Tech Tips for September, 2003

Replacement of the Seat Belt Pretensioner in a Crashed Vehicle

For most 1996 and later-model Hondas, the SRS control unit must be replaced after the airbags have deployed.  In addition to the SRS unit, on the 1998-00 CR-V, and the 1999-00 Odyssey, and, if you have any S-2000’s in your market, the seat belt pretensioners must be replaced.  Once the seat belt pretensioners have been deployed, seat belts will not retract.

Sometimes, after a body shop has repaired a crash- damaged vehicle, you may find that the SRS indicator light is still on.  If the vehicle is a 1998-00 CR-V, a 1999-00 Odyssey, or an S-2000, before you look for improper body shop repairs or a loose electrical connection, check whether the seat belt pretensioners have been replaced.

Better yet, if you are ordering replacement SRS components for the above listed vehicles, also put in an order for the seat belt pretensioners.

Any questions please call us at 310-783-3095

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Tech Tips for August, 2003

Engine, Transmission, and Coolant Flush Systems

Honda lubrication systems, cooling systems, fuel systems, transmissions and power steering systems are designed to give thousands of trouble-free miles of service if the Owner’s Manual and Service Manual Maintenance Schedules are followed.

We do not recommend the use of flush systems on Honda automobiles for the following reasons:

• The Owner’s Manual and Service Manual Maintenance Schedules do not require or approve of aftermarket flush systems.
• Flush systems add to length of time customers must wait to have a service performed.
• Flush systems have not been demonstrated to improve vehicle performance or reliability.
• Flush systems that use solvents may leave solvent in the system, which will dilute the fluid or lubricant and degrade the fluid or lubricants performance.
• Flush systems that use filters can remove vital additives and degrade the fluid or lubricants performance.  This is particularly true for coolant.
• Damage caused by flush systems is not warrantable.

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Tech Tips for July, 2003

Dear Service Manager,

This month’s tech tips are short and sweet. It’s warming up outside and this reminds me of a couple of items I should bring to your attention.

Knocking Noise on Odyssey

 Number one is about a knocking noise that you may hear on 1999-2000 Odysseys. This is a knocking noise that you hear from the air conditioning system when the compressor engages, and then goes away when the compressor disengages. This type of noise can be easily mistaken for a failing compressor or even an engine knock. This could result in a very embarrassing misdiagnosis.  In many cases the noise is coming from the belt auto-tensioner. A weak belt tensioner produces belt slap, in particular when the load of the compressor engages.

Please be sure to check the tensioner first whenever you hear this type of noise.

Cooling System Service

 Number two is about cooling system service. Neglecting the cooling system could cost you. Always service or replace the radiator, as needed, any time you have done major engine service, head gasket, cylinder head, or block work. Anytime the engine overheats; debris and sediments are often deposited in the radiator. This needs to be serviced or replaced. Radiators and electric fans work together to maintain the engine at the proper operating temperature and the fan operation must be verified. Lastly, use genuine Honda coolant at the proper protection level to insure proper operation.

You must be thorough and pay attention to the minor details in order fix the car right the first time and keep your customers happy. 

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Tech Tips for June, 2003

 Dear Service Manager,

This month’s tech tip deals with the installation of the front license plate on the HONDA FIT.

Many of you have brought it to my attention that you are concerned about the front license plate installation on this vehicle. The reason has been because there are no instructions for this installation procedure. Some of you have figured out how to do this and some of you have not. For the benefit of you who have not found a way to do this, I will describe how this is done.

The first thing you need to understand is that the front bumper has a substantial build-up of material behind the front bumper in the area where you see the small indentations (see photo and graphic). This allows you to use a self-tapping screw for this installation. Be careful not to over-torque and strip the bumper.

For the larger license plate installation you can use conventional hardware using a bolt and retainer configuration.

Lastly do not be too concerned with the self-tapping screw installation procedure. We have had these here in the U.S. for some time and this has not become a problem.

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Tech Tips for May, 2003

 Dear Service Manager,

We have been talking a great deal in the past about “In-House Technical Training” and I have been doing some following-up on this project. I realized I did not provide you with as much information as I should have. In order for you to prepare for this eventuality, you need to plan on obtaining some training equipment. Here is a bit of information related to the PC requirements to run the CBT (computer-based training) in your location.

Below I've listed the necessary requirements to run any of our current training CBTs. Please, as always, let me know if you have any questions. 

