It's interesting China customers were able to get Honda's attention. Maybe North Americans are once again too interested in football and social media to be aware or effective. Once again, there's something to be said for being aware of your vehicle and complaining when it's not working properly. Oil/fuel dilution has been a problem for DI turbo engines and nothing is different for the 1.5T in spite of the perma-deniers, uninformed, and Honda fan bois in this forum.

 

Interesting. I notice an odor of gas in the cabin when idling for longer than normal.....

 

Shouldn't this problem occur in U.S. engines also?

 

all 1.5L turbo engine cars should be recalled, not just those in China.

 

Yes, I would expect the same to happen in NA. By all account Honda was late to the DI turbo party, didn't do their homework, and rushed it to production possibly because Ford was doing so well selling DI turbo engines. It's all about profits. Shortened warranties only help them cut corners and lay the risk onto an unsuspecting, uninformed zombie customer base.

 

And there you go.

 

Annoying recall.
I've felt the Hondas and Toyotas of the 80's and 90's were much better built vehicles.
Cheaper and lighter imported parts,financial greed by company brass, quick rollouts of new design etc

 

Yes. The days of quality for the sake of quality and customer satisfaction seem to be over. Today it's more about gaining marketshare and meeting government standards. And shades of VW with Honda's response to the China recall saying the engine oil issue had no harm to the engine or car performance. This isn't your daddy's Honda.

Gotta wonder how soon until we start hearing about carbon buildup issues.

 

I wonder if our engines and the ones in the CRVs in China are built in the same plant?
I doubt it and it could explain why the problem is more prevalent over there and prompted a recall.
Obviously the engines (1.5 T) share the same design but components could be sourced from different suppliers (with varying quality) and the foundries where the castings are made could use different alloys.

 

From above link

The issue in some cases caused a strong odor of gasoline inside the car and in other cases the car’s check-engine light came on. Honda and Dongfeng plan to resolve the issue by updating the engine’s gasoline injection control software.

Do you think a simple software update is a fix to this problem, seems way too simple to fix the problem.

 

The engine runs off software so unless there is a mechanical reason for this, then reflashing will help. What is concerning is that if they are truly dumping too much fuel in the warmup cycle to put that much fuel in the oil. then the cylinder walls are likely being washed down.

Time to look into logging options or take the leap with Hondata.

 

Don't think so crv are built in Canada and the USA. Makes no sense to ship 350k to China might as well have a plant build it near by like Japan or in China

 

Owned 3 Honda products (Civic, CRV, Acura), now 5 Toyota (Prius, Avalon, Sienna, Prius v, Prius v). Based on that small sample (all have 40k and some 160k+ miles) my experiences have been that the newer Toyotas beat the older Hondas in reliability and cost of ownership (excluding gas where the Prius skews the numbers). My 2 worst experiences were with Honda/Acura. One transmission failure and one every brake cylinder replacement before 18k miles. The older CRV was darn near perfect. We are seeing much more complex cars with lots more electronics and safety features than the simple cars of the 80s .

 

CRV is about the only Honda car I dare to buy.And that's the LX model without the turbo engine. And a Canadian car.

 

Have any of you guys ever been to China? We have a running joke in our offices about a can opener we purchased over in China. It looked exactly like an expensive Farberware can opener but had only Chinese writing on it. We opened one can and it worked fine. We used it the next day to open a second can and the cutting wheel shaft snapped in half We bought it back with us and called it "The one use can opener". If you think the stuff made in China and sold in the USA is crap you have no idea how bad the stuff is they sell to their own people.

In the case of Honda all the vehicles sold in China are probably not built to nearly the same standards as the ones sold in the USA. Mainly because even for the upper middle class family in China a CR-V sold at US based prices would be hard if not impossible to buy.

Second issue is the Gas in China. I highly doubt it's gas is even 87 octane and the overall quality is probably very low and highly diluted.

Third issues is that the paper mentions that the owners with problems are in the Northern regions of China which are just about as cold as Canada. The only problem is that the roads are either super congested or they completely suck. Either way your driving at 5 MPH in Sub Zero temperatures. Yes I think a DI engine in those conditions, especially with crap gas is probably going to have an issue.

Look I have no skin in this. I am not a Honda Fan boy, this will be my first Honda purchase and it's still a week and a half away so I could back out now if I wanted. I just know a bit about China so it does not worry me. I also know they love to complain about everything made by the Japanese. I have no doubt that the problem is real, I just don't think the NA dilution problem is in the same category as the Chinese one.


