Oil Dilution TSB

charleswrivers

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I changed my oil today. I pulled out the ~3.4 q as I recall it said should be the capacity for a change w/o filter. No fuel smell. Put back in what I took out volume wise. Looked dark and beautiful. I'll be looking to see if Honda USA follows suit but there was nothing about the oil change that looked any different than all the oil changes I've ever done on any other car, NA or port injection. I do run 93 and don't short trip the car constantly... so that may be a factor based on other threads I've seen.

@CivicChina interested in how those changes will affect the car (ie CVT now keeps engine RPM higher at low speed). Thanks for the info.
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Moving a topic over here: TLDR is lets get our oil analyzed and post the results here. That way, we can be talking about real numbers and not rely on second had sources:

Hello all,

For those not in the know, Big H Honda has a recall on the 1.5L turbo engine. The recall itself is only for the Asia market, according to what I have seen online-sources below:

https://reuters.com/article/us-chin...cars-in-china-over-engine-issue-idUSKBN1FW124

https://carcomplaints.com/news/2018/honda-cr-v-civic-high-oil-levels.shtml


This news has left us, here in the US market, worried about potential issues with oil dilution. Oil dilution is when gasoline gets into the engine's motor oil. This reduces the effectiveness of the oil by changing the properties of it [thinning it out]. Now, most (if not all) engines will have some dilution due to how an engine works. I won't get into that here- trying to keep it light.

The worry is, the US Civics also have these problems and we're slow to diagnose. There has been a few threads on here recently and I would like hard, unbiased data on the matter. Maybe you do too.

I propose: we here, on Civicx, get our oil tested and post the results. By crowd-sourcing this data, I believe we collectively can answer most of these concerns.

How it Works: For $28, you can get your oil tested at https://www.blackstone-labs.com or similar company. You will then post the results here (minus any personal details), along with relevant variables: Tuned or not, freeway vs street driving, hot or cold climate, gas quality, oil type, etc.

The more data points we have, the better our results. I was already planning on doing this myself for funsies- but with with enough of us we can put this subject to bed... or... you know... start changing our oil sooner:)
 

IDriveACivic

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I bugged Honda Canada (corporate office, not a dealership) again; this time referencing the recalls in China. Honda ran my VIN, and determined there's no recall at this time. They also emphasized that Honda Canada focuses singularly on manufacturing and services within the Canadian market, and that the manufacturing and safety standards here are different from elsewhere. This could all be PR talk and/or a way of saying that China Honda did something wrong.
 

HatchorNada

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Right now, the ambient or "feels like" temperature is 110 aka Heat Index down hure where I domesticate and running 0w-20 "elite" full syn and no qualms.. Remember, the gas is diluting into the oil so it is paramount you use elite gas and focus on their additives versus the oils. Never forget, it is the oil's HT/HS which correlates to the Heat Index in many ways and you want and oil with high viscosity before it thins then it's get it out and start all over again.
 


Design

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I bugged Honda Canada (corporate office, not a dealership) again; this time referencing the recalls in China. Honda ran my VIN, and determined there's no recall at this time. They also emphasized that Honda Canada focuses singularly on manufacturing and services within the Canadian market, and that the manufacturing and safety standards here are different from elsewhere. This could all be PR talk and/or a way of saying that China Honda did something wrong.
To be honest, the recall seems more of a PR move in itself. Cold temps, short trips and extensive idling create a perfect recipe for fuel dilution. And those are very widespread conditions in China during the winter months.

Honda can adjust ECU parameters via the recall to limit the amount of fuel vapors accumulating in the crankcase. But it could come at the expense of performance or fuel economy (or both).
 

CivicChina

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Well, I just came back from the dealership with the recall done, which in my case for a manual car was just an ECU update and AC control module replacement, plus free oil and filters service. I also got the contract for a lifetime warranty on the drivetrain and a voucher, which i used to buy a further 2 year warranty on the rest of the car with the recall promotion.
On the way back the car felt slow, very slow but i want to wait until the ECU settles to confirm.
 
