Honda HR-V Rough Idle Questions

"Jay, the practical enthusiast" (jay-m) 09/07/2016 at 06:10 • Filed to: None

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I have questions about my father in law’s high mileage (140,000km) automatic transmition HR-V. It’s a 2004 with a D16(W1?) and possibly a CVT.

It Idles rough when in Drive with the brake applied. The tach jumps up and down approximately 2 - 300 rpm, the whole car shakes, and it feels like it wants to shut off. Under heavy braking it will sometimes shut off.

But it only does this in Drive with the brake applied. In Park, Reverse or Neutral it idles just fine even with the brake applied.

Does anyone know what’s going on here and how to fix it? Internet search suggests a leak in the brake booster vacuum line. Could that cause this exact problem?

On a related note, could something like this cause problems with the O2 sensors as well?

LongbowMkII > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 06:35

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Sounds like it’s rough when there is a load on the motor. so check all the motor and transmission mounts.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > LongbowMkII 09/07/2016 at 06:44

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Thanks, I’ll check it out. But it’s only having this problem under braking or at a stop. Under acceleration it seems to be working just fine.

boxrocket > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 06:54

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I’m guessing it’s a CR-V given the age and mileage? Vacuum leak is a good place to start. Get a clean empty spray bottle, and make a mixture of soap and water - hand soap is OK, some car soaps can work too if they bubble enough, and car soaps are more likely to be biodegradable - and spray carefully and lightly on the vacuum lines one-by-one while the engine is running and look for leaks evidenced by bubbles growing. Also check the PCV valve. You may need a helper to put the car in Drive and hold the brake; if you do this, make sure they use the emergency brake and have the car checked to keep from being run over - safety first!

duurtlang > boxrocket 09/07/2016 at 06:59

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Could be a HR-V. They were introduced in the late 90s. With or without rear doors.

jariten1781 > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 07:08

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I mean, yeah I'd be thinking vacuum leak with those symptoms, but I wouldn't jump to the brake booster line as the culprit...vacuum leaks absolutely love to be obnoxious and hide. Check all the connections first, that's the main cause. If they're all good time to go spelunking. I prefer using incense sticks to search them out vs the bubbly water method but YMMV. Regularly I'll just say screw it and replace all the lines and hope. Hope is a moderately successful maintenance strategy.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > boxrocket 09/07/2016 at 07:33

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It is a JDM Honda. It’s in Mongolia and most cars here are straight from Auction from Japan.

But also, thanks for all the info and the level of detail. I’m not that mechanically inclined, but my father in law is. With this info we should have a good starting point and hopefully get it fixed.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > jariten1781 09/07/2016 at 07:36

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I didn’t think about all the other vacuum lines. This car and engine are so obscure that finding parts is going to be next to impossible.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 07:59

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dry rotted engine mounts can cause all sorts of weird vibrations.

smobgirl > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 08:56

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My old civic used to do that. It eventually got to the point where it would shut off if you didn’t have one foot lightly on the gas while braking. My mechanic “couldn’t" fix it (more likely wouldn't) but whatever the problem was, my neighbor who bought the car from me has been driving it for years just fine. Unfortunately he doesn't speak English and I have no idea what he did to it.

MonkeePuzzle > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 09:02

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the d-series’ oil filter is on the back of the engine, during oil changes I’ve knocked a vacuum line free a few times and the result is exactly as you’ve described. perhaps snake your hand down to the oil filter and see if you bump up against any vacuum lines.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 09:16

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My guess is it’s a PCV valve gone bad. Just last week I had the PCV valve replaced on the Cruze. The symptoms were very similar to what you’re describing. My co-worker also has a Cruze and his is doing the same thing mine is, except his is an automatic and it will just about stall sometimes.

I believe the PCV dumps air after the MAF sensor because it’s usually such a tiny amount the engine doesn’t notice. With the leak, though, lots of air is getting in, especially at idle/low RPM, which causes the engine to run lean. When the ECU sees this, it dumps more fuel in, going rich. When it sees its too rich, it pulls fuel back out, going lean again. So the car would sit there and idle would bounce from 500 to 1500 rpm over and over. At low speed it would buck and kick. But at 30+ MPH it would run fine because now the air from the PCV is back to being a small fraction of total air flow.

Anyways, it’s usually a relatively cheap part (unless you own a Cruze, it’s integral to the cam cover so you have to replace the whole thing, it’s $80) and it’s often considered a consumable/maintenance item so it should be changed every once in a while anyways. I’d try that first as a cheap and simple option, and if it doesn’t work then go on the hunt for vacuum leaks.

Cé hé sin > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 09:50

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JDM cars in Mongolia? Isn’t rhd an issue or do people do this:

Future next gen S2000 owner > Jay, the practical enthusiast 09/07/2016 at 10:05

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Idle air control valve/throttle body and a buildup of carbon? Vacuum line is a possibility as well.

Jay, the practical enthusiast > Cé hé sin 09/07/2016 at 18:34

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Ha! Actually, nobody cares. Everyone is just used to driving on the wrong side of the car.