Pentium II 500mhz processor (or better)

Windows NT or higher operating system (2000 or XP)

32MB RAM - System Memory (64MB RAM preferred)

2.1GB Hard Drive

18X CD Rom Drive

Video Card - Present

Video Resolution - 800 x 600 (1024 x 768 preferred)

Audio Card - Present

PC Speakers - Present

Macromedia Flash Player 5.0 (or higher)

Internet Explorer 5.0 (or higher)

Netscape Navigator 4.0 (or higher)

Adobe Acrobat 4.0 (or higher)

Laser Jet printer to print modules on demand

 In addition to this hardware and software you need to plan on bringing in a high-speed connection to this PC for on-line training. However, you can do CBT with the equipment mentioned above.

This equipment needs to be located in an area that is semi-private so that the technician can concentrate and at the same time be supervised.

Keep in mind that our goal is to provide you with as much knowledge-based training as possible in order to improve your technician’s abilities. This CBT will help us bridge the gap we have in training between where we are and where we need to be. Your investment in educating your technicians is one that will surely provide you many returns.

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Tech Tips for April, 2003

Dear Service Manager,

This month’s Tech Tip deals with the ten-year SRS system inspection.

In your service manuals you will find the SRS section refers you to a ten-year system inspection. Many of you were probably wondering what is involved in a ten-year inspection. To be perfectly honest with you, until recently, I wasn’t sure myself.

I did some research and found a US domestic Service Bulletin that describes what needs to be inspected.

Please refer to the attachment for the procedure. I do apologize for the bulletin not being produced for the export market, so please disregard the blue colored heading.

PDFs\a00-089.pdf

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Tech Tips for March, 2003

Dear Service Manager,

This question refers to maintenance services.  Are you doing too much service during your regularly scheduled service intervals?  In many of our recent visits to the market we have found many of you were doing more service than what is recommended in the Owner’s Manual, even for the severe service maintenance schedule.

Have you noticed that you are losing market share at an astonishing rate shortly after the end of the warranty period?  This is an indicator that you are doing and charging too much for routine maintenance.  If you are doing more than the Owner’s Manual recommends for the specific driving conditions of a given customer, you are doing yourself and your customer a major disservice.

Honda spends millions of dollars each year trying to reduce the cost of ownership, conduct research into reducing maintenance requirements, and extending the lifespan of components. This is how we maintain a competitive advantage.  When you take it upon yourself to increase the amount of service items and the cost of these services, you defeat the purpose of all this research and development and market studies.
When your customers start to perceive that our vehicles have to be serviced too frequently and that our cars cost too much to maintain - that’s when it’s too much.
 

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Tech Tips for February, 2003

Dear Service Manager,

The 2002 CR-V has been presenting some idle stability problems in many LAC countries. The symptoms can range from a vehicle that stalls, to one that turns the "Check Engine" light on and then gives you a DTC Code (57-3).

The reason I bring this to your attention is because this problem is not as easy as it seems to repair.

Before I go any further, I want to give you more information on the symptoms.  When you come to a stop, the vehicle may suddenly start to stumble, the “Check Engine” light may come on, and then the engine won’t idle unless you hold the throttle open.  When the engine idle speed drops, the engine stalls immediately.  The engine can be restarted without any problem.  However, it will continue to stall unless you hold the throttle open.

A probable cause could be contamination in the discharge port of the VTC (Valve Timing Control) oil control solenoid.  The factory has been recommending the replacement of the VTC oil control solenoid.  However, none of the warranty return parts have been found to have any noticeable contamination.  So, in addition to replacing the VTC oil control solenoid, the factory is now recommending that you replace the ECU.  New programming in the ECU has been designed to operate the replacement VTC control solenoid better.

If you experience this problem and these symptoms, try replacing the VTC oil control solenoid.  If that does not work, replace the ECU with the most up-to-date part available.  Check with your Parts Department to make sure their stock of ECUs are the most recent version.  If the problem persists, submit a QIC report.

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Tech Tips for January, 2003

Immobilizer Password Update

Dear Service Manager,

Here is another one of those priceless pieces of information that you probably wish you knew a long time ago…

I became aware not too long ago that there is a minor glitch with the Immobilizer software (Imagine that!).  The glitch is this - as you know, in the immobilizer software, there is a calendar that requires you to use a new password at the beginning of every calendar year. This means that you have to go to your confidential list of passwords and find the current password for that year.

The problem is that the current year’s password is supposed to work for all prior model years. This is not the case for all models. I found this out the hard way. I was told that the current password for 1999 –2002 model year does not work for 1997 and 1998 model year Civic and CR-V. This seems to be the case only for red key type 1 Immobilizer systems.

I later found out that in order to access these systems you must use the password for that specific year.  For example, 97 CR-V with (red key type 1 Immobilizer) you would use the password for 1997 calendar year - not the current year’s password.

