Accord auto 4 cylinder transmission problem

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Like so many of your posts, very helpful and insightful.

Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
rjundi. Heck , even google has thousands of pages. What I say is very real
Lettme guess, you own a SubToynda?
Millions of people buy into the [censored] quality hype every day. I don't feel sorry for you guys.
My dad's prius needed $1000 in repairs before 90k miles.
My Stepmom's Honda van has needed over $10,000 in repairs in the last 5 years..some which WERE warranty. AC compressor, DVD player, CV axles, Wheel bearings, Many batteries, transmissions 3x. and more i'm forgetting.
 
if you have no codes now, try replacing the pressure switches. Those are cheap and generally easy to replace. They slowly degrade and really cause havoc with shifting.
 
I would absolutely try the maxlife. I used to work with a guy that had his own transmission shop for over thirty years and he had only good things to say about maxlife. BTW is this honda one of the transmissions that you fill to the level Cold rather than the norm for most vehicles, HOT?? Does the fluid smell bad, is it showing signs of excessive bubbles?? Just how much can you drain out without emptying the torque converter??
 
Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Honda with a failing AT. I'm shocked! I thought Honda's were bullet proof.
Honda's seem to be the only manufacturer that just denies that they have a problem for almost 2 decades rather than fixing the issues they had early on.
Jason, I've seen domestics with 250k plus on the factory AT. By all accounts that Honda died early.
Honda Quality died in the late 90's and this proves it. in the mid 90's you could have an accord go 400k miles with no issues. Today, many owners hang on to that false sense of reliability. Today is is AWESOME for a Honda to go 100k miles without needing some repair of $1,000 or more. PM me and I will share some cars I have experience with like Subaru, Toyota and Honda.
It is common for the owner of an import car to take his car in for "routine" services that are very costly. I talked to one guy about his Corolla at work and he said it costs him about $2300 every 50k miles for Toyota service work. But according to him it has been the best car he has every had. CHOKE...CHOKE. That is the typical Japanese car owner right there. Guys on here are the exception.


You got that right! A $3000 100K mile service is apparently the "premium" for driving a "better" quality vehicle.


At 100K miles on my focus, I'll have to buy $20 in sparkplugs and a $30 air filter. And that's about it
 
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I like the idea of experimenting with fluids.

what is rough about the shift? do they flare? or do they slam?

very good work, getting into the solenoids.

A slam shift could be a sticking accumulator, if this trans uses them--- I'm not sure. your comment about gunk on the screens has me wondering. if it's a build-up issue, maybe some sort of solvent could be attempted.

As a data point, before you dump the z1 fill, how about adding a fluid thickener? suppose it's a low-pressure problem. low pressure can aggravate sticky accumulators sometimes, and can also cause slippage. since you say it runs better cold, I'm leaning in this direction. I'd pour in small amounts of viscous transmission additive to artificially raise the line pressure and see if that makes a difference. perhaps lucas.

IF that works... could probably just drive it as-is. Ot you could flush with another fluid and experiement with LG and the like.

I've run non-honda ATF with lubeguard black before in accords. The non-honda ATF shifts rock-hard, then LG black can be //carefully// added to soften them up. You can play with it that way.... or dump a quart of the Z1 and just add something like mobil 1 universal syn ATF---- which hardens the shifts some... if that's needed.

if it's a contamination issue, solvents are about your only option besides a teardown. solvents.... are no guarantee, especially if the buildup materials are solids.

that's a great lifespan out of any automatic transmission. no worries here. you can experiment and play.

AS A LAST DITCH RESORT--- keep a bottle of brake fluid in the trunk. If you get stranded, dump a tbsp or so of it in the trans. it will soften rubber seals and swell them... maybe giving you a lift home. this can sometimes work in a pinch, but once you do this the trans is a ticking time bomb--- will need a rebuild in 6 weeks....
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
if you have no codes now, try replacing the pressure switches. Those are cheap and generally easy to replace. They slowly degrade and really cause havoc with shifting.


Forgot to mention I replaced those two pressure switches also, bought them from ebay, I think one is a 2nd gear and the other is a third gear pressure switch. One is below the clutch pressure solenoid, that one is easy to replace the other one was more difficult to replace but it's done also. That one is near the distributor without much room to maneuver.