Rob

 

Of coarse your money do as you wish and what ever makes you happy, I would not just discard this problem and the heat problems.
If I had known of these I would not have bought the car, as they are both very real for me.
I have found ways to help with the heating and hopefully Honda can fix the oil dilution but I think this one is easier said than done without creating new problems.
Mine has done it in warn weather and cold with very few short trips.
Only trying to help someone else not waste hard earned money.

 

They said the engine oil issue doesn’t affect the engine or the car’s performance.

Haha. That defies logic

 

Yes, the LX models to be consumed in the US use the 2.4L engine.

 

Yup. I have a Canadian built LX with the 2.4l. The engine block is even stamped HCM (Honda Canada Motors).

 

No, I am currently negotiating on a Canadian-made 2018 CR-V LX for the US market with the 2.4L engine:

 

Well I took the CRV in for its PA State Inspection this morning. I told the service representative about the oil level and gas smell problem, gave him my previously posted Oil Dilution Documentation and a printed copy of the Dongfeng Recall News Release which had appeared in Reuters.com just before I left for my appointment.
After about 45 minutes they suggested that I get an oil change. More importantly they said that until they get the EXPECTED service bulletin from Honda the oil and filter change would cost me $34.95. I passed on getting the oil changed today because 70% and 2,600 miles seems excessive but if the oil level keeps increasing I’ll bite the bullet.

Attached is the all important comment from the service write-up:

CUSTOMER CUSTOMER STATES CAR IS GETTING STRONG FUEL SMELL
AND NOTICES IT IS COMING FROM OIL. SEEMS LIKE OIL LEVEL IS
HIGHER BELIEVES IT IS DUE TO THE FUEL BEING IN THE OIL.
ADVISED CUSTOMER THAT THERE WILL BE A SERVICE BULLETIN
RELEASED FOR THIS ISSUE IN THE FUTURE

 

This guy could be in serious problems if Honda found out he wrote down a comment like that.
It's not up to an employee of a dealership to determine if a TSB is going to be released. When they make statements like that it gets onto forums like it just has and then it creates problems for Honda that may not even be real.
Nobody but Honda knows exactly what the problem is and how far it extends.

Rob

 

I have a 2018 CRV with the turbo engine in the US with about 1000 miles. I checked dipstick this morning and could smell gas on the dipstick. I called the selling dealership to see if they have heard of the "gas mixing with oil" issue; they said no. So, at this point, is it futile to try to push this issue with the dealership, or just wait until Honda addresses the problem with a possible TSB? If I bring it in to the dealership and they smell gas on the dipstick, I wonder what answer they will give?

 

Well it could go something like this: " Oh an odor of fuel on the dipstick is normal, after all oil is a petroleum product just like gas is"... thats the statement they made to me... to which I then replied" Oh well then we should be able to open a bottle of new oil and smell it and there shouldnt be any difference".. to which he replied after a bit of stuttering.. " Oh well no its not the same cause your oil has been residing in the crankcase and this new oil hasnt so there will be some differences".... ................... BS??? or does this service manager know his S$%t?

 

Just took delivery of 2018 CR-V EX-L AWD. Started with a full tank and 5 miles on the odometer. Had to gas-up at 144 miles as we were about out (fuel indicator came on). No evidence of external leak, the dipstick and oil cap did smell of fuel. I know a certain amount of the smell can be normal, but I'm at a loss for such horrific gas mileage. I'll be taking it back to the dealer(in Iowa) today with obvious questions.

 

Uh you sure about that? That would mean your getting about 11 MPG from the vehicle. That's just about impossible!
I think there would have to be a gas leak or the Tank was never full. I cannot think of anything else that would account for that.

Rob

 

I find it interesting how people read a little and skip a lot. Read the entire article. Being a technical person by trade in the automotive world I want the entire story.

This part stands out:

"The issue involving the CR-V and the Civic has occurred in northern China where temperatures can dip well below the freezing point and when drivers of the affected vehicles drive short distances frequently.

On short runs, Honda engineers believe the engine doesn’t warm up enough to help un-combusted petrol accumulated in the lubricant oil pan to evaporate."

