Honda shift solenoids clogged symptoms.

[merconvvv]

My sis 2001 4 cylinder automatic honda accord had harsh up shifts from 1 to 2. Loud clunk sound on down shift 2 to 1.
No codes.
The dealer said rebuilt tranny for 5k dollars.
Diagnosis was just by test drive.

Instead of 5k i decided to get fluid flushed. Did not help much.
Then i thought perhaps the transmission mounts are worn out at 187k miles and winters. Sure enough one was really bad. That has made improvement in it downshifts from 2 to 1 well enough be slightly happy.
I took the double humps torque converter solenoid. The screens were really plugged. So i went ahead and changed the screen. No difference. Now there are two more solenoids underneath this big one with the replaced screen. I think they are called shift solenoid b and c. I think they are used in 1 to 2 shift. What if these were plugged ? What would be the symptoms?
My hands are too big to get to them without some serious effort on another day. Anyways any inputs regarding this will be much appreciated.
Except 1 to 2 upshift all shifts are flawless including overdrive on highway.

 

[Omahaug]

There were issues with the early 98-02 Honda Accord automatic transmissions, they were big steaming piles compared to their other AT's.

Has it ever had the recall done with the extra transmission fluid cooler line installed over second gear? Second gear is known to go bad on those defective AT's.

If it had the recall done you should see the plug with the cooler line in it where the yellow dipstick would normally be on top of the transmission case. If it's a defective design that generates enough heat to damage second gear you might not be able to do anything other than the recall if it doesn't already have it, rebuild it.

Have you ever tried Lubegard Red? Some OEM's recommend it and people swear it makes a difference, I think I remember Honda recommending it in a TSB once (not sure). Can't hurt if you're desperate, claims to soften shifts too. People have used it in Honda AT's with good results.

 

[Dohc98vteC]

Originally Posted By: NoNameJoe
There were issues with the early 98-02 Honda Accord automatic transmissions, they were big steaming piles compared to their other AT's.

Has it ever had the recall done with the extra transmission fluid cooler line installed over second gear? Second gear is known to go bad on those defective AT's.

If it had the recall done you should see the plug with the cooler line in it where the yellow dipstick would normally be on top of the transmission case. If it's a defective design that generates enough heat to damage second gear you might not be able to do anything other than the recall if it doesn't already have it, rebuild it.

Have you ever tried Lubegard Red? Some OEM's recommend it and people swear it makes a difference, I think I remember Honda recommending it in a TSB once (not sure). Can't hurt if you're desperate, claims to soften shifts too. People have used it in Honda AT's with good results.


I have used Lubeguard Red in the 98 Prelude I used to have, and it did help smooth out the jerky shifts, it is good stuff.

 

[merconvvv]

Okay lubegaurd is on the list.
Also what happens to the 1 to 2 shift in cold v hot tranny.
How would the viscosity affect the 1 to 2 shift.
How would a clogged 1 to 2 shift solenoid effect shifts from 1 to 2.

And nonamejoe i dont think there has been recall done on her car. The yellow dipstick is still there. I will have to take a look when i visit her now that you mention it.

 

[Omahaug]

Quote:
Also what happens to the 1 to 2 shift in cold v hot tranny.

Originally Posted By: Dohc98vteC
I have used Lubeguard Red in the 98 Prelude I used to have, and it did help smooth out the jerky shifts, it is good stuff.

Not surprised, people swear by it. At around $11.00 a bottle it's definitely something to try merconvvv.

Also note that the usual size of the bottle is about 10fl.oz. and they recommend one fl.oz. per quart of the total transmission capacity. This is not the amount you drain out, this includes what you drain out from the case plus the torque converter. You'll have to look up the total capacity, the manual may tell you the total capacity.

This service manual appears to say the capacity for overhaul is 6.4 quarts, so you'd put in 6.4 fl.oz. out of a 10 fl.oz. bottle.
http://www.gvrdeu.org/Honda%20FSM/Accord...Accord%20SM.pdf

 

[BAJA_05]

Used Lubeguard Red on my first & second drain & refills on my Acura in signature paired with the Honda DW1 fluid with great success.

 

[Boss302fan]

Older Honda's run great on Maxlife ATF and LG red... I think I used around 6-8 OZ of LG red in each ATF drain and fill.

 

[merconvvv]

Nonamejoe
thanks a million man.
Wow i needed that manual.
I might try replacing the 2nd pressure switch also in addition to shift solenoid c.

