Chubz

Ah, the first time in years I get to post in the tech section. Here's the situation:

(2008 Honda Accord V6)

Check engine light went on and started flashing. My wife had the car this morning when it happened. She pulled over shut the car off and restarted and the light went off. It was driving normal. The light went returned later on the day and it was flashing along with the TPMS and VSM light both coming on as well.

My wife said she had gotten gas this morning and happened 30 mins after getting gas. Suspecting that it could have been bad gas, I added fuel system cleaner (techron) and filled the tank with 93 octane. Car was still stumbling. I got home and turned the car off and on, the misfire went away but the check engine light is staying on. i thought bad gas would cause all cylinders to misfire not just 1.

The Car is still under warranty so I took it to honda. They wont look at it until friday which is fine. But she said if it's a spark plug related issue that it's not covered. Which is also fine but those spark plugs are rated for 100,000 miles of use and I have 70,000 miles of highway driving. Being that MIL code was for cylinder 3 misfire, I think it could be a coil issue. I've seen some crazy **** happen when it comes to misfires and someone on another board had the same exact problem as me, except his spark plug electrode or porcelin piece broke off and into the cylinder. Is something like that covered? These are the OG plugs that came with my car and there was no reason to change them yet because the car has run fine until today.

However I did some reading that I found on google that suggests that this is actually a known issue that people are experiencing with the 2008+ accord v6.

LPED

Hard to say without seeing plug . Does the engine use a lot of oil and what % of driving is car used (city/highway).

On spark plug covered issue, if what caused the miss fire is some other issue that is covered, then IMO the plug should also be but if its just bad plug i guess I could see there point .

KWayRacing

there is published info from honda that deals with fouled plugs. Not only will the plugs need to be replaced the pcm will need to be updated. While your powertrain warranty is technically over with, your dealers service manager has the ability to offer goodwill warranty until 75k. maybe a 50/50 split could be agreeable.

Chubz

Yeah ive got hondacare coverage until 100k

The problem was a fouled plug. They did the PCM update. I was told that it's supposed to stop the oil consumption (lol). I've heard it's the VCM system, I've heard the Valve seals on this motor are a problem. I was told to check on my oil at the next change and if I've burned through a quart or mroe again to bring it back in.

jtincher1012

I have a 2008 Accord V6 that I bought used with 43,000 miles on it. At 48,000 miles, I had to have one spark plug and coil wire replaced. With labor it was $220. Honda said it was not covered. My car is also burning a lot of oil. If you check the message boards across several forums, you will see this is a known problem and Honda is refusing to fix. This will be my last Honda as the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 models are all reporting this problem. I drive the interstate to work everyday and am only getting 22-23 MPG. BS.

Kev2010

Damn too many people are having misfire, and other issues on this motor. I also have a 08 Accord V6. Thankfully I haven't had any issues, but last time I was at the dealer another guy who had this issue in his 08 V6 accord.

It seems as Honda really has lost quality.

MSchu

completely untrue... the motor is nearly bullet proof and has been around for YEARS!

jtincher1012

They changed the technology on the 08. The problem has to do with the V6, when it shuts the 3 cylinders off for economy mode. Only cylinders 1-3 are fouling spark plugs and those are the cylinders that are running all the time. I don't care how long the engine has been around. Search the internet, look at the posts from consumers who own this vehicle and you would be a fool not to realize what a horrible problem this is. I bought 2 Honda's last year, the 08 Accord EX-L V6 and a 08 Honda Element LX. The Element has been great. The Accord is running like garbage. The car is actually at the mechanic this morning, so I will wait and see what they say. After it is fixed, I am trading it in while on vacation for the next 2 weeks. I clearly will not be buying another Accord. It is so sad for me because I absolutely love the car, but can't keep being stranded every 3-4 months with this issue.

quickclick

my 08 accord coupe v6 suddenly started shaking as if yunning on a few misfiring cylinders. Honda dealer determined cycliner was oil soaked, problem in eco mode system... COVERED UNDER IMPLIED/ Extended honda warranty. new spark plug and computer program update = free by honda warranty. Nov 2011

Honda-Tech Balla

Glad it was covered quick.

GoLowDrew

Actually, that is not true. VCM has been used on J35 V6 engines before it was drop into the 8th Gen Accord.

It is true, that some have problems as mentioned by the OP. Sorry to hear that. IMO, that has to do with cost cutting, lazy workers, and (often = to) poor quality.

Before buying TWO VCM V6 Hondas, I asked minivan guys how many miles they got on their VCM engines. Many would say 100K-150K miles and not a problem with the VCM, and still going strong. That was a few years ago.

Tom2602

Well, I've had this same problem twice with the cylinder 3 misfire first at 62,000 miles and now at 79,000 miles. The first time Honda replaced the spark plug and did a software update which was goodwilled by my dealer since I was out of warranty. The second time I received a new small block and new parts to fix the engine because of scoring in cyliner 3. My service manager was honest and upfront stating I could just put another spark plug in but after he looked down the cylinder walls he noticed that the piston walls were scored. The total bill was $6900 which Honda paid for in full, keep in mind I was out of warranty. I also had a new water pump and timing belt put in which was at no cost to me. My service manager said that Honda is well aware of this problem and there doing everything they can to keep the customer happy.

