Hi guys. I've got a 91' accord with a low mileage jdm auto transmission, its a 96' unit I believe. The problem is with the shifting uphill, it downshifts to gain speed on its own. As its gaining rpms and going to the 3,500 to 4,000 rpms range, the car acts like its going to up-shift to a higher gear (like its going to start cruising). It feels like its about to engage a different gear. It doesn't happen though, it usually stays in the same gear, making more speed to get up the hill.

Basically the symptom is a hesitation. The transmission hesitates to stay in the low gear to get up the hill. It starts to act like its going to upshift but it doesn't it just hesitates in the gear its in.


Let me know what you all think this is. I thought it was a dirty shift solenoid, or maybe that its normal, but it doesn't sound normal.

 

Did you get the code problems and VSS issues fixed yet?
There is an R&R procedure if the VSS is worn. Check the tech auto side for it.

 

Yes, thank God, the VSS is working very well now thanks to a replacement from ebay. Forgot to tell you about it.

 

Awesome.

It may just be that with the VSS working correctly the speedometer may have been giving a false speed reading before it went totally haywire.

Check that the TV/downshift cable is properly adjusted, if it is too tight the transmission will not upshift past a given throttle angle at a given speed.

Go to the troubleshooting link in my sig > transmission> there is a paragraph on gear to speed relation ship and when it will upshift. If your car correlates with the info, then it may just be you need to relearn how to drive the car with a working VSS.

 

It was doing this before when the VSS was already fixed. I think the throttle cable is if anything was on the loose side of spec.

The thing is it only does it up a hill, its like the computer is having trouble figuring out if its going to stay in the same low gear while going up a hill, or upshift to a cruising gear. When it does this there is a throttle 'lag' for a split second. When the computer realizes it need to stay in the low gear, it continues to raise the rpm's in that gear, making more power to climb the hill.

Its like the computer starts to think "oh, we made it up the hill, I am going to up-shift to a higher gear". It never does upshift though, its just like the transmission computer is double minded.

 

My 2 cents: The 96 autos had "grade logic". Maybe this has something to do with it?