What this code means
P0746 may indicate that the CVT control system is seeing a possible drive pulley pressure control problem inside the transmission.
What the vehicle may do
- The vehicle may show abnormal CVT operation.
- The driver may notice poor response or a warning light.
- The concern can be intermittent and may only appear under certain operating conditions.
Possible fault areas
- Possible CVT hydraulic pressure control fault area.
- Possible valve body or pressure control solenoid area involvement.
- Possible intermittent condition that may need captured operating conditions to reproduce.
Diagnostic path
Opening context
On this Honda Civic CVT, P0746 is for the CVT drive pulley pressure control solenoid valve stuck OFF. In plain language, the ECM/PCM may be seeing a problem with how drive pulley pressure is being controlled inside the transmission. The driver may notice abnormal CVT operation, poor response, or a warning light, but this code still has to be duplicated before calling the fault. Broadly, this can involve the hydraulic control side of the CVT, the valve body area, or an intermittent condition that only shows up under the right operating conditions.
Set up the verification
Before going after the code, start with the basic troubleshooting checks. Then turn the ignition switch to ON (II), or press the engine start/stop button to select the ON mode. Clear the code with the HDS. At this point, the goal is not to replace anything yet. The goal is to clear the memory and then run the vehicle in the conditions that let the fault show itself again.
Duplicate the operating conditions
Next, test-drive the vehicle in D until vehicle speed reaches 37 mph (60 km/h). Slow down and stop the vehicle. Then accelerate from a stop at full throttle in D until vehicle speed reaches 37 mph (60 km/h). After that, turn the engine off and repeat that same test-drive again. This repeated drive pattern is important because this diagnosis is built around duplicating the condition, not just looking at a stored code once.
Read the result
After the drive cycle, check for Pending or Confirmed codes with the HDS and see whether P0746 is indicated. If P0746 comes back, the failure has been duplicated. In that result path, the listed fault is the CVT drive pulley pressure control solenoid valve, and the supported repair is to replace the valve body. If P0746 does not come back, treat it as an intermittent failure and the system is OK at this time. If captured data for this code is available, try to reproduce the failure under those same captured conditions instead of guessing.
Closing takeaway
The key on P0746 is to prove whether the CVT can duplicate the drive pulley pressure control fault under the specified drive pattern. Clear it, run the vehicle exactly through the required conditions, check whether the code returns, and keep intermittent results separate from a duplicated failure. For more diagnostic training, visit stepdiagnostics.com.
Final check
P0746 often needs to be duplicated under the specified driving conditions before treating it as a confirmed CVT hydraulic control fault.
For more guided automotive diagnostics, visit STEP Diagnostics.