You should have the list of these old passwords.  For security reasons, I cannot provide all the passwords related to this article.  However, I can provide them to you via E-Mail or verbally during a telephone conversation.

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Tech Tips for December, 2002

HIM (Honda Interface Module)

Dear Service Manager,

This month’s Tech Tip deals with the reprogramming of PCMs (Power-train Control Modules) on the 2003 model year Accords and the equipment required for performing this procedure.

The PCM for the 2003 Accord is reprogrammable; this is a first for our markets in LAC.

The Reprogrammable PCM is not new to Honda however. The reprogrammable PCM on the new models adds flexibility and serviceability to the new models that we did not have before. This reprogramming allows us to update the PCM as opposed to replacing the unit in most cases.

In order to reprogram these new computers you must have a special tool that is capable of transporting new program software from your PC (Personal Computer) to the vehicle. The PGM tester is not capable of performing this task. This is part of the reason we are introducing the new HDS (Honda Diagnostic System). Unfortunately the new tool will not be available until the end of the first quarter of 2003.

Most of you will be receiving the 2003 Accord soon, this means that if the need should arise to reprogram a PCM on a new Accord, you will not be equipped to do this.

American Honda will help provide the means to take care of these needs in the form of a “Back-up plan” The plan includes the following;

• American Honda will ship a HIM (Honda Interface Module) to each distributor in December. (This will be a loaner - so do take good care of it and save the packaging)

• We will also ship a Service Bulletin that will contain the procedure for reprogramming PCMs using the HIM.

• When the need arises for PCM reprogramming, American Honda will distribute the version of software to you on CD. This can then be loaded onto the HIM device (similar to how you update the PGM software cards).  In fact, you use the same blue cable and power supply that you currently use.

• Once the software is in the HIM, you take it to the car and update the PCM in the car.

• Bob Sullivan and I will be available to assist you with any issues that may come up when and if you need to use this tool.

Here is a picture for the HIM device. Your technicians who attended New Model training were introduced to this tool at the South Florida Training Center in October.

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Tech Tips for November, 2002

Customer Vehicle Care

Dear Service Manager,

I recently returned from a trip to the field where I had the opportunity to visit a few Distributors. This was a very good learning experience for me since I had not visited these locations before.

One of the items that stood out to me in during these visits was the noticeable difference from one shop to another in overall appearance. The “Eye of the Customer” as they call it.  Here are some of the items worth mentioning… Customers notice:

• How clean and uncluttered the service drive is.

• How neat your Service Advisor’s desk is.

• How clean the staff member's uniforms are before he gets in their car.

• If the technician washed his hands before he got in their car.

• If someone used a floor mat and seat cover on their car.

• If the bays are clean.

• If the technician is eating his lunch in their car.

• If the technician changed their radio station.

• If the technician is using fender covers.

• If the technician is leaning into their car with that giant metal belt buckle (and no fender cover)

I bring these to your attention because all of the Distributors I visited had some problems with these items.

It’s important to keep these things in mind because you can’t count on your customer to bring them to your attention.  In many cases, customers will not say a thing.  However, they will consider this when the time comes for their next service visit.  Customers are not captive; they are free to go where they feel they are getting quality professional service. Paying attention to these details is the sign of a true professional.

Pay attention to these items so your customers don’t have to.

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Tech Tips for October, 2002

2001- 2002 Civic Bushing Update

Dear Service Manager,

Thanks to the constant research and feedback from some of our Distributors, we now have a permanent countermeasure at hand.  We expect availability of this new part within one month. The Service Bulletin related to this concern, "2001-2002 Civic Rear Suspension Squeak", is in the final phases of being published. I’m as happy as you may be to hear the answer is now here.

We will distribute the bulletin and parts information toward the end of this month or the beginning of next month. The bushing will be available as a separate part and will also be available with the knuckle as a complete assembly for those cases where the knuckle has been damaged.

The new bushing has an inner metal sleeve and on outer metal shell like a conventional bushing, similar to the bushing design suggested by Sylvia Amrhein of Costa Rica.

Constant feedback to American Honda and the factory (from Sylvia and others in the LAC Region) was instrumental in providing the information necessary to solve this problem.

The only other new information I have for you is that the new bushing must be pressed in mechanically.  I understand this is not a problem for most of you.  Some of you may already have a ball joint press or a hydraulic press that can be adapted to install these new bushings.

You can be sure as soon as this bulletin gets final sign off, I’ll be communicating with you to let you know when you can order parts.

