Accord 1.5 T Pro/Con?

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Any particular issues with the 1.5t in 2020 Accords? Test drove one today and liked it but can't find any info (pro/con) on the engine other than its been used in other Honda models for several years. Reviewers seem to like it, but those are only short term tests.
 
The 1.5 turbo engine can have issues with oil dilution. Some drivers notice an increasing oil level, rough running and eventual engine stalling. Honda made a few software changes that are supposed to help this issue. Along with implementing more frequent oil changes. However, there are still some lingering reports of oil dilution.

It seems the problem is most prevalent in cool locations and with drivers that do short trips.

As always, modern engines introduce a new set of problems. Some of these problems that can be addressed by more frequent oil changes and the choice of quality oils.

There have also been complaints about the CVT's operational smoothness. Especially at low speeds. However, there are few Accord CVT failures at this point. (there are a number of Civic CVT failures) Just keep in mind the CVT cannot be overhauled at the local transmission shop and they can be quite expensive to purchase new.

I like the car, they drive nicely and with good care, are very likely to be reliable. Don't pay too much. They are being heavily discounted in many locations. I see them near me for as low as $21+K and many in the $22K range.


Note: After losing a Subaru CVT in a rental Crosstrek at just 2400 miles since new, I don't trust CVT's and would likely purchase an extended powertrain warranty or sell before the warranty ran out.
 
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I had the 1.5 in a Civic, it ran great, no issues.
The oil dilution problem was mostly an early model CRV thing, not in civics and Accords, but it is possible. Far fewer owners of CRVs reported problems after 2019.

The Honda CVTs have been good, my CRV has one and so did the civic. Not many reports of problems, unlike the Subaru and Nissan versions. Honda has been building CVTs for a long time.
 
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i have the 1.5t in my 2020 civic and mom has it in her 2017 CRV. have not had any dilution problems with moms and mine is too new . the 1.5 t has really good power for its size and fuel economy. there has got to be a million out there by now so if they were bad there should be internet info on it
 
You should be able to get an LX Sport, which is a great package, for around $22,400 plus tax and license.
Maybe better. Good luck.

It's been awhile since I priced these cars; I may be wrong on the price... Again, good luck.
 
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Fuel dilution is the main problem. If you do get one, only fill up with premium, avoid short trips, and use 5w30 synthetic
smile.gif


You're better off with a 4-cylinder Camry
 
HT rings help, and high octane fuel helps.

The best solution would be to fabricate a manifold that supports port injection, and use megasquirt to map it how you want it. KR strategies often involve going super-rich to cool the cylinder which promotes fuel dilution.
Good rings, port injection and high AKI fuel completely eliminate the issue.
If you dont want to re-ring or fab a manifold then do a test where you measure the oil level then run a tank of 87 and measure again - then run a full tank of 116 octane VP or Sunoco and measure the oil level again - I'll bet you 1 million Rupees (about 3 dollars) that there is less of an increase in oil level attributable to fuel diution when you run the good fuel.

requesting torque from low rpm creates boost and heat and knock and fuel dilution - so dont request torque below mid-rpms and always use good fuel.

these strategies may seem unrealistic or unacheivable but the tech says rich AFR for KR, and LT rings for MPG. Put these factors together and you see what you've been seeing.
 
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Fiancee has the 1.5T in her 2018 Civic Hatchback with the 6MT. She's had it since October of 2018, and now has about 26,000 miles. No problems, and dilution doesn't seem to be a problem (I do her maintenance and I've been watching the oil level). But her commute is at least 15 miles, one way, every day. We also don't live in a really cold part of the country, and we do pretty frequent out of town trips. I change the oil every 5000 miles, using a good synth.

I also try to rev it a bit when she lets me drive it. I think that helps. As Olas was saying, I don't think it's too good to lug these modern, TGDI engines. Better to rev them a bit, instead of mashing the gas pedal in a high gear at low RPM and counting on the turbo boost for torque. That creates ideal conditions for LSPI and fuel dilution due to the ECU compensating for spikes in cylinder pressure/temp with overly rich mixtures.

It seems counterintuitive; Most people think it's good for an engine to live at lower RPM. But, for a small 4-cylinder, especially TGDI, I think it's easier on the engine to let it rev a bit. Let it live in the range where it makes easy power.

Anyway, it's a good powerplant. We'll see how long-term reliability for ours does, but it's an enjoyable engine in her Civic. 174 HP gets it down the road very well, especially with the broad torque spread. And it has tons of cargo room with the hatchback.

I believe the 1.5T in the Accord is a different spec than the one we have. I think in the Accord, it's the same engine as what's in the Civic Si, which is 205 HP, I think. So, about 30 more than hers. Should be a nice engine. I can promise you it'll be a more entertaining drive than the Camry. I suggest getting the 6-speed. Honda has always made a great manual gearbox. The 6-speed in the fiancee's Civic is a joy to use. Clutch is very light, with good engagement feel. This is her first manual car, and she's had no trouble learning it.
 
The 2.0T is multiport fuel injection and the 1.5T is direct injection. That's why you don't come across fuel dilution issues with the 2.0T, different design. Just about ALL early 1.5T engines, regardless of what model they were in, had dilution issues. However, almost all cases were in the northern climate. Honda voluntarily extended the engine warranty for those vehicles in that area. They also did some software updates and sometimes, hardware replacement. HVAC controls in particular. As noted above, for those that drive long enough to get the engine up to operating temperature for a while, no dilution issues. Honda found out that majority of the cases were from short commutes, especially in very cold climates. Honda has since addressed those issues during the manufacturing process around 2018. I wouldn't hesitate buying another one, well it would be for the wife, and not worry about it.
 
