pmpate

Hello all, I just inherited my dad's accord with its share of problems. He's not one to take care of cars. It has 340K+ miles on it. He said he had the transmission rebuilt but I feel that the shifting is behaving a bit odd. Here are some things that I have noticed:

- When flooring it from a full stop, it revs all the way up to 8000 RPM before shifting. Even when not flooring it, at times it revs unusually high.
- Most of the time there's that usual jerk when automatic tranny shifts to another gear--this is also happening.
- At 90MPH my RPM is at 4500.

Some things I can think of that may be wrong are that it's a different transmission, something may be wrong outside of the transmission--for example, on the electrical side, the cluster that shows the RPM is inaccurate (has been replaced before and most things weren't connected back up), or the transmission is going out once again. I am not too familiar with this year and model as I have just gotten it. Anyone with the same model and year have any input? Or anyone more knowledgeable for that matter? Any help is appreciated. Thanks for your time.

user456101

Honestly with that mileage he MUST have taken good care of it. That generation Accord had a major history of transmission problems. IMHO a car that old shouldn't be driven hard or it will die. Like taking an old person out and making them run wind sprints. Just take it easy on the car. Don't floor it. You should check the transmission fluid and if it needs to be changed or added to, use only Honda brand transmission fluid. Honda's are very particular about the transmission fluid that is used. If it needs a new transmission, you can get a used one from Japan at a very reasonable price. They tax older cars really high in Japan so they are junked when they have very few miles on them (<100k). They are imported to the US and I have heard there is an excellent track record of them being good, cheap replacements when/if needed.

pmpate

Thanks for the great advice. I will definitely take it easy when driving it. I usually do. I will check the transmission fluid. I will also look into the JDM transmissions--although I am not sure it's worth fixing at that many miles.

user456101

There is also a possibility the shifting is affected by the VTEC solenoid function, which can become clogged over time. Oddly enough changing the oil can unclog it sometimes. Castrol is a really good oil to use. If it is worth $30 to you, you can subscribe to alldatadiy.com and get a year of access to all of the repair and parts info that is available, from the manufacturer, on your specific car. I subscribe.

MAD_MIKE

First check for any stored codes.
Not all DTCs will cause the MIL/CEL lamp to illuminate.
Verify the TPS voltage is linear throughout its sweep.
Verify the 2nd and 3rd gear pressure switches are not leaking.
Verify the shaft speed sensors are not covered in ferrous material(blocking the signal to the computer).
Verify the shift solenoids are clean and free of debris.
Verify the shift solenoids 'click' when powered on and off. Disconnect the connector from the solenoids and power directly via battery power. They should turn on/off with a solid 'click'.
Verify the transmission is upshifting into 4th.
Check the label on the transmission, it should have a bar code and a four letter code
3rd gear with correct transmission will be around 4500.
4th gear with correct transmission, should be ~3000.

Transmission operation is greatly affected by the engines running condition. An engine in poor tune, even if it does not feel as though, can create hard/erratic/late shifting.