Honda Civic Hybrid Batteries :: 2008 - While Going Uphill No Power?
Feb 21, 2011
I had the Honda recommended software upgrade done on the car in July 2010 and have taken it back twice to two different Honda dealers more than once. The gas mileage has dropped from 44 to 40 consistently for the same route and driving conditions on my daily commute. Worst still the car's power has suffered as the battery does not kick in as often so it struggles going up a hill. The battery is in charge mode more quickly at roughly 50% life so it is not available to boost the power, prior it would not stsrt recharging until much lower like 20% left. In fact I have had to turn around on hills that it could manuever before as it would not go up hill after the upgrade. I have spoken to several other drivers of the same model that say they have the same problem. The software upgrade was to lengthen the life of the battery pack not kill the power and MPG of the car. Any recommendtaions on how to fix since Honda is of no assistance?
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Just had engine replaced by dealership due to oil plug coming out on highway and subsequent engine damage (their fault).As soon I picked it up, felt left to right vibration going from front to back during acceleration.Took it back to dealership. They balanced/rotated tires and checked alignment (they said within specs). Still feeling vibration and so did technician who rode with me.The service advisor pulls me over and said that per the "Honda Master Mechanic" they spoke to via phone, vibration is being caused by engine timing not being correct because, being it it had to be reset, the computer needs 500 miles to set it correctly. Does this sound like bull to you to? I'm thinking damaged strut when they dropped front end to install engine or motor mount.
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My 2000 Honda Civic sputters a bit after it starts, and then smooths out and runs fine. This has been happening in the morning and at the end of the work day this week. I recently got a new starter. My battery is rather old. Could it be that?
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I have a '96 Honda Civic DX model, manual transmission. I replaced the battery, sparkplugs, distributor last summer. Yesterday, hottest day yet this spring, my car wouldn't start. When cranked, the lights came on the dash, the fuel line was running, the check engine light blinked, but then no ignition. Left it overnight, started up fine this morning. Took it to a shop,Mechanic said battery and alternator were good and a replaced starter later, I took it home. Driving home, the idle dropped way too low (no tach) and almost stalled the car (battery light came on) when I pushed in the clutch. Now when I turn it on, it starts, idles regular, then the idle drops again.
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I have a Honda Accord 2004 Hybrid with 85,000 miles on it. My IMA and check engine light went on less than 2 months ago, and the dealer replaced the starter battery and it was "fixed". Less than 2 months later the same thing happened and the dealer claims that the hybrid battery is failing, need to replace it, and they can't do this anyhow because the part is backordered "indefinitely". Honda extended the hybrid battery to 80,000 miles but you are over the limit. So here's my question:
1. Can the car be driven without the hybrid battery, just using gas engine, without risk of getting stuck somewhere?
2. Is there any other remedy that would be less costly?
3. Was this a known problem that I should have been warned about when I bought the car.
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Recently, my Check Engine and IMA Check lights both came on. My Honda garage tech advised me that the code revealed "Battery Deterioration". The code was cleared and when the car was restarted both lights had gone off and have not come back on....yet (10 days ago). Eventually, I know the lights will reappear and I will have to commit (or do I?) to a new battery. The battery installed would run about $2500 dollars. A question occurs to me now that didn't when I was at the garage. Would that car function normally without the IMA? I know the mileage would drop but would I still be able to drive the car?
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I am experiencing some strange behavior from my 2008 Ford Escape LTD. At low rpm's, usually when I am going uphill, the engine sounds like a diesel at low throttle and low rpm. It sounds fine at idle, but as soon as I apply light throttle I hear the characteristics rattle of a diesel engine. The engine returns to normal once I get above 30-40 mph or so.
My escape is at 99k miles (bought at 89k) and I'm not sure what maintenance was has bee done on it (sparkplugs, timing belt, etc?). (I do have an OBDII reader)
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I've got a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with Navigation. This morning, the navigation system did not turn on, and the screen- which is also the screen for the radio- does not work. I can still listen to the radio, but I have to use the steering wheel controls to operate, and I have to use the voice command to turn the radio on and off... the navigation screen is completely inoperable. To be honest, the only idea I have is that the fuse needs replacing?
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I brought my car to one of those "quick change" places to get the oil and transmission fluid changed (the CVT is notorious for needing regular transmission fluid changes). Less than 2 weeks later, after several hundred miles of driving, the car was barely drivable. I brought it back. When they checked on their computer, it turned out they had put in regular transmission fluid instead of CVT fluid. They flushed and refilled transmission a bunch of times. I was there, watching, so I know the work was done - and the car worked fine for about 2 weeks. Then it started to act up again. I brought it back again, and they flushed it twice more, but now it's acting up again after only 2 days.
By "acting up," I mean shifting out of or into park, reverse, or drive is really, really stiff, and the car "lurches" at certain points when driving, both at low speed and at highway speeds. It's worst in stop & go traffic - attempting to stall when we come to a stop. If you try to manually shift into "L," it doesn't go, or rather it will go into low most of the way, but not quite far enough for the little light that says it's actually in low to light up. If the last two instances since the wrong fluid change are any indication, it won't be long before it fails to go into "L" no matter how hard I pull on the shifter, which also means it's going to start stalling again when I come to a stop.
