07 Honda GX won't start

[Andy Kmetz]

I just filled up my Honda at the utility fuel station, and stopped for an hour to shop. The car had trouble starting up as if it was flooded or that it didn't have the proper fuel mixture. It did eventually start after waiting a minute or so, but I'm not sure what the cause could be or if something needs to be serviced. I replaced the fuel filters six months ago (approx 7,000-10,000 miles) as well as the spark plugs. Perhaps I got some bad moisture from the utility.

Any ideas from the GX mechanics out there? This is the wife's car, so I need to keep it running.

Andy

[Manik]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Hello Andy,

I am not a mechanic for Civic GX but I do own a GX and rest are Honda's. So I have a good amount of exprience with Honda's. First of all changing the spark plugs was unnecessary and you just threw OEM factory plugs. You don't need to change spark plugs until 100,000 miles or do any other huge maintenance until 100,000 for newer models like 07. Refer to owner manual for service intervals and what needs to be at those intervals. If you don't have one you can go honda's website and look up scheduled intervals. About the Fuel Filter change please don't do it every 7,000 - 10,000 miles. You can wait until 20000 miles or longer. Most GX owners I speak with are not even aware of this filter and have never changed. Bascially all this fitler does is it takes out the water from the CNG. If you are using PG & E and other high quality Fill station they take most of the water and the impurites out. PG & E is the best as thier Gas only contains half pound of water per million square inch of CNG. They have on site filteration ever after the Gas is only already filtred. Sometimes it a few seconds for my Gx to start to in your case might have been the weather, or the valve didn't open right away to carry fuel into the engine compartment or moisture like you said. I believe its normal but if its happening often and you car should be under warrantly. Take it back to the dealer and have him take a look. Hope this helps.

[RexKI]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Low pressure gas Filter Element / filter update - at 28,000 miles the car failed to start - fuel starved. Researched and found that 2009 have a 10,000 mile service interval on this filter / element. End result Ioverpayed for one at Honda of Lisle IL at 70.00 then had it installed by Gary a certified CNG tech for 1.1 shop hours at 108 per hour or 115. drive out.

Speaking to Gary, you need a 1.5 " extension on a 25MM socket then a knuckle and then an extension that takes you below the car to a torque wrench. The rough spec was foot inches and not pounds. Not sure where you would get a foot inch torque wrench. The procedure per Honda requires the new element to be put in a deep freeze for 1.5 hours to shrink the plastic and the o-ring so that it can take proper torque and have the element fit into the narrow tolerance housing.

Visual on the old filter appears to be brand new, not a spec of dirt or anything, it smells of mercat ofectorant. Two days later and two morning starts it appears it was then filter. It starts faster as well thus less strain on my already old and low original battery

While at dealer, learned that their Fuelmaker Phill had hit its end of life hour counter and that it was 4,000 hours and not 6,000 hours. WOW that changes the price per gge a bit! Hear say or reality?

It probably could have been the filter since mine did the same. Very sensitive to temperature changes, like a piece of ice gets lodged and then melts or liquid water blocks the fuel system. Very mysterious after you see the old filter after my first change at 28,000 miles, looked pristine but appears to be the culprit.

[freedml]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Did you mean 'foot ounces'? 16 foot ounces to a foot pound (translation - very little torque).

I didn't think Phill had an end of life counter.

[freedml]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

My guess is your CNG has a lot of water, oil or both. And you live in a winter climate. You are the case the '10k' change interval was designed for.

[siai47]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Foot ounces? Most English torque wrenches are in foot pounds or inch pounds---4 of anything is very low torque.

[wuggzz]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

I just had a similiar problems this morning.. I drove to the station just fine, filled up my car and got about a 1/2 mile from the station and it started sputtering then died. I was able to start once more, then died again and could not start. Not sure if there was a slug of oil in the gas, or if the gas had been sitting from a long holiday weekend with limited use and was extra cold causing a dense phase gas and glogging. Live in Wy so the temp was in the single digits but never had this problem before. I will look at the filters tonight, and see if that's the culprit.

[RexKI]

2006 Honda GX won't start Update

December 28, 2012 - 11:00 AM CDT - Update for my 2006 GX - its now 30 degrees F outside and 92% humidity, with light snow flurries. The car failed to start after putting it in the garage 1 hour earlier - yes starting it and driving it. 40 seconds tops of the motor running.

Replaced both CNG filters in the past month - the front low pressure was filled with oil, the high pressure back looked pristine, from GTI (Gas Technology Institute) in Des Plaines IL, exclusively, this is my refill station 100% of the time. Have not heard back from them since I put out a notice to them that they have an oil problem. Sad since they are the main research arm of national gas certifications in the US. Very Sad! - They are the "Underwriters Lab" here in Chicago as well for natural gas!

