to just about manage to get it to the bunk...re-fueled the car but still the warning light and the jerk continued for quite a while before it came to a halt ...now there seem to be no issues ..but what could have been the problem ? air bubbles in the fuel lines ? In that case why would the engine light stay on for so long ? -while i was taking a U turn at around 30 suddenly the car just turned off ...i was clutched in ...no mistakes from my side what so ever ! what could have been the problem ? A large thank you to all the people who are willing to help me out ..please do enlighten me about the problems and the prices for the repair (even rough would help) ..calling out to the vtec specialist out here ..please help .!! Last edited by GTO : 21st March 2010 at 20:33. Reason: Note from Mod : Kindly avoid typing in excessive dots........like.........this............Thanks
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 04:16	#2
vinayvtec BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 390 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	Regarding the first issue:Have you got the timing belt checked? I am not sure about the solenoid switch Secound one: Dude, at least try to maintain 5 L of fuel in the car anytime, it’s good for you. The latest cars should not be having issue once the fuel is filled. I see many of my company Toyota car running out of fuel and when the fill and turn on the ignition within a minute car will be in action and it’s not like old days where you need to manually pup out some fuel and then start. I would suggest you to take your car to Honda Service Center and get the health status of your car, once you know what’s wrong with your car then you can see whether to get it done with Honda or outside. If in case its related to engine its always best to go to Honda guys.
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 12:35	#3
aamir_subzero BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this. Thanks Thank you sir , first of all, I am a major fan of your car! I assumed my fuel pump (maybe just the motor is not working properly), but as you said very soon I will get it checked out at honda itself. Exactly what I was thinking new cars should not have the need to prime the pump. Will get it checked soon. Last edited by GTO : 14th November 2015 at 11:57.
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 19:22	#4
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	Sounds more like a fueling issue. Could be a weak fuel pump or clogged injectors. Take it to a Honda service center asap. Shan2nu Last edited by Shan2nu : 20th March 2010 at 19:29.
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 19:52	#5
shantanumishra BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: BLR/LKO Posts: 325 Thanked: 144 Times	Hi Aamir, Even I had faced similar situation, albeit in my NHC, it happened about 2 years back when I was coming from Lucknow to Gurgaon via NH24 alongwith my family, The fuel was really low and I had to drive alongwith waiting for a Fuel Pump. Finally got one and filled almost 44 ltrs, BTW, the fuel capacity of NHC was 45 ltrs. While filing, the car was standing on a bit of a slope with the front end lower than the rear. We started after the refill and after about 5 kms I was trying to overtake a truck at around 90 KMPH and suddenly the car started facing severe missing and jerking, Even the Accelerator pedal went dead with no response, although Tacho was still hovering at around 1000 RPM, I had to make an emergency stop as the car had lost all its power and speed. After making a safe stop, I Redlined the engine for about 10 mnts, offcourse not continously but with proper gaps, The engine kept on puttering and coughing and finally after about 10 mnts, it came back to its normal life, Later I drove continously for next 400 odd kms without any issues at all. Later i realised that because of the extremely low fuel with a mix of adulterated fuel at the bottom of the fuel tank, the injectors had clogged, I also had one more interesting observation here, The bottom part of my fuel tank was filled with debris from adulterated fuel all these years which went through because of the extremely low levels of fuel. Last edited by shantanumishra : 20th March 2010 at 20:01.
	() Thanks

20th March 2010, 22:38	#6
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,682 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Weak fuel pump. And as for the problem with VTEC engaging, how are you coming to that conclusion? Does the sound not change when switching to VTEC lobes? Or are you using the seat-of-the-pants dyno to deduce that there is no extra push at VTEC engagement RPM? There are various reasons for VTEC to not turn on, one of the biggest is the Check-Engine light. When the CEL is on, the car goes into limp mode and will not turn on VTEC. If that's not the case with your car, it could be a choked up solenoid, busted wiring or low oil pressure. Need more info regarding this before a conclusion can be reached. First, get the CEL turned off. Do that by disconnecting the battery cables for a few minutes when the car is shut off. Once the code is reset and the light goes off, try driving the car around for a few minutes. The performance might be a little different, don't worry about that. It's just because you've reset the ECU and erased the closed-loop maps that are learned by it. Drive around for a few kilometres, let the engine reach operating temperature and floor it. Then post back with your observations.
	() Thanks

21st March 2010, 00:43	#8
aamir_subzero BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	@Shan2nu: will take it to the Honda service center as soon as possible . Will let you know about what Honda has to say to the problem . @pranavt : the sounds seems to change but the rpm jump seems to be more gradual than before ..also the CEL light switched off by itself ..should i still disconnect the battery terminal ?? @shantanumishra: thank you very much for your detailed report ..will be very useful ..my car seems normal now ..will keep you posted about any issues .
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 00:27	#10
aamir_subzero BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Chennai Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	I reset the ECU as directed and it seemed slightly faster after the engine ran for around 4km. I should mention there is a definite change in sound near the VTEC point , but however i remember faintly rpm climbing faster than now after VTEC point . All issues related to the jerking and CEL light have sort of disappeared as of now . Guess my best bet would be to get the fuel tank , lines and injectors cleaned out .
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 11:44	#11
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,906 Times	As advised get the tank, fuel lines and injector cleaned. Do connect the scanner and check for any error codes also after this. Maybe a good idea to get the throttle body checked to get the wooooosh back, also double check if air filter is in good shape.
	() Thanks

22nd March 2010, 13:32	#13
KSM-Vtec Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: MH-02-India-Bombay-Bandra Posts: 1,562 Thanked: 446 Times View My Garage	@ AS - This clearly was a result of the dirt getting into the fuel pump, filter and injectors. It is very very necessary to get the fuel tank cleaned once in every 20-25k kms i would say. It helps in increasing the life of the fuel pump and injectors. i change my fuel filter on every service. If your vtec solenoid switch is not working the ecu should throw an error code. I suggest get a scan done first.
	() Thanks

12th November 2015, 19:26	#15
vinaygurudutt Newbie Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 9 Thanked: 2 Times	Re: Honda City VTEC issues I have a 2008 honda city ZX Vtec, done 70000 kms. Serviced at 65000 and Clutch not yet replaced. The car has been revving up on its own since this morning. The car revs upto 3000 rpm without accelerator input. The car was pressure washed on Sunday and refilled at the usual petrol station, it ran fine on Monday when it was last driven. Please advice on what might have gone wrong.
	() Thanks