I have a 91 honda accord ex with auto trans slipping, is there a way to test the lock up and shift solenoids besides just replacing them. There is no signs of screen clogging. Also, would the torque converter be going ban at 150,000. trans oil is clean and clear. thanks for any response

 

One of the wires on the solenoid is power and one is ground, you may find power on both of them since your meter is now the ground but in real use the computer will ground the one wire and your meter will go down to a lower voltage and then you know that you are on the ground side and this is the side you need to test. If you have a wire diagram then half the battle is over and a repair manual will also tell you when each solenoid will be on or off, two solenoids may be energized at the same time so you may need two meters to speed things up a little bit.

To throw in a little jargon for you, if the solenoid gets energized when power is applied it is called a POWER SIDE FEED and if it has power all the time the car is running and the computer completes the circuit via the ground wire then it is called a GROUND SIDE FEED. Your ignition coil and fuel injectors are ground side feed, that is why you have power on both wires when you test it with your meter. That is another story.

SO, find the ground side and when the voltage drops you know that the computer has commanded that solenoid to energize but again that does not mean that it works, you may need a scope and an amp clamp to see it in motion and the long route is to remove it and power it up and blow through it to see if the solenoid actually opens to allow fluid to flow through it but this still does not mean that fluid actually is there where it is needed or if it is there then is it at the correct pressure, transmissions have pressure ports for testing them the correct way, or at least the most popular way.

Use you ohm meter to test the continuity and the coil resistance as a basic check.

How long have you owned the car and when was the fluid last changed and the time before that if you know.

 

We have had the car a little over a year now. Oil has been thoroughly changed over about 6 months ago. It was shifting hard, seems like the revs had to be up high enough for a smooth shift, thats okay except when your in 35 to 40 mph zone, your doing about 50-60, hope no one is looking!

Now the transmission won't respond into any gear. It started this about 3 wks ago. It would start out okay, then about 10 miles away from home, stop at a light, won't shift past 1st. Pull over let sit a few minutes, then it would go for another 8 or 10 miles. Cleaned off electrical points and connectors and drove it for 2 weeks without problems. Now same problem is back. Eventually it would not travel at all, revs are there, engine is good. Shifter moves freely when this happens, dont have to use button, it just will slide into any gear you put it, but trans does not respond.

thanks for any input

 

You are gong to need to get into the trans pan to see how the shift cable is operating the shift detent arm, no matter what you should feel each and every gear on the gear shift, there is a mechanical arm with a detent for each gear and that is where the feel comes from, either you have a broken cable or this detent arm is broken.

 

getting into the trans pan sounds a little bit much right now. we did the fluid change by setting up on blocks and easily running through the gears. used honda trans oil, 3xs, each time we wiped gray sludge of the plug. The car shifts better than if ever did, but does that mean its fixed? I doubt its that easy, there is still a whine, idles seems a little high, hard to adjust to stay in one place AND in park the idle revved up and down like a see-saw. Would that be a fast idle thing? thanks

 

Sorry, just getting in here before I go to wark, do a search on idle problems here recently and see my name with a very long post about fluctuating idles, your fix will be there and an explanation of how to test each item quickly.