I'm new to Hondas, and new to cars in general for that matter (until now drove SUVs). I recently got an '02 accord coupe with the 4cyl (for college, love the gas mileage), and I was just looking to get some information on exactly how bullet proof these little engines are? I got to thinking about this after driving with my friend in his camry, and he said he "regularly" red lines it. I am way too afraid to get anywhere near the redline in my car, since it has to last me through college (4 years from now), so I don't want to do anything to potentially damage the car. I do regularly rev it up to 4200-4500 rpm or so before letting it shift, but everytime I come close to 5 I start thinking about how I shouldn't be driving that way if I want the car to last.

My last vehicle was a lifted Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 6cyl that shifted usually at around 3000 rpm. That engine lasted until 290,000 miles, and it's still going, but I "traded" it to my mom and dad for this car. I know I can't really compare the two due to engine difference, but still, seeing this little honda rev high gets me a little nervous sometimes!

So basically, I'd just like to know if I'm worrying over nothing, and if me reving up to 4500 rpm is bad at all for the engine? Obviously red-lining isn't a good thing to do, and I have yet to rev it over 5, so I'm nowhere near the redline.

Just a nervous little question from a honda noob!

Thanks guys!

 

these engines with proper maintenance will easily last you 200K+ miles...its ok to redline it once in awhile, just dont make it a daily habit. and is your car a auto or manual, you should be shifting at around 3000 rpms, not 4200

 

It's an automatic.

I only shift at 4000-4200 rpm when going from first gear to second gear. Every other time I do shift at about 3000 rpm.

 

Wait... Are you letting the car shift, or are you moving the shifter from 1-2-D3, etc.?

BTW, my engine (same motor as you) used to see redline half of a dozen times each day for 4 or more years. It still sees redline every few days now... My car has 165,000 miles, is 7 years old, and still runs like new. Granted, I wouldn't recommend beating the **** out of your car like I have, but... well, I think you get the point. Just do the maintenance on time, every time, and you should be fine. Oh, and it's a 2.3L, not a 2.0L (assuming you live in the States).

 

Ha, that shows how new I am to these things.

Yeah, it's a 2.3. I actually remember getting into an argument with someone who said it was a 2.0 and then showing them the manual and it saying 2.3! Losing my head.

And no, I'm not manually shifting between 1,2, etc. I'm just holding the throttle down a bit until 4-4200rpm then letting it go to 2nd. I don't floor it or anything, I just hold it just hard enough so it won't shift until I let off of it a bit.

Speaking of the 1,2,3,d4 thing, does anyone use that to drive? I used it for the first time ever a few days ago just to see how it felt (literally one time) and it was kind of cool I guess, but why go through all the trouble putting it in the car? I guess alot of people like the uhh "mindset" of a manual? Heh.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by UGAmazing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Speaking of the 1,2,3,d4 thing, does anyone use that to drive?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I use 1 to hold it in first when going very short distances between stop signs. I hold it in 2nd in a traffic jam, where (in auto) I would go fast enough to get it into 2nd, and then stop shortly after. Sometimes when accelerating gently (when auto would shift around 2.25-2.5k), I manually shift it into 2nd around 2k to keep the engine rpm low and save gas. Having the auto shift into 2nd at 2k is a little too slow for me. I occasionally drop it into d3 to hold it in 3rd when I know that I will slow down right after the trans would shift into 4th.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by UGAmazing &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ha, that shows how new I am to these things.

Yeah, it's a 2.3. I actually remember getting into an argument with someone who said it was a 2.0 and then showing them the manual and it saying 2.3! Losing my head.

And no, I'm not manually shifting between 1,2, etc. I'm just holding the throttle down a bit until 4-4200rpm then letting it go to 2nd. I don't floor it or anything, I just hold it just hard enough so it won't shift until I let off of it a bit.

Speaking of the 1,2,3,d4 thing, does anyone use that to drive? I used it for the first time ever a few days ago just to see how it felt (literally one time) and it was kind of cool I guess, but why go through all the trouble putting it in the car? I guess alot of people like the uhh "mindset" of a manual? Heh. </TD></TR></TABLE>


you can use 1st if you were towing, you'd make sure you car was starting off in first, 2nd is usually used to make it so the wheels won't spin (good for winter in the snow) and 3rd is again used for towing, if your going uphill or pulling alot you don't want to put the strain on overdrive, as it is in a different part of the transmission and its not made to "move" like the others are, its meant to cruise.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 02 accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I use 1 to hold it in first when going very short distances between stop signs. I hold it in 2nd in a traffic jam, where (in auto) I would go fast enough to get it into 2nd, and then stop shortly after. Sometimes when accelerating gently (when auto would shift around 2.25-2.5k), I manually shift it into 2nd around 2k to keep the engine rpm low and save gas. Having the auto shift into 2nd at 2k is a little too slow for me. I occasionally drop it into d3 to hold it in 3rd when I know that I will slow down right after the trans would shift into 4th.</TD></TR></TABLE>

starting off in 2nd all the time is a GREAT way to blow up your transmission by burning up the clutch packs.

 

When did I say that I do it all the time? And how does it burn up the clutch packs? It just puts a bigger load on the engine. If the trans were slipping, then yes, it would be burning up the clutch packs more. But with the trans in gear, it should not be slipping at all.

 

Many people have argued back and forth on the subject of manually shifting your auto transmission. The general concensus is that manually upshifting the trans is harmless, but manually downshifting can be harmful if it has to bring the engine speed too high. What I know personally is that I used to do both a long time ago. No real reason... just did. And eventually my transmission died. What caused it? I can't be sure, but to avoid the risk I won't manually shift my auto again.

Now, starting in 2nd gear while in traffic? I'll just leave it in D4 myself, as I don't see any possible benefit.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Now, starting in 2nd gear while in traffic? I'll just leave it in D4 myself, as I don't see any possible benefit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Let's say you're stopped in traffic. It starts moving, so you accelerate. Just after the trans shifts into 2nd, you have to stop, and the trans shifts back into first. And it repeats again, who knows how many times. Keeping the trans in first would result in excessive engine speed (3k, uselessly burning up gas), but holding it in 2nd results in less wear on the trans (less shifting).

Does that burn up clutch packs? I don't think so. Letting the trans shift from 1st to 2nd and back to 1st 20 times would burn up the clutch packs more than just holding it in 2nd for those 20 accelerations and stops.

 

I'm not worried about the transmission when it shifts at low vehicle speed and low engine speed. My old car had nearly 300,000 miles, with at least an hour or more of stop-and-go rush hour traffic 5 days out the week. Nearly 300,000 miles and that transmission never needed anything more than routine fluid changes.

Like I said, for me and my car, I'll just leave it in D4.

 

All I gotta say is wow, to each's own I guess. I let the tranny do it on its own but thats just me. Why would you do that? I sometimes use d3 when Im driving in the neighborhoods but thats it.

 

on cold start, the ecu will hold gears longer and wait until higher rpmn to shift. This allows the engine to warm up faster. During normal operation, the car will try to move through the gears as quickly as possible under light throttle.