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absolude

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Well, I just came back from the dealership with the recall done, which in my case for a manual car was just an ECU update and AC control module replacement, plus free oil and filters service. I also got the contract for a lifetime warranty on the drivetrain and a voucher, which i used to buy a further 2 year warranty on the rest of the car with the recall promotion.
On the way back the car felt slow, very slow but i want to wait until the ECU settles to confirm.
Interesting. That sounds like good and bad news at the same time.
Lifetime warranty is awesome.
Wonder how it'll feel when the ECU is all "warmed up".
Maybe a higher octane can improve on the response and performance?
 

CivicChina

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Interesting. That sounds like good and bad news at the same time.
Lifetime warranty is awesome.
Wonder how it'll feel when the ECU is all "warmed up".
Maybe a higher octane can improve on the response and performance?
i hope it will adjust... i'm sad right now because it felt like a 170 hp car instead of 200ish as before... :( tires don't squeal anymore when i throw the 2nd gear in and i'm even more sad because if i get a tuner i waste the lifetime warranty i just got, not good for a heavy traffic daily driver.
Some journalists tested the CVT version and were not able to do under 8 seconds in the 0-100 km/h after the recall, while it did 7.5 before and we can't even complain because the official 0-100 is 8.6 :confused: (they are smart..)

I will test better during next week on my usual roads to feel the difference.

EDIT: I went to work this morning and I feel my baby is back! After around 10 km, at the third pull, after a couple of lazy accelerations it woke up and started running as fast as before, but that's not all: now it is much much smoother at slow speeds in traffic, it used to be very jerky especially when cold but now runs like silk even at 10km/h, which unfortunately is my speed for half of my commute...
I also realized I am driving on a empty tank filled with a full bottle of injector cleaner, not the best ;)
 
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absolude

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i hope it will adjust... i'm sad right now because it felt like a 170 hp car instead of 200ish as before... :( tires don't squeal anymore when i throw the 2nd gear in and i'm even more sad because if i get a tuner i waste the lifetime warranty i just got, not good for a heavy traffic daily driver.
Some journalists tested the CVT version and were not able to do under 8 seconds in the 0-100 km/h after the recall, while it did 7.5 before and we can't even complain because the official 0-100 is 8.6 :confused: (they are smart..)

I will test better during next week on my usual roads to feel the difference.
I was going to mention the tune but didn't know you were OK with it.
Can they tell if you return it to stock? The car is already reflashed so maybe not easy to spot.
It would be interesting to see how the "stock" setting from Hondata or KTuner would work on it now...
 


CivicChina

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All good news: tonight i noticed my shifts were very quick and smooth, so i started paying attention to what was going on and.... with big surprise I felt the rev-hang is consistently reduced, not completely gone but much better than before, i would say it takes half the time to match the revs shifting from 2nd to 3rd around 3000rpm. I couldn't stare at the gauges when I shifted at higher revs because i had cars all around me but feels about the same.
 
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absolude

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All good news: tonight i noticed my shifts were very quick and smooth, so i started paying attention to what was going on and.... with big surprise I felt the rev-hang is consistently reduced, not completely gone but much better than before, i would say it takes half the time to match the revs shifting from 2nd to 3rd around 3000rpm. I couldn't stare at the gauges when I shifted at higher revs because i had cars all around me but feels about the same.
This is great news. Looks like a win-win-win.
No more dilution, lifetime warranty and better performance, or at least a more enjoyable driving experience.

Now, how can we get this reflash in other markets?
 

CivicChina

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Honda is starting to recall the other vehicles: today hey issued the recall for the URV with 1.5t engine and.... also for the 2.0t!!! yes, that one, the type R-derived engine used on the Accord in north america:popcorn:
 
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absolude

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Honda is starting to recall the other vehicles: today hey issued the recall for the URV with 1.5t engine and.... also for the 2.0t!!! yes, that one, the type R-derived engine used on the Accord in north america:popcorn:
Were they pressured to do it for the 2.0t also?
 


 


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