VTEC/CVT Stalling Occasionally

[Emptyskull]

Hi folks,

I have this Honda airwave which was bought in 2012 (2007 model) 23000 km approx. (verified from auction sheet as well - hoping thats correct).

I am not a car guy and I don't know anything about periodic maintenance and tuning etc. So I normally fill the tank and drive and never had any issues. I changed the CVT fluid at 40K and 80K myself and I change the engine oil every 15000 km, using the liquimoli. Apart from that I had no maintenance done on this car. current mileage is 81000 km approx.

A couple of months ago I started experience this strange thing 3-4 times a week. sometimes in D-Drive mode, mostly in jams, my car would have rough idle and then it seems the power has lost. then it comes back with a slight jerk and car moves, jerk depends on how heavy i press the throttle after the power disappear while starting from rest. Once the car moves everything is perfect.

So i decided its time to go to some expert, I went to Honda on Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi. I had a test drive, I drove and then the EXPERT drove and unfortunately the car didnt jerk at all after repeated attempts. I described the whole issue and the honda suggested that the CVT should be replaced. I came back home and then started figuring out myself. I searched a few forums and someone had suggested using the high octane fuel. I filled the tank and that jerk issue reduced significantly. but the rough idling was still there.

I searched youtube regarding the idling issue and I found that there is something called throttle body so today morning I opened up my car and cleaned that. I could not find the throttle body cleaner near my house so i cleaned that with a normal CRC. Right after cleaning I started the car and found that the engine noise at idle was reduced to almost quiet. In neutral the idling was smooth but in D it was worse. So i made a 30 km trip and after that D was smooth also.

For time being my issue has been resolved I think so. I tried again today if I can make my car stall somehow but it didnt stall. So i think the problem is not with cvt as honda said. Throttle body was really dirty. I should have made a video but I forgot to at the start.

• If anyone faced the same issue then kindly help me with their solutions!
• Also please tell me what are the regular maintenance and tuning for an automatic vehicle so I can perform them myself. Next time I will open up the spark plugs and check their state as well.

Cheers

[Baleno1300]

Catalytic converter is choked.
Get it cleaned or change it.

[zia1288]

As mentioned above get your car's catalyst converter cleaned. If it is not cleanable then replace. Other than that you are doing well in maintenance specially replacing the CVT oil at time.

[FaatehRehman]

Also try to disconnect battery to reset the ECU. Timings vary, some say 5 minutes some say 30. Just disconnect the battery for hour to be on safe side.

Some say to touch positive and negative wires together to effectively reset the ECU. But I am not so sure about that.

Also check your air filter and its housing. Is it seated properly?.

[STUNNER]

I had this issue with my city. Couldnt figure out exact problem. It is definitely with the CVT but I did not want to change it. So I drove it for good 25000kms or so. Sold the car afterwards. I made a habit of putting the car in neutral on intersections to get away from the jerk you are mentioning.

[Emptyskull]

Thanks Bro. This is on top priority now.

[Emptyskull]

thanks. i replaced with the honda cvt oil, i heard ppl are using ZIC cvtf, will try that next time.

[Emptyskull]

@ FaatehRehman

ail filter housing was sealed properly. I removed the battery for at least 2 hours while doing throttle body cleaning.

[Emptyskull]

@STUNNER

So i think you completely understood the problem. I also put it in N now at every stop longer than a few seconds. I also thought about selling the car but not doing for 2 reasons,

1. I will not buy anything this comfortable with the price i will get for this.
2. I cannot sale it unless I know whats the real issue is.

So i will try to clean or replace the catalytic convertor as mentioned above and see how is the outcome.

Cheers

[zia1288]

You don't need to experiment. Stick to Honda Oil.

[shab53]

15000 KM interval too high for engine oil change.

[Emptyskull]

@shab53

Man this Liqui Moly suggests 40000 km, so I am doing 15000 to be on safe side. I hope it goes well in long run.

Cheers

[Emptyskull]

Hi all,

I got my Catalytic Convertor cleaned yesterday as well as cleaned the fuel filter. Throttle body was cleaned before as well. My spark plugs (Denso:Iridium) were relatively new so I just cleaned them also.
After all the cleaning the car seems lighter but I still have a bit of vibrations/jerk when picking up from zero but drive is better. The CVT jerk problem is still there... so i guess its my CVT which is problematic.

Cheers

[Emptyskull]

Hello All,

Do you think the issue I am referring here might be due to IAC Valve malfunctioning? normally when I start the car the RPM sometimes goes to 2000 then back to 1000 when cold and 800 when normal. and sometimes it drops to approximately 500, thats when I feel the CVT jerk also and the regular jerks. Any thoughts????

[dayrider]

why don't you get it properly diagnosed? Tell me something, does the vehicle jerk while changing gears?

[Emptyskull]

@dayrider
thanks for the reply. Man I went to honda first for the diagnosis. They took test drive and told me to use high octane. Thats the only thing they told apart from changing the whole CVT (which I am not convinced yet as the problem is not big for now).

I went to another place for check up, they did good job checking the basic stuff like throttle body, fuel filter, cat convertor, spark plugs. They told me to drive until cvt completely fails.

May be I wasnt writing it clearly but I have two issues,

1. When I am in D and stationary and want to move I hear a little dr.dr.dr.dr.dr.dr.dr and car moves
2. Occasionally in D when I am about to move, the power disappears completely and even further accelerating wont move the car, then suddenly the power comes back and car moves with a jerk. This happens like once a day.

Once the car is moving its as smooth as a new car can be.

Cheers

[usman_arooq2]

follow step by step diagnosis to trace the fault.

1. IACV valve
2. CVT clutch recalibration (search method on pakwheels forums for honda city vario, also disconnect the battery for a while and do three times after fifty kilometers each so the ecu relearns all the parameters)
3. Change cvt fluid twice and drive fifty kilometers between(source original cvt fluid).
4. ignition system, get the coils and sparkplugs checked.

though I believe your issue would be solved by 2 or 4.

[dayrider]

Is yours the seven speed version?

[Emptyskull]

@usman_arooq2
Thanks for the suggestion, I will check them on the weekend.

@dayrider
Its normal version, not the 7 speed

[dayrider]

The things you mentioned used to happen in my 7 speed version, it was called the intelligence package, it increases fuel economy, not sure if that is an option in the basic one too or not