Also known as: l15a, l15b, l15b7, 1.5 turbo, 1.5 i-vtec, earth dreams 1.5, l15be, l15ca, l15bg, l15bj, l15bp, l15by, l15c1, l15c7, l15c
Honda's 1.5-litre four, in naturally aspirated form in the Fit and Jazz and in direct-injected turbocharged form as the L15B7 in the Civic, CR-V and Accord — the engine that replaced larger naturally aspirated fours across Honda's range.
The turbocharged version's known issue is specific and worth naming: fuel dilution of the engine oil, most pronounced in cold climates and short-journey use. Unburnt fuel passes the rings into the sump, the oil level rises and its viscosity falls, and the result is accelerated bearing and cylinder wear. Honda addressed it with software and hardware updates in affected markets. A rising oil level with a fuel smell on an L15B7 is the fault, not a servicing error.
The naturally aspirated L15 in the Fit has none of this and is an unremarkable, durable engine whose complaints are ignition, sensors and — where the CVT is fitted — transmission behaviour reported as engine behaviour.
Cars fitted with this engine
16 generations, across 2 makes. From the authored catalogue — an absent car means the catalogue has not reached it, not that the engine was never fitted.
Honda
- Fit GE 2007–2013
- City Fifth generation 2008–2014
- Fit GK 2013–2020
- HR-V RU 2013–2021
- City Sixth generation 2014–2020
- Civic FC/FK 2015–2021
- CR-V RW 2016–2022
- Accord CV 2017–2022
- Fit GR 2020–present
- City Seventh generation 2020–present
- Civic FE/FL 2021–present
- HR-V RV 2021–present
- CR-V RS 2022–present
- Accord CY 2023–present
Information, not instruction
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Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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