Honda '02 trans.

[Schmoe]

Got a V6 Accord '02 auto. Heard some things about the Honda trans being junk and won't make it past 100K. Found this bulletin while snooping over at cordclub.com....
http://www.driveaccord.net/PDF/automatic_transmission.pdf

Now, this is where I'm a little fuzzy...I keep reading about Gen 1,2...6, what is that? Are the production years on these models broken down into generations? Does anyone know if the transmission problems were fixed by the 02 year? Those of you that have one and know about this, are you changing out the transmission fluid a lot earlier than the 60K severe and 100K normal duty allotments? Some Accord owners are changing the trans. oil out every 15K. Is that good insurance or just wishful thinking?
I know, lot's of questions, but a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

 

[2K2AcuraTL]

I understand how you what you are saying/fearing...

I have just over 20k km on my '02 AcuraTL and just waiting for someting to happen. I have been on the Acura-TL board for a while now and it MUST be the biggest issue TL owners have.
Some transmissions crap-out real early, while some go the distance. It seem to be a roll of the dice, and we are all wishing for a recall on the transmissions. What Honda has done so far is extend the warranty to 7 years/120,000k.
So I am also debating - do I change the fluid every 15k or so, or do I just let it fail and let Honda/Acura deal with it..???
I just check the fluid last week for the first time this year and I must say it is already darker and the dip stick seem to have more than usual gray stuff on it...

We shall see
Jean

 

[Schmoe]

Acura owners sweating this too, hmmmm. That recall is for up to 01 year. Does that imply that the "problem" was fixed after that year??

 

[benjamming]

1998-2002 model years are referred to as 6th generation. 2003-present is 7th generation. I am going to be changing my transmission fluid every 15k miles. It is a 2002 EX V6 automatic. My used oil analysis at ~ 22k miles is here: http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001373

It's cheap insurance at $3.75/qt at my stealer. Remember each change is only 3 qts out of a 7.5 qt sump capacity. I'll be doing another drain at 30k miles.

My car was made in June-2003. No one really knows if they ever fixed the problem before the 2003 models came out. Edmunds Town Hall may have some info on that.

 

[2K2AcuraTL]

quote:

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Originally posted by Schmoe:
Acura owners sweating this too, hmmmm.


\\\ BIG TIME.....


That recall is for up to 01 year. Does that imply that the "problem" was fixed after that year??

---

Many Acura TL owners have gone trough 3 Transmissions .....

I am under the impression it is NOT fixed yet...

 

[Schmoe]

OK, what I'm reading into this is either it happens or it don't. I am going to assume that some of these 6th Gen transmissions have made it past 200K or so. Right? Kind of like the other manufacturer problems, say Ford's blowing spark plugs or Chevy's piston knock???

 

[thrace]

Good info SB 02-062
A bulletin on the 2000-01 Accord, Prelude and Odyssey. These are 4 speed auto. There is a problem with these.

And there is a different problem with the Acura TL or CL and several other Honda 5 speed auto trans vehicles which are 5 speed.

Do you have a 4 speed or 5 speed? The warranty was also extended on some Acura TL and CL models but only after alot of bad publicity. There was a large article in the Los Angeles Times 2 years ago about Acura Transmission Problems, especially the TL and CL. About all the owner can do is change the fluid and baby the transmission. It is strange to have power but not use it to save the transmission.

[ April 27, 2004, 05:45 PM: Message edited by: thrace ]

 

[Blokey]

On my 2000 Acura 3.2TL, I do a transmission fluid d&f at each oil change. It's simple, quick and it only requires 3 qts ATF-Z1. I figure it's good insurance for a healthy trans. So far I have 50K miles on the original trans (5 spd auto). Doesn't guarantee I won't have problems but it's good peace of mind.

 

[digitaldrifter91]

yea alot of people i know with like 2000 accords and some even later are now having problems, even with factory transmission changes.

the best honda transmissions auto wise i think was the 4th generation accord, 1990-1993. the 5th generations 94-97 were ok but shifted harsh but still lasted long...but now with all the other stuff they arent dependable transmission wise.

 

[HOndaGuy]

the problems started when they put in the new 5 speed automatic in 1998. Thank god my mom's accord is an 03, where they actually fixed the problem.

 

[wagner7123]

I have a '97 Honda Prelude automatic 4spd. there have been many reported problems with this transmission as well. many people on several forums have had problems. most also recomend changing the fluid every 15k. the warranty for the transmission was extended in '99 to 100k, that was also the same year that honda changed the tourque converter from 2600rpm to 2200 or 2300. there was a severe loss in performance but also a drastic increase in durability. i know that accords of that fall into same generation years as the fith gen prelude 97-2001 also had the H22 engine and same trans. so i would assume that they got the same treatment. as for the 2002 i wouldn't know. does it have the h22 as well? if so i would imagine that your TQ converter is the lower rpm version. that version, while helpful, does not eliminate the flaws. but it does extend the life to some extent.

 

[wagner7123]

when i said torque converter i meant stall converter. sorry about that.

 

[mike1qaz]

My '01 Accord 4spd auto lasted ~112K miles with frequent (15K-20K) drain/refills of their ATF-Z1. Hopefully my Honda reman has better luck.

In regards to durability/longevity of the 6th Gen, I've seen few high mileage (150K) posts with original transmission. It might still be too soon for those mileage figures to be reported. I put my miles on rapidly, doing 1500 mile weeks for 2 years. Time will tell. I still hope to see 300K with this vehicle, but my confidence in Honda is definitely shaken and I would never recommend a high mileage 6th Gen with automatic to anyone.

[ May 10, 2004, 10:31 PM: Message edited by: mike1qaz ]