It's a 1999 V6 Acura CL tranny, but the case and internals are pretty much identical to the Accord V6. It's basically just like a constant mesh manual tranny with hydraulic clutch packs to select the gears. This transmission started slipping badly on a 2nd and 3rd shift. The 2nd gear clutches were worn down to the adhesive that bonds the friction material to the clutch plate. Normal thickness was .079", and these measured in at .055-.050". The standard free play in the clutch packs is between .015"-.045". With six discs worn between .024"-.029", that combined for about .160" total free play, and made the shifts very harsh.

With the end cover removed:


With the mid case removed:


1/2 clutch drum with clutches removed:


Worn 2nd gear clutches:


Installation of new friction and steel:

 

This is going right into the FAQ. This is very nice.

 

Very brave

Excellent post though

 

How many miles were on that?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 02 accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How many miles were on that?</TD></TR></TABLE>

111,561. I would not have gotten much more out of 2nd gear.

 

hey did you pull the internal mesh filter when you put that pos back together?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by YeuEmMaiMai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey did you pull the internal mesh filter when you put that pos back together?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I checked it out. It was suprisingly clean. It's not much of a "filter".

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 213374U &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> Very brave
</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol... something with transmission gears and the way they have to be assembled... few people would want to work on that.

 

GL with that man I had a 98 LX V6 coupe that ate 3 transmissions within 11K miles........

 

 

111k is the life I'd expect to see out of an auto tranny in a Ford, but not a Honda. That's disappointing.

Cool pics though. I would personally be terrified about taking an auto apart. Those babys are complicated.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by YeuEmMaiMai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">GL with that man I had a 98 LX V6 coupe that ate 3 transmissions within 11K miles........</TD></TR></TABLE>

This is the reason I chose to rebuild it myself. When you have someone else do it, you don't know how competent they are. Also, when you get a reman from Honda, there is no way to tell what the original failure was.

My failure was from the previous owner not changing the fluid per the service guidelines.

 

so that was it???? Just dropped in some new 2nd gear discs and steels and slapped 'er back together?

Any other parts that you replaced/noticed/would recommend replacing?

I worked for Honda, but we never open trans cases. Just put the onld one back in the box the new one came from :D

 

did you inspect the differential bearings.....those things are crappy as can be.......

I am suprised that the internal filter was clean but the 2nd gear clutch pack was toasted......

 

Is it only the V6 automatics that have this kind of trouble? Got a friend looking for a 5th-6th generation automatic Accord for his wife. Want to let him know what to avoid.

 

mainly it's the 98-02 V6 auto's IIRC.

 

Avoid the TL's and CL's as well.

 

Thanks for posting these great pics. I have a 2001 Accord V6 with 98k miles. The tranny is not slipping between gears, but the shift from 1st to 2nd gear is a bit sudden (dropping from just above 3000 RPM to 2000 RPM during the shift) when accelerating from a stop. A Honda mechanic told me it is not a problem, and if it were a light would come on (is this true?).

It is not really bothersome, but I am beginning to think that I will have to get a transmission rebuild done on it some day. Frequent fluid changes will probably help prolong its life, I'm guessing. I also need to check that it is shifting at the proper RPMs.

But I'd also like to defend this car. It is really very nice. For us, a little tranny trouble, though considered a major repair, is worth it. Other than that, this car is fantastic. Great acceleration, wonderful ride, and solid construction all-around make this a great auto.

Of course, if things start to look worse, I might sell it before it gets to the point of no return if I ever change my mind on how much I love the car. This model has a great resale value.

 

ah yes the good ol j30a1 auto matic tranny. ive had 4 in my accord, just bc of bs and im only supposed to be on 2 but..... yea mine went out at 160k which was really really surprising compared to alot of other accord owners. but yes these trannies are not very strong, and that is awesome that you are rebuilding it yourself

 

cool man hey how do you know what to look for inside of this gearbox?
More specifically how do you recognize the wear or distinguish it. To a noobs eyes those clutch plates looked normal to me, key word noob but lets not focus on that too much lol. Peace Good stuff



'The engine made me do it'- EviL GeniUs

 

by the way seizing the opp..my tranny is all burnt out and im rebuilding it as you read this, the other problem i found on this tranny is one of the differential bearings is completely damaged and the carter has a little play with the steady part of the bearing...do you know if there's any method to adjust de free play of the differential?

 

by the way...do you reccomend an external cooler?

 

Just curious, how do you refill the automatic transmission after you drain its fluid? I need to change out the ATF on my 2000 Accord V6 EX pretty soon but don't know where the refill hole/plug is. I really don't want to refill through the dipstick hole since I won't know exactly how much fluid is going in there.

 

that is how you have to do it. unfortunately.....

Good thread!! I always enjoyed auto transmission rebuilds more than manuals for some reason. I guess just easier to work with.

 

I had a question for you. I am currently in the process of rebuilding this same transmission only mine is out of a 2000 honda accord ex v6 i have it completly out of the car now was wondering if you had any idea of where i can find torque specs for the case and the internal nuts for three gears. Also if you know of any other specs i would need that would be great. Thanks Harry