Thank you and I’ll be in contact with you shortly...

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Tech Tips for September, 2002

Dear Service Manager,

I’m requesting that you become more proactive about your QIC reporting.

QIC is your responsibility as a Honda Distributor. You should do your best to provide good quality timely feedback to the factories. Only you can tell the factory what quality issues exist in your market.

Some Distributors are calling and complaining about quality issues and then don’t bother to report. These are the same people who call me some time later and can’t understand why that problem hasn’t been countermeasured.

The only way to improve the quality of our vehicles and retain our good reputation is to report these issues as soon as they arise. Timeliness is a concern as well - some QIC reports have as much as 6 months between occurrence and report date. It is very critical that we report concerns as soon as possible.

Lastly, please remember that you insert as much detail as possible into your reports. Provide as much detail as possible to the areas of "symptoms, diagnosis, and primary cause".  These areas are key for the factory engineer to understand exactly what you’re describing.

Please refer to the "Technical Information Reporting Manual" booklet that we’ve given you for any questions while submitting a QIC report. If you do not find your answer there, feel free to call me at 310-783-3095.

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Tech Tips for August, 2002

Be Tire Smart

One of the most neglected parts of the car is, the tires. This is an area of service where we need to make sure our service personnel are performing the needed service and inspection.

A valuable tool to assist you in performing this service is available now and you should have it in your hands. The "Express Change Training Modules" includes a module on tire maintenance and inspection. The key points are as follows:

Pressure: The easiest and probably the most important part of tire maintenance is performing air pressure checks. Maintaining the proper air pressure is critical to tire wear and safety. Low air pressure causes premature tire wear and can make the tire run hot which can destroy the tire.

Over inflation can also cause premature tire wear and bring on complaints of harsh ride quality and vibration. The correct tire inflation pressure is listed in the Owner’s Manual and the driver’s door jamb sticker.

Alignment: Misalignment of the wheels in the front or rear of the car can cause rapid tread wear. In some cases the visit to your service department is the only opportunity to have the tires inspected, so it is critical that you locate and correct alignment concerns at this time. Road conditions in your country may require more frequent inspection.

Rotation: Consult the Owner’s Manual - however, typically the rotation is done at normal service intervals. Tire rotation is more important on Hondas because the vast majority of the models are front wheel drive. This puts an extra load on the tire because not only are they drive the tires but they are also steer the tires. Keep those tires rotated!

Tread: Tires must be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2 mm of thickness. This is if you have had good maintenance and care. They may need to be replaced before this if they have irregular tire wear or other problems such as damage. There are wear indicators on the tread that will show up more noticeably when the tire wear is down to 2mm.

All the items mentioned above should be part of your normal service that you provide. However, please make sure this routine service is not being routinely overlooked. Spot-check the technicians to assure that is service is performed correctly.   Think Quality Control!

Please refer to section EXC10 of your "Express Service Training Modules" for details about this service and inspection.

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Tech Tips for July, 2002

Update on the 2001-2002 Civic rear suspension squeak

Dear Service Manager,

The factory continues to investigate the rear suspension squeak problem that has been troubling our market for some time. Thus far, the root cause of the problem has been identified.  Here is an explanation:

• The root cause is the positive angle of the front bushing height being higher than the rear bushing height, relative to the ground produces a suspension travel angle that was not conducive to the bushing design. This was aggravated by the higher suspension ride height of the KK and KX model. This explains why we had fewer complaints from the Caribbean market, since their suspension ride height is similar to the U.S. specification KA-type. For those of you in the Caribbean, please keep in mind that you will most likely experience this condition at a higher mileage like the U.S. KA-type.

As of today, no satisfactory countermeasure has been identified.

However, a "Field Fix" is now available for critical customer complaints. The 2002 CR-V bushing has been approved by HGT to use. The part number is HC # 6931539.   In addition to this, our Special Tools Group engineered a tool to expedite the removal and installation of this bushing while on the car.  The removal and installation tools must be purchased to install the CR-V bushing.  I have seen these tools used and was impressed with the speed of the process.  The other key point is that the bushing was not damaged during installation - the right tool for the right job. The tool part number is 07AAF-S5A-A150 (see attached photo "A")

images/Bushing tool.jpg

The 2002 CR-V bushing is available in limited numbers so order for your most urgent cases first!

