holmesnmanny

You need to use something to effectively break up/dissolve the gunk.

josh4trunks

Ahh, makes sense. So you are actually breaking down the gunk, not just blowing it out of the way.

Should we be worried about the residual break cleaner? I currently have 5 quarts of ATF.
I'm thinking...

1. perform 'Tyler Method'
2. fill with 2.3 quarts
3. run car for a few miles shifting through gears
4. drain, fill with 2.7 quarts

But, this order lets some of the residual brake cleaner circulate. Should I instead just pour the 2.3 quarts through with the drain open?
Thanks

josh4trunks

Is CRC Brakleen the recommended brand? Apparently it is not supposed to be sold in California =/
Is there another formula/brand I should buy for this project?
Thanks!

EDIT
Actually I see many brands have a 50-state variation for use in California. I guess a followup question, do I need a version with a straw? I assume sprays will be very difficult to use through a 12mm hole.

holmesnmanny

Have you ever used brake cleaner before ? It basically evaporates after a few seconds. You're not going to spray the crap out of the tranny, just the mesh filter to the extent that it brakes up the crud. So basically for about three seconds or so.

josh4trunks

Never used brake cleaner.
But, I ended up going to Oregon to visit a friend and have what I need now =]

josh4trunks

So I screwed up badly =[
I had my drill's torque setting low, it kept getting stuck so I increased it, and started pushing too hard. I made a hole, the size of a large grain of rice in my transmission filter.
It is hard to see in the picture I took, but I can see it fairly clearly with my eye.



I continued with the project, tapped the hole, filled it with RTV, plugged it. I am going to let it dry, and fill with ATF tomorrow.
Should I even continue to try driving this car or is my transmission done for and needs to be replaced? I was hoping to get another 1-2 years of life out of this car, but am willing to cut my losses if it is a safety hazard.

Thank you

djaerich

Hi all,
Thanks for the great read here. I'm mainly a VW enthusiast but I recently picked up a 2000 Accord SE with 180k miles. I'm learning so much about these honda transmissions and the NON SERVICEABLE FILTER?! WHAT?! Well, A jetta I had was the same way so I shouldn't be surprised these days. Anyway, when I got the car, it drove shaky at first but I was thinking it was worn motor mounts. Did some standard maintenance on her (Oil change, new plugs, wires, dist. Replaced valve cover gasket and adjusted valves while I was in there. She's purring like a kitten but then...

I decided it was a good idea to do a tranny drain and fill since the fluid was black. Didn't smell burnt but was filthy. I did the 3 pass drain and fill over a span of 200 miles. Well, inevitably it lasted about 100 miles after that and now when she gets hot, I have slippage and hard shifting. Seems the hotter she gets, the more it happens. Drives fine for 20 minutes or so. So I'm thinking either worn clutch plates or this sump pickup filter issue you guys are talking about here since it's acting up right after tranny drain/fill. Would this procedure apply to the MAXA/BAXA tranny in my car? Same filter location to drill?

I'm considering trying this fix if it's applicable to my car. I'm on a serious budget and trying to find the best solution. Not knowing the history of the car, no telling if it has been rebuilt with the service bulletin updates or not.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks all!

holmesnmanny

at the very least you could just pull it, crack it open, and replace the filter, but you could do a minor rebuild on it

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...nsmission+baxa

lots of vids on the baxa, you could do a rebuild on it without touching the valve body

if you're not mechanically inclined you can pull it and have a reputable shop do the rebuild or you can get a jdm replacement

i can't say where the filter is at for your tranny

djaerich

Thanks for the reply holmesnmanny. I've done typical engine work but have never stripped an engine entirely down to rebuild before, nevermind a complex auto trans. That doesn't mean I'm not up to tackling it though. I feel with all the internet info these days, you can do just about anything you're set on. Looking back, wish I would have held out for a manual and a non ulev vtec but I got this one for a steal.

Looking at the video you linked, the filter screen certainly looks close if not exactly the same. Are my symptoms signifying that the screen is clogged? I've already cleaned sludgy buildup off the solenoid filters. Thanks!

MAD_MIKE

98-02 M6HA trans is different enough from the 90-97 H4A that I don't think the filter is located in the same spot.

