I think it’s the end of the line for my humble 92 accord lx automatic. It’s had transmission problems, hard/rough shifting since my parents bought it.
2 days ago I drove it ~450 miles from L.a to Davis, ca and about 10 blocks away from my apt going down then up the only dip in Davis I stepped on the gas and there was nothing. The engine just revved. I let go of the gas and let my momentum carry me to the stop light. When the light turned green I stepped on it and the car moved normally for about about 2-3 blocks shifting thru all 4 gears. I then slowed down for a yeild sign and i’m guessing I was in 2nd gear at this point and stepped on it. The engine revved. I took my foot off the gas and moved transmission to lock it into d3 while I was still coasting. The car drove fine again until I stopped at a signal. This time I stepped on the gas and I went thru gears 1 and 2 then just had the engine rev high. When I let the rpm’s drop to 2ish thousand RPMS the car drove ok, but would not shift up out of 2nd gear. At this point I was 2 blocks from home and just locked it into d2 and limped my way home.
After about 2 hours I checked the oil and transmission fluid then drove the car for 10 minutes on streets and on the freeway. It drove perfectly fine, not a single hint at a problem.
The next day I took it out for a trip and it drove fine until I got onto a downhill freeway onramp. I was probably going about 40 and accelerating when the engine just started revving. I let go of the gas then tried to reapply and got up to about 60 before the engine started just revving again. At this point I pulled over, stopped then tried again to accelerate. Again I got to 2nd gear before it started revving. I pulled over again and stopped, shut off the engine and waited about 30 seconds. Restarted the engine and the car drove normally. I got off the freeway and headed home. As I was driving home the car started revving again. I think it was just after a turn. A block from my house the car completely stopped taking orders. I coasted to a stop and while still in d4 revved the engine as if it was completely in neutral. I turned off the engine and restarted it immediately, and again it drove like normal.
I’m confused as hell about these symptoms. I don’t see how a mechanical problem can be intermittant in a transmission. But I admit I don’t understand them that well.
When moving the shifter in an automatic transmission does it move something mechanical or does it simply tell a computer to move the transmission’s gears? I’ve had problems in the past with a sensor in my transmission shifter.(Became extremely difficult move the shift lever, usually after a very long drive, and another problem which still persists where I can push the shift lever past park to a point where none of my gear dash lights will be lit. When this happens I can’t remove my keys from the ignition. I solve it by just tapping the lever back until “P” is lit up.
I’m hoping it’s a somewhat minor electrical problem, but I doubt it.
Yeah, I think it’s “game over man” for that transmission, which means the end of the car. No great loss - get a real transmission next time.
One thing you can often do to try to stave off total failure is to have the transmission flushed out completely and then refilled with Redline Synthetic fluid.
I think, however, that in this case the clutch packs are completely Donald Ducked and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, let’s not jump the gun here. Since it works seconds after shutting it off, I’d certainly suspect the PCM or onboard computer equivalent. When a transmission dies, it’s a purely hardware. Shutting it off for two seconds doesn’t suddenly regenerate a band or a servo. Look here for syptoms of a hosed transmission.
I really really think it’s the computer, and has jack squat to do with Redline Synthetic fluid.
But then again, I always defer to GaryT, he’s a genius, and one of SDMBs best resources. But he haunts GQ more than IMHO, you might want to request a Mod to pop this over there for you in the hopes he replies.
I’m not an automatic transmission expert, but here are my thoughts:
Hondas call for a different method of checking the tranny fluid level compared to most other cars. It’s checked with the engine off, after having run it into each gear position with the engine running. You may be well familiar with this, but if this isn’t how the fluid level was checked, that’s where to start. If it turns out the fluid is low, by all means top it up and see how it does.
It’s unlikely using different fluid would help. In fact, it might do the opposite – Hondas use a different spec fluid from most other cars. It’s okay to top up with a Dexron fluid, but for a full fluid change I’d use Honda fluid.
The shift lever mechanically selects a certain combination of mechanical valves in the transmission’s valve body. While I wouldn’t say it’s impossible that it’s an electronic problem, I think it’s much more likely to be a mechanical one, especially if you don’t have a “check engine” light on or a flashing shift indicator (e.g., the “D4” light).
Find an independent (i.e., not a chain like Aamco) tranny shop that’s a member of ATRA (Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association). Check their reputation with some nearby parts stores and general repair shops. Generally these are honorable, competent shops that will treat you right and evaluate and fix the car properly.
Thanks for the responses. I’ll probably bring the car to a mechanic sometime next week.
Gary T
:smack: This is what I get for not reading my Haynes manual. I’ve been checking my transmission fluid like i’ve been checking my oil. I did it the way you told me to, and the fluid looks like it checks out ot me.
I drove it around for an hour today and if I drive it softly/normally I can pretty much drive it forever without any symptoms. However when I got off the freeway(where I acclerated to 80) the symptoms would return. 1-2 shifts ok, 2-3 shifts at a highish RPM, 3-4 shifts high or doesn’t shift and just starts revving. I tried stopping the car and putting it into park for 30 seconds-1 minute, but the symptoms would persist. Then I turned off the engine and immediately restarted it. That would solve the problem. I repeated this at least three times.
This confuses me. In all* cars, engine oil level is checked with the engine off. In most cars, transmission fluid level is checked with the engine running. But in Hondas (and one or two other makes), it’s checked with the engine off, which I would say is like checking the oil. So when I read “I’ve been checking my transmission fluid like i’ve been checking my oil,” it sounds to me like that was the right way.
I don’t have an explanation for this, though I imagine a tranny expert would. It does suggest that there may be an electrical/electronic aspect to the problem.
In doing a little research on this, I ran across an incident where using the wrong clutch material resulted in clogging the filter. The symptomology was somewhat similar to yours. My long shot WAG is that possibly debris is being pumped/sucked onto the filter during high speed driving, where it blocks flow enough to affect shifting, which would be noticed once you were back at lower speeds where shifting occurs. Once the debris is in place, it stays there due to internal fluid pressure. Shutting off the car stops the transmission pump operation and lets the debris fall off the filter, where it lies in wait until a certain speed (I would say engine speed) is reached. If this is the case, there may be some improvement doing a proper transmission flush. Two points of caution, though. Unlike in most cars, Honda automatic tranny filters are not accessible for service – you can only get to them by disassembling the tranny (= overhaul). And even if a fluid service helped, it would likely just buy some time before the worn parts that produced the debris failed in a different way.
*With the possible exception of some exotic race set-up.
Until now i’ve been checking my tranny fluid like I check my oil. That is after turning the engine off for at least 20 minutes. Now I drive the car around for 10ish minutes then stop the engine and immediately check the tranny fluid levels.
It’s a big help. At least I have a clue what could possibly be wrong. Never ending thanks.
