You and the OP are obviously having the same problem.

Forum members, correct me if I am wrong but didn't we have a member suffer this same problem and when trying to get Honda to take care of the issue, Honda kept saying that it had to be because he changed the plugs and whatnot?

It was a thread in which the member was sharing his interactions with Honda. I don't remember what the outcome was though.

 

Hey I'm new here but figured I'd join this forum to let everyone know I also had loose plugs. 09 Fit Sport with 74k on it, LMS recall done and other than that the engine was never touched besides regular oil changes. I don't think the dealer even touched the plugs though since the valves are ticking pretty loud so the valve adjustment may have never been performed.








Anyways I decided to check my plugs since I've been reading a few posts of people having them loose or more often just blow out of the head. Mine were just about ready to blow as well. Plugs #1 and #3 were almost all the way out and #2 and #4 were still seated but only in there hand tight. Every time this happens to someone it seems there's many people who doubt and say that can never happen, but it's been happening more than enough times to be pure bad luck.
I have since replaced the plugs 2 weeks ago and torqued them down to 13ft/lbs with a torque wrench. Today, 2 weeks later, I go to check them again and to my surprise they have loosed up again on their own. This time I just put a cheater bar on the ratchet and tightened them down until they wouldn't go no more. I'd guess somewhere around 50+ ft/lbs. For 100k plugs I'd rather have them cranked down and not worry about them coming loose again until I hit 175k miles.
I do a few WOT runs with the car here and there and they may have rattled them loose. I also have not added any oil or anti-seize to the plug threads when installing if anyone was wondering. I replaced the stock plugs with the same exact plug number. Even though the NGK number says the gap is suppose to be 1.3mm out of the box they were all at 1.0mm so I regapped them to 1.3mm before installing.



There's a picture of what I pulled out. #1 and #3 coil pack boots were brown and burnt up from the exhaust gases hitting them as well as the base of those plugs being black with carbon. Wear on the tips and electrodes were normal and I haven't noticed any decrease in power, performance or MPG. I know it's a long post but I just wanted to make sure I provided enough details of the issue.

 

Correct me if I am wrong. It seems to me that every thread I have read on this subject involved a 2009 Fit.

Is this a manufacturing problem? Is it an assembly problem? Or is it something to do with the LMS recall?

I have never pulled the plugs on a Fit. I read the procedure in the manual about 6 months ago. Is removing the intake air plenum and the steel plate below it really necessary to get at the plugs?

 

I never had to remove anything except the coil packs to replace all four plugs. Of course you're mostly working by feel back there but it's not too hard.


Just reach around the front of the engine and the coil packs are right there. You can see the first coil pack pretty well, the rest is all by feel. Hardest part of the whole job is unplugging the coil pack connectors actually.

 

That is exactly what I wanted to hear. If you got them out that way, I'm sure I can figure it out and also do it that way. Thanks...

 

Darn, thanks for posting. I guess I have to check my 12 and father's 2010 to be sure they are tight. The 10 has 54K miles and my '12 has only 22K but it wouldn't hurt to be sure the plugs are tight. I would still install anti seize and torque them by hand. That should be sufficient. Oh, I would put dielectric grease on top of the electrodes before putting the coils back on.

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe dielectric grease is supposed to go on the porcelain/ceramic part of the plug and not on the electrode.

After reading this thread I'm tempted to remove my engine cover and retorque my plugs. I didn't have a suitable torque wrench when I did the job so I only torqued them approximately.

 

My Fit is a 2012 and has 84,500 miles on it. At 40,000 the engine light came on and I took it to a dealer in California and they told me the spark plug came loose. No one had worked on the car, they were the original plugs from manufacturer, Honda fixed it at no cost. Last week the engine light went on, I lost pressure and took it over to the Honda dealer in Long Beach, a different dealership. They told me the spark plug had come loose. This time the damage is significant. The head needs to get repaired and I am facing a 2,000.00 dollar job. It is unbelievable to me that the spark plug would come loose in the first place. I am also upset that there was no warning the engine light came on well after the fact in my opinion. Needless to say I am upset, particularly since this is the second time the spark plug has loosened and no one but Honda mechanics have touched the engine. Do I have any recourse to recoup all if not some of the costs?

