hydeehydee

1995 Accord EX V6...i recently had a issue where the D4 light was flashing along with hard shifting of the tranny...put the car on a computer and said the shift solenoid (circuit A) was bad... i have replaced the solenoid and still the problem persists...i don't want to pay again to have the car put on the diagnostics computer but the problem is not yet fixed...does anyone have any ideas as to what i should do next? I cannot afford to leave it with someone to tell me stuff i already know and pay them again for known knowledge...i am ready to push this car off a bridge!!

Also i should add the tachometer? thingamabob rapidly jumps back and forth quite a bit..once in awhile it will register normal...soon you will be able to call me the HONDA KILLER!!

HondaTechPro

I wouldn't pay to have it re-diagnosed. They tried to fix the problem one time, and failed. You shouldn't have to pay again. Take it back to where it was "repaired" and state that they did not fix the problem, and that you either want it fixed, or your money back.... don't be too much of a dick, but you have to be persistant.

hydeehydee

this is my dilemma..when i was told the problem i searched high and low for the solenoid since it is on national backorder...i found one on the shelf in a Honda dealership in Miami...i had a mechanic put it on which is someone i know...this was not done at a shop...the only thing i have paid for is the diagnostics and the part which was over $200 alone..could there be a wiring problem with the solenoids? i know there are 2 of them on this model...i am so confused as what to do...

HondaTechPro

There very well could be a wiring issue on this car. The solenoids you talk about are the linier solenoid, which controls line pressure in the transmission, and shift solenoid A/B. The shift solenoid can only be replaced as a set... which you have discovered. The problem lies in the solenoid's activation. Think of a solenoid as a lightbulb. It is an electrical componant that does "work". Now that you have replaced it, and it STILL doesn't work.... you have to look for other causes. Like if it was a light bulb... you put a new one and it won't turn on, must be a wiring issue. In your case the shift solenoid is controlled by the Transmission control module (TCM). The TCM supplies voltage to the two wires going to the solenoids. One wire is for solenoid A, and the other is for solenoid B. The solenoids are grounded by the mounting bolt(s) that attach them to the transmission case. As you drive, the TCM takes information from the Throttle position sensor(TPS), the vehicle speed sensor(VSS) and many other inputs. It uses these inputs to make a calculation of when the transmission should shift. When the time is right, it applies voltage to solenoid A, or solenoid B, or both... depending on what gear it is shifting into. Somehow, your TCM is not doing this. Maybe the voltage is there, but the ground is bad, preventing operation. Maybe the shop that diagnosed it jammed test leads into the connector and ruined the pin fit, making a poor connection. Maybe there is a problem insdie the TCM... maybe the TCM just needs to be reset (disconnect the battery for a while).... The bottom line is that you still have a problem, and one that could have several different causes. You need to figure out WHY. Also, I have to bring up the possibility that the transmission itself has failed. It is not unheard of for the transmissions to throw shift solenoid codes when the internals are damaged, hopefully that is not the case, but if everything else turns out to be good.... it might be. Sorry man.

hydeehydee

so where do i go?? who do i take my car to? i have tried the TCM and it made no difference...this is also something that happened all in seconds..not the usual tranny slowly getting worse...fine one minute hard shif and flashing D4 light the next...i just don't know where to go...any suggestions?

Hondaman56

Did you re-set the TCM after you did the repair??

HondaTechPro

Well I really can't suggest any independent repair shops in your area... I don't know of any. I'm sure there are good ones that could help you out, try asking at the local parts stores - see if they can recommend a shop. Other than that I know your dealer could tackle this, but they will charge you for everything. Good luck.

Chiovnidca

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hydeehydee &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...put the car on a computer and said the shift solenoid (circuit A) was bad...</TD></TR></TABLE>
What was the trouble code? may help narrow down the problem.

hydeehydee

there were no codes given but the diagnostic computer displayed an error with the "shift solenoid circuit A"...someone told me today it might be the relay...not sure what to think

Kaitosamma

im curious however because from what ive read,and from checking for both the tcm and ecm lights i only get an ecm light (17) for the vss the speedo doesnt work
so and correct me if im wrong on this the ecm because it doesnt detect the signal to the vss wont allow it to shift past 2nd as a fail safe
vehicle - 95 accord f22b1
hmm lemme know

deelapo

I have the shift solenoid problem P0762. It shifts gears properly but from gear its like a drag but when it leaves gear 1 all seems well. Yesterday the d4 light started blinking but dt has stopped now. What do I do?