Verify there are no codes stored, with an OBDII code reader, in the PCM. Transmission functionality is greatly affected by the engines performance.
One of the issues that these transmissions have, and is a common enough failure, the 2nd and or 3rd gear pressure switches leak. If they do they can cause a delay in the upshift. Verify they are not leaking or the wire to them is damaged. If the fluid has never been changed in the transmission then at 180Kmiles you may be nearing the lifespan of the transmission. Earlier H4As would last to ~200K even with no fluid changes, the M6HA('BAXA/MAXA/MGRA/etc) have their own issues that may reduce the lifespan.

With changing fluid there are a few things that happen on a neglected transmission.
All the old fluid with junk and gunk is removed, good.
All the old fluid with the suspended clutch particles is also removed, no so good on a worn transmission.
New fluid has detergents that will break down and clear out any buildup, which is good, but this may also cause deposits of ferrous material to build up on the various magnetic pickups that aid in controlling shifting. This can cause erratic or missed shifts. Verify the mainshaft/counter shaft speeds sensors are clean of material buildup.

Part 1 -Honda 2.2L, 2.3L Index of Articles
Simple things you may try.
Verify the shift solenoids and their screens are clean.
Verify the shift solenoids function normally. Applying direct battery voltage to the solenoids should net you an audible 'click' and again when power is removed another 'click'.

If the above check out fine, you may want to pull the PCM memory fuse to reset the memory and then drive the car. Remember to check for any codes prior to pulling the memory fuse, not all codes will set off the CEL/D4 lights on the cluster. This includes failure of the 2nd/3rd gear pressure switches, it's hokey. So verify there are no codes stored/pending in the PCM prior to clearing.

The speed density system on Hondas is a bit slow to recognize problems. It also has the capability to learn and progressively tune around a failing component. Which is nice for driveability but can be a PITA for diagnostics or when other issues appear. I've had a few instances where clearing the memory(pulling the fuse or disconnecting battery power) resets the PCM and will more readily pickup out of spec components and start chucking codes.

With everything checked out as clean and solenoids working along with the pickups clean of junk, if the trans is still acting up, verify that the pressure from the pump is within spec. You will need to beg/borrow/steal an oil pressure gauge for testing.

djaerich

Thanks Mike! Great words of encouragement here. I did forget to leave out that It threw codes just once after about 30 minutes of driving and when I got up to freeway speeds for a short bit.

The codes were P0700 & P0740. It hasn't come back since I cleared it but I also haven't driven it much and only short city trips before it gets hot and starts to act up.

I have pulled the Back Up fuse for a few minutes but do I need to disconnect the battery as well?

The top solenoids (The "A" Solenoids I believe?) have been pulled and I cleaned the gunk out of the screens and blew out the ports. Continuity is good at 15.5 and clicked firmly with 12v. Seem good to me.

I will try the other things you suggested and report back. Thanks again guys!

-Rich

MAD_MIKE

The dreaded P0740. This could be caused by a few things. But most likely...
https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resource...ters-740-codes

No need to pull battery if you know where the PCM memory fuse is.
If the A pair were gunked up then B and C as well as the pressure switches probably have junk on them as well.
If you feel up to it the linear solenoids(sideways 'H' shaped pair) may be adjusted, but that requires a pentagon shaped tool and a pressure gauge to verify they are working correctly.

holmesnmanny

It's actually not entirely complex, if you just follow what this guy does. You basically need to immerse yourself in his videos, specifically in his Transgo shift kit installations that helps to fix to the dreaded P0740 issues with the torque converter.

https://www.youtube.com/user/hiramgu...uery=shift+kit

There probably isn't anyone more knowledgable about auto trannies than that guy.

You can get the rebuild kits at rockauto, along with the shift kit that fixes the issues as well as for torque converters, but stay away from Dacco. Either get a Transmax one or you can get a Florida Torque Converters one on ebay. They offer a lifetime warranty.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...build+kit,8512

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...ement+kit,8532

you'll also need a Bishko shop manual for torque specs

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...r+manual,10335

djaerich

Ahh thanks a million man! These are excellent resources. Feeling pretty privileged to live in the day and age of knowledge sharing and youtube. I'm working up the courage to tackle this rebuild project

Here's an interesting tidbit and I wonder if you guys have heard anything about this...
The younger guy down at my local transmission shop was saying that they overfill the trans fluid by a quarter quart when they see these symptoms and 90% of the time they go away and never throw another code. Is this horse ****? Is he pulling my leg?

djaerich

Also, my car is a 2000 Accord with the BAXA trans

djaerich

I'm feeling pretty good about getting in there and doing a rebuild with the superior valve body kit and a transmax rebuild kit. I'll be sure to grab the bishko manual as well.

