dickaur

Need help with a puzzling problem on my 2006 Accord – Maybe the car experts might have some solutions:
In cold weather, when it is actively snowing, the car will jerk or hesitate when accelerating. It feels like someone applied the brakes for an instant. This happens once in a while, say from 30 seconds to 30 minutes apart, and only when it is snowing. I have no problem in the summer even when it is raining.
The car will lurch in any gear when accelerating but does not jerk when coasting. I am not spinning the tires or losing traction, it can happen on level dry ground (no snow accumulation). The window defrost is off (e.g. heat to feet only, so it is not the AC), rear defog off. The engine could be hot or cold, it does not make any difference.
There is no engine trouble light, no flash of any of the dashboard lights, and no codes, Honda replaced the ABS brake modulator but that did not make any difference. I asked the dealership to check with Honda engineering but they did not have any ideas.
The car is a 5 speed manual so it is not an automatic transmission shifting poorly.
Specs: Accord SE, 4 cyl, manual, no modifications. This model does not have traction control.

This might be a clue or a completely different issue – any time of the year, the car has an uneven acceleration when the engine is cold. It goes away when the engine warms up.

George Knighton

When you say the acceleration is uneven, what do you mean, exactly?

Do you mean the car sort of sputters, or do you mean that there are uneven rates of acceleration across the rev range?

Does the dealer know about this issue as well as the one you started talking about?

How many miles on the car?

What modifications?

oneludesol

Loose Nut behind the wheel

kaiba

Your car is doing the jerk.

PowerUser

has the maf ever been cleaned?

dickaur

The car behaves as if the gas pedal is lifted up and pressed down multiple times even when it is held steady - not severely but noticeably different than other vehicles I have driven. But I can't say that this is related to the issue with the snow.

The dealer was told about both problems - The Honda tech was able to feel the lurch on a snowy day but they couldn't detect the uneven acceleration at the time.

The car has about 31,000 miles - There were no modifications.

Not familiar with all of the abbreviations, what is a maf?

HONDAPARTSMANMIKE

maf = Mass Air Flow sensor

dickaur

Thought so

How could this cause the car to lurch (should have used this term instead of jerk) when it is snowing?

dickaur

I have two theories - since the sudden momentary reduction in speed happens only when the snow is actively flying, and not when it is raining then:

a) the snow because it is light is able to carry into the intake system and hits some type of sensor or, (but it shouldn't get past the air filter - right?)

b) the snow flies around the engine compartment and shorts something in the ABS system which causes the traction control to engage briefly

Does this make sense?

GoLowDrew

Just throwing this out there.

On the gas + snow.

Perhaps the tire slip on the surface? And then catch traction again. Repeat. Therefore, feels like it's jerking.

I felt the same thing on a rainy day going over a cattle crossing. At first I thought the auto trans was freaking out.

MSchu

http://buildafastercar.com/tech/How-Clean-Your-MafIAT-Sensor

mikebuffet

I have the exact same problem as DickAur. Did you solve your problem?

I have a 2005 honda accord automatic . Only during wet - snowy conditions, the transmission appears to slip or hesitate. During the summer months there is no problem. Honda service found nothing wrong. Very frustrating.

dickaur

Still no solution to hesitation when driving in falling snow. Left car at dealer but didn't snow hard enough for them to detect on test drive.
Car is manual transmission so it does not have anything to do with slip.

One friend's mechanic suggested a cracked air intake hose, since the hesitation only happens when accelerating, the motor shifts in the mounts due to the torque possibly opening the crack allowing snow into the intake.

woodbutcher

The snow is beginning to fly in the great white north, and my 06 accord (4 cyl auto) is again missing when driven in light snow. I had it in to the dealer last winter... they checked it over, and I was able to reproduce while a tech was plugged in. Originally it was just #2, so they replaced the coil, but it continued, and on subsequent runs, we were able to get it to miss on all 4 cyls. they could not reproduce this in the car wash, but I noticed a single puff of snow off a pickup truck in front of me was enough to get it to miss. The problem still exists, but now I am out of warranty. I know of another 05 accord with the same problem.

dickaur

As much as I feel sorry for you having the same problem, I am glad that some one else is experiencing the same issue. Still no luck for me at the Honda dealership, I haven't been able to get them to drive it while it is actively snowing with their computer hooked up. Dropped it off the night before and they didn't get around to driving it till the afternoon after the snowfall has stopped. No codes recorded.
IMPORTANT: They replaced the mass air flow sensor last spring and at the first snow fall this year, the jerking and hesitation happened again so it might not be the MAF itself. This was my biggest hope this might have fixed it. Driving at highway speeds with the engine cutting out momentarily is not a comfortable feeling let me tell you.
Anyone else experiencing the same problem?

dickaur

Well made a little progress. took the car into the dealership and they were able to drive it while it was snowing and it jerked (hesitated) for them several times while they had the scanner connected. They recorded several events. Nothing showed up that they could put their finger on so they sent the data to Honda Engineering. I left the car with them for several days but nothing came back yet from Honda Engineering.

dickaur

Reply to Redbull-1
The hesitation is much stronger than simply taking the pedal off the gas. It is like a total loss of power or misfire, or a momentary application of the brakes so I don't think it is throttle position.

Kev2010

Have you replaced the intake filter?

Theory-
Possible that snow gets sucked into the engine?
Traction Control problem?

dickaur

Thanks for your suggestions,
If you mean the air filter, yes that was changed. According to the owners manual, this model does not have traction control.

ATDetail

I have a 2006 Accord 4-cyl. and I am having the same problem with it that others are. The only time that it misses is when it is cold and it is snowing. The check engine light never comes on and believe me, it is a violent jerk, as if the transmission slipped, all cylinders misfired, or something to that effect. Took it to the dealer and they can't diagnose without a light on.

way1019

I have a 2007 honda accord coupe with manual transmission and have the same problem. Haven't taken it to the dealer and trying not to based off the responses on here. Seems there is no hope...

Kev2010

Keep trying the dealer.

I have never hear of this problem/issue before.

Could it be something with the tires?

woodbutcher

I took mine back in. they suggest switching out the maf. probably won't bother. As I posted early, I did have a tech plugged in while it was acting up. He told me it was mis-firing on each cylinder at different times. so that was the event that causes the shuddering and loss of power. they did replace the coil on one cylinder but that didn't stop the mis-fires.

70ss454

Has anyone fixed this yet? I have one in the shop doing the same thing. When driving above 35 mph and snowing, the engine will randomly misfire. we have tried plugs and coil packs with no change at all. According to the scanner when it reacts it shows up to 4 cylinders misfire at the same exact time (but will not set a code) Soaked the engine with water and cannot duplicate the failure (for whatever reason it's only effected by snow!) I can believe it....

mycedes

I also have the same problem. I have an 04 Accord Lx, 4dr, auto 4cyl. I notice the engine "cut out" in the winter and particularly when it is snowing and the snow is blowing into the front of the car. It may have "cut out" or hestiated once or twice in the summer, but will happen every winter!! No modifications 185,000 miles runs great and looks great!