HELP . . . Running rough after battery replacement

[Fenryc]

Hello,

I am new to this forum. I have owned my CRV for 13 years having bought it new in 2000. I do no profess to be a gifted mechanic but will do small repairs on my CRV. My recent attempt was to replace a dead battery. This went well and the vehicle jumped to life on the first crank. I let it idle for about 15 mins and everything checked out fine . . . the idle speed sounded good and everything worked. The "check engine" light did come on but this is not uncommon for my vehicle (I just went through an engine replacement and they are still trying to track down the reason for the light staying on). I had the vehicle checked a month ago when the light came on and the technicians said the engine was fine and it is most likely a faulty light sensor which may need to be replaced . . . anyway back to my story.

After allowing the vehicle to idle, I took it out on the road. Everything seemed good in first and second gear. However, when I jumped up to third gear I noticed an extreme hesitation from the vehicle (almost as if it was going to stall). I stepped on the gas and it hesitated one more time then jumped into a good running sound. However if I shifted down then back the same thing would happen. I decided to return home rather than risk breaking down on some back road. I did notice that it seemed to recover some of its third gear running zeal as time went on but there was still some hesitation. I did not try fourth or fifth for fear it might stall altogether.

Can anyone out there let me know if this is common or do I need to get this towed to a Honda dealer to fix?

Thanks

Fen

[Fenryc]

Hi all,

Just thought I would let you know I resolved the issue on my own. I took the vehicle out for another drive and ran it low speeds and noticed as time went on it began to slowly resync at the various speeds. I did the same througout the gears and slowly the car learned again . . . Vehicle now runs smoothly again through all 5 speeds. I guess it had a bit of a memory lapse after the battery change.

Cheers

Fen

[Carbuff2]

You should have performed an Idle Learn Procedure, sounds like.

BUT, the engine WILL re-learn on it's own (as you are finding out). The ILP just speeds up the process...



It may take several "trips" (in some cars, up to 70) to totally re-learn all the running parameters.

[Fenryc]

Hi Carbuff2,

Thanks much for the input . . . Being a relative neophyte when it comes to car repairs of any kind . . . What is an ILP and how is it done?

Fen

[Buffalo4]

Hi Carbuff2,

Thanks much for the input . . . Being a relative neophyte when it comes to car repairs of any kind . . . What is an ILP and how is it done?

Fen

Basically: Do the idle-learn procedure. (do a search in this forum or in the Internet) or use the following and starting with a cold engine:

"Make sure all electrical items are turned off.
- Start the engine. Hold the engine speed at 3,000 rpm with no load (in Park or Neutral) until the radiator fan comes on.
- Let the engine idle for about 5 minutes with the throttle fully closed and with all electrical items off.
NOTE: If the radiator fan comes on during this step, the time when it is operating must not be included in the 5 minutes."
Turn off the engine. That is basically it.
Buffalo4