 

Had a gas smell in cabin off and on for years, wife's car and I rarely drive in it, but when I do I notice the smell. She doesn't so never addressed it. I took it to Honda. They charged their diagnostic fee, told me it must be due to a critter chewing a line, and can't find a leak. I let it go, figuring it must be a gas tank venting issue or something, until I drove it the other day and the smell was awful. Then I found this site.

I had two loose plugs. Two full turns at least. My guess is they were never torqued down properly, and have gradually loosened further. Aside from useless mechanics/service, they clearly have an issue with these fits. Ours is an 09...

 

2012 Fit Sport AT

Only 5 years old with 44,000 miles. Original spark plugs, I have never done anything with them. Only services I have done myself are regular oil changes, a transmission fluid flush, air filter change, and tire rotation.

Was driving down the highway, 60 mph 2,000 rpm, notice a bad sound coming from the engine, pulled over and shut down the car. Had it towed to the dealership. #2 spark plug tried to eject itself from the cylinder head. Dealer says it got far enough to strip the threads. Need a new cylinder head, spark plug, and coil pack. They are going to call Honda HQ and see if they can help with the bill. As others have said, this is roughly a $5k fix for a $9k vehicle.

I am hoping Honda will help out. They clearly seem to have a manufacturing issue.

 

Update: Honda agreed to cover the repair even though the car was technically 1 month out of the 5 year/60k mile warranty.

Most likely the spark plug had been wriggling its way out for some time. Next time you are at the dealer or deep under the hood, could be wise to make sure all the spark plugs are good and tight.

 

I'd like to check my plugs in my 2013, but they are difficult to access. Rather than spend hours dismantling components that block access (either windshield wipers and garnish or the intake manifold?), has anyone tried to access the plugs working blind?

There's some space around and above the plugs and I thought that if there's room enough around, perhaps each coil pack could be pulled and a socket wrench placed to assure the plugs were tight. The plugs wouldn't need to be removed. I just don't know if there's room enough.

 

Does anyone have the pages from the Honda Factory Service Manual available that show how to access the plugs? I'm thinking I'd rather remove the windshield wipers, mechanism and garnish and come in from above. I'd no doubt break something working the alternate method of removing the air intake manifold. :-(

 

I have seen a few posts where someone has removed their plugs without removing wipers and plastic shroud that blocks your view of the plugs. But I don't see how that's possible.
See this DIY link that has good photos and write-up of the process to gain access to the plugs. https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...009-sport.html
I plan to replace my plugs soon and will probably follow these steps as a guide.

 

I just did a head on a 2010 Fit that blew out plug number 2. The first few threads were damaged so my conclusion is that it was due to crossthreading. My THEORY is that people commonly crossthread them because they are hard to reach.

One ALWAYS should finger tighten them at first. Don't be lazy and try to do it quickly with power tools. I am guilty of doing that sometimes.

 

Plug #2 on my 2012 Fit was loose too. Went to replace the factory plugs at 64k and #2 was rattling in the threads, not even finger tight. Symptoms leading up to this were constant rattling whenever the engine was on. Not speed dependent, but did get worse as the RPM's increased. Guess the rattle was the compression making the plug dance in the tip top of the threads.

New plugs got anti-seize (a debatable move, sure..) and #2 tightened down probably to 25 ft-lbs. Don't want to mess with this again until at least 164k.

 

2009 Sport 66k miles. Only # 2 plug loose. The rest were tight. Also # 4 has oil on plug. Plan to change all plugs. Do you think # 2 coil still good?
Car drove fine with 33mpg. 

 

A working coil is...a working coil. However, I suspect it will fail before the others due to the heat/contamination.

In a GD, where the coils are super easy to access, I wouldn't change it. In a GE, where the cowl is in the way, I'd probably go ahead and get a Hitachi or Denso replacement for that one coil. Better to replace while apart than to have to address later.

 

Great advice. Totally agree. I ordered the Hitachi from Rockauto. I was lucky and able to swap out from behind. Will swap them out once new is received. Thank you.

 

Interesting....