i have a problem. i have a 90 honda accord and its an automatic transmission. i bought it with 125,000 miles but it leaks oil from a gasket i think. also one day on my way to work i got in my car and turned it on. i noticed this wierd buzzing sound coming from the ac and dashboard. i didnt know wat it was so i took a check but didnt find anything wrong. as soon as i started to accelerate my car it started moving real slowly. i live on a hill so i went up this hill really slowly. as soon as i got to even ground it started to accelerate faster but i then noticed it wasnt changing gear. on my way to work, every time i stopped when beginning to accelerate again it moved really slow and then would gain speed but never changed gears. i got on the highway and tried to see if it would change gears but i would do 70 mph and no gears changed and the rpm was at about 4,500 to 5,000 almost. i jus got this car a few months ago. if anyone knows or has had this happen to their car let me know wats good cuz i need this car to get to work and other places. holla at me if u know wats going on

 

Does your car have the sport button on the gear shifter?If so is the S light on the dash flashing?
even if it doesn't It could be a bad tcu.Try checking your trans fluid see if it has any metal shavings in it or see if it's dark brown with a burn't smell.
Good fluid is red and looks clean.

I would almost bet it's a bad tcu though usaully when they go out the car will take off in second gear and only up shift if at all into third.



Modified by Dmc1 at 5:28 PM 3/12/2006

 

It would be a good thing if your D4 light (in the dash) is flashing,or staying lit. Because if it's not, you probably have transmission problems. A trans flush may help, and it may not. Good luck. Do you know if the fluid has ever been changed?

 

i dont know if the the fluid has ever been changed. the d4 stays lit. if it is the ecu how much would it cost me to change or fix it. i checked the transmission fluid and its still good. to tell ya the truth i dont even know if all the dashboard lights work becuase ive driven my car on empty once for 20 minutes and the gas sign never lit up or anything. any other suggestions ya have?

 

If your D4 light is staying lit you need to get the code from it. Do you know where the Service Check Connector is on your car?

 

Well if the D4 light stays on.thats meens a bad tcu.
they cost about $40 from a junkyard
and a new one is 100-150 usaully

 

If the light just stays lit (doesn't flash) the tcu is probably the culprit. You would have to open it up, and take a look inside, to find out for sure. If the board is black with stuff from leaky capacitor, it's fried.

 

i dont know where the service check center is. how can i open up the tcu. where is it at. damn i knew i should have signed up for mechanic school to become certified. is it near the fuel injector becuase i put in fuel injector fluid to clean it but it didnt help. do u think i can get a tcu off ebay?

 

The tcu is under the carpet on the passenger side. There are two of them. one for the engine (ecu), and one for the trans (tcu). You have to pull the carpet back from under the gove-box. You may have to remove the center console, to get the carpet back far enough. You should have a repair manual. It would definitly help you. Unplug everything (the plugs can be a bitch to get out, the little locking tabs are tough), and take the cover off. Look for black stuff on curcuit board. Good luck.

 

Oh yea. It is also bolted to the floorboard.

 

ill try. im bout to order a new tcu from ebay and then see where i go from there. thanks for the tips and help. hopefully thats the problem because if it is the transmission then ill sell it instead and buy an integra. if you have any more suggestions im all eyes

 

Just make sure it's the right tcu for your car. Good luck with the E-Bay thing. Try to get yourself a service manual for your car (if you want to keep it for a while). It has a lot of useful information. Helm (Honda) manuals are the best. But one from Autozone will do. Much better than nothing.

 

yea, i got one for 175 with shipping included. i regret getting this car. in fact i wanted a manual accord or acura. this car is automatic. its paint is dead. the driver side door has a dent and the window wont open right. the good thing is that the guy who sold it had bought it a new exhaust system and 14' honda rims with carbon fiber H. if this car was better i would have fixed it up but for now im jus hoping to fix it. better than nothing. aight bet im bout to go to autozone or pep boys tomorrow and see wats good. good lookin blkflsh. as a said anymore suggestions im all ears or eyes

 

the bad thing about automatic trannys is that theres no filter-they use a magnetic drain plug. my guess is that if your leaking trans oil, its letting dirt in the trans. i had this happen on my 88 accord. it scored the shifting spools cause their aluminum and the magnet wont catch the filings.. the only way to prove this was to start the car put it in d4 and pull the e-brake and stall it at idle like that for at least 15 minutes. go drive the car, if it shifts to 2,there scored. it took 30 min for mine to finally get to 4th.. a honda mechanic called this "thermal expansion". your trans is junk if it acts this way

 

I have an auto 92 Accord LX and have had problems with my transmission for quite a while too. The D4 started flashing and I changed the TCU twice and it still keeps flashing. The tranny will only shift into 1st and 4th. I had it rebuilt about one and a half years ago and still seem s like it is still in good shape. Do you guys think it is some kind of an electrical problem or any sensor that might be bad? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

 

I have an auto 92 Accord LX and have had problems with my transmission for quite a while too. The D4 started flashing and I changed the TCU twice and it still keeps flashing. The tranny will only shift into 1st and 4th. I had it rebuilt about one and a half years ago and still seem s like it is still in good shape. Do you guys think it is some kind of an electrical problem or any sensor that might be bad? Any suggestions would be very helpful.

 

yoo DMC. what's a tcu

 

 

transmission control unit tcu,or transmission control module.tcm

Well if the d4 light is blinking that means their is an internal problem with the trans.
If the d4 light stays on all the time nomatter where you move the shifter then you have a bad tcu.

 

ohh, aite thanks for the info

 

I am having problems with my 92 LX as well. I have no clue as to what the problem is because it seems like shifts ok and then after I sit at a light and go to take off, it slips out of gear. It also slips into gear when it is shifting. I just had a power flush done and it seemed to help a little bit. I think the torque converter has crapped out because it is whining but I dont know enough about transmissions to be for sure...