New 2019 Civic owner, car jumps at stop and go traffic.

[level0wizard]

Howdy everyone! I recently bought a 2019 civic 1.5L Turbo EX-L with 65k ish miles. Carfax looked good but I had some questions for the first things I should do with it. I don't know what CARFAX does and doesn't report so for now I'm assuming what isn't on there didn't happen. This is my first non-beater and would like to take care of it. There's a lot I don't know and I'm sure there are great questions I need to ask but don't have the technical knowledge to ask.

Car currently runs great though at really slow speeds/stop and go traffic it really likes to jump, like when I press the gas it almost feels like the engine gets too much fuel before the ignition and the car jumps or sometimes hangs when I need to switch lanes at faster speeds. Something like that I could see causing an accident. I also haven't noticed it when the ECO is on though I'll admit I need to drive it more on ECO before definitively saying. Before writing this I've been doing some digging online and have come back with a few potential solutions. Maybe replace spark plugs, Maybe change Transmission fluid, maybe try a fuel additive to clean but before I do anything I'd like to ask here to see if anyone else has this issue or knows what causes it.

I would like to check the transmission fluid myself without dumping it into a pan first but Honda didn't add a dipstick to these so I'm kinda lost on what to do here. Any advice is much appreciated.

Finally, since this car is new to me, what are the first things I should look at to make sure this car is good to go and stays that way? Since its sitting at 65k miles what are some things I should watch out for in the future? Apologies if in wrong place, first time posting.

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[calonzo]

1. Car jumps when not in ECO mode - Maybe this is just the delayed turbo response?
2. CarFax - certainly not reliable. Not all shops update it.
3. Transmission fluid - There is a bolt that you can remove to check the level, but you have to jack the car up and keep it level at the same time. You might as well just have the tranny fluid flushed (not just drained) by a mechanic, since you can't be sure if it was ever changed.
4. Other maintenance - I change the coolant and brake fluid at 60K miles also.

 

[level0wizard]

1. Car jumps when not in ECO mode - Maybe this is just the delayed turbo response?
2. CarFax - certainly not reliable. Not all shops update it.
3. Transmission fluid - There is a bolt that you can remove to check the level, but you have to jack the car up and keep it level at the same time. You might as well just have the tranny fluid flushed (not just drained) by a mechanic, since you can't be sure if it was ever changed.
4. Other maintenance - I change the coolant and brake fluid at 60K miles also.

I really appreciate how quick and concise this is!
1. Does that mean there could be an issue with the turbo? Or is it "Just how it works"
2. Figured.
3. Yeah, I've been kinda afraid of this option. Best leave this stuff to the pros
4. Ooh, those aren't things I've thought about. With those two specifically, is it better to dump whatever is in there (even if it's still good) and put the coolant/brake fluid in myself or is it wiser to check it first?

A lot of the different fluids and oils in the car I've noticed tell you what's up just by looking at it, how true is my thinking here?

 

[calonzo]

I really appreciate how quick and concise this is!
1. Does that mean there could be an issue with the turbo? Or is it "Just how it works"
2. Figured.
3. Yeah, I've been kinda afraid of this option. Best leave this stuff to the pros
4. Ooh, those aren't things I've thought about. With those two specifically, is it better to dump whatever is in there (even if it's still good) and put the coolant/brake fluid in myself or is it wiser to check it first?

A lot of the different fluids and oils in the car I've noticed tell you what's up just by looking at it, how true is my thinking here?

1. I couldn't say without driving the car. But if you jump on the accelerator from a standstill, there is no turbo boost until the engine revs up a bit, then the turbo kicks in and you get an immediate surge of power. It's better to ease the gas until you are moving 10-15 mph before accelerating hard.
4. No need to check anything. Just change it. Some people claim to be able to tell by looking at the fluids or smelling it, that it needs to be changed. I am skeptical about that. For instance, the issue with brake fluid is not that it won't stop the car, but that moisture in the fluid will cause corrosion from the inside out on the brake lines. Similarly, with coolant, it can keep the engine cool, but at the same time cause corrosion and destroy the bearings on the water pump.

 

[gtman]

OP, a little quick note. I also have an EX-L (tuned). Before tuning I loved the car except in one situation. Say I was stopped at an intersection needing to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic was heavy and then there was a small opening for me to make the turn quickly.

I'd give it plenty of throttle and there was a moment of "nothingness" where nothing happened. Literally. Finally the power came on and I made it, but just barely. Not a good situation. It's a combination of the turbo spooling up and the sometimes slow CVT logic.

