I just read Edmunds.com and someone post this "Idle Learning Procedure" which may affect the MPG A LOT if not properly done... anyone has idea about this?? I may try it later today since I don't think it'll hurt my Fit at all but just curious how can this affect the MPG... from the bulletin of Honda it said "If it is not done or done incorrectly, the engine may have an erratic idle."

Follow is the original post:
I don't know if this would apply to the FIT.

Part of a dealers NEW CAR GET READY for the Pilot is called
"Idle Learn Procedure".

http://www.hondalac.com/service/Bulletins/x02-029e.pdf

Sometime the folks in New Car Get Ready are a little slack in their duties.

I don't know why it is necessary, just that it is part of their GET READY.

Over on the Pilot forums, folks have posted where really crappy mileage was improved drastically by the procedure.

One soccer mom that was getting something like 11-13 daily driving, improved to 17+ and so on.

If you want to try it, you have nothing to loose except your preset radio stations. You will have to reset them.

1. With a cold engine: Turn off all accessories.
Disconnect battery for a few minutes. Leave the hood
open.

2. Reconnect the battery. Do not turn on any accessories.

3. Do not touch the throttle. Start the engine and let it idle. Watch the radiator cooling fan(s). After a while it will come on for a short period and shut off.
Keep watching. Eventually it will come on and shut off a second time.

4. That is it! Turn off ignition switch, close the hood.
Now you will need to reset radio stations and possibly the drivers "AUTO" window feature. If the "Auto" feature stopped working, activate the auto feature and while holding it in auto, run the window to the bottom. Then activate and hold the switch and run the window to the top and continue holding the switch an additional 3 seconds. Now the auto feature should work.

On the Pilot, Honda recommends this procedures when the battery is replaced, has discharged, or certain fuses have been blown or pulled.

 

OK, I tried the "Idle Learn Procedure" yesterday. Still dunno if there's any difference. Will report here probably one week later after my Fit run for certain miles

 

Cool, very curious how it'll work out for you.

 

OK, it's time for me to post the MPG of my Fit Sport A/T before and after Idle Learn Procedure:

Miles Gallons City:Freeway MPG
232.8 9.975 50:50 23.3
264.0 9.498 30:70 27.8
218.2 8.484 70:30 25.7
218.4 8.418 40:60 25.9 (Idle Learn right after this tank)
191.5 6.497 30:70 29.5
234.2 6.552 10:90 35.7

In first glance, pretty obvious that my MPG did IMPROVE A LOT after the idle learn procedure. However, since I did quite a lot freeway driving for my last 2 tanks of gas, it is not a fair comparison. But one thing can be concluded is that the freeway MPG is a lot better than city MPG.

My next tank will restore to normal drive (50:50 city:fw) and I'll see how's my MPG then.

 

what do you mean by "Idle Learn"?? I got around 35 MPG on highways...but for some reason, local city driving is suffering...

 

You can refer to my post #597 of this thread... basically it's a process for the car to "learn" what is the optimal idle revolve speed...

 

did you use a wrench to take off the bolts from the battery or from the car? did u just unscrewed them?
the one leading to the negative charge seems a bit difficult to take out..

 

With all due respect and trying not to sound smug, if you have to ask a question like this you probably shouldn't be handling a wrench in this area. Please find someone who's familiar with this and ask them to show you. You may not get shocked, but it's possible to pretty much blow up a lead acid battery or cause a fire if you're not quite careful.

bob

 

I can take it to the shop and they will probably tell me that this was done during pdi..
I'm trying to take this into my own hand and am just asking for advice.
I'm sure with proper instructions i will be able to unplug my battery.
I'm probably gonna have to replace it sooner or later.. better learn now then never

 

yes i use a wrench to take off the bolt (-ve only) from the battery, waited for 5 minutes, then reconnect again... remember you should ALWAYS take off -ve first and then +ve, but in this case you only need to take off the -ve one...

I don't think you'll get electrical shock BUT I did put on plastic glove just for safety... also, it's a good idea to use a piece of clothing to cover the bolt once you take it off to prevent any accident...

Good luck

 

Ok.. so just loosent he black one from the battery and remove it for 5 minutes.. lay the "connector" on a piece of clothing or cloth to prevent sparks.. then after 5 min out it back on then follow the Idle Learn thingy right? sounds good.. i hope i can get the nuts off easily using my electric drill... it has a bolts remover..

 

oh yeah i forgot..
i'll have glvoes on to remove the bolt and nut..
the screw bolt can cause accidents? or the wire u are talking about?

 

Damnit. I did the reset, and when I ran the car for nearly 20 minutes, the fan never once came on. Then I switched on the A/C for about 5 minutes. Upon switching on the A/C the fan came up immediately. According to the service manual, it tells the tech to do a bunch of pre-checks. And I would imagine that these prechecks would cause the fan to turn on. I mean, if you lived in the arctic, then the fan would never turn on when idle! So the total idle time was about 30 minutes for me. Don't even know if it was done correctly. I think the whole instruction is just procedural to keep the techs working while the engine is learning. Time is money!

I want a refund on my wasted gas.

 

I wouldn't recomend using an electic drill under the hood of any car, because you don't want any sparks, which could cause a fire from gas fumes.
boatfloyd

 

thx, after you resume to normal city driving, how did it compare before the idle learn procedure?? can you see the improvement??

 

I only did one tank of 90% freeway trip after the idle learn procedure and I got 35.7 MPG... this tank is restoring to normal daily driving, now it's about 100 miles and 1/3 tank gas gone... will report again after this tank of gas is finished

 

For those who are wondering about the Idle Learn Mode. Here is the paperwork that the dealers receive and should be performing on your car upon delivery.

On the top right of the page, type in the CODE and click Download.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6SIZBTNB

This is the 11 page Fit Service Bulletin 06-017. Enjoy.
(Thanks Bubba)


Andy

 

Before you get jerked around further by the Honda clowns, do yourself a favour and try the Idle Learn Procedure. To shorten the length of this process, do this:

1- Making sure you have your radio code, remove the Backup/Radio fuse in your engine compartment fuse box. Re-install after 2 minutes. Close the hood.

2- Making sure no electrical items are on, even the dome light, start the car and rev between 2k-3k rpm until the fan comes on once. Let it idle until the fan comes one the second time.

3- Let the car idle for another 10 minutes after the second fan cycle and you're done!

This is not going to hurt your car, it can only help it find the right computer settings if you're not happy about mileage, etc.

 

how do i do idle test??

 

First, you'll have to learn to read...