Also, I keep mentioning the Z1 fluids, I think that's incorrect, it's whatever Honda is selling now, the DW1 ? I can double check when I get home.
 
By rough shifting, let's say from a complete stop, I give it gas to go it wouldn't shift at its normal shift points, say between 2 and 3k rpm, rpm continue to climb beyond 3k and when it DOES upshift it bangs in, hope I am describing it correctly. Same from 2 to 3 and it gets better after that, smoother.

If I am cruising at highway speeds and then slow down to say 10 mph and then speed up again it would not do it smoothly, that same bang feeling. Also, coming to a full stop, it "clunks". Also moving the shift lever between D4 and R would feel clunky also.
 
Originally Posted By: partspro
I would absolutely try the maxlife. I used to work with a guy that had his own transmission shop for over thirty years and he had only good things to say about maxlife. BTW is this honda one of the transmissions that you fill to the level Cold rather than the norm for most vehicles, HOT?? Does the fluid smell bad, is it showing signs of excessive bubbles?? Just how much can you drain out without emptying the torque converter??


Not sure about the hot/cold level question, but when I drain it less than 3 Q come out and I replace with about 2.7 Q. From what I understand to do a complete fluid replacement I have to drain and refill 3 times.
 
Originally Posted By: DrDusty86
Jason, I've seen domestics with 250k plus on the factory AT.


Oh yeah...how many?
lol.gif
What junkyard were they at?
crackmeup2.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: mister_two
By rough shifting, let's say from a complete stop, I give it gas to go it wouldn't shift at its normal shift points, say between 2 and 3k rpm, rpm continue to climb beyond 3k and when it DOES upshift it bangs in, hope I am describing it correctly. Same from 2 to 3 and it gets better after that, smoother.

If I am cruising at highway speeds and then slow down to say 10 mph and then speed up again it would not do it smoothly, that same bang feeling. Also, coming to a full stop, it "clunks". Also moving the shift lever between D4 and R would feel clunky also.


Your trans is going south. I would rebuild and do fluid changes at 50,000 miles max with the Honda Z1 fluid. I have changed all of my vehicles to a 50,000 mile ATF complete fluid change over the past few years and have had pretty good results doing that since the fluid doesn't get chance to degrade fully and most of the crud goes out the drain. So clean fluid with fresh additives and a clean trans seems to extend the life.

You are correct that 3 drain/fills on a Honda trans is considered a flush. I do that every 50k.
 
Originally Posted By: Miller88

At 100K miles on my focus, I'll have to buy $20 in sparkplugs and a $30 air filter. And that's about it


He has 182k on his not 100k. Let us know what is happening in 82,000 miles.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
The z1 fluid those came with was a joke. degraded very quickly.

Which didnt help their transmission problems any.


20-30k changes and it would still come out black and nasty.


That's probably because the clutches were burning up due to a lack of fluid, not the fluid itself. I've always used Z1/DW1 and it's never ever been black after 30k changes.
 
Try the lubeguard. Does yours have an inline atf filter? I'm guessing it doesn't. The rubber seals are probably all dried out and need to be conditioned. Good luck!
 
Probably of no help....but soon after my Caravan transmission was rebuilt, it started acting up again. The shop had fits trying to figure out what went wrong. Finally, they took off their blinders and figured out that my throttle position sensor had coincidently gone bad after the rebuild and that was causing shifting problems.

So, don't overlook other causes....but I don't have a clue what to look for.

Best of luck to you.
 
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
but the v4's are also affected.


The poster doesn't have a v4.


IIRC, something like 99% of people do not have a "V4"

Except for people with a Subaru Justy?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Justy


The Ford Taunus was a V-4 engine from back in the 1960s and 1970s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Taunus_V4_engine

I'm not seeing where Subaru had a V-4 engine.
 
You seem to have done everything possible except tried Lubeguard Red. They also have something called Dr Shudder Fix. Get both from Amazon with Super Saver shipping. I have no experience with the Shudder Fix tube but I am using Lubeguard Red in my Honda and Toyota.

If LG Red does not cure it, add Dr Shudder Fix. If that does not fix it, then you will have to bite the bullet or better, start visiting the local parts store and pick up couple of miracle trans fixers. You have nothing left to lose at that point. But don't go after them until you have tried Lubeguard products.
 
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