Hi,

I just recently discovered this forum. I have a Honda Accord EX 2003. I really like the car except it has one small quirk that I'm not sure if it's serious or not. It only occur in a very specific circumstances. It's a strange sound like metal grinding very briefly when the car is first pulled out of the driveway and I shift gear from reverse to drive. The noise would last for less than a second within 15 seconds of the drive. I can also feel a slight jolt. I think it has something to do with the cold automatic transmission, because after I drive the car for a while to store, when I pull out of the shopping center parking spaces, it doesn't make that noise.

Has anyone else encounter this in their Accord? Is this just a normal quirk I should ignore? I had a Ford Probe before this car and didn't have this quirk. But my Probe had a lot of transmission problem when I drove it for about 12 years. Just hoping my Accord doesn't have the same problem or that I'm not doing something wrong to cause the problem.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

V6 or 4cyl?

 

I would be willing to bet you are parked on a slant or incline/decline and not using your parking brake.

When you park the car on an incline place the car in park while maintaining your foot on the brake pedal then put on the e-brake and release brake pedal. Honda's and most cars are notorious for making that sound, it is the 'parking' brake disengaging.

Try that.

welcome to h-t

 

I agree with VRD. Always park with your e-brake on... your transmision isn't a kickstand.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by KRiS1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">V6 or 4cyl?</TD></TR></TABLE>

V6

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VRDrvr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would be willing to bet you are parked on a slant or incline/decline and not using your parking brake.

When you park the car on an incline place the car in park while maintaining your foot on the brake pedal then put on the e-brake and release brake pedal. Honda's and most cars are notorious for making that sound, it is the 'parking' brake disengaging.

Try that.

welcome to h-t</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't use my parking brake. But the location where I notice this problem is from pulling out of my garage. And I think my garage is on a level ground.

Anyways, I'll try what you suggested and use parking brake.

You mentioned e-brake. I apologize for being such a newbie, but what exactly is e-brake?

Thanks for your helpful suggestion.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Spazz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I agree with VRD. Always park with your e-brake on... your transmision isn't a kickstand.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Is e-brake same as parking brake? Maybe I should take out my Honda manual and re-read it. I think I skimmed over large sections to not know what e-brake is.

 

Since your transmission is an automatic is has a parking brake.... when you put the car in park . The e-brake is the emergency brake, the long lever that is by the gear selector. I would recommend using the e-brake in conjuction with the parking brake.

 

im sorry i didnt understand a word you typed becuase every other word i would glance back up at your avatar

 

Angelina Jolie &gt; me

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VRDrvr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Angelina Jolie &gt; me </TD></TR></TABLE>

How do I change my avatar? When I go the 'My Profile' to change my avatar, it says I can't do it. I guess it has something to do with my status as a 'trial user'. Is there a FAQ somewhere that tells how long I have to stay as a 'trial user'?

BTW, thanks for clarification e-brake = emergency brake.

 

Pearland, TX... I'm only a few minutes away from you.

Back to the topic at hand... Have you contacted the dealership? I'm assuming your car is still under warranty since it's an 03. McDavid Honda's service department has always been pretty good about taking care of customers, but you'll probably have to leave your car there overnight so that they can recreate the noise.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mookiemeister &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

How do I change my avatar? </TD></TR></TABLE>

Since you are a trial user, which lasts ~20 days...if you read the TOS or terms of service https://honda-tech.com/zero...=2#19 and also the accord forum rules: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=406053



And if using the e-brake cuts out that noise then I wouldn't worry about it...if it persists then I would take it into the dealer for warranty work

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VRDrvr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since you are a trial user, which lasts ~20 days...if you read the TOS or terms of service https://honda-tech.com/zero...=2#19 and also the accord forum rules: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=406053



And if using the e-brake cuts out that noise then I wouldn't worry about it...if it persists then I would take it into the dealer for warranty work </TD></TR></TABLE>

It's so frustrating with the 5 post per day limit as a trial user. I couldn't reply to some of the messages until 24 hours have passed.

