Hello,
I am new to this site, and I would appreciate any help and or advice you have for me. I have a 92 Honda Accord LX. It starts out in high gear, like 4th gear and I have to manually pull it into D2 to get it going. The green light around the D4 and D2 both are lit at the same time. I was told it was the "transaxle shift selector assembly" which I purchased a new one and replaced. It didnt fix the problem. Im now reading it is the TCU, which probably has burnt resistors or leaking capacitors and can be fixed fairly cheap by buying the parts at Radio Shack and having new ones soldered in. When i clear the codes on the car, the transmission shifts fine. But after a few times driving it, it goes back to the same thing-starting out in high gear. Can anyone please help. I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks, God Bless.

 

It may still be an issue with the TCM, since it shifts fine after a reset.

 

hello, and thanks for your reply. Have you ever done any work to the TCM on one of these cars before. I heard its not hard to take out, and work on if you have the proper tools. I called the dealer today, and priced a new one. Is every one ready? List price: $696.09, they said they would give me a break and sell it to me for $552. I have a few options: buy a new one, buy a used one, buy a rebuilt one, or try to fix/repair the existing one. Which do you recommend? Thanks for your input, I love Hondas, especially my 1992 5 speed. It just turned 298,000 miles, and the engine has never been out. Thanks again my friend. God Bless.

 

Try fixing the existing TCM. If that doesn't work, a used or re-built TCM is still more cost/effective than a new one from the dealer.

 

If the D4 lamp is illuminated have you checked for codes?

 

Hello,
Yes, I checked for codes. I believe you insert a paper clip into the obd1 plug under the kick panel on the passenger side? and the check engine light comes on. I was told it is suppose to blink, but it doesnt blink. Am I doing something wrong maybe? how do you recommend checking the codes on this car? Im very new to this but am a fast learner. Thanks for any feedback. God bless.

 

When you were checking for codes - what was the D4 light doing?

 

TO be honest with you, when i was checking the codes, i didnt look at the D4 light. I was looking at the check engine light. Maybe u can help? should i be looking at the D4 light, rather than the check engine light? I will go out and check the codes again, and watch the D4 light. thanks for your reply. God Bless

 

TCM - Trans codes come from the D4 light, so yes look at the D4 light.

 

Hello, I just checked for codes again, and the check engine light is on, the Red light around the P is on, and the green light around the D4 is on. None of the lights blink, they just stay on. I just removed the TCU from the car, and want to have it checked out. thanks again for your knowledge and help.

 

Just to verify, since we do not have the car in front of us, when you turn the ignition to II(ON) the CEL comes on for a moment and then goes off. But the D4 lamp stays on the whole time?
Does your car have an S-light/Switch? Does it turn on when you shift to D3/D4 and push the button?
When you jumper the blue two wire connector the CEL and D4 lamps both stay on steady?

 

yes, when i check the codes, the engine light and d4 light stay on steady-no blinking, no flashing, both stay lit.

 

Does your car have an 'S' light or switch on the shifter?

 

Hello, not sure if it has a S light, it has a "switch release" on the side of the shifter-i think its where you put your key in case the car gets stuck in park. other than that, I dont believe it has an s light. it is a 1992, LX, automatic tranny. it has D4, D2, D2, D1. thanks for your help this far...hopefully we can get this solved. God Bless.

 

*I have this for a 95 Accord, not sure if the wiring color or location is the same on a 90-93.*

Solid D4 light, no codes.

Disconnect 26P connector from TCM
Turn ignition on.
Measure voltage between AB(+) and body ground.

Is there voltage?

Yes.
Repair short in power to Blu/Red wire between AB terminal and gauge assembly.

No.
Connect 26P connector to TCM.
Measure voltage between A17 terminal and body ground with the gear lever in any gear except D4

Is there voltage?

No.
Check for a short to ground on the LT GRN/Black wire. If wire is OK, replace A/T gear position indicator.

Yes.
Replace TCM.

I'm guessing there is a similar troubleshooting procedure for the 'CB' 90-93 Accord. But I have not located a proper FSM for USDM Accords.

 

Hello,
I have to say when I read that it blew my mind. im an accountant, not a wiring specialist. I wish i learned some wiring back in school, but didnt. Wish you were here to help me! Now that Im really confused, and already have the TCM out of the car, I dont know what to do. Thanks for trying to help me, but that is way over my head. God Bless--any other suggestions that an idiot like me could try?

