2002 Hondy Odyssey Transmission Issues

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I'm looking at a one owner 2002 Odyssey tonight. It has 220k miles, dealer serviced since new and he has all dealer invoices. Timing belt, WP, belts changed at 210k.

I have a time set up to look at it tonight and I'm ready to buy, frankly. That was until I dug more into Honda transmission problems.

Is the 2002 as buggy as the 01 and earlier? Is it a problem similar to Toyota 1MFZE sludgers, where people extended the drain intervals too long?

I never asked about the transmission during the phone call, but I'll look through the records when I have a look at it.

I'm guessing I'll see one of two things, either it's on the original trans and has records showing dealer changes of ATF-Z1 every 30k. Or, it's on it's second trans.

Anything to worry about if it's on the original trans? I don't believe they recalled anything later than 2001.
 
The 1MZ-FE sludge issue can be easily prevented, by just changing the oil on time.

The Odyssey transmission is going to fail sooner or later. I know people who regularly changed the transmission fluid and still had it fail. No guarantee.
 
I wouldn't consider it similar to the Toyota issues since those are resolved by reasonable oil change intervals. My room mate's TL transmission died around 70,000 miles before any maintenance was even due.

Yes, my entire purchase decision would be based around the history of the transmission in that van and buying it at a price that basically included replacing it at some point over the next couple years. To be honest there are quite a few on CraigsList for under 3 grand so if the transmission dies it's likely the end of life for the car, unfortunately.
 
I think the issue was with overheating of the 2nd gear clutch becuase of inadequate fluid was reaching it. The fix was to install a fluid jet in place of the fluid fill plug which would then cycle more oil to the top of the trans and keep the clutches cooled.

You may want to ask the owner if the recall was done or get the VIN and call a local dealer to see if it had been performed.
 
I think the test drive will be quite telling. Also what kind of price?

The Honda/Toyota are the nicest minivans back then. The Caravan decent but not to others standards and tend to fall apart a bit quicker but maybe price/condition will matter. Ford Windstar is rolling garbage and sadly unsafe with severe structural issues from rust.

Buy on condition since its 13 years old not old reliability info. Remember it likely was only 10-25% of them that actually had any transmission issues. The majority of vehicles work fine irrelevant to brand.
 
AFAIK problems from 1998 clear through to 2004. I heard it is a bearing that disintegrates and the shavings circulate throughout the unit destroying everything. They usually cost about $1000 more to rebuild than a comparable GM/FoMoCo/ChryCo unit because of this.
 
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Ford Windstar is rolling garbage and sadly unsafe with severe structural issues from rust.


As long as the axles were replaced you would be fine.... A phone call to a dealer with the VIN would bear this out.

Also:

Quote:
The 2002 Windstar was the most dependable minivan on the market in the JD Powers dependability survey at three years in service in the 2005 survey. The Windstar beat out the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey for these honors.[6]
 
I'd pull the atf dipstick and see if the atf color is pink or red and not brown or black. If the latter then I'd avoid it.
 
It would appear that's the worst year:

honda-odyssey-transmission-repair-charlotte-nc.jpg
 
Get a quote on transmission rebuild from a reputable place and add that to the price of the vehicle. If it is still good deal, then go for it.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Ford Windstar is rolling garbage and sadly unsafe with severe structural issues from rust.


As long as the axles were replaced you would be fine.... A phone call to a dealer with the VIN would bear this out.

Also:

Quote:
The 2002 Windstar was the most dependable minivan on the market in the JD Powers dependability survey at three years in service in the 2005 survey. The Windstar beat out the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey for these honors.[6]


You ever drive one. Garbage. These kind of vehicles that make people think domestic vehicles are so bad. Not saying new ones.

The Windstar’s second major corrosion-related recall occurred in January 2011 for what Ford called “corrosion-related fractures” involving the front lower control arm. Such a failure could result in the loss of steering. That recall covered about 425,000 models from the 1999-2003 model years in the same salt-use states and Washington. To that total, Ford announced that 23,000 of the 27,000 vehicles recalled in Virginia for the rear-axle condition also qualified for the control-arm recall.

Instead of fixing both issues Ford issued a $2500 check to my mother in law for the "value" of her van. Her steering loss occurred with van full of kids before the above recall.
 
Any minivan with 220k miles is subject to transmission issues. A Honda moreso than another brand, but with this kind of mileage, any minivan is going to be a roll of the dice. If the transmission has been replaced or rebuilt already, and the body is otherwise in good condition, $2,500 might be a fair price for a van that would run another 100,000 miles. On the other hand, if the transmission is just 1,000 miles away from blowing up, you're looking at your $2,500 purchase price plus the price of a used transmission or a rebuild.

For me, it would depend on the use of the van. If it's going to be an extra vehicle for hauling stuff and/or your personal ride, it might be worth the risk. I wouldn't, however, buy one and put my wife and kids in it full-time. There's just too much risk on a 220k mile minivan for me to be comfortable with that.
 
If its a new transmission, you're good to go. If its original, make [censored] sure that you check for slipping or hesitation, and make sure fluid looks new. Any original transmission with 220K is way iffy, no matter what vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: rjundi
Ford Windstar is rolling garbage and sadly unsafe with severe structural issues from rust.


As long as the axles were replaced you would be fine.... A phone call to a dealer with the VIN would bear this out.

Also:

Quote:
The 2002 Windstar was the most dependable minivan on the market in the JD Powers dependability survey at three years in service in the 2005 survey. The Windstar beat out the Toyota Sienna and the Honda Odyssey for these honors.[6]


You should know better than quoting JD POWER.. hahahaa JD POWER always rates domestics better.. any one source that places a bias or favor in one way or another is not to be trusted. Its been long know that imports win when it comes to being dependable. Its not to say domestics are not solid vehicles and that it is always the case.
 
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