Hello All,
I just purchased a 2002 Accord 2.3 vtec and I love this car.
147k mile 2nd owner.
When I put it in gear forward or reverse it's a slight delay then goes into gear hard.
additionally from a start it shifts from 1st to 2nd hard.
In bumper to bumper stop and go it gets stuck in gear and won't up shift.
When it does that the gear indicator light begins to flash constantly.
The only way to correct it is to turn the engine off and back on.
It seems to clear the malfunction. Always happens at low rpm's. Once is rolling at a decent speed it shifts fine.

Any ideas on what's the culprit??

I appreciate any and all advice.

 

I would start with drain/refill ATF.

Good luck,
Sam

 

I had that done today. Problem still exists. Shifting from 1st to 2nd has gotten better but 2nd to 3rd his still a problem.

 

shift solenoid going bad? worn friction plates?

 

I've read that most honda/acuras in the early 2000's / late 90's had a lot of transmission problems. Especially the accord after 98 and the acura tl 3.2. If changing the fluid hasn't helped I would consider taking it to a shop to get it diagnosed.

 

I must 2nd wuzagi's post. Everything I have read and been told about the 1998 to 2002 Honda auto. trannies is that they are "weak." My 2002 Accord auto tranny began to have "funky" shifts (as if it could not figure out what gear to stay in) around 70K miles. I had the fluid changed and that stopped. I have since had the fluid changed every 60K miles and I may shorten that to every 30K miles. It's only been about 20K miles since I last had the fluid changed and my tranny is starting to act a bit funky again. She has 181K miles so maybe she's starting to go out.

If the tranny is going out, is it cost-effective for you to get a new/fairly new auto transmission and replace yours?

I love my '02 but if I found a nice '98 to '02 manual, I'd buy it and maybe sell mine or keep it for parts.

 

Is there a cable that goes from the throttle valve to the transmission? if so, check the factory manual on how to tune this cable. Too tight, and it will shift harsh.

 

Slow&Steady you really should replace it every 30k miles according to Honda, you could do it every 25k too

 

wuzagi,

Thanks for agreeing with me.

Where did you find that? I believe my current practice of a tranny fluid change every 60K is more frequent than the book suggests but I think you're right, every 30K may be better, especially since we know the tranny design is weak and my car is racking up the miles.

I'd have a look for and post the manual's tranny fluid change recommendation but the manual is in the car and the car is over at the body shop getting that wheel well rust fixed.

I tell you though, if I knew how to do it, I'd put a manual transmission into it today!

 

Was browsing for a NOS steering wheel and came across this nugget.

What to look for when buying a used Honda Accord: Watch out for a blue smoke or loud engine rattle when the engine is started. During the test drive, pay particular attention to the way the automatic transmission works, especially on V6 models. If you notice any transmission issues like harsh shifts, jerks, delays, slipping between gears, noises, avoid the car. A clunk or strong jolt when shifting into Reverse is an early sign of a worn-out transmission.

https://www.samarins.com/reviews/accord.html

 

Thanks for all of the feedback and suggestions. My tranny shifts hard into drive or reverse. The shift from 1st to 2nd is relatively normal now but 2nd to 3rd is weird.
If I accelerate at a steady pace it will shift from 2nd to 3rd around 3500-3800 rpm's but if I accelerate fairly slow (like in bumper to bumper traffic) it gets stuck in 2nd and the D4 light on the dash starts blinking.
Shifts from 3rd to 4th are normal.
I'm taking to a local trans shop near me who has an excellent reputation for knowledge, service and honesty and we'll see what he says.
He took a cursory look at it and thinks it might be an issue with the TCM or something.
The shop that did the fluid change ran diagnostics and came up with codes P1751 and 0700 I think.
I don't have the paperwork in front me at the time so I might be quoting the wrong codes.

 

Brother I hope your transmission is OK and it's just something simple that can be fixed. I want at least 250K out of my Accord but like I said, I WISH it was a manual.

 

Thanks Slow & Steady,
I'm the 2nd owner of this car and it has 147k on the clock. Super clean too.
I purchased from Philadelphia on Tuesday and drove it back to Atlanta through the night.
It ran fine except for when I got into the Atlanta traffic nightmare Wednesday morning.
When it would get stuck in 2nd gear all I did was shift into neutral turn the car off and then back on, back into D4 and continued on.

I'm praying that it's something simple as opposed to needing to replace the tranny.
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

 

I have a 2000 Accord DX with a 5sp and it runs like brand new money.
Pretty decent except for 2 rusted areas around the driver and passenger wheel wells.
No sunroof, power locks, windows etc though.
I'll drive it to California and back right now.

 

I am so envious!

So it has crank windows?

 

From what I hear these trans are pretty weak. Honestly though, mine has about 180k on it, so what more should I expect from it? I feel like I got my monies worth from it. If I want to keep the car it will need a rebuild.

 

Kevs, my '02 Accord also has 181K miles. I'm shooting for 250K though with the original auto trans.....I am a miser on the road, gentle on take off, and change my fluid often so I am hoping it'll make it.

 

Yes it does. No power options whatsoever.

 

Wow! I've seen those on CL sometimes and that could be pretty neat to go back to, I rather miss crank windows. It wouldn't really be that big of a deal to have to reach over to crank a window down. Power door locks aren't that big of a deal to me either but cruise control is. I don't really use it much where I live due to the hills but when I travel to flatter states, cruise control is nice.

 

No cruise either. But she runs like a dream. No issues at all.

 

Hello All;
Well I'd like to update everyone on this post.
I got the problem solved and I truly appreciate all the tips and feedback that you all offered. I replaced the dual linear solenoid (part# 28250-P6H-024) and transmission lockup solenoid ( part# 28300-PX4-003) and the transmission is performing as it did out the factory. Also had the tranny fluid drained (not flushed).
The car is driving perfect now. No delay going from park to drive or reverse, no hard shifting etc.

Thanks again to everyone who offered up advice.

 

Congrats on getting it fixed and thank YOU for posting what fixed it. Discussion forums can be treasure troves of information.