Hello All, I have a 1998 Accord EX with a 3.0 VTec. A couple of weeks ago it started having a delay when going from a stop (either just turning on or stopped at a light) like it spun free before catching. This was intermittent and seemed to lessen the longer I drove. The mechanic said it was the solenoid so I had them replace it 12/24. As I drove away the car would not go above 15mph, the RPM went up but the "free spinning" would start at that point. They said the wires were crossed in the solenoid so reversed those. After that while driving back to my moms it was shifting hard, but by the time I made it back to the shop they were closed. I was able to reach the mechanic by phone and was told it was maybe air working its way through the system. I had no choice but to head back home last night for work today, 50+ miles through a pass, and the car struggled like never before. This morning I barely made it to work and had to drive home at 15-20mph. I told the mechanic it wasnt shifting at all and was told to perform a "hard shift" taking the car from D1-D4 manually, the car was not happy with that. I was told, again by the mechanic, that its not the transmission or the solenoid at this point because it does shift when pushed manually through the gears but has very little power in any gear.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? Any advice would be appreciated at this point, especially after the bill I just paid. All fluids are fine if that makes a difference. Thank you!

 

You will need to have the codes, not descriptions, of what the car is setting. Ask your mechanic what were the trouble codes, if he doesn't have them he needs to pull them for you and give you a list.
If it is the VTEC system then the car should still be able to get you to a safe enough highway speed.
Your CEL should be on if the car is operating this badly.
Does your CEL lamp or D4 lamp work?
They both should come on at prove out before starting the engine.