Piston Slap: Earth Dreams of Carbon Buildup?

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta
TTAC commentator KCFlyer writes:

Dear Sajeev,

I have a 2015 Honda Fit LX manual, purchased new. From day one I noticed a slight momentary hesitation under moderate acceleration when the engine was cold. I took the car to the dealer after a few weeks but they could not duplicate the problem. I dropped it off again and left it overnight, hoping a cold engine would allow them to experience the issue. No luck.

Fast forward 57,000 miles. Same problem persists and is reported to dealer via phone several times. The check engine light comes on. Dealer says the code means an #3 cylinder misfire. They say the fuel injectors are clogged and charge $1,300 to replace all four injectors. Honda of America throws in $1,000 of goodwill money because fuel injectors are not covered by the 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.

Two weeks later light comes back on. Same code. This time another dealer pulls the head and finds carbon buildup on all four piston heads. They clean up the engine, clean the throttle body and declare the vehicle fixed. Total charges paid for by Honda of America under goodwill claim except $217 for the throttle body cleaning. That was yesterday and I will know within days if the original problem persist.

Tech rep was awesome. He recommends I get the fuel injectors and throttle body cleaned every 30,000 miles. My question, what caused the carbon buildup? Does the buildup damage the engine even if later cleaned up? Should I dump the Fit? It is an awesome commuter. I average 44 mpg summer and 39 winter.

Sajeev answers:

My, how this issue has changed since our first(?) discussion back in 2012: what was once a measured discussion of the merits/pitfalls of de-carboning an engine is now a second nature, knee-jerk diagnosis (that’s likely accurate).

Engines have turned into carbon cokers and oil burners, and that’s our new normal when shopping for a new ride: Honda’s Earth Dreams are no different?

The usual reason for carbon buildup is two fold: the aforementioned changes in engine design and owner’s driving style. Odds are if you rung that little L15B1 out to redline on a regular basis in lower gears (so you won’t get a speeding ticket) the modern direct injection setup would run clean as a whistle: no need for any preventative maintenance? Of course, the Best & Brightest have the final say.

But I like those shift-yourself Fits and you should keep it…preferably near redline in 1st/2nd gear just for fun.

[Image: Honda]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.


Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

More by Sajeev Mehta

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 125 comments
  • F1tifoso F1tifoso on Aug 04, 2018

    Carbon buildup is caused by the carbon in fuel backwashing - it is a design flaw they didn't foresee (starting with AUDI's DI engines) >port injection was largely self cleaning (except cheap gas left deposits) while direct injection has caused this problemever since (Audi recommendation to keep it clean? Take it to redline once a week...) a few newer systems have solved the problem with flow analysis while others now have both port and direct paired fuel injectors which prevents the problem as well (they use the DI for efficiency and port for power, allowing smaller DI injectors - of course twice the injectors = $$...) To fix: You can buy DI cleaner spray for about 3-4x the price of plain carb cleaner, and it is about 20x more concentrated (have tested both on the gunk and it is very effective) and spray off the polluted intake etc. I don't believe the pistons carbon are a DI problem, that's a tier 2 fuel problem.

  • Gearhead77 Gearhead77 on Aug 08, 2018

    Just run it hard once in a while. I'm fairly sure a trip to WOT once in awhile isn't killing anything, including mileage. .1 mpg to keep the carbon away and large repairs? A tank of premium Tier 1 fuel every once in awhile? Cheap to me

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
Next