I own a 99 accord lx sedan with the 2.3l and automatic transmission. I bought it about a year ago from a friend, knowing it had transmission problems. When put into drive it would go nowhere when i hit the gas, then as the rpms come down the trans seems to catch and the car bucks and shudders very hard. It shook my downipe off once. it does the same thing if i come to a stop and try to move again. It seems as if the transmission has lost first gear? Ive been driving the car by starting out in 2 on the gear select and waiting for it to catch, basically starting in second all the time, and this has worked fine until this morning. While pulling into work i felt the car slip or studder a little, and as i pulled into my space it bucked and stalled out while still rolling. Now when i start the car it does this in any gear including reverse. If i put it in D3 it seems to not stall as quickly. I figured when i bought it i would end up replacing the tranny. I just want to know before i go spend the money if it could possibly just be the torque converter or a solenoid thats causing this chaos, and also if anybody else has had this issue with their honda. thanks! -Owen

 

This generation accord (6th generation was model years 1998-2002) is legendary for transmission problems. If your transmission fluid is in good shape (pink/pink-ish) and at the right level on the dip stick, I think it is probably the transmission. But, you could try replacing the transmission fluid with genuine Honda brand transmission fluid. Up to you but I would take it to Honda dealer. If you really want to do it yourself you can but it takes awhile because you have to drain and fill several times since only about 40% of the fluid comes out using the drain from the drain hole method. If you want to do a lot of disconnecting things under the car you can get all or almost all of it in one shot- watch the NutzaboutBolts guys do it on Youtube if you want to consider going this route. Honda transmissions are very finicky about the fluid that is used. It might be that the last person who owned it put in the wrong fluid. If it isn't the fluid, probably any day now your transmission will fail completely. If you have to replace the transmission, I have heard that they ship good, used transmissions from Japan that you can get for under $1000 for Honda Accords so rather than re-build it or buy a brand new one, each of which is several thousand $, you might try a JDM/used transmission from Japan. (Their tax structure encourages them to scrap their cars before they are worn out - the taxes actually go up the longer you own the car!) IMHO for Hondas this is really an option worth considering.

 

What auto transmissions will fit/run in a '99?

I know the F23 engine will bolt up to the '97 and earlier automatic trans, but what about control solenoids and sensors? I'm fixin to mix and match an H23A VTEC to an older autotranny so I'm curious if it's gonna work...

 

Check for any stored codes. Not all codes will illuminate the CEL/D4 lamps, especially transmission codes.
98-02 Accord, 98/99 CL, 2.3 Ody, and 97-01 Prelude transmissions from the 2.3 SOHC cars will work, but the gear ratios will be different from other models.
If the transmission has issues going into reverse as well as forward gears it may simply be sump pickup is starting to clog. You can try draining and refilling to aid in removal of any debris.