So it appears not to be a filter issue as you would expect unless I have been a victim of huge infiltration of oil and water from them in a matter of 4 weeks? This is the first no start since the filters were replaced. It seems the colder the weather the less likely the problem, unless it is above 40 degrees?

Tried the rear emergency gas valve shut off and back on with starting attempts in both positions - technique to no avail. It does not even provide a "whisper ignition" noise when the valve is disabled and sounding very fuel starved. If i pulled off a spark plug I wonder if I would smell the "mercat"?

I think there is something inherently wrong in the front fuel regulator (above the low pressure filter) - warming it with a hair dryer for 1 hour on low position - 700 watts of heat seems to give it a best chance of starting. I believe it is a borderline violation of the "warranty of merchantability"!!

[jballbt]

Re: 2006 Honda GX won't start Update

I've run into similar issues just this week for the first time with both my 2007 Civic and my wife's 2009 Civic. I got mine to start again just by trying it the next day but now this moring my wife's car acts completely like it is out of gas when the gage says there is nearly half a tank still still unsued. I was reading the owners manual and one thing I learned is that there is an auto switch that shuts of the fuel line when the ignition is turned of and it comes on when the ignition is turned on. I'm beginning to wonder with all these problems I'm having if the switch is freezing shut and not opening when the ignition is turned on. Anyone else had this experience?

December 28, 2012 - 11:00 AM CDT - Update for my 2006 GX - its now 30 degrees F outside and 92% humidity, with light snow flurries. The car failed to start after putting it in the garage 1 hour earlier - yes starting it and driving it. 40 seconds tops of the motor running.

Replaced both CNG filters in the past month - the front low pressure was filled with oil, the high pressure back looked pristine, from GTI (Gas Technology Institute) in Des Plaines IL, exclusively, this is my refill station 100% of the time. Have not heard back from them since I put out a notice to them that they have an oil problem. Sad since they are the main research arm of national gas certifications in the US. Very Sad! - They are the "Underwriters Lab" here in Chicago as well for natural gas!

So it appears not to be a filter issue as you would expect unless I have been a victim of huge infiltration of oil and water from them in a matter of 4 weeks? This is the first no start since the filters were replaced. It seems the colder the weather the less likely the problem, unless it is above 40 degrees?

Tried the rear emergency gas valve shut off and back on with starting attempts in both positions - technique to no avail. It does not even provide a "whisper ignition" noise when the valve is disabled and sounding very fuel starved. If i pulled off a spark plug I wonder if I would smell the "mercat"?

I think there is something inherently wrong in the front fuel regulator (above the low pressure filter) - warming it with a hair dryer for 1 hour on low position - 700 watts of heat seems to give it a best chance of starting. I believe it is a borderline violation of the "warranty of merchantability"!!

[Alaska GX]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

This may be completely unrelated but, during the winter my 09 GX has a hard time starting when it is warmed after filling. For example I fill at my FMQ and it is 10 degrees F outside, I pull in the GX in shop where it sits overnight at 50 degrees f, very hard to start.

What works is after I pull the GX in the shop I have to run the RPM's way up almost to red line a couple times and let it float back to idle, works every time and starts well the next morning. Not sure if the throttle body is sticking or what is going on, in the old days I would have thought a stuck choke.

[John Mitton]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Probably the result of excess pressure in the low pressure fuel lines as the gas expands inside the shop. The injectors have to work extra hard to open, and the engine runs rich for a bit.

[Andrew]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

Almost sounds like an occasional problem I'd have with my (gasoline powered) Toyota Echo when I lived in Anchorage. 10 degrees or less outside. Would sometimes not start and needed several attempts after parked in garage overnight. An otherwise extremely reliable vehicle that could start without much trouble at minus 10 (no block heater).

I assumed that had to with condensation causing water in the fuel lines. I wonder if it could be a similar problem in the CNG Civic. Can the FMQ dry properly at that temp?

[Alaska GX]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

I have only filled at home on my FMQ and after 100k miles I finally got around to changing my fuel filters. No oil and less than a drop of water in the filters, enstar gas is nice and dry. My GX also starts fine down to -20, it's only warmed overnight during the winter that is a problem.

[KSneedsCNG]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

+1 on John's response that culprit is Excess Pressure that is causing hard starting.

I've had similar hard start during normal summer temperature when cng pump was "dialed up" to over 4,000 psi. Once it did start, ran rough for a bit until the pressure was burned down, then ran like a champ. Since Alaska GX supply of NG for his FMQ sounds super dry, moisture is not the culprit but rather high pressure.

[Alaska GX]

Re: 07 Honda GX won't start

That makes sense...one question ? why then does it start easy the next morning if I rev it up a couple times before I shut it down after pulling it into the shop?