Undiagosable Honda CR-V

I purchased an 07 Honda CR-V about a year ago (AWD automatic). It now has 193000 miles and has been maintained very well! It starts up great, but intermittently shakes/jerks/vibrates/misfires… I’m not sure what you would call it, but it shakes, and AS SOON AS I change my rate of speed - the shaking stops! Wether I accelerate or let off the gas, either way it stops shaking. It feels like the wheels are trying to brake or something is locking up or like a tire is about to fly right out from under the car. It also pulls to the right after being aligned several times. Not sure if the 2 things are related. To me it seems like a fuel issue but I’m not a mechanic. A corporate mechanic shop (I won’t say their name) recently replaced the trans axle mounts, rebuilt my drive shaft, replaced the brake caliper & hose on the front right side, and I got a set of 4 brand new tires. That shop actually did $800 worth of work to my car for free because they misdiagnosed the issue. Now they’re wanting me take it to a Honda dealer to pay them to diagnose it… because they still can’t. I also took the car to a transmission shop and they drove it and said the transmission is fine but I may need a new torque converter! I’ve been dealing with this same issue since February with no check engine light. I did have a check engine light on back in November, someone cleared it and I’m not sure what the code was, but the light never came back on. I was just wondering if maybe someone here could help me before I make an appointment with Honda. Thanks for reading! :relaxed:

I concur w/your plan to take it to a Honda dealership. They’ll have the Honda scan tool, and sometimes that’s necessary to debug difficult problems like this. They’ll be able to turn off and on various functions to isolate the cause, stuff that can’t be done by a more generic scan tool.

As I read your post I was thinking fuel system problem too. You might want to try a dose or two of fuel injector cleaner. Techron is often recommeded by the experts here. A treatment of fuel injection cleaner solved a jerking-at-slow-speeds problem I was having w/my Corolla one time. Common sense says to bring all the routine maintenance items up to date first of course, spark plugs, engine air filter, fuel filter, valve clearances (if applicable), etc.

Note that when the check engine light comes on, that’s diagnostic gold. Seriously. If that happens again don’t allow anyone to clear it until after they’ve read & given you all the stored diagnostic codes

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Scan down to Testers reply in the link.

06 Honda CRV vibration - Maintenance/Repairs - Car Talk Community

Thank you! Not sure if my tire bounces because I can’t see but it’s possible. I forgot to add, the guy that drove my car at the transmission shop said I may need a new torque converter and that’s what cigroller said above your comment on the post you linked

Thank you so much!! I appreciate it :relaxed:

You described torque convertor shutter, did the transmission tech drive the vehicle long enough to experience the vibration?

Yes he did. He said I may need a new torque converter!

Sounds like the problem has been diagnosed, a transmission problem, specifically the torque converter.

Nevada above makes a good point. Your transmission’s torque converter’s main purpose is to deliver the power from the engine to the transmission, but to slip enough to allow you to stop at a stop sign without stalling the engine. However it also incorporates a “lock” mode, which is turned on at speeds above a certain limit (typically around 35 mph) . “Lock” mode connects the transmission directly to the engine without any slippage. Done to improve mpg. If there’s a problem with the transition from unlock to lock mode, it can feel to the driver like running over a rumble strip. I wouldn’t use the terms “shakes/jerks/misfires” for that symptom myself. Instead, “vibrates” or “a rumbling noise” are good ways to describe it.

I’ve never had that problem myself, but I think a lock problem can be repaired sometimes without needing to replace the entire torque converter. If so, that’s a good thing b/c replacing the torque converter requires removing the transmission, time consuming & expensive.

This was a common problem with Acura and maybe Honda cars in those years. The “rumble strip” sensation was very often how it was described.

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