Also, read the part where it says:

"Normally un-combusted petrol ends up accumulated in the lubricant oil pan but evaporates under heat from the engine. Such evaporated petrol is by design put back into the engine combustion chamber as fuel. "

This is the job of the PCV valve. It vents out the crankcase and allows those fuel fumes to be pulled into the engine and burned. This is all programed into the computer that controls the engine. In your computer there are "Long term" and "short term" memory locations. These are tied to memory blocks (sometimes called 'cells") that control injection and spark advance. When the PCV brings in fumes that are being burned the Short Term fuel correction <based on results from the Oxygen sensor in the exhaust> shortens the pulse width of the fuel injectors so that you are burning less fuel from the gas tank and more of the fumes from the crank case. So, you don't actually get less gas mileage at all.

This cold weather very short trip driving also explains why so many owners of the 1.5 l honda engine never have a problem. They don't drive under those narrow special conditions where this occurs. I have never detected fuel in my oil and we have two vehicles with 1.5 direct injection engines, the first one now has 30,000 miles on it.

If there were 2,000 CR-Vs in the US that had this problem, it would tell us that 99.5% of the CR=V owners had not experienced it (or were aware of it). We are dealing with well over half a million vehicles with this engine (Civic and CR-V) so even if a statistically very small percentage of them are being operated under these conditions, it would to some appear like a large number.

I had to deal with this stuff at work many times. People get in an uproar and start saying the sky is falling and every one of these cars have this terrible problem. In the end it was normally a very very small number of vehicles and it would occur under a narrow range of conditions. In the end the engineers would go back and correct the issue and a year or two later no one even remembered it happened. Been there, done that.

I am not losing sleep over gasoline in our oil on either of our 1.5 DI Honda's. We run under "normal" conditions as do 99% of owners and its not a problem for us. For those who are in the 1% slice....Honda will work it out and fix if for free, maybe even extend your warranty. So in the end you will like win big.

 

Read the entire article. Being a technical person by trade in the automotive world I want the entire story.

What are you worried about then? Your CRV is perfect. By your own account it's never had a problem just like all other Honda products you and all your relatives have owned.

Technical?! That's funny. Not even in the ballpark.

 

From reading this thread, I take a certain amount of oil/fuel dilution is normal with turbo engines. It's just a question of degree. So without a check engine light or heavy smell of gas in the cabin, it would probably be futile to push Honda to correct this, right? Honda would just say it's normal.

 

This made me start to look at the oil level and it has gained above the full mark with 4000 miles on it. It is over the orange plastic. and on the metal now...... Jim

 

My point exactly, lots of people don't. Bring it to your dealer and show them mine was 1 1/2 quarts high at 4000 miles on the oil change. It was on the metal also. To make it worse the stupid oil dipstick is very hard to read.

 

You are right on the most stupid POS. of an oil stick I ever saw. Even a Ford Pinto had a better one....... Jim

 

As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned to laugh at instances such as this,where you see something simple in design that worked perfectly for years, redesigned to a more complex form that actually performs worse.

I imagine someone paid to make changes, irregardless of improvements

 

If you are concerned best get an oil sample and have it analyzed and if there is a problem take the results to your dealer....... Jim

 

Seems I have a problem with more fluid than the dip stick can handle. My level is on the metal at about 1 inch above the upper hole in the orange plastic. There are 728 miles on the car since the last oil change by the dealer.

I had not checked my oil before the first oil change at 7135 miles. At the time there was a terrible burnt smell that my wife and I could not identify coming through the air vents which went away after the oil change. Maybe the smell was related to the larger oil volume.

We live in Georgia, temps rarely go below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Trips vary in length but my average speed since new is under 30 mph.

 

That’s not good

 

This has been an interesting thread to read, but a bit sad to see the animosity. I have tried to reply to several posts but they did not appear in the Forum. I did post one earlier today and this will be my second posting if it shows up.
I am one of the people with serious issues with my 2017 CR-V EX. The engine was failing at just over 5000 miles. I did check the oil before taking it to the dealer but just to make sure it was not low. I was not aware of the issue of fuel in the oil, so I did not smell it or get it tested - it was a new car, I did not think I had to. It has been out of service for over seven weeks now and is getting the equivalent of a long block installed thus far. I have posted earlier today on the thread about serious heat issues in cold weather, so I will not repeat that, but I will say the issue of short, city speed, trips is real - as it was an issue in my car and both of the LX's (2017 and 2018) I have been given as loaners.
Even if there are a small percentage of us with these issues, it is still troubling for us. My limited experience indicates that in certain driving conditions, they run too cold and possibly the fuel in the oil is damaging the motors. I am attempting to start a dialogue with Honda, but am still waiting for the local rep or corporate to contact me.

 

what failed , was this one that hydro locked? Cause it would be crazy if that happend.