Bad_dude

When the solenoid was replaced, did the guy clean the area and the screen? That happens to my buddy 92 Accord and I took the solenoid off and clean the screen and the problem went away. His TCU caps were not in the greatest condition. I replaced all 5 caps any way.

hurartst82

I was told that if I replace my computer. . . it will fix my solenoid. . Is that possible?

MAD_MIKE

Nope. If the solenoid is bad, or the wiring to it is bad, then those are the items that need to be repaired.

What was the diagnostics used to determine that the TCU was bad?
What year car, sub model, engine and year is your car?

There is a two wire blue connector located under the glovebox. Jumper it with a small wire/paperclip turn the ignition to II(ON) and read any stored codes from the CEL and or D4 light. Write them down, report back here.

Also bad sensors on the engine may cause erratic or unwanted shifting of the transmission.
Please post what is currently wrong with your transmission.

thoughtplay

New User Post:
I am fairly new to honda-tech.com, but do read posts which somehow relate to my problem, and saw this post which has Honda-Tech Pro, ASE Certified on the left side designating the source of the post. The person who supplied the post apparently does know well about what he (or she, maybe) is talking about.

I saw that shift solenoids do need to be replaced in pairs. In my case, there were clogs in my transmission lines from leak fix, which were completely cleared out after the final battle with the transmission's ability to drive. The leak was caused by a crack in the drain plug threads on the right side cover (upper drain plug, or fluid fill plug). Replaced the cover, with a new compression gasket. I was lead to believe that the hard shifting might have been related to dying shift solenoids and/or need to flush the transmission fluid.

After changing the transmission fluid a bunch of times (which was not an actual flush because of the clogs in the transmission & cooling lines, which I thought was the case, but took advice from the wrong person on steps to take in the AT battle), I changed just the upper shift solenoid on my 1996 Honda Accord 2.2l 4speet AT, which caused it to barely move/shift horribly worse. I swapped out the one shift solenoid I had changed with the original one, and the car drove like before I changed the solenoid at first, but when I shifted the car into park, then back into gear, and the car barely made it back home.
Now the vehicle won't move, and I think that it was caused by my changing of the one, upper shift solenoid. Will putting in a pair of new shift solenoids likely solve the problem?
Before I tried changing any shift solenoids or the ECU, the last CEL code that I got was P0740
Also, do you know if the ECU is even able to be flashed? The ECU that came in the vehicle is clearly not the original one (already had writing on both sides of it). It's part number (I think is what it is called) is: 37820-P0B-A70. Does that computer have a deeper memory than the superficial CEL light codes? I know that the CEL codes can be cleared by pulling the connectors off the battery terminals, and/or pulling a couple of fuses when the battery is still connected.
I only know what people tell me about there being a deeper memory in ECUs, and can't find any information anywhere on whether or not there is a long-term memory in the ECU I have in the car.

Please Help!!!!

94 accord typeR

first open a new thread
2 try and keep post short but detailed. too much reading = too much to read
3 shift solenoids are located on the outside of the trans and can be checked with a car battery or other power source. look on youtube.com solenoids should click when working proper. happens often chances are the new solenoid was bad too
4 open ecu and look for bad resistors etc, or get a junkyard ecu

MAD_MIKE

Besides the 'clogging' that you had, what prompted you to change the upper pair of 'shift solenoids'?
There are two pairs on the transmission, the upper pair is for lockup control of the torque converter(not really a 'shift') and the lower two are the actual shift solenoids which control the 1-4 gear shifting.
Have you drained the sump? What color was the fluid?
Depending on mileage/maintenance the sump may be clogged with clutch material or worse that the stop leak has gummed up. This is usually evident by a whining coming from the TC area when the engine is running. That sound is the AT pump cavitating. No way to replace the sump without removing the trans and opening the case, there is no pan to remove for access.
DTC P0740 = Problem in the Lockup Control System.
Recheck your wire connections to the upper pair of solenoids.
Verify the solenoids make a solid 'clicking' when powered on and off. This can be done by unhooking the harness from the solenoids and with a jumper wire from the + terminal from the battery, power each solenoid. It should power on with an audible click, and again when power is dropped the solenoid should click off. If the solenoids are not giving a solid 'click' with power on/off the solenoids(even when new) are probably defective and will need to be replaced. If they do click on and off verify the screen is not clogged with junk.

After verifying there is no unusual noise from the trans, fluid is full, solenoids click, etc check that the line pressure is correct.
Although the ECU is OBDII it is NOT flashable. It still uses a PROM chip. It is not an easy or cheap system to reprogram.
A superficial code would be P1399 as the DTC blinking code for a misfire.
When retrieving the code it will most likely be a P0300-P0304 seen on the scanner.