Full installation instructions:  images/Bushing Repair.doc

One more important note: Please make sure that you do the final torque of the bushing (during installation) while the vehicle is on the ground and the suspension has been relaxed with the weight of the vehicle on it.  This will prevent premature failure due to preloaded torque on the bushing if it is tightened while in the air and then lowered. (see attached photo "B")

images/torque procedure.jpg

Keep in mind that the CR-V bushing is only a stopgap measure to appease critical customers.  It is 3 times better than the current Civic bushing, but permanent elimination of the noise has not been verified.   Once a proper countermeasure for the Civic has been identified, every effort will be made to make the necessary parts available.

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Tech Tips for May, 2002

Urgent information

There is some information missing from

Applies to: CR-V 2002

Titled: Cutting Sidewinder-Type Keys With the MATRIX H Key Cutting Machine

This bulletin is missing some information in the area of calibrating the cam set while cutting a key using a code.

Attached you will find a copy of page 5 of 6 that contains the error. We expect a correction to the bulletin in about a month. For the moment this sample has the correction on it. Please follow the instructions in the same order, add the step indicated by the note on the attachment. Should you have any questions, please call 310-783-3095.

images/keycutter1.jpg

Información Urgente

Hace falta información en el

Se aplica a: CR-V 2002

Título: Corte de llaves tipo Sidewinder con la máquina de corte de llaves MATRIX H

A este boletín le hizo falta información sobre la calibración de las levas cuando usted esta cortando una llave con código.

Adjunto una muestra de la página 6 de 7 que tiene el error. Esperamos la corrección el mes que entra, por el momento esta muestra tiene la corrección. Favor de seguir las instrucciónes en la misma orden, solamente agregando la nota que yo les indiqué. Si tienen alguna pregunta, favor de hablarme al 310-783-3095.

images/keycutter.jpg

An addition has been made to last month’s tech tip, Some application information was not available last month. The additional parts information is listed below.

Countermeasure parts information;

KK LX/DX 4Dr 1HGES16701L500846 P/N 18220-S5D-A12

EX 2Dr 1HGEM22901L500017

4Dr 2HGES16621H914833

KX LX/DX 4Dr 1HGES16701L903485 P/N 18220-S5D-A03

EX 2Dr 1HGEM22991L901046

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Tech Tips for April, 2002

The countermeasure part number is H/C 6693212 or P/N 18220-S5D-A12. This "B" pipe section has been improved to eliminate this problem.

2001 Civic Fuel Strainer Update

One last thing, as you complete a campaign related repair on a vehicle such as fuel strainer or fuel hose clamp, please submit those warranty claims as soon as possible. This is the only way we can officially track the completion.

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Tech Tips for March, 2002

• Leaving grease or other marks on the car. It’s fine to keep the inside clean, but if there are fingerprints on the hood, a blob of grease on the dipstick handle, or mud on the door sills, your customer will notice later. It may be their last memory of your work. Do a quick walk around as if it were your car, and make sure it is clean all over. If you leave anything in the car, make it your business card or a thank you note; this will leave a much better impression.

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Tech Tips for February, 2002

New Model Information Update - 2002 CR-V

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Tech Tips for January, 2002

2001 Civic Rear Bushing "Squeak"

When I first heard the rear suspension squeak in Costa Rica I never imagined that it would become so popular. Next thing I know everyone had it. This famous noise that has become so popular has been receiving much attention lately. I will try to bring you up to date with this month’s Tech Tip.

The problem is with the rear suspension lower bushings, front and back. Depending on the climate and road conditions this noise starts between 5,000 and 10,000 kilometers. This noise can be heard when you are traveling over an uneven surface, when you go over speed bumps, or even when you just bounce the suspension. As you know, this noise can be very loud and annoying. This noise has also been the hardest one to eliminate.

There has been many QICs submitted by many countries, and I want to thank those countries that have submitted information. This information has proven to be very helpful.

On one of my recent trips I was able to record this noise with a video camera, I then showed this tape to our engineering department and some managers. They were surprised as to the seriousness of this noise. It was at this meeting that the model engineer recommended the Dow Corning DC-111 grease for this problem.

During this same time an engineer from the Ohio factory was visiting Honda De Mexico to do an in-market investigation and to try some countermeasures.

The investigation in Mexico was completed and good information was gathered. The factory is now investigating the possibility of redesigning the bushing. Until this permanent countermeasure takes place we will have to take care of our customers on a case-by-case basis.

We put together an article to provide you with some assistance on how to perform the temporary countermeasure that will last longer and to help you avoid some possible problems. The procedure described in the article demonstrates how to remove the bushing just enough to apply the recommended lubricant. The article also describes how to replace the bushing if necessary. A copy of this article was mailed to every distributor during the week of December 17th.  Please follow the procedure described in the article and call me at 310-783-3095 if you have any questions.

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Last Update: 08 Nov 2004