Now that I'm tuned, that issue is basically a thing of the past. Lag is about 90% better.

 

[level0wizard]

1. I couldn't say without driving the car. But if you jump on the accelerator from a standstill, there is no turbo boost until the engine revs up a bit, then the turbo kicks in and you get an immediate surge of power. It's better to ease the gas until you are moving 10-15 mph before accelerating hard.
4. No need to check anything. Just change it. Some people claim to be able to tell by looking at the fluids or smelling it, that it needs to be changed. I am skeptical about that. For instance, the issue with brake fluid is not that it won't stop the car, but that moisture in the fluid will cause corrosion from the inside out on the brake lines. Similarly, with coolant, it can keep the engine cool, but at the same time cause corrosion and destroy the bearings on the water pump.

1. I lightly press the gas and still get that in traffic. I don't accelerate hard, I'm pretty sure I might have the opposite problem of sometimes not gassing hard
4.Roger Roger

OP, a little quick note. I also have an EX-L (tuned). Before tuning I loved the car except in one situation. Say I was stopped at an intersection needing to make a left turn. Oncoming traffic was heavy and then there was a small opening for me to make the turn quickly.

I'd give it plenty of throttle and there was a moment of "nothingness" where nothing happened. Literally. Finally the power came on and I made it, but just barely. Not a good situation. It's a combination of the turbo spooling up and the sometimes slow CVT logic.

Now that I'm tuned, that issue is basically a thing of the past. Lag is about 90% better.

Your story sounds very similar here. I saw that turbos and CVTs have some delay but didn't realize it could be this much and putting them together could be it. Probably worth getting the car tuned anyways.

 

[calonzo]

There could be an issue with the turbo. Ask them to check it out.

 

[Swordfish]

I have the regular (2.0 NA) Civic but the CVT is jerky and that may be what you are experiencing. The best way to describe it is like a slightly surging or jolting forward. Someone once said it felt like a lurch if someone bumped into the back of your car.

If that describes what you are experiencing, then it is likely the CVT transmission. I bought my car new and it has now 120k miles. The issue over time slightly decreased but it is always how it is.

 

[level0wizard]

I have the regular (2.0 NA) Civic but the CVT is jerky and that may be what you are experiencing. The best way to describe it is like a slightly surging or jolting forward. Someone once said it felt like a lurch if someone bumped into the back of your car.

If that describes what you are experiencing, then it is likely the CVT transmission. I bought my car new and it has now 120k miles. The issue over time slightly decreased but it is always how it is.

I might also be overly sensitive to things with this car but yeah this is exactly it. This does ease my concern a lot. I never noticed it while test driving but I think I'm starting to notice the quirks the more time I spend in it.

 

[Swordfish]

I might also be overly sensitive to things with this car but yeah this is exactly it. This does ease my concern a lot. I never noticed it while test driving but I think I'm starting to notice the quirks the more time I spend in it.

When the car was first new, I never experienced this before and there were several threads about that experience. After several years, it appears that it is a normal occurrence and a slight lag in the way it functions.

I was looking at my old posts and even wrote it down back in 2017.

https://www.civicx.com/forum/thread...eading-on-1-5t-civic.11617/page-2#post-209429

 

[calonzo]

I have had 2 Civics with CVTs. The first I had 200K miles and this one has almost 100K miles and have never had any lurching.

 

[Ducota]

sound like it may be possible tuned and the throttle responsiveness has been altered.
In ECO it defaults to OEM tune.

 

[level0wizard]

sound like it may be possible tuned and the throttle responsiveness has been altered.
In ECO it defaults to OEM tune.

How would I be able to check this? Could I revert it fairly easily?

 

[Ducota]

How would I be able to check this? Could I revert it fairly easily?

while the car is running,
press and hold the CANCEL button on the right side of the
steering wheel for 5 seconds
release, and if the RPM moves to
3k rpm (high boost)
2k rpm (med boost)
1k rpm (low boost)

I believe if you toggle between SPORT and ECO
accelerator and CVT map changes

 

[level0wizard]

while the car is running,
press and hold the CANCEL button on the right side of the
steering wheel for 5 seconds
release, and if the RPM moves to
3k rpm (high boost)
2k rpm (med boost)
1k rpm (low boost)

I believe if you toggle between SPORT and ECO
accelerator and CVT map changes

Not sure if my civic has that option but I'll totally try when I get off work, thanks!

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