Could you lead me to any other misc. items (seals? special tools?) I'll need since I'll be doing this job anyway?

Greatly appreciated!
-Rich

holmesnmanny

youll need a clutch piston tool and some green tranny lube along with some sockets, and a pick set to pull the valve end plugs along with a puller to get the gears off the end and either an impact gun or a cordless to get the nuts off

you really need to watch the full 2:16 hour rebuild vid that Hiram has a bunch of times to be sure you got everything down

youll probably want to use a video camera to record everything you do, for reference for when you put it back together and a few cans of brake cleaner to clean everything or you can pick up a parts washer to use

oh and you need the Bench Buddies brush set to polish the valve bores

i would suggest doing everything one at a time so you dont get parts mixed up

djaerich

Great, thanks! I'll order the bench buddies with the superior kit.

as for the torque converter, am I assuming it's fine as is or does it need any maintenance?

holmesnmanny

i would either get a Transmaxx or a Florida Torque converter

djaerich

So I'm just about done with the rebuild of the MAXA trans with the superior VB kit and new Florida TC. I would like to add an aftermarket AT cooler/filter system as well since I've gone through all the trouble of learning how to do this and I'd like my fixes to last. Any recommendations on a better AT cooler/filter setup than the OEM in-line filter?

Thank you!

holmesnmanny

Nope. The shift kit supposedly fixes the torque converter issues. I would just leave it.

djaerich

Just an update in case it helps anyone else out...

I finished the rebuild yesterday and it took FOREVER. Granted it's my fault for not having all the right tools and learning as I go...I took my time.

The damn thing works though. It had a terrible whine at first start up but I figured that was just the TC filling up and the atf getting circulated. After a couple minutes, it was purring like a kitten. I drove it around for about 20 minutes and I have to say, the shifting is SO MUCH BETTER with the superior kit. It's probably a mix of the superior kit and the new design raybestos frictions I'm guessing but it drives better than it ever has. Definitely the biggest mechanic job I've ever taken on in my life but now that I did this and it actually works, I'm feeling pretty confident about rebuilding the engine

A couple setbacks I had were:
1. I broke off a bolt in the new torque converter while installing and I have only 7 of the 8 wheel bolts in use at the moment. I dread getting the bolt out so I'm thinking I just let this one go.
2. I managed to bend a shim where the differential bearing sits while installing a new oil seal. I did my best to bend it back to shape and I think it's good. Is this the shim the axle seal snaps into?
3. Getting the old gasket off was a chore. I ended up buying a compressor and 3M gasket remover brush to get it done. I just didn't want to risk gouging the aluminum.

I did not check the clearances of the clutch drums and just went with it. I had the specs and eyeballed it. All clutches seemed to conform to the clearance specs based which gear was the loosest to tightest. I didn't have a dial tool to do so.

Anyway, a regular old guy just rebuilt his own transmission and is feeling pretty good about it. Thank you all for the help!
-Rich

djaerich

Oh, and I'm installing a magnafine in-line filter on it tomorrow. During the rebuild, I had gunk clogging up solenoid screens and feed tubes. That was probably my main culprit. Well, the frictions had seen better days too but I was quite surprised at how good some of them looked. They were definitely OEM frictions and the unit has never been rebuilt before.

holmesnmanny

That's the thing, you stated that it shifted fine until it warmed up so it was a filter situation. The good thing about rebuilding before it goes out is that you risk damaging parts when things start seizing up when the clutch disks start slipping so you save potentially having to pull another tranny from the junkyard to use as parts or having to pay OEM prices for new parts.

You're supposed to pour a quart of fluid into the torque converter before installing it. There's an oring that goes onto the torque converter when installing it, I'm guessing you installed that.

It's great that everything went well. I was waiting for your update. Don't forget to send back your old TC to them so you can get your $40 back.

djaerich

I did pour atf into the TC before installing but not quite a quart. It was drinking slowly so I had to pour it in segments. Also installed a new green o-ring and the spacer ring that came with the superior kit. I guess it keep the bearing from walking.

Thanks!