Looking to buy the wife a auto 5th gen accord. What are some of the things to look out for with the 5th gen as well as how reliable are the auto tranny's.

 

Well, with buying any used car, especially a car as old as a 5th Gen, knowing it's history can tell all kinds of stories. Maintenance records, receipts, CarFax, and any kind of log on the car is helpful. If it has over 200K miles but has a nice paper trail of records including timing belt, water pump, rebuild..etc, etc..... and you're buying it from a mature adult that hasn't beat the hell out of it, sure, it'll be reliable for years to come.

As far as the car in general, things to look out for could be the speedo gauge cluster not working (simple fix IMO though). If the speedo isn't working properly the odometer and tripometer won't be either so the true mileage won't be known. The odometer could read 156,000 miles but who knows how long the owner let it ride like this so the real mileage could be more like 180,000 or whatever. Also, the front brakes are a nitemare to do yourself unless it has the ROH (Rotor-Over-Hub) conversion....research it....not hard to convert but a plus if it already has it done. The surging idle is a pain and could be expensive to replace the IAC valve and FIT valve. You can delete these two items but it will require some work to do so.

Other than that, just look for the usual used car symptoms...leaks, cracks, uneven tire wear, rust, and drive the car for as long as the owner lets you. Driving it for 5 mins won't tell you anything. The qwerks of the car will reveal themselves after driving the car for a while down the road. Shift through each gear manually, shift from park to reverse a few times and listen for any hard engaging or funny noises. Do so with each gear. From reverse to drive and so on.....

Good luck to you.....

 

The automatic transmission problems started in '98 with the 6th generation, especially with V6 models.

 

Make sure the owner lets you floor it hard. You want to see if it slips or not or even if it's just starting to slip.

 

Transmission.

90-93;94-97 ATs are very reliable, only problem is no-one services them. Even so, they will last 200K+ miles on the original ATF.
Check the fluid color, if it is red or burgundy and does not smell burnt it is most likely fine and has been serviced.
If it is brown/black it probably has never been changed. The common problem is not that the tranmission slips, its that the clutch material suspended in the fluid becomes so much that the filter becomes clogged and the transmission stops functioning. Only problem is on Honda ATs the sump filter requires removal of the transmission to open the case. There is no removable pan to access the sump/filter. Check for proper fluid level by pulling the dipstick, wiping it clean, reinserting fully and starting the engine. Let it idle down(warmed up). Place the car in every gear for a few seconds from P-D1. Place back in park, leave the engine running, pull the dipstick, wipe it off, reinsert fully and pull again. It should be within the hash marks. Personally I prefer it to be towards the top of the hash marks. If the fluid is low or not on the stick do not drive the car, it needs fluid. Common fluid leak is if the axles have been replaced the differential seals may have been damaged. This is the lowest point on the transmission and will leak out fluid quickly when the car is nose up. It will also coat the under side of the car, exhaust, and destroy the passenger side sway bar bushing.

There is a throttle cable attached to a lever on the transmission. This commands the proper shift points for a given throttle input. Follow the cable from the throttle body to the trans. Make sure it is not sloppy, nor that it is over tightened pulling the lever on the transmission up when the throttle is closed.

90-93s are known for shifting pretty hard, 94-97s are not as brutal but the shifts are still firm. If the mounts are old you may here a clunk or click during an upshift when you let off the throttle.
Yup. If the fluid is new/bright red but the trans slips in any gear, it is on its way out and the owner is trying to cover it up with new fluid. Unless the D4 light comes on or is blinking then it may be a shift solenoid problem.
If the trans has issues upshifting normally but when floored upshifts it may be a TPS issue.

For proper shift sequence find a nice long empty freeway onramp...
Under light throttle when crusing you can actually get the car into 4th if cruising above 30MPH. Lockup usually occurs ~50Mph with light throttle.

Make sure the CEL and D4 lights work. If they do not there is no way to readily check the codes on the car using the two wire blue service connector.(located behind/below the center of the glove box door.)
Turn ignition to II(ON) and the dash should light up like a Christmas tree.
CEL D4 SRS ABS(applicable EX/LX models with rear discs) lights should all come on for a few seconds before turning off.

If the car is a 96/97 you can still check for codes with a an OBDII scanner, the OBDII port is located behind the cigarette ash tray, pull it out and the port should be back there.

If the speedometer bounces it is most likely a dirty/bad VSS sensor, they can be taken apart and cleaned.

Everything else.

Engine mounts.
Look at the front mount. If it is cracked/torn/broken. Then the rear mount is probably going soft. Place car in gear, if there is excessive vibration at idle the solenoid for the mount is most likely bad.
If the car thumps in gear but does not vibrate, find a decent grade hill and allow the engine to do the braking. If you can hear the exhaust rattle a bit then the rear mount has gone out.
During an upshift if the engine or trans mount are bad they will thump/clunk/click from that side during an upshift. Engine mount is hydro liquid filled and may not be torn, but the fluid may have lost its ability to properly dampen.
Trans is simple rubber, but is hard to see under the air intake/battery tray.

Windows may be slow to roll up, this is not usually a motor issue but a lack of maintenance on the window felts. They should be cleaned and greased with sillicone. Windows will zip up and down no problem.

Front wheel bearings are usually done by 100Kmiles.
They do not make noise, but will scallop the every other inner tread block on the front wheels. If you see this pattern on the front(or if rotated) rear wheels the front bearings are probably toast. ~$30 from RockAuto. Also would be a good time to replace the lower ball joint and rotors while you have the front end apart.

Even inner tread block wear is common on under-inflated front tires. Not really a camber issue per-se, it is, but if the tires are kept at their max cold air fill(and the car is not driven hard) the front tires will wear evenly.

Front CV axles are easy to replace, if they are making noises, clicking when going around a corner, use that as leverage against the seller, but it is otherwise not an issue. 15-45min job depending on how quickly you can find your tools/how much beer you have drank.

Front sway bar endlink bushings wear out, if the hardware is not rusted out the bushings can be purchased cheaply from the dealer.

Knocking noises when going over bumps can usuaully be attributed to the the upper shock mounts rubber bushings, again a cheap part to replace.

Make sure the front wheels are centered in the fenders.
If the wheel is sitting a bit aft, it is most likely from hitting a curb. Front beam may need to be replaced. The car may feel fine when driving, but there is damage to the suspension and or mount points.

Make sure the gauges work properly. Watch the temp gauge, if it does not point to 1/3 on its sweep under normal driving then the thermostat is either stuck open, or goes above that the thermostat is sticking closed or a head gasket is leaking/blown.

When turning the car to ON you should hear the fuel pump prime, it will be fairly quiet. If you cannot hear it prime and the car does not start, but the gauges and warning lights work, the main relay may be suspect.
If the gauges don't quite work, or a bit of jiggling/holding the key in a certain position is required to keep the car running, the ignition switch is worn out.