Raiseahood.com VS 2007 Honda Accord

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It's always intriguing how innocuous requests can lead to unexpected adventures. Take, for instance, when a client reaches out and asks for assistance—a favor that could potentially turn into a daunting task. Sometimes, going above and beyond for your clients feels like tossing a bone to a loyal pup, especially when unraveling the mysteries behind automotive malfunctions.

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Let me set the scene with a query from my client, Dan: "My sister, residing in Portland, plans to visit this weekend. She's been grappling with a persistently flickering check engine light for over a year, despite shelling out over $1200 in attempts to remedy it. Could you lend a hand?" Now, those who know me understand that saying "no" isn't exactly in my repertoire. And thus begins another tale.

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"Absolutely, Dan," I replied, ensuring our client felt valued at raiseahood.com. "How about Saturday?" At that precise moment, I swear I heard the sound of my Saturday plans hastily exiting the premises. But it's all in good spirits—I relish the chance to lend a hand.

Enter a 2007 Honda Accord, boasting a staggering 258,624 miles on the odometer—a veteran of the road, if you will. And lo and behold, the ominous glow of the check engine light. With the speed of a wild west showdown, out comes the "Launch" scanner, revealing the dreaded P02647 DTC: Rocker Arm Oil Pressure Switch Circuit High Voltage—a notorious issue in the realm of Common issue with Hondas. If you shoot from the hip... you might fix it by replacing the Spool Valve Assembly, especially if it's high mileage and poor maintenance due to the fact there is a screen that can get clogged as well located inside of the housing.

Delving into the vehicle's repair history, it became apparent that despite a string of part replacements and maintenance efforts over an 18-month period, the pesky light persisted. A comprehensive vehicle inspection ensued, covering all the essentials: glass, lights, tires, brakes, fluid levels, leaks, and a road test to assess overall performance.

??????? Previous repairs:

1)????? Variable Timing Electronic Control (VTEC) Oil Pressure Switch

2)????? ?Variable Valve Timing & Valve Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) Solenoid

3)????? Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) and Variable Valve Timing & Valve Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) Solenoid.

Maintenance History based on recipes in 18-months.

1)????? Oil and Filter changed

2)????? Service fuel filter

3)????? Changed manual transmission fluid

4)????? Replaced rear parking brake shoes.

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One glaring discovery? The engine oil level was dangerously low—almost 2 quarts short! With the inspection complete, it was time for that quintessential "10-minute professional discussion" with the owner, probing into the "what," "when," and "where" of the issue.

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Client reveled that when driving, the car will go into a reduced power and will not accelerate very well above 45 mph. If they stop and restart the car will run fine for a few miles and the check engine light will come on. Clients states they took the car to the dealer and could not verify anything wrong. They were charged $140.00 for the check out. Taken to an independent shop in North East Portland and they replaced the VVT Oil pressure switch and changed the oil. that seemed to correct the issue for about a month and a half.

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So... back to the Honda for some diagnostics. The VVT code was stored and decided to take a look a “Freeze Frame Data” and reviled not enough to reproduce the issue other than “Time since start” ?So, I cleared the code and went for a road test to run the “Monitor”

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COMPONENT MONITOR DRIVE CYCLE INSTRUCTIONS

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·????????? Do not turn off the ignition switch during the test procedure.

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·????????? All Onboard Diagnostic Monitors are cleared when the battery is disconnected or when the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) is cleared with the Scan Tool.

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·????????? This drive cycle can be used to determine if the Readiness code for this Monitor will run and complete, and if the MIL will remain off after the vehicle is driven.

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·????????? Operating Ranges: When a range of values is provided, try to operate the vehicle in the middle of the range. For example, if the vehicle speed range calls for 45-55 mph, drive the vehicle as close as possible to 50 mph. If the engine speed should be 1,000-2,000 rpm, try to operate the engine at 1,500 rpm.

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·????????? Scan Tool Data: There are certain Parameter Identification (PID) values that must be within range before this Monitor will "run". It can be helpful to pull up those PID items on the Scan Tool so an assistant can view them during testing.

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·????????? The Readiness code for this Monitor defaults to "continuous" or "monitoring" because this Monitor runs continuously when the engine is cranking or running.

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COMPONENT MONITOR PRETEST CONDITIONS

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· ?????????MIL off with no emission related DTCs present

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·????????? System voltage from 11-16v

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·????????? Drive vehicle as described below

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TEST PROCEDURE

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1.???? Connect the Scan Tool to the data link connector (DLC). Use the Scan Tool to clear any stored DTC's and to reset the OBD Monitors. Start the engine and allow it to run at idle speed for 15 seconds.

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2.???? Accelerate at part-throttle to 40 mph and maintain that speed for several minutes. Bring the vehicle to a stop, and then allow the engine to idle with the transmission in Drive (in Neutral for M/T) for 2 minutes.

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3.???? Then accelerate at moderate throttle to 50 mph and maintain that speed for 15 seconds. Bring the vehicle to a stop, and then accelerate to 40 mph and maintain that speed for 15 seconds. Bring the vehicle to a stop in a safe place and allow the engine to idle for 15 seconds. Do not turn off the ignition key.

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4.???? Check for any Pending codes in the Generic OBD II section of the Scan Tool. If no Pending codes are set, the Component Monitor test is complete. If any Pending codes are set, refer to the appropriate trouble code repair information to make the repair.

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I didn’t get far... about 20 min in the drive, the engine lost power. I stopped along side of the road and sat for about 10 minutes and restarted. Check Engine light came back on.? Drove back to my shop and rescanned the car for codes… and there again was the PO2647!!

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We combine AI analytics to the most known probable causes to automotive issues coupled with our talented Subject Matter Experts in every make and model vehicles. Reviewing all customer paid repairs, completing a vehicle inspection, performing diagnostics in a Strategy Based Diagnostic Process, we come up with the following probabilities based on repair data.

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50% - Variable Timing Electronic Control (VTEC) Oil Pressure Switch

25% - Variable Valve Timing & Valve Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) Solenoid

10% - Engine Oil, Engine Oil Filter

10% - Engine Oil level

5% -?? Wiring/Connection

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Returning to the client for more questions revealed, she doesn’t check the engine oil very often, she waits until the Oil Service gets to 50%. I informed her the engine needed at least 2 more Qts to operate the VVT system correctly.? She said why has that not been mentioned to her that she needed to check the oil more often because of the milage and this could be the root cause.

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How we closed this Diagnosis:

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Complaint: Check Engine Light is on with loss of power

Cause: Low engine oil level

Correction: Adjusted engine oil level. Client advised to check oil every time they add fuel due to high mileage and oil consumption. Oil can become too low to operate engine systems correctly and or can cause damage.

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Long story short, after running a diagnostic test and consulting with our AI companion, GUS, we identified the culprit: a low engine oil level, exacerbated by infrequent checks. Adjusting the oil level and advising the client to monitor it diligently proved to be the solution.

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I received an email 2 days before I wrote this article.? The client has not had an issue with the car since our visit.? 2 oil changes in the last 14 months performed without issues. Client states they feel like they won the battle thanks to Raiseahood.com.

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