Gillettecd

2001 Honda Accord xl 2.3L automatic.

I purchased a refurbished transaxle from Autozone (or national trans). My old transaxle was slipping from 1st to 2nd so I thought I'd fix that. After the swap, I test drove it.
First noticed the hard shift as I moved from P to R as well as a delay, and then again hard shift as I moved to D4, also a delay, and again as I moved to 2nd. So it's shifting hard and takes a few seconds to engage in each gear. Seems to long a time to engage to me.
I placed it in D4 and proceed forward, it shifted to second but then immediately wined down to a near full halt and then back to 1st gear. It was almost as if I did a brake torque just as it hit second. It shifted back to first and I tried again, same thing over and over. It wouldn't stay in second and wined to a near halt only to go back to first again. I tried to push threw the wine down to a halt by adding gas and it would eventually slow enough to go back to first anyway, but then it hit harder when it dropped to 1st. For fear of doing damage I stopped pushing it.
So I took it to the dealership tech at Zimmerman Honda. I needed a scan tool and didn't have one. Also Autozone required a tech diagnostic to honor a warranty. The tech said it had code p1753 and got 12v to the plug for lock up Solenoid A. He said he erased the code and it came back after a test drive. He recommend replacing the lock up solenoid A which is also Solenoid b in the same unit. So Autozone sent the solenoid and I replaced it, same issue still! So the tech said it was internal parts in the trans and Autozone sent another refurbished transaxle, I swapped it. Same issue still! Losing faith in the honda tech at this point as both his diagnostic advice didn't pan out.
So I should mention at this point too (as I also told the tech, I am not beyond mistakes myself) the one mistake I made pulling the first transaxle: I had forgot to unplug the gear position switch and only noticed it after the transaxle fell off the jack and hit the floor, the car was on jack stands so it didn't fall far. This pulled the gear position switch wires tight. So I unplugged it and proceeded with the swap thinking they were likely ok. Given the issue I am having, I did check the gear position switch using the Haynes book instructions and as I moved the gear shifter from Park to R and so on, the appropriate prongs had continuity on every gear. So from the gear position switch to the plug thar then runs to the pcm and dash lights its getting the appropriate signals. So the gear position switch is ok to the plug.. I have not chased the wires from the plug to the pcm on the gear position switch yet as I was followimg the advice of the Zimmerman honda tech up until this point. I figured that if there was an issue with those wire the scanner would have detected that and the dealers tech would have identified it. However, he was wrong about the solenoid A being bad and wrong about the internal components being bad. Now I am back to square 1. Thinking based on what I know wires is a possible issue and that should be where I look next.
Am I wrong to think that if there was a problem with the wires from the plug to the pcm that the scan tool would identify that?
I have never used a scan tool.
So I checked, the wires to the lock up solenoid A and it was indeed getting 12v to the plug as the tech said. I connected pins to the plug and jumped a wire to the pcm and there was continuity on both wires (solenoid A and B) from the pcm to the lockup solenoid A/B plug. So those wires checked out good as expected given the tech checked that too.
The countershaft speed sensor was replaced because when the transaxle fell it also broke where the plug clips on and was near the gear position switch in the same wire harness too so I checked continuity from countershaft speed sensor to pcm too. I had continuity on that plug back to the pcm, so good wires there.
So my thoughts at this point is everything is refurbished and checked out by Autozone's National Trans company, now 2 times. So i can safely assume all those parts recieved are good. The only original parts left pertaining to the transaxle is 1. The PCM, 2. The wiring harness. 3. The gear position switch and 4. The mainshaft speed sensor.
Likely the PCM is ok, likely the mainshaft sensor is ok, and I already tested the gear position switch. I am left with wires from PCM to the gear position switch Plug getting continuity.

Tomorrow I intend to start continuity testing the gear position switch plug to the pcm and see if I get continuity on all ten wires at the pcm from the plug.

I was hoping to tap into some brain power in this forum. Any thoughts are appreciated. This clearly isn't as easy as cleaning solenoids and see what happens.

Hope someone can offer some thoughts as I am running out of ideas.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02hiRBQP8guYHy6gre6c7Kre HTEyXSZ3LMzBiZeVTtcupsJCjvuxcXJHo1rYXMs36Tl&id=100 000571991286&mibextid=Nif5oz

Gillettecd

In case someone finds this in a search. Code p1753 is what the scanner tool said to investigate. Here are pictures of the troubleshooting guide. For which at this point I determined to change the pcm.

Also, update, i did check continuity of each pigtail connected to the transaxle back to the pcm and every wire had continuity back to the pcm. So, this guide and the continuity check points to the pcm.


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Chrisfrom1986

iTrader: (1)

Sorry but you've wasted a bunch of money no matter what. Those automatic trans are not reliable. The best thing to do is find another car.

Gillettecd

I mean if money was the most important factor. I am doing this for the problem solving and hands on work. I am not flipping cars. I have no regrets, if you have no knowledge on the subject, you don’t have to comment. If I didn't get some kind of satisfaction from problem solving and using the tools in my garage I never would have bought the car. I'm not doing this because I am to poor to go buy a brand new car. It's a work car, and something to do. Maybe I should be sorry for thinking there were problem solvers on this forum. 🤔

Chrisfrom1986

iTrader: (1)

You've obviously done no research on the subject. If you did, you would find a single solution which is not viable for most users. You cannot overcome the design of the transmission.

The first clue indicating your ignorance was buying a transmission from autozone. Good luck.

Gillettecd

A refurbished transaxle is better than a used one from the junkyard and buying new is even more money you dont like to "waste". Let's work on your problem solving skills for a moment, What is the number 1 reason these transmissions fail? Is there a solution that might reduce that problem? This transmission last 180k miles without the solution, what are the chances with the solution incorporated I get another 100 to 150k out of the refurbished? You clearly have low problem solving skills. If you have something to offer in the way of helping solve the problem let me know. By the end of the week I will find out if the PMC is the issue. Your input has be useless so far. I can see how you'd divulge to just saying design flaws rather than come up with a actual solution, NOT a problem solver. Thanks for your input, but it's been pretty useless. The transaxle came from National Trans, purchased through Autozone, they sell thousands of transmissions a month. Maybe comment on the actual problem I reported and how to troubleshoot it, rather than being a defeatist who says, buy another car.

Chrisfrom1986

iTrader: (1)

You'll learn your lesson one way or another.

Gillettecd

For those who find this thread searching for solutions to issues you may have encountered on your own car, when you found this thread. The problem was in the wiring. I went to my local junk yard and replaced the wire harness and it corrected the issue.