Originally Posted by Schmoe
The 2.0T is multiport fuel injection and the 1.5T is direct injection. That's why you don't come across fuel dilution issues with the 2.0T, different design. Just about ALL early 1.5T engines, regardless of what model they were in, had dilution issues. However, almost all cases were in the northern climate. Honda voluntarily extended the engine warranty for those vehicles in that area. They also did some software updates and sometimes, hardware replacement. HVAC controls in particular. As noted above, for those that drive long enough to get the engine up to operating temperature for a while, no dilution issues. Honda found out that majority of the cases were from short commutes, especially in very cold climates. Honda has since addressed those issues during the manufacturing process around 2018. I wouldn't hesitate buying another one, well it would be for the wife, and not worry about it.


I believe the 2.0T is also a DI engine and is also used in the Acura RDX.
 
Originally Posted by Schmoe
The 2.0T is multiport fuel injection and the 1.5T is direct injection. That's why you don't come across fuel dilution issues with the 2.0T, different design. Just about ALL early 1.5T engines, regardless of what model they were in, had dilution issues. However, almost all cases were in the northern climate. Honda voluntarily extended the engine warranty for those vehicles in that area. They also did some software updates and sometimes, hardware replacement. HVAC controls in particular. As noted above, for those that drive long enough to get the engine up to operating temperature for a while, no dilution issues. Honda found out that majority of the cases were from short commutes, especially in very cold climates. Honda has since addressed those issues during the manufacturing process around 2018. I wouldn't hesitate buying another one, well it would be for the wife, and not worry about it.


I believe the 2.0T is also a DI engine and is also used in the Acura RDX.
 
2.0T it is a DI engine certainly

I would not run away from 1.5T either

personally, a face lift Accord 2021 will be high on my shopping list sometime in Dec/Jan 2021 when I plan to replace my Mazda6
 
My son has the 1.5T in his manual civic. That combination may be the absolute best driver's car honda has ever produced, and we've been driving 5spd hondas since the 80s. The 1.5T has a broad torque curve making gear selection pretty much anything you want - you don't have do downshift for hills. The vtech fanboys might cringe as the engine does not have yesteryear's power bump at high revs, but the broad torque range to me is far better because you don't have to work around it - the power is on tap. Best-of-breed stick feel and buttery clutch, engine balanced like a sewing machine, it's a good car to drive.

For the first 10k miles, I was concerned about dilution. Oil level went UP in the first 5,000. It hasn't done it since then, so that was either severe dilution, OR I checked it inconsistently. For extra margin, I think I'm topping off the 5-20 fill with a splash of 10-30. He drives it the way a true stick is meant to be driven. No issues with it yet.
 
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Originally Posted by skyactiv
Have you considered the 2.0T with the 10 speed automatic?


Drove an Accord Hybrid which has the 2.0 and it was nice, but with open road driving can't see much need/use for a Hybrid. As to non-hybrid, had not considered it with 10 speed as I know even less about it than a CVT....which I have in current '13 Accord and previous Altima. Frankly, I like the CVT's. The car will be used mainly by my wife and she does a fair amount of long drives.
 
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Originally Posted by Schmoe
The 2.0T is multiport fuel injection and the 1.5T is direct injection. That's why you don't come across fuel dilution issues with the 2.0T, different design. Just about ALL early 1.5T engines, regardless of what model they were in, had dilution issues. However, almost all cases were in the northern climate. Honda voluntarily extended the engine warranty for those vehicles in that area. They also did some software updates and sometimes, hardware replacement. HVAC controls in particular. As noted above, for those that drive long enough to get the engine up to operating temperature for a while, no dilution issues. Honda found out that majority of the cases were from short commutes, especially in very cold climates. Honda has since addressed those issues during the manufacturing process around 2018. I wouldn't hesitate buying another one, well it would be for the wife, and not worry about it.


Just for the record, the warranty extension only covers cams, rocker arms, and spark plugs, according to this CR article. And the letters were only sent to those owners in certain cold weather northern states:

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ends-warranty-on-troubled-turbo-engines/

And, as noted above, the Honda 2.0T is also direct injection only.
 
The two liter used in the HAH has little to nothing in common with the 2.0T engine.
It's PI and normally aspirated and makes but 143 bhp.
Combine it with the electrics and the HAH makes an entertaining 212 bhp and does have instantaneous acceleration whenever you ask for it.
You'll also easily see the EPA estimated 47 mpg overall and may well do better.
 
my 2019 civic si with the 1.5t has an oil dilution issue. see my thread for details.

i rarely drive short trips, always use 93 octane gas (mostly costco), and have used pennzoil platiinum 0w20 since day one.

guys in a civic forum which name i wont mention are in total denial about the issue. but theres def an issue with oil dilution. there are multiple threads in the civic forum of guys who have spun bearings thrown rods.. most of these guys were using aftermarket tunes but i suspect the oil dilution contributed.
 
Although really not addressed in this thread, the Accord is much more of a drivers car than the Camry. The new Camry is so unresponsive it's frustrating at times to drive, as it takes work to keep up with traffic. I understand the Camry is tuned for economy and it does deliver at 35mpg. However, the poor accelerator response really irritates me. I've even noticed that the Camry drops behind traffic speed without any pedal position change, very weird. It "lets off the gas" for you, whether you like it or not.

The Accord, in any trim, is a much more pleasing choice. It's also quieter.
 
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