 

Hello, I just had the TCU checked out and it had a leaky capacitor. I reinstalled in the car, and same problem-car starts out in high gear. Should I reset the computer somehow? I pulled the back up fuse out, but no luck. Should I take off the positive battery cable for awhile and replace to give the computer time to recognize the car/transmission? Apparently, im doing something wrong, can u please help? thanks!

 

I'm assuming you had the leaky capacitor replaced?

Any codes coming up from the TCU?

Once the battery is unhooked, or the TCU is disconnected from the wire harness any memory will be lost.

What happens if you manually shift to D1, does the transmisison shift into First?

 

Hello, and thanks for all of your help.
1. yes, i had the leaky capacitor replaced with a new one-$40
2. No codes from tcu when i first installed the repaired tcu-
3. when i unhooked the neg battery cable from battery terminal, it seemed to reset the computer and/or cleared the codes. ive driven the car for 2 days, and so far no problems shifting-it starts in first gear and goes all the way into fourth gear. Yaaaayyy. (keeping my fingers crossed)
4. when the tranny was acting up, when i manually shifted the car into first gear, it seemed like it was starting in second gear-not first.
**its amazing when the codes are cleared, the transmission shifts like a new one! before i had the tcu repaired, the car shifted fine for a few hours or so, then went right back to the same thing.
I hope its fixed now-its running great for now-i hope the leaky capacitor was the culprit!! Just waiting to see how it drives for the next few days. Guess i will know in time if its fixed. Thanks for all of your time and help with me. God Bless.

 

Does your CEL lamp still work?
If there is a great enough fault with the engine, the ECM will command the TCM to go into limp mode(2nd or 4th).

But if you have replaced the cap and the car is running fine now, it probably was the bad cap.

90-93 TCMs were known to have faulty capacitors and resistors, in that same area of the board.
Honda Electronic Transmission Problem- Troubleshoot, Inspection, Repair, Replace.

 

Hello, and good day again.
Yes, the check engine light comes on at first start up, then goes off. This is my fathers car, and he said yesterday that it was driving fine now. I still have my fingers crossed. I really appreciate all the input Ive received on this site. Thank you to all of you that have replied to my question. I hope the car is fixed now. I noticed when i took the TCU out that the white seal had been broken. And when the computer shop looked at the computer, he said that some of the capacitors had been replaced already. So that tells me that either someone has worked on this tcu before, or it was a used/rebuilt unit. My father bought the car from grandma with 90k miles on it, it now has 140k miles on it. It will be going up for sale soon. My father purchased a new Accord LX-he needed something bigger and something that sit higher off the ground due to his arthritis.we will not advertise the car until we are sure that the tranny is fixed. How long should you drive the car before you come to the conclusion that the tranny is fixed? I dont want to sell a car to someone that has transmission issues. Thanks again.

 

Well, Sadly to say, the Transmission has started acting up again. It drove perfect for a few days, and just tonight, it started in high gear (3rd or 4th?) at a stoplight. No warning at all!!!!! Gosh, this is getting to be a bummer and a real pain. Can someone please give me some advice on what they think is the problem????? I would appreciate any and all information to help me. Thanks again, God BLess.

 

Re-check the TCU - not sure if there was repairs or replacement from your post on 3-19 or not.

 

hello, thanks for replying. i took the tcu out and took it to a computer shop last week, and they found a leaky capacitor and replaced it. they said someone had replaced some capacitors in it before. SO, it has been out at least once and had some work done on it before i took it out. once i reinstalled the tcu after having the capacitor replaced, it ran PERFECT for 3 days. Now, its back to starting out in third or fourth gear!! dang it. I cant believe it, i thought and was hoping i had it fixed. Can you help?
This is the craziest thing! I can reset the codes on the car, and it runs fine for a day or two, then back to the same thing. The transmission when running right shifts great, no problems shifting. It has to be something electrical*!@#!
Any and all help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks very much.

 

I go out on limb every now and then - so take that how you will.

I would pull the TCU and inspect it again. I'm wondering if it has blown the cap again.

Next would be to inspect the male and female pins of both of the "shift solenoids" - I've seen where dirty/bad/old connections at those gave people all kinds of issues.

Examples:

TCU, board problem, Tranny - Honda-Tech

D4 light on, NO CEL codes, check engine light off - Page 2 - Honda Accord Forum - Honda Accord Enthusiast Forums

Again, I'm way out there on this - but good luck.