It seems like the Chinese recall for oil dilution is making its' way stateside.

Doc_C

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https://www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/honda-cr-v-plagued-by-engine-trouble/

Consumer Reports article detailing numerous complaints with 2017+ CRVs with oil dilution problems and Honda acknowledging the issue.

I think the one key take away, for me at least, is that a consumer in Texas noticed the oil dilution happening at ambient temperatures in the 40°F range. This is well above what Honda has stated as they pointed the cause to be temperatures below -4°F.
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https://www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/honda-cr-v-plagued-by-engine-trouble/

Consumer Reports article detailing numerous complaints with 2017+ CRVs with oil dilution problems and Honda acknowledging the issue.

I think the one key take away, for me at least, is that a consumer in Texas noticed the oil dilution happening at ambient temperatures in the 40°F range. This is well above what Honda has stated as they pointed the cause to be temperatures below -4°F.
Do you think that it will happen to Civic SI too?
 

Wilefisherman

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https://www.consumerreports.org/car-repair-maintenance/honda-cr-v-plagued-by-engine-trouble/

Consumer Reports article detailing numerous complaints with 2017+ CRVs with oil dilution problems and Honda acknowledging the issue.

I think the one key take away, for me at least, is that a consumer in Texas noticed the oil dilution happening at ambient temperatures in the 40°F range. This is well above what Honda has stated as they pointed the cause to be temperatures below -4°F.
I actually started to write a post on this, but changed my mind as it seems to be talked about quite a bit. My concern is that from what I hear, the CRV motor and turbo are pretty much the same as out Si's. Will this become an issue for those of us in a milder climate?
 
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Doc_C

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Do you think that it will happen to Civic SI too?
I don't know much about the Civics recalled in China and what, if anything, differentiates their motors to ours. In theory, though, this should affect us as well.
 


Micah

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Sure, but that's not the point.
Some of us like to be informed. Telling Honda "it smells like gas" will not get very far compared to "independent oil analysis shows a trend of fuel dilution across oil changes performed according to the maintenance monitor". Do you have a better idea?
 
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Doc_C

Doc_C

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Some of us like to be informed. Telling Honda "it smells like gas" will not get very far compared to "independent oil analysis shows a trend of fuel dilution across oil changes performed according to the maintenance monitor". Do you have a better idea?
Again... that's not the point. I'm not telling anyone they should or shouldn't be doing oil analyses. I am however drawing attention to the possibility that Honda may have information in regards to issues with their products that are going unaddressed. What ever you would like to do to combat the problem or measure and diagnose it yourself is your prerogative.
 

erbee

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Yep. What Honda did was to de-tuned the ECU and lengthen dip stick so it can slow down dilution between oil changes as well as giving out extended warranty. My friend in China was forced to skip the 1.5t and went for 2.0t of a Honda URV. Same engine in the 2.0 Accord .
 

yotzmit

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Wouldn't more frequent oil changes combat this problem? I have always changed my oil Mobil 1 synthetic at 3000-3500 miles anyway. No big deal changing it more often is it would solve this issue.
 


Hondanickx

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Are there People who noticed this in the regular Civic and sport hatches too?Maybe the fix is in the ECU and putting on ktuner or hondata fixes this allready?
 
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D-RobIMW

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Oil dilution is going to be the name of the game, here, guys. No way around it.
 

Justinus

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If it was such a prevalent problem with the genX here in NA, wouldn't more of us have noticed it? I'm really wondering, I was reading some CRV forums and there were tons of people there having the issue, and the recall in NA is only for the CRV (so far).

I'm literally going to the dealer today to look at the Si I put a deposit on, since it got delivered yesterday. This issue really confuses things quite a bit.

The recall verbiage stating it was due to an inappropriate injection cycle really makes me think of the thread where it was shown Honda may be using a technique to combat valve carboning where they mist the valves on off-cycles at low-mid RPM.

What if this technique of injecting fuel on off-cycles is allowing additional unburned fuel to bypass the piston rings, entering the oil? If their ECU fix removes or severely reduces the injection sequence, are all the fixed engines going to be more suceptible to valve carboning?
 

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I change my oil every 6 months regardless of mileage. For me this works out to approx 4000 mile intervals. On my first two changes, the oil level rose considerably and I even drained some out from the drain plug. The used oil stunk of fuel. I did my third change yesterday and there was zero smell of fuel and zero rise on the dipstick over those 6 months. My previous concerns have been laid to rest at least for now.
I'll monitor my level over the winter months and be sure to keep the revs up to burn off any fuel.
 
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Doc_C

Doc_C

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If it was such a prevalent problem with the genX here in NA, wouldn't more of us have noticed it?
The only way you're going to notice is by checking your oil level very often and noting any rise. Some people have noted the smell of fuel in the passenger compartment as well, but I'm a windows down and sunroof open kind of guy. So, I'll most likely miss that detail.
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