Some codes do not trigger or illuminate the CEL/D4 lamp, but will be stored in the memory of the ECM/PCM.
There will be nothing hidden from a scanner/code reader when it comes to codes. Unless the memory fuse is blown, then the codes will not be saved when the car is turned OFF.
But you would need a proper scanner to monitor and record any data that you may want to capture to examine for further diagnostics.

rppoe

Hi all,

First of all thank you for your work, very good explanations on your site.
Here is my problem with my2001 Honda Civic; car revs up when shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear, no trouble code, no blinking lights on dash, it only revs up about 500 rpm when shifting only from 2nd to 3rd, and seems to be little bit worse when the engine is hot. I think the O-rings filter screen from shift solenoid are clogged, I want to remove the shift solenoid but I need to know if the oil from transmission must be drained first, because the location of this solenoid is very low and i think all oil will come out?
On the other hand, everybody on the internet says to use only Honda OEM oil, I have now in my tranny Castrol wich meets Honda Z1 requirements, I'm thinking to switch to Valvoline Max Life, it will be better?
Thank you.

bailey_duncan

Hey! This might be a little out of the question, but I have a 1995 Honda Accord EX 2.2L 4CYL, this is my first car and i'm learning a lot from it. About 6 months ago, I had blew my engine due to a crack in the oil pan. I got all of that replaced, (Engine, oil pan) Before that happened my D4 light was blinking, soon after my Vehicle Speed Sensor died, now I do not have reverse, or cruise control. I don't know what the problem is I have had people say they think it's the transmission but a friend of mine was messing with the solenoids and it went in reverse again, for a split second. He tighten my throttle cable as well cause when i stopped at stop signs my car would not idle it would just shut off. It was a few days after that I tried to start my car and it was like casper was pushing on the break pedal! The RPMS went up it's like i had my pedal to the floor and I wasn't even touching it, i cleaned my idle air sensor and that wasn't it eith...so what im trying to ask is what the heck is causing my car to do that and which solenoid i need to replace?

MAD_MIKE

First look under/behind the glove box door. There will be two blue connectors, pull down the two wire connector and jumper it with a wire. Turn your ignition switch to II(ON) and watch for any codes from the CEL or D4 lamp. Record the blinks(codes) and report back here.
Reverse is not controlled by the shift solenoids.
However if a shift solenoid is leaking down or sticking, if your friend was able to close it off that would have allowed pressure to build up in the Reverse circuit.
Disconnect the electrical connectors at each pair of shift solenoids. Use a jumper wire and power each solenoid directly from the battery. It should make a solid click when power is applied and removed. If the solenoid sounds weak it may need to be replaced as it is not sealing correctly. You can also unbolt them and verify there is no junk stuck in them or the filter screen.
Both throttle cables should have the slack removed but have no tension on them at rest.
Using the throttle cables to adjust idle is incorrect, and can be dangerous.
Verify the IAVC is functional, remove it and check that it is clean and not carbon fouled.
Readjust your throttle cables, with the engine warmed up and idling disconnect the electrical connector to the IACV. If the idle changes it is functioning, if no change the IACV is not. It also could be sticking from carbon build up or a problem with the wire harness. Check both and correct the issue.

regriggs

I have a 1996 automatic Honda accord. It takes a moment to go into drive and it's becoming frequent that when I take off, it barely moves and I have to let off the gas until it "shifts". It's hard shifting from 2 to 3rd gear. Would this be a shift solenoid problem, and if so, would this be the upper or lower solenoid?

MAD_MIKE

Preface:
The running condition of the engine will greatly affect how the transmission shifts. Bad tune, incorrect timing, worn components, faulty/failing TPS will cause slow, hard, and no shift events. Do not blame the transmission until it can be verified the rest of the engine is fine. Honda ATs are fairly simple devices.

Verify the transmission is full of fluid.
Warm up the engine and place the transmission in every gear. Place it back into Park and recheck fluid level. If it is full, place the car in D4 and if the transmission has a lot of miles there will be two 'shifts' as it is placed into gear when cold. First an initial thump and a moment later the car will then want to pull forward. Most likely sticking accumulator valves.
Verify the throttle body to transmission cable is properly adjusted, no slack no tension.
Verify the battery is fully charged and holding a charge.
Verify the battery cables are clean, tight and free of corrosion.
Verify the ground cables are clean, tight and free of corrosion.
Verify the NM/NC sensors on the right side cover are clean and free of debris.
Drain and replace fluid 3X if not done recently, I would also suggest adding a hydraulic cleaner such as SeaFoam TransTune.
Upper pair of shift solenoids is for the lockup function, lower pair are for general shifting.