2012 Civic Frequently Asked Questions

Some great PDFs in one day. Thanks to http://www.civinfo.com/.
Now is Service News (Issue 29) with 2012 Civic Frequently Asked Questions.

Full document available here for download.

Some interesting I found below.

Q: Why does the car beep when I press the accelerator pedal?
A: When the speed limiter (LIM) is active, using almost full throttle (long accelerator pedal travel) will over-ride the system. The beep is to warn you that the speed limiter will not be active while this pedal position is maintained.

Q: Why did my ACC switch itself off?
A: The ACC will switch itself off if the VSA is activated or if there is no target for extended periods. It should only be used in highway traffic and in good weather conditions.

Q: Why is there a difference between the displayed speed I set for ACC and Speed Limiter and my displayed current speed?
A: Small fluctuations will sometimes occur at hills, on different road surfaces or wind conditions. Usually this will only be ±1mph/kph. The speed is allowed to fluctuate slightly to save fuel. Occasionally the speed will over read by 1mph/kph, this is because the speed meter will round up to the next value if the speed reading is in-between two values.

Q: Why does my idle stop not work and it says ‘A/C’ (air conditioning)?
A: ‘A/C’ does not just mean air conditioning; the symbol is used to mean anything to do with the climate control computer. There are many reasons why the climate control will prevent idle stop from occurring. These include having the temperature set to maximum hot, minimum cold or if the front screen defrost/demist mode is selected. The further the actual cabin temperature is from the chosen setting, the less likely the climate control will allow idle stop.

Q: When I leave my house in the morning, for the first 10 minutes of the journey the idle stop will not function and a warning comes up saying the reason is A/C, but even with the A/C button switched off I get the same warning?
A: When the cabin temperature is too high or too low, the engine coolant temperature is too low, or the cabin humidity is too high, the idle stop will not be allowed to function because of ‘A/C’. In stop-start traffic, the load on the engine is very low so it may take a long while for the coolant to warm up enough to allow idle stop. If the customer would prefer the vehicle to idle stop rather than have a comfortable cabin temperature or condensation on the windows, it is possible to switch off the  climate control and idle stop will be allowed sooner.

Q: How can I warm up the car quicker?
A: The Civic has very economical engines, which by their very nature do not waste much energy turning fuel into heat. At idle, it can take a long time for the engine coolant to warm up. The engine will get warmer quicker when driving and the engine is under load. By using the ‘AUTO’ function, set at the normal comfortable temperature (normally 19 – 23) the climate control will optimise settings to provide the quickest warm-up. There is no need to change the temperature to ‘HI’. This will just prevent idle stop and blow a higher volume of colder air, initially making the customer colder rather than warmer.

Q: How can I cool down the car quicker?
A: By using the ‘AUTO’ function set at the normal comfortable temperature (normally 19-23) the climate control will optimise settings to provide the quickest cool-down. There is no need to change the temperature to ‘LO’. This will just prevent idle stop.

Q: When in ‘ECON ON’ mode the cabin doesn’t feel as comfortable as ‘ECON OFF’ mode.
A: When in economy mode, the cabin temperature is allowed to rise slightly higher before the air conditioning is switched on. The blower fan output is also reduced to decrease the current draw from the electrical system.

Q: Why does the reason for an Idle Stop auto restart display before the car actually restarts and not during or after the restart?
A: Unfortunately there is a patent that prohibits Honda from showing the reason for an auto restart during or after the event. Honda’s system displays the reason for 6 seconds before the engine starts cranking.

Q: Why does A/C prohibit Idle Stop?
A: A/C settings have been designed to keep the occupants of the car as comfortable as possible. The heater controller calculates sun angle, cabin temperature, humidity and sun intensity to optimise the length of Idle Stop against cabin comfort (or windows misting).

Q: How long do I need to press the start switch to start the engine?
A: The start switch only needs a brief press. After releasing the button the engine will continue to crank until the engine starts. If the vehicle is out of fuel or there is an engine issue, the vehicle will crank for approximately 20 seconds. If the engine doesn’t start in this time it will stop cranking, the user will then need to press the start switch again to start the engine.

Q: Why, when the engine is running and I press the start switch will the car not turn off?
A: If the car has automatic transmission, the gear selector must be in park for the car to be switched off (same as a vehicle with normal key). If there is a problem with the vehicle speed sensors, or there is an onboard computer failure, for safety the start switch needs to be pressed three times or held for a
few seconds. This will then switch off the engine and engage the electronic steering lock.

Q: Why, when I turn the engine off and lock the car is there a high pitched noise coming from the engine bay? (Now I know!)
A: The noise is coming from the Engine Gas Recirculation valve (EGR) cycling open and closed. This action prevents build-up of soot on the valve, prolonging the life of the part.

Q: The HSA (Hill Start Assist) system was holding the car on a slope for me, then after a while the system released the brakes, is the system functioning correctly?
A: Yes, the HSA system will hold the car on a slope for a maximum duration of 2.5 seconds. This should give the driver enough time to swap their foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal to drive off.

Q: Why does the HSA system not release the brakes when I try to drive off on a slope? I know from experience that the clutch and accelerator positions were at the right point to hold the car on that particular slope.
A: The HSA system will not release the brakes until it senses that the engine has developed sufficient torque to drive off. The clutch and accelerator pedal positions need to travel further.

23,100 km | 1Y 4M