Hi there,

Honda Accord DX 1990.

I felt something funny today when driving, the rpm went over 3300 while changing gears ( 2nd to 3rd) .

The S-light never went off, neither the check engine light. When I checked for check engine- transmission codes, the S-light gives code 1,2,7,8.

I replaced the transmission fluid, and cleaned the solenoids ( they both clicked when I tested them) I took the car for a long drive. It did it at least once. But the S-light is not giving any codes. Tomorrow I will be putting my car in storage until April. Any advice for when I take it out next year?

 

Cheers,

Any word of advice?

 

sounds like clutch pack slipping, how many miles?

 

193 000 miles. It is automatic. By the way, I replaced transmission fluid every 20-25000 miles. I have had it for 18 years and always taken care of. I had the issue of the leaky capacitor in the TCU back in 2007 and I replaced the ECU/TCU unit.

 

I believe the phenomenon you describe is called shift flare. According the Honda Service Manual (HSM), the various causes--in your case, shift flare between 2nd and 3rd--are mostly due to a fault inside the transmission--and a harbinger of imminent hit to your repair reserve fund. Dire eventualities aside, the HSM lists testing the shift control solenoid valve C and the 3rd clutch pressure switch as potential sources of the problem--"testing" means removing the solenoids and checking their resistance (which is never the problem), and blasting the screens with a shot of Brakleen. I'd be handy to check the exact pre-ODBII definition of the code you got.

If your comfortable wrenching on your car, I suggest you follow the t-shooting procedure for those two components. Both are mounted on the outside of the transmission case and only somewhat painful to access. If either or both test bad--which for the your purposes may actually be a good thing, relatively speaking--you might have luck finding a known-good used replacement online (much less expensive than purchasing new). Else, the fault may lay with the 2nd, 3rd (or both) clutch packs, debris clogging some internal orifice, clogged internal filter, and/or bad seals--iow, the aggregate result of a seemingly poor-quality rebuild.

 

Thank you very much! CAr is already in storage. Once I take it out in April, I will follow your advice!

 

No such thing as a pressure switch on the 90-97 H4A transmissions.

1. Solenoid Valve A Lockup Control
2. Solenoid Valve B Lockup Control
7. Solenoid Valve A Shift Control
8. Solenoid Valve B Shift Control

That's all four shift solenoids. Recheck your connections to your solenoids, verify the wire harness is not damaged.
Verify the main grounds are clean and tight.
Verify the connection to the TCU is clean and no damaged pins.
Open the TCU and verify the caps/resistors are not damaged.

Any recent work done to the car?

 

I store my baby during the winter. Once I take it out in April, I will follow your recommendation!

 

Hello there,

I replaced the ECU/TCU and the problem went away. But Once in a while rpm goes up when I accelerate. The TCU is not giving me any error ( no codes)

The first video is the AT shifting ( constant footing on the gas). This is the throttle cable. CAr was off. I know it should have some slack...but this much?



second video is the throttle cable. CAr was off. I know it should have some slack...but this much?



Any help would be appreciated

Cheers

 

Still looks like shift flare to me; I doubt swapping the TCU did anything. Remove the aforementioned solenoids and clean the screens. Re-attach, then test drive. Shift behavior will likely normalize (if my presumption is correct). You may notice intermittent shift flare again. Repeat the onerous process of cleaning the screens. Note: Be prepared to purchase new solenoid gaskets--those aged parts don't hold up well to jostling.

Regarding your throttle cable non-sequitur: If petal travel is, in your opinion, excessive (no resistance btwn point-of-petal-contact to point-of-throttle-actuation) adjust the cable to your liking.

Purchase a Honda Service Manual. Buy a code reader. Start saving for a replacement transmission.

 

Had this issue. Eventually the Trans will slip (clutch pack).

 

Hi there,

The video I showed with the shifting, I consider that "normal". That is the way my car has been shifting since I got it back in 2001. I will follow the procedure this weekend.I am pretty sure this is the procedure you are referring to: .

I will report back.