Otherwise in town you can drive it in d2

Its a second car for snow salt days.

 

[merconvvv]

dw1 maxlife and lg red are worth exploring too

 

[kc8adu]

it wont hurt to clean the screens on the solenoids.
but it may not help much.
excessive clutch debris in the system from being worn out and the filter packed full is more likely.
you have to split these to service the filter.
but the good news is the kit is cheap from wit
and these are not hard to rebuild.
i added a magnefine to mine after we were sure it was 100% again.
it only lasted 346k LOL.
the po had it serviced by the dealer by the book.
thats why it went that far!

 

[ARB1977]

Maxlife and Lubegard red in our CRV.

 

[merconvvv]

I might add that that the shift from 1 to 2 seems delayed.
The rpm shoot upto about 3k from 2k and then it shifts obviously not smoothly. I was thinking something clogged was preventing pressure to not be correct either too low or too high depending on how the thing was designed.

 

[SatinSilver]

I had a hard upshift from 1-2 on my 99 Accord 4cyl after the dealer replaced the rear main seal. The trans has to be removed to do the replacement of the seal. I brought it back to them and they confirmed that is was "flaring" from 1-2. They simply did a atf drain and fill and the problem was resolved. After about 80k miles it was still fine when I sold it.

So don't discount the idea of doing drain and fills esp since Honda doesn't recommended atf flushes. Since a small particle can clog one of the many small internal passages.

I do like the idea of Maxlife and Lubegard Red.

 

[Mr Nice]

Try new ATF. 2 drain / refills.

 

[merconvvv]

I see that maxlife is lower viscosity than z1 and dw1. Is that going to help and thru what mechanism. Also do i want a lot of friction modifiers or less.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: merconvvv
I see that maxlife is lower viscosity than z1 and dw1. Is that going to help and thru what mechanism. Also do i want a lot of friction modifiers or less.


PQI pinged Valvoline about this. The response from Valvoline was simple, MaxLife is a higher quality synthetic, after a few thousand miles the DW1 will be shared down even thinner, the MaxLife will be the same.

After some testing, PQI agreed.

 

[merconvvv]

I suppose if you use valvoline with lubegaurd then your tranny will run cooler and viscosity might just be at 7 or so !!!

 

[Hall]

My '99 Accord (210k miles) developed what I guess would be called "flare" shifts, but they are inconsistent. Really inconsistent - it doesn't happen every time. It really seems toned down when it's cold outside (below 30º F or so) and transmission temperature doesn't seem to make any difference. If I'm light on the throttle, it doesn't happen at all or isn't noticeable but medium to heavy throttle shows it. Going from 2nd to 3rd, I've noticed it shift around 3K RPM but only flare 200-300 rpm, not 1000 rpm like mentioned above.

I did (2) drain and refills about (2) years ago using Valvoline Maxlife ATF - did 1st one, drove a few hundred miles, if that, and did a 2nd one. I noticed an improvement and if I recall, I thought it may have solved things since like I mentioned above it's not consistent in when it happens, but it did return. Other shifts, shifting into reverse, etc were definitely improved. I did a 3rd drain and refill in the past month or so (Dollar General had Maxlife on clearance for $4-5/bottle so I grabbed six bottles).

I've been hesitant to try any 'additive' as most people say there's no such thing as a "miracle oil". Then again, when a component is already shot, these additives can't help, but as a preventative maintenance that's used long-term, they may be beneficial. Reading this thread, I'm being really, really tempted to try Lubeguard Red.... I've been strongly considering getting a new-to-me-used car but our son would like to have this Accord, at least until he enlists and ships out in the Navy.

 

[merconvvv]

Member threeputtpar had the insight below that he provided on another thread re fords. It was easy to cut and paste.

"
It sounds like the fluid is dropping in viscosity too much when it gets up to temp, resulting in line pressure being too low to keep the clutch plates engaged. If you go with MaxLife, it starts out at a lower viscosity to meet Dex VI viscosity standards but is supposed to hold its viscosity better. I would go with Valvoline's Mercon V specific ATF so that you keep a higher operating viscosity, and change it again at 30-40k miles. I think their Mercon V is still full synthetic.
"

 

[merconvvv]

I am still tempted to take out shift solenoids and clean them tiny screens. If they are clogged then the pressure wont built up or let go however they are used. Ofcourse lubegaurd and maxlife may clean them out. But i think i will dran and fill as much as possible so that the solenoids will not get clogged again. It drives pretty sporty in d2 mode though