Malfunction Indicator Lamp & VSA activated

[Chief]

Hi All,

I'm new here and I want to find out if any of you have experienced this problem before in their cars. Yesterday after closing from work I noticed that my MIL & VSA lights are showing up on my dash board. I got home checked all my tire pressures and increased all the the required pressure. I tested the car and the VSA went off. This morning again the VSA came back and the MIL has been on all this while even till now.

I'm not in the US and getting a scanner to get the code out from the car is not easy here. The only Honda service dealership here in. Dry expensive and they are not even very good. I don't want to just send in my car to them to use as a guinea pig before discovering what's wrong in it. Can anyone help me out here please. Its a 2009 Honda Accord. Bought it brand new in the US.

[ilovelamp]

Interesting the incidence of people reporting this problem..

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=71440

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=71038

[Metal Metalic]

I don't know why people will not bother to update their firmware regularly. There has been a number of firmwares dating all the way up to mid 2011 for 8th gen Accords.

To me any 8th gen before 2012 should be taken in for an Firmware update even if you had one last year.

I love the old days, firmware and software patches were rare, and anything you bought worked well no mater what version you got. Now we are stuck with updates to just about everything. I can't wait for my home BD player and Directv to stop updating. Some times an update break something, and then your stuck waiting for the next. :o( At least Honda rarely breaks something with an update.

[IanWright]

Originally Posted by Metal Metalic

I don't know why people will not bother to update their firmware regularly. There has been a number of firmwares dating all the way up to mid 2011 for 8th gen Accords.

Because, if you pay attention to the guys post:

Originally Posted by Chief

I'm not in the US and getting a scanner to get the code out from the car is not easy here. The only Honda service dealership here in. Dry expensive and they are not even very good. I don't want to just send in my car to them to use as a guinea pig before discovering what's wrong in it.

[Metal Metalic]

Originally Posted by IanWright

Because, if you pay attention to the guys post:

Wha????

A monkey can do the job of running the Honda tool for updating F/W. No experts needed. :o)

I just pointed out the TSB's point out known issues, no guess work. k

Just running around like your arse is on fire, without getting information kinda succs when you are limited.

I did pay attention dude! :o( What's up with clarifying some issues peeps may not be so aware about.

[2010accordv6]

Originally Posted by Metal Metalic

I don't know why people will not bother to update their firmware regularly. There has been a number of firmwares dating all the way up to mid 2011 for 8th gen Accords.

To me any 8th gen before 2012 should be taken in for an Firmware update even if you had one last year.

I love the old days, firmware and software patches were rare, and anything you bought worked well no mater what version you got. Now we are stuck with updates to just about everything. I can't wait for my home BD player and Directv to stop updating. Some times an update break something, and then your stuck waiting for the next. :o( At least Honda rarely breaks something with an update.

Sorry to impose, when I was having an oil consumption issue I mentioned to the mechanic at the Honda dealership where I purchased my accord in Canada, if there was a firmware update, and he said none that he knew of? I have no issues with my accord now, runs great. Should I go back and ask someone else?my car runs great, just curious?

[Metal Metalic]

Originally Posted by 2010accordv6

Sorry to impose, when I was having an oil consumption issue I mentioned to the mechanic at the Honda dealership where I purchased my accord in Canada, if there was a firmware update, and he said none that he knew of? I have no issues with my accord now, runs great. Should I go back and ask someone else?my car runs great, just curious?

It seems like it is standard practice for dealer service personnel to shrug off connecting the Honda update tool just on request.

It seems you need some sort of valid complaint.

If you are a regular, a simple request will most always be taken and performed without question.

The easiest way for peeps with automatic trannys, is to complain about Reverse / Neutral to Drive clunk.

I barely have it but if needed it will do the trick when I go to have my yearly check.

If you have a manual tranny or automatic, you can fall back on the battery low jump start causing fault. Just tell them you had reset the code at your local parts store. :o)

Don't ask to have the update every time you come in, it makes it seem like your a nagger for updates.

[ilovelamp]

It would be beneficial if Honda actually reached out to the customer when firmware updates were available.

[Chief]

Thank you guys for caring to respond to my post. I really appreciate it. ilovelamp, I took out time to go through the links you provided and discovered that this is just a simple problem to resolve in the US. Metal Metalic, thanks too for your post. As IanWright pointed out, I am not based in the US but rather in Africa. Bought my car brand new and used it for a while while I was resident in the US and now back to my country so I shipped it home. Honda doesn't have an accredited dealership here and I don't know how much you know about African roadside mechanics. They are still way back in technology and all these software thing is still unknown to them.
Over the weekend I manage to get a referral to a new workshop that claims to have all the best of tools and technology here to fix the problem. They told me that they have the license for Honda updates unto 2014 and thus they equipment is in good shape to update my software. They ran the diagnostics and the cost came out as 074-01 P0304 with description as "MISFIRE NO.4 CYLINDER". They advise that I change all 4 spark plugs, service the injector and change the air flow meter. I refused and only ask them to change just the 4 plugs and update my software. Not sure what they did as they won't allow me inside the work area. In all I paid them close to $500 for this only for my warning lights to show up the very day with the same lights. I have uploaded a picture of my car screen and the print out from their diagnostics tool for anybody here to assist me. I'm in need of real advise on what to do. As you can see, it's just less than 10 miles my car left the workshop and the problem surfaces again.

