Hello all,

It looks like there is a lot of experience here, so I hope someone can diagnose my problem.

On my way back from vacation, my 94 accord started skipping a beat once in a while when pulling long hills. I thought it was a bad plug or wire, so I kept driving. It gradually got worse (luckily I was near home by this time), until it started making a medium pitch whine, kind of like a gear not quite engaged. The transmission was basically out of fluid when I checked (oops).

I re-filled, and the car runs fine in D3, but when it is in D4, and shifts into the highest gear, it makes the noise.

I checked the solenoids, and they clicked when I apply 12 volts, but I'm not sure what else to check.

My question is do I need a complete new tranny, or is there something small I can replace or fix to get the car back on the road?

thanks in advance.
Allen

 

torque coverter may have gone out. Does it shift OK when you use the gear selector?

 

It shifts fine in D3. It shifts fine in D4 until I get to the highest gear (overdrive?), then it makes the noise.

 

sounds like the torque converter has gone out. Looks like it is time to rebuild the tranny. It most likely starts to squeal when it locks up.

 

IF you have not noticed any loss of acceleration, AND the noise when it shifts into od4th starts immediately (rather than waiting for the converter to lock-up), the problem is more related to 4thOD rather than the converter.

The converter can fail in two ways:
1) Stator / Overrunning Clutch fails and converter looses torque multiplication properties (loss of acceleration) and is usually associated with an all-time buzzing noise.
2) Lock-up plate fails to engage. Would be noisy only when applied.
This doesn't sound like what you've got

Either way, you're looking at transmission work