MSchu

it's always posters with tiny post counts... did you ever notice?

Tom2602

Whats that mean??

nyrider622

I think he is being a bit hard on a new user. I am a new user and am only here because of seeking information about this oil consumption problem. At 50k I had the engine bounce around on me and check engine light came on. They changed the 3rd plug but did not do the software update as it was not out yet. After that, they sent me on my way. 20k later, 2 nights ago, the check engine light comes on and starts blinking with what felt like misfiring. Bring it to shop and all 6 plugs fouled. They plan to replace the 6 plugs and perform software update and do oil test (all covered even though I am out of warranty). Crossing fingers! So, thus far, Honda is responding correctly, just hope I don't have to go down another bad road...

Honda-Tech Balla

MSChu believes in conspiracy/propaganda stuff. I think.

quickclick

My 2008 Accord Coupe suddenly stopped going into ECO mode and showed the check engine light. Turns out it was just a LOW OIL level and a new oil change solved the issue - but Honda stealership wanted at least $85 to diagnose the situation... and they wonder why we search out help elsewhere! Wish I could turn somehow off the ECO mode (and check engine light) and always use 6 cylinders- anyone know the computer hack to do that?!!!

swordofdoom

You can't shut off eco mode and that's that! You can take your car to autozone and have them erase the code, it will bring back eco mode and all other functions.

10k

I'm a new user of this forum. I bought my 2008 V6 in the hope that a reliable car would eliminate the need to search for solutions to problems. Not to be. Add mine to the list of misfiring V6's.

The first misfire began without warning on the freeway at 65 mph, along with a flashing warning light. Since I was past warranty at 88,000, I took it to a trusted local mechanic the next day (it was still misfiring and the light was flashing). He found a code P303 and very badly corroded plugs (#3 was worst). Car ran fine again after replacing plugs. He mentioned a Honda bulletin, but I failed to follow up.

The second occurrence (after only 5000 additional miles) was identical, except that the next day the light was off and the car ran fine. Back to the local mechanic-- he said "I told you so" and said he could not find an error code this time, but that I needed to go to the dealer to get the pcm reprogrammed (and the plugs replaced again). This time I listened and my wife took it to the dealer where we purchased the car. Since the car was running fine, and no codes were stored (the local guy did NOT erase them) they refused to even pull a spark plug. I don't think my wife was treated with respect, and that issue is something I will pursue as well.

So, we have a car that we can't trust to take out of town, and I'm driving it daily to work hoping that it will start missing again!!!

We're in the market for another brand of car, but I would like to get this fixed before I sell it. Is there a Honda bulletin of some sort I can reference or point to?

GoLowDrew

Don't reacall which TSB it was. But this is a case where one should have the dealer work on it, to what seems like an easy job. The local guy does not have access to the latest update.

There is a new program update. I had mine done 2 months ago at a cost of $160. $120 was the dianostic fee. And the rest were two plugs, taxes, etc, etc.

I could have changed it myself, but have no access to the software update.

I can't comment about your dealership experience. This is an "easy" fix. Perhaps try another dealer.

Is the update necessary? Don't know. One can replace all the plugs, and it'll still be cheaper than $160.

10k

Thanks for the response. I'd rather have a more "permanent" fix than just a plug replacement. Especially if it's only going to last 5000 miles. Maybe I'll go a little higher up the chain at my dealer. The next one is another 20 miles down the road.

TiaSanchez

I am having this issue as well, bought car used with approx. 40,000 miles, within 1 month had to have #2 and #3 plugs replaced with update to PCM, now having misfire at #3, at 81,600 miles. Suggestions??

10k

Update on misfire: Problem repaired(?) at dealer for $400. I was not a happy camper. Sent the attached letter to Honda and received a $200 rebate in the form of a credit card I could use only at Honda. Am now the owner of a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Time will tell.

Joyboy

There are several points to this issue. The first being we were told to replace the valve seals, and that corrected a few of them. Then we were told to replace the spark plugs and reprogram the PCM. That also fixed a few of them, but not all. lately we have been replacing cylinder heads to solve this issue. I can't speak for all dealers, but we have always been sensitive to this issue and and helped the customer whenever possible. The last two were way out of warranty and Honda stepped to the plate and did the right thing. I don't know what the final resolution will be, but one thing I can tell you if you have this issue the best thing to do is build a report with your local dealership and be persistent until it is resolved.

Joyboy

Latest information......

Honda is in the process of receiving preliminary court approval for a class action settlement involving model year 2008-12 Accord V6 A/T, 2010-12 Crosstour V6, 2008-13 Odyssey EX-L & Touring, and 2009-13 Pilot vehicles where DTCs P0301 through P0304 are set due to spark plug fouling (among other symptoms), causing the MIL to come on. Until preliminary approval of this settlement is granted, please refer any customer inquiries about the settlement to Honda’s Automobile Customer Service.