Hi guys, sorry if this has been asked before but I've searched and couldn't find anything. My daughter has a 97 Accord that runs very well. Recently she is telling the trans is acting up so I gave it a test drive. It runs through all gears nicely but when in 4th gear you press on the accelerator it will downshift all the way into 2nd, skipping third altogether. I suspected the trans was slipping but that doesnt appear to be thd case. If I shift it manually from 4th into 3rd it shifts just fine. Outside of this downshifting issue the transmission shifts beautifully. Any suggestions?

 

Check the throttle valve cable between the throttle body and transmission.
At rest there should be no slack and there should be no pre-load. 12mm open end box wrench. Loosen adjusting nuts back off and make sure the lever on the trans is all the way down. Then adjust to remove slack.
You want the lever on the transmission to move only when the throttle blade begins to open. Certain AT models the pedal cable is on a separate bell crank that can rotate independently of the throttle shaft until it comes to a stop.
Back probe the TPS, there should be a linear change in voltage when opening/closing the throttle, if it jumps around the sensor may be going bad.

Was there any recent work done on the car?
Does the speedometer function normally.

 

Thanks Mike, thats exactly what it was. Just minutes after I did this post I checked that cable and that's exactly what it was. I guess I should have gone with my gut feeling rather than complicate the situation. Thanks again for your help.