I just drove my car ealier today and have parked my car with the e-brake. Hopefully by using the e-brake, the unusual sound will be eliminated. I'll let you guys know tomorrow. If it doesn't eliminate the problem, do you guys think I should have a mechanic take a look at it? Not sure how serious this 'quirk' cound turn out to be. Maybe it's better to be safe and get it look at before it become a bigger problem.

 

Yes there are reasons to the 5 post limit...but after 20 days or so you get full access. As far as this 'quirk' goes, your car is still in warranty...if it persists take it in for warranty work for free

 

If my car was still under warranty, I'd be taking it to the dealership for every little noise I couldn't figure out... especially if it concerned the drivetrain.

Make use of the warranty while you can... a little thing now may turn into bigger problems once your warranty is gone. (not necessarily your situation)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by VRDrvr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes there are reasons to the 5 post limit...but after 20 days or so you get full access. As far as this 'quirk' goes, your car is still in warranty...if it persists take it in for warranty work for free </TD></TR></TABLE>

I just took my car out for a drive. 9 hours after I parked it in my garage with the e-brake on as you suggested. It made that strange noise again. I think I will take it into Honda mechanic to let them see if there is anything wrong with it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Pearland, TX... I'm only a few minutes away from you.

Back to the topic at hand... Have you contacted the dealership? I'm assuming your car is still under warranty since it's an 03. McDavid Honda's service department has always been pretty good about taking care of customers, but you'll probably have to leave your car there overnight so that they can recreate the noise.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Good to hear from a fellow Texan.

Where is McDavid Honda located? I bought my Accord in California before I moved to Texas. A few months ago, I took my car to get 15K service at Gillman Honda. It's near Sugarland. They seem very professional. But I'm willing to give McDavid a try if they are anywhere close to south Houston near Pearland.

My car had a 3 year warranty. When I bought it in California, they asked me if I want to buy the extended warranty to 7 years. It costs about 2-3K extra, if I remember correctly. I thought Japanese car is very reliable so I didn't buy the extended warranty. I'm wondering if that decision will come back to bite me later on.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If my car was still under warranty, I'd be taking it to the dealership for every little noise I couldn't figure out... especially if it concerned the drivetrain.

Make use of the warranty while you can... a little thing now may turn into bigger problems once your warranty is gone. (not necessarily your situation)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah. You've convinced me to take the car to a Honda dealer. Now I just need to decide if I should take it to Gillman Honda where I had 15K service done on it before, or take it to McDavid Honda as you recommend. Need to find where McDavid is located first.

 

McDavid Honda is on I-45, near the Almeda exit. Head north on 45 coming from the Beltway, exit Edgebrook/Clearwood, make a u-turn and it's there off the feeder. If not there, try Clear Lake Honda. I've heard good things about them as well. They're located near Nasa Rd and I-45 (on the feeder headed north, in between Nasa and Bay Area). If you PM me, I'll give you my number so I can try to help you out more.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by philadd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">McDavid Honda is on I-45, near the Almeda exit. Head north on 45 coming from the Beltway, exit Edgebrook/Clearwood, make a u-turn and it's there off the feeder. If not there, try Clear Lake Honda. I've heard good things about them as well. They're located near Nasa Rd and I-45 (on the feeder headed north, in between Nasa and Bay Area). If you PM me, I'll give you my number so I can try to help you out more.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thanks for the info. I found McDavid from searching on google and using mapquest.

My car made the same noise again this morning when I drove it out from my garage. So I'll definitely be taking my car to the Honda mechanics to have them take a look at it. Maybe they'll tell me it's nothing to be concerned about so I can at least have a peace of mind.

 

Ok. I drove it this morning and no grinding noise or slight shudder this time. I'm kinda torned about what to do. The quirky problem doesn't seem to be reproduceable consistently. Sporadic problems are harder to track down.