They've been really, really nice about all this, and I've wanted to try to save the transmission - if for no other reason than to prevent the kid who made the mistake from being fired in this awful economy. It's a big name company, and I have a feeling they're not going to be very understanding of an honest mistake up at "corporate HQ." At the same time, however, I need my car to work.
Is there something else to try that could save the transmission? I know it can't be taken apart and rebuilt, because on this model car, the transmission core is completely sealed and is not serviceable. Or is it too far gone - should I ask for a new transmission?
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I have a 35 mile (70 round trip) commute to work, all highway. I do some in town driving as well, but mainly the commuting. The price of gas is getting higher and I was thinking of getting a hybrid, but wonder if that is the best choice for my type of commute ? I drive a Honda CRV (04) which I love but maybe something smaller like a Civic would be better. I need room to occasionally put my 3 kids and hubby in and I want to feel safe in the snow.
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My 95 civic lossed all power slowly while doin 70mph on the freeway in 5th gear and wouldn't accelerate no matter how much gas i gave it. My battery lihht came on at the same time. I just put a new engine, transmission, distributor, engine mounts. Where I should start looking for a problem first.
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We have a 2005 honda civic hybrid; there is a squealing noise coming from front passenger side, when braking, when accelerating, decelerating, but not while driving at speeds of 30 mph, straight. Also when backing up, turning wheels. It's going to the mechanic on monday for regular maintenance, 100K miles, etc.
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I have a 2008 Honda Odyssey. Lately, we've been bothered by a sweet smell, particularly when coming to a stop at the bottom of a hill or acceleration uphill. The smell is most noticeable from the two front, center AC vents. The dealer swears it's not a hose or heater core issue. He also checked the cabin air filter. AC "on" and recirc "on" seem to exacerbate the problem.
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My Odyssey lost power on a long uphill about a week ago. I took it to my mechanic and he said that one of the cylinders is bad. No pressure. He told me that I need a new engine.My questions, can this engine be repaired?If not, what should I do about getting a new engine. What would be a good option on used engines?I live in San Francisco and I have been driving it slowly like that, but I try to avoid uphills as much as possible.
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When I turn my key the car makes an awful grinding noise and then starts up fine. What is this and should I have it looked at?
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My 2008 Honda Civic has been failing to start intermittently. When it is put on a charger or jumpstarted it starts right up. After this happened a couple times I realized it only does this when I've left a window open. It doesn't matter if it's cracked or all the way down. A week ago I left the window cracked, went into my apartment for 15 mins and when I came out the car wouldn't start.
Any guesses as to the cause and whether I'll have to produce and surrender a firstborn child to get it fixed?
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Honda Civic 2008. Daughter sends att'd photo of passenger side, lower portion. (I will not see the real thing until Wednesday evening.) Does this need fixed, or can we just snip it off? (I can hope, can't I?). Who fixes it, glass shop or body shop? Is this a typical failure, or should we be concerned about vandalism or other malice? (What could they have been trying to get at? But the sharp bends look unnatural.)
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before there was a problem in my car like when ever i was accelerating the car i feel that there is a heavy engine sound and i consult the mechanic some said me that the engine mounts to be replaced and some said that spark plug to be replaced [Present ODO Meter is 124,000 km]but now i am feeling that when i am initially accelerating the car ["without turning on AC"] It gives some sound from the silencer and the car is moving slowly and car is shaking when i am turning the AC on it shakes very badly and even though it is moving like a tortoise at the initial stage even though i accelerate later it is moving fast...
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One of my DRLs was out, so I changed both per recommendation. The notification light on my dashboard went away, but now both DRLs are out. All other lights are working fine.
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I have a 2008 Honda Civic with 65K miles. It's started idling rough and vibrating just on startup when it's been sitting overnight. This continues until I start driving up the road at which time it stops. I ran a fuel cleaner through it and changed the air filter, which was slightly dirty but not too bad. No effect. Then I took it to my Honda mechanic and he said there was nothing wrong with it.
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A problem has started with my son's 2008 Honda Civic EX Coupe 2D....
When completely cold, the engine on starting sounds very loud, a bit like an aero engine. On warming up however, the engine noise returns to normal. This problem apparently started quite suddenly, a few months ago. It is difficult to express a sound in words, but if the normal engine makes a Vrooom sound, then the sound when cold is more like an Aaaaaarrrr. I lifted the bonnet, and looking at the engine compartment, the sound seems to eminate from the left hand side of the engine block.
I did notice that when accelerating from a Stop sign just after starting the car, that I could here the engine revving up over the Aaaaarrrrr noise, and it seemed to be normal.
For reference, I am a qualified Engineer, but have little experience in car repairs. My practical knowledge goes as far as changing the battery, spark plugs or oil/air filters.
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