Hi, I have a 2001 Accord with the F23A4 engine and I just removed a automatic blown transmission. I'm looking for a used transmission and the best deal I could find are straight from Japan JDM for $299 out of Jamaca NY. I spoke with someone there and he said all I had to do was remove all my transmission external sensors & shift solenoids from the old transmission to their JDM trans. Anyone do this before and wuill it be trouble free or should I pay more for a USA transmission? Thanks for any advice...

 

What was the problem with the original transmission? How did you determine it was faulty?
98-02 trans are a bit finicky, three big reasons for fault are;
Engine tuneup/running condition, and battery voltage, greatly affects how the transmission(or the PCM) functions. Harsh, rough, delayed shifts.
Transmission sensors/solenoids can fail causing erratic shift behavior. Also check wire harness for damage.
Transmission itself is actually faulty and does need to be repaired/replaced.

Just mentioning this as there have been a few occasions where the 98-02 AT bad rep has a member replace the transmission only to find the same problems with the new/rebuilt unit. And the actual problem is due to a sensor/harness/PCM issue and not the trans itself.

One of the main kickers of the 98-02 is that several faults do not illuminate the D4/CEL lamp. Faulty pressure sensors do not trip a CEL, but faulty pressure sensors will cause the trans to not shift or shift erratically. Even though these cars are OBDII, the self diagnostics of the PCM are kinda slow. And if the memory was cleared before any data/codes were recorded, it can make diagnosing the problem of the trans delayed and even more difficult than normal.

JDM Trans is mechanically the same, but you will have to swap over the different solenoid and sensors that are not compatible with the USDM vehicles, as mentioned by the importer.

 

Hi and thanks for the response. The transmission was slipping, trans shifted ok under very light acceleration and would barely make it up a hill. I bought this car from my brother's friend's wife, she always brought the car to a Honda dealer for all maintenance and according to her husband the Honda service dept stated it needed a new transmission. I did scan the car prior to trans removal and no trans codes appeared, I do have a code for right front wheel speed sensor and that's it...engine/trans/srs/abs systems. I finished removing the trans today and found a transmission locally and hopefully will pick it up tomorrow. It's a $350 transmission from a wrecked car vs buying a JDM trans for $299. I did do some goggle research tonight and few results stated that the JDM trans are geared differently and have problems with the pcm & trans getting along and in return causes a check engine light that can't be shut off and no hope of passing emissions here in CT although, this car's emissions are good until 2021. IDK if that's true or not but, I'll go with the MAXA trans. I have a F23A4 a California car but, I could find nothing that stated a F23A1 auto trans is any different...I hope?

 

I'm following this.... new user here, registered to this forum to specifically do some research on this exact issue with my 2002 Honda Accord SE with the 2.3L 4cyl that has the MAXA transmission. My car exhibited signs of transmission problems for probably 2 years with semi delayed shift from 1st to 2nd... then it got progressively worse as it would wind out pretty bad from 1st to 2nd, and now it's doing it from 2nd to 3rd as well. Barely makes it up any kind of hills and is just awful to drive. SO, i've parked it in my garage and pulled all of the solenoids out of it. I was wondering, exactly how to determine whether or not the whole transmission needs to be yanked out and rebuilt, or replaced, or what. I was also looking at the JDM transmissions from Japan as an alternative, everyone wants so much money for a used or rebuilt transmission it's just insane, they want as much for a transmission as the whole friggin car is worth, not playing that game. Suggestions? At this point, I'm thinking I'll just yank the thing out and rebuild it for my time and 200 bucks or so in parts.

 

[QUOTE=daredevil95;52061435]few results stated that the JDM trans are geared differently and have problems with the pcm & trans getting along .IDK if that's true or not../quote]
Depends on what model the trans was pulled from. Ody, Prelude, and JDM models have different gear ratios. Trans is a dumb device, the only things you will have to change are the solenoids/sensors due to the difference in JDM vs USDM connections. And the US PCM will communicate with US spec sensors.
Nope. Only difference is the A4 is a ULEV engine with a whopping 2HP difference. A1 AT cars are also considered ULEV. A4 has a different PCM and exhaust system.
Biggest difference between MAXA and BAXA is one was built in the U.S. and the other was built in Japan. That's it. Usually Coupes/Wagons were built in Ohio and sent to Japan, and on the West Coast the Sedans were more likely to come from Japan.

FSM has several pages on diagnostics and symptom testing the transmission. Requires a code scanner to verify any codes that are stored. Also not all codes will trip the CEL/D4 lamp for diagnostics on a 98-02. Which include to the pressure switches, which can cause a delayed or no upshift issue. Usually if the 2nd/3rd gear pressure switches are leaking they are bad.
Requires a set of pressure gauges to measure transmission pressure of the various gear circuits.
Requires a voltmeter to verify wire harness integrity and PCM voltage readings.
Requires a known good set of solenoids and sensors to verify that the problem is not a solenoid/sensor problem.
Probably the best lb/$ would be the JDM unit.
Biggest problem with the 98-02 trans is not the rebuilding, there are plenty of kits out there to replace the worn clutch parts. It's the other parts that caused the failure that will cost money, and those are the parts that will require machine work and replacement to make the 6th Gen trans work properly.
Look up Sonnax and the tech articles on the problems that the 6th gen Honda trans has.

 

Ask your JDM supplier the 4 digit trans code he is selling. Google that code and find out what you are getting.

MAXA or BAXA in my experience you wont find from a JDM supplier. One is made in the USA and the other is from Japan but rare.

some JDM auto trans have different final drive ratios and gear ratios as well. Once you have you 4 digit code, you can find all that out easely online.

 

Thanks for all the responses. I ended up buying a BAXA trans from a local junkyard for $400, I placed the BAXA & MAXA side by side and they were pretty much the same and all the sensors/plugs were the same. The only difference was in the back of the trans, there is a trans mount that connects to the rear engine mount and rear trans mount was completely different and I could not use the small aluminum trans bracket in the rear. So, I had to skip that part but, between the bellhousing bolts and side mount, it's pretty sturdy and noticed no difference when driving that lead to my next problem......

I finally installed the used BAXA trans this week, problems....the trans slips during shifting. The shifts sometimes feel like a rev blip when shifting and sometimes it shifts ok, sometimes it down shifts normal and sometime it slips during the down shifts. I flushed the trans twice with honda atf, swapped VSS and check shift solenoids for ohms & powered them to hear the clicks and they checked out ok. I'm at a loss right now as to what to do, I am thinking about go over to a Honda/Acura repair/speed shop and get some advice? maybe ecu programming? The trans works great other then the shift issue....drives great, shifts when supposed to and when at a stop or slowing down it drops down to the correct gear. IDK? Worst case scenerio is I have to drop trans again and exchange it for another trans, the junkyard gave me a 6 month warranty....plus it didn't work. Thankfully its an easy trans to remove. Any advice on the shifting issue?????

EDIT: no check engine light and I did a scan and no DTC's for trans or anywhere else except, I have a left front ABS speed sensor fault which was there before the trans swap.

Made a video last week comparing the 2 transmissions....hope to help someone in the future.