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Hi everyone, first post here and a huge fan of Eric. I’m running into an issue with my 2009 Honda Civic sedan. I see lots of posts about rough/surging idles with Hondas, but I don’t think my issue matches the description. I’ll provide as much detail as I can but let me know if you need more info.
Once my car is warmed up to operating temperature I’m getting a pretty hefty vibration when I’m stopped at a red light. I’m noticing the vibration does continue while driving, but it’s less noticeable due to natural bumpy driving conditions. I can feel it throughout the vehicle. It’s not specific to the pedals, steering wheel, etc. If I place my hand very lightly on the passenger seat it is very noticeable.
All of my testing & diagnosis explained below is done while stopped at red lights when my car is at operating temperature. The issue isn’t present when first starting my car in the morning.
When I turn ON the heater/AC or high beams the vibration improves. Even more odd, when I’m at a red light if I slightly turn my steering wheel the RPMs increase and the vibration improves as well. This leads me to believe it might not be an issue with the engine mounts. And of course, since this issue is present at-rest I’m doubting it’s an issue with my tires/alignment/brakes/rotors.
At a standstill the RPMs are at about 550-600 (seems a bit low to me), and when I turn the steering wheel slightly it increases to about 850-900rpm.
I do not have any check engine codes. I observed my fuel trims and it looks like the engine is running slightly rich. My LTFT at rest is about -7%. Not ideal, but not too shabby. When I “fix” the issue by turning the steering wheel slightly the fuel trims improve. I don’t know if fuel trims are related but I figured I’d throw that in there.
Many forums suggest the vibrations are caused by the engine mounts, but I think there’s an underlying issue thats causing the RPM to drop too low, do you agree? I’m going to check my spark plugs and throttle body this weekend since I haven’t had a chance to since buying the car.
My question… anyone else experience this? If so what was the fix? Is there anything in particular I can look at? I try my best not to be a “parts changer” and rule out everything until I can positively identify the culprit, so if you have any suggestions I’d love your feedback!
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[quote=”2009civic” post=159633]Hi everyone, first post here and a huge fan of Eric. I’m running into an issue with my 2009 Honda Civic sedan. I see lots of posts about rough/surging idles with Hondas, but I don’t think my issue matches the description. I’ll provide as much detail as I can but let me know if you need more info.
Once my car is warmed up to operating temperature I’m getting a pretty hefty vibration when I’m stopped at a red light. I’m noticing the vibration does continue while driving, but it’s less noticeable due to natural bumpy driving conditions. I can feel it throughout the vehicle. It’s not specific to the pedals, steering wheel, etc. If I place my hand very lightly on the passenger seat it is very noticeable.
All of my testing & diagnosis explained below is done while stopped at red lights when my car is at operating temperature. The issue isn’t present when first starting my car in the morning.
When I turn ON the heater/AC or high beams the vibration improves. Even more odd, when I’m at a red light if I slightly turn my steering wheel the RPMs increase and the vibration improves as well. This leads me to believe it might not be an issue with the engine mounts. And of course, since this issue is present at-rest I’m doubting it’s an issue with my tires/alignment/brakes/rotors.
At a standstill the RPMs are at about 550-600 (seems a bit low to me), and when I turn the steering wheel slightly it increases to about 850-900rpm.
I do not have any check engine codes. I observed my fuel trims and it looks like the engine is running slightly rich. My LTFT at rest is about -7%. Not ideal, but not too shabby. When I “fix” the issue by turning the steering wheel slightly the fuel trims improve. I don’t know if fuel trims are related but I figured I’d throw that in there.
Many forums suggest the vibrations are caused by the engine mounts, but I think there’s an underlying issue thats causing the RPM to drop too low, do you agree? I’m going to check my spark plugs and throttle body this weekend since I haven’t had a chance to since buying the car.
My question… anyone else experience this? If so what was the fix? Is there anything in particular I can look at? I try my best not to be a “parts changer” and rule out everything until I can positively identify the culprit, so if you have any suggestions I’d love your feedback![/quote]
Idle should be 750 +/- 50.
There is no IACV on these cars, so general tune up items will have to suffice. Plugs, air filter, clean MAF sensor, etc.
Alot of emphasis on the MAF sensor, from what I have read online that was the cause of a lot of issues.It’s an oddity, but check your rack (steering rack and pinion). If you drive hard around turns or have gone over a lot of bumps, ya never know what’s happening with your steering system until you check it out.
[quote=”DaCoder” post=159650]
Alot of emphasis on the MAF sensor, from what I have read online that was the cause of a lot of issues.
[/quote]Hey thanks so much, I’ll give this a try and report back.
I’ve written extensively about these issues here. Please read them over and you will most likely find the cause of the issue.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-idle-problems
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/determining-the-causes-of-vehicle-vibrations
Good luck and keep us posted.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=159712]I’ve written extensively about these issues here. Please read them over and you will most likely find the cause of the issue.
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/solving-automotive-idle-problems
http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/determining-the-causes-of-vehicle-vibrationsGood luck and keep us posted.[/quote]
Eric, thanks so much for taking the time to read this. I scanned your site for info before posting but somehow missed the links you posted. At first glance I’m suspecting a fuel delivery issue (possibly leaky fuel injectors) which I suspect also explains my negative fuel trim. Going to investigate more tomorrow and I’ll keep you posted. Thanks again — over the past 2 years you’ve saved me thousands of dollars 🙂
Remember that when fuel trim is positive you actually have a lean condition detected by the ECM which causes fuel to be added. On the other hand if the LTFT numbers are negative the ECM is detecting too much fuel thus reducing injector open time making the mixture leaner. If the info being provided to the ECM is in error the negative LTFT actually causes the mixture to be lean. Loading the engine would cause more fuel to be added which would cause the RPM to increase.
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