Many thanks all for your anticipated contributions.

[Hytekazn]

Originally Posted by Chief

Thank you guys for caring to respond to my post. I really appreciate it. ilovelamp, I took out time to go through the links you provided and discovered that this is just a simple problem to resolve in the US. Metal Metalic, thanks too for your post. As IanWright pointed out, I am not based in the US but rather in Africa. Bought my car brand new and used it for a while while I was resident in the US and now back to my country so I shipped it home. Honda doesn't have an accredited dealership here and I don't know how much you know about African roadside mechanics. They are still way back in technology and all these software thing is still unknown to them.
Over the weekend I manage to get a referral to a new workshop that claims to have all the best of tools and technology here to fix the problem. They told me that they have the license for Honda updates unto 2014 and thus they equipment is in good shape to update my software. They ran the diagnostics and the cost came out as 074-01 P0304 with description as "MISFIRE NO.4 CYLINDER". They advise that I change all 4 spark plugs, service the injector and change the air flow meter. I refused and only ask them to change just the 4 plugs and update my software. Not sure what they did as they won't allow me inside the work area. In all I paid them close to $500 for this only for my warning lights to show up the very day with the same lights. I have uploaded a picture of my car screen and the print out from their diagnostics tool for anybody here to assist me. I'm in need of real advise on what to do. As you can see, it's just less than 10 miles my car left the workshop and the problem surfaces again.

Many thanks all for your anticipated contributions.

yikes almost 500$ to change sparks and an update. ouchy

[Chief]

More problems are coming up by the day. This morning on my way to work noticed the the MIL is now blinking, no longer steadily on and the transmission seems not to be shifting to higher gears. Can't drive upto 30mhp bcos the transmission won't shift higher despite accelerating more than 3000rpm. I guess no software update was done by those guys. Have called them and they insist they did it but I can bring in the car for them to do it again. Guess they are just learning this stuff with my car if at all they have the right equipment for this.

[IanWright]

Originally Posted by Chief

More problems are coming up by the day. This morning on my way to work noticed the the MIL is now blinking, no longer steadily on and the transmission seems not to be shifting to higher gears. Can't drive upto 30mhp bcos the transmission won't shift higher despite accelerating more than 3000rpm. I guess no software update was done by those guys. Have called them and they insist they did it but I can bring in the car for them to do it again. Guess they are just learning this stuff with my car if at all they have the right equipment for this.

Check your gear box oil first... don't want a huge bill for electronic diagnostics if it may be something rudimentary.

[Metal Metalic]

Originally Posted by Hytekazn

yikes almost 500$ to change sparks and an update. ouchy

It depends on what side of the world you live in... Converting US coinage to Euros, it seems like a good deal to me. Honda would charge a lot more if they only accepted Euros.

As for Chief, sorry to see that your tranny is not shifting and your getting the same errors again.

Not sure but you can disconnect the battery cable for 15 minutes and hope the ECU needed a reset.

If they did update your ECU, it is possible they mucked up the programming, or your ECU or its connections are faulty.

You did say you shipped it over to Africa, I thought of an old issue that may make the same problem you had originally posted.

Since diesel is more prominent in vehicles overseas, thinking of what happened with a friend back in the 80's... The US was slow at adopting pumping diesel at all petrol stations. Some did not update to any standard and used existing pump nozzles. At the time unleaded cars had a small opening for unleaded nozzles to fit, so filling with leaded would be impossible under proper conditions. Well, my friend went to fill his car and ended up pumping diesel into his tank.

The reason I thought of it, is that lets say you went to top off about 5 gallons for a trip to see some Meerkats. Since there was plenty of petrol in the tank the diesel would take time mixing. Once you got around a bit, then your engine would misfire and what not with the spark plugs.

Just a theory, as things can happen oddly enough.

[IanWright]

Might be cheaper to ship it back to the US then back again.

Seriously, $500 to run diagnostics and change some spark plugs?

A misfire can only be so many things, with a bunch of simple tests to rule out the obvious.

Example - at night, open the hood and have some rev the engine and see if there is a spark. If so, replace the HT leads. Maybe change the leads anyway - if they are reasonably priced out there that's something you can rule out yourself. It's hot out there, and the car is at least three years old...

How many miles on it?

Of course, the have messed with the software so you know...






Sounds like you would be better off with an older car with less electronics.

Where in Africa are you? I know Honda has a presence in SA.