 

Verify the throttle valve cable is properly adjusted. There should be no tension and no slack in the cable.
That last video is of the M6HA found in 98-02 Accords, 97-01 Preludes, and 98 Ody. That first set of solenoids are the linear pair which takes place of the TV cable.
Second video, take the slack out of the pedal to throttle, slack here causes delay in power application and limits TB from fully opening when the pedal is floored.
First video, there is a flare from 2-3.
If you are noting a shift flare, verify on a flat level surface that your fluid is full after placing the transmission in every gear for a few seconds(til engagement) then place it back in Park, pull dipstick, wipre, reinsert and pull it out to verify fill level. I live in a hilly area and prefer to keep the fluid towards the top of the hash mark as this keeps the sump properly covered under a few off camber turns.
Engine running condition greatly affects shifting and shift quality.
If the TPS, thermo, MAP, Baro, or coil are cutting out or have erratic inputs these will greatly affect how the transmission operates.

 

Hi there,

I live in a hilly place too! I will verify the fluid. I changed it recently though. Now, what is the TPS, thermo, MAP, Baro, coil? I am cleaning the whole engine bay little by little. I have never done it. The throttle body is really dirty, in fact, everything is really dirty. I will report back

 

Should the trans fluid level be checked with the motor running or turned off. I ask because I have a cooler mounted in front of the radiator and I wonder if between the time I cut the motor off and I check the fluid level if drain back from the cooler lines might show I have more fluid in the system that I really do. And need.

 

i need to answer this. Two days ago, I was going up a steep hill, the rpm went up to 4500 to keep the speed. All of the sudden, speed went to zero, even though the engine was revving at 5000 rpm. Pulled over. Turned off the engine, turned it on again ans took me up the hill at crawling speed. Flat surface it did not struggle but the next hill , same problem again. From that point on , no matter how hard I pressed the pedal, the card did not move. The tranny fluid was 6000 miles old ( three time replacement procedure). But when I checked the dipstick, it smelled like a dead animal and some metallic particles were present on the dipstick. I tried the reverse and it jerked really hard.

Is that the end of the transmission?

 

Perhaps not the end, but near enough. Failure is imminent. Deep down you know this.

Go dump a bottle of Lucas LUC10009 Transmission Fix into your transmission Then go back inside, sit at your computer and evaluate your automotive repair reserve fund against different options (along with their respective costs) of swapping a transmission. As a heads up, a non-dealer Honda-centric shop base-charge to do this onerous job starts at $750. For simplicity, set your minimum expense at $1000 for labor. With that number as your base point, begin shopping the costs of replacement transmission options.

- Used transmission is the least expensive option. Caveat: This is also the least reliable option; plus, used transmissions are exquisitely difficult to locate (rebuid/reman shops tend to buy them up). Also: zero warranty.
- Rebuilt transmission costs vary, so shop around reputable sources. Caveat: all transmission rebuilds are NOT the same. Request and scrutinize each vendors' list of replaced transmission bits. Typ just a 90-day transmission-only warranty.
- Re-manufactured transmission costs vary, so shop around reputable sources. Caveat: all transmission remans are NOT the same, Request and scrutinize each vendors' list of replaced transmission components. Typ. include one, two, or three year transmission-only warranty.

Note: Don't forget a NEW torque converter! Is it included in the price? What is the brand? Is it an upgrade from stock? Does it fix the flow-restriction problem prevalent in torque converters used with 6th-gen B7XA transmissions?
While you're at it... add the cost of a new main bearing seal, 'cause you should absolutely replace this part. Also budget for the potential expense of replacing the transmission and engine mounts to your total estimate.

There's no way around it: This will be an expensive repair. Consider if you want to dump thousands of dollars on just one component on a 20yo car. Take comfort in the fact that replacing a transmission is still exponentially less expensive than buying new or nearly-new car..

 

Yes, thats the end. If looking for a used replacement, those JDM transmissions seem to have lower mileage than whats in the regular junkyard. Easy enough to swap one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/98-02-HONDA...7CMake%3AHonda

$400 and it comes with torque convertor.

Did this myself in the past, have run 20,000 miles through it so far without issue. Just change the fluid and swap in new axle seals (the ones on it are probably dried out and this is a $10 thing, so just do it). Finally simply swap over your current solenoids and you are good to go.

 

you are right. Deep down inside I knew it was the end. It crawled to the nearest garage. The mechanic told me that the tranny was gone gone. It got there spewing all kinds of fluids, antifreeze, oil, you name it. I decided to leave it there. It gave me all it could.
I am dead inside but it was its time I guess.

Thank you again! Great community here.

I still could not figure out why it failed up the hill but on a flat surface looked ok.