Hello everyone. I'm new to Honda's and this forum.

I searched a lot on this forum and some others for a description of the transmission problem that I am experiencing but I haven't found one that mentions what I am experiencing.

I just read the post that Frank_Jr made about his 1995 and it sounds similar.

The car has 159K miles on it and the atf isn't bright red but it still has a red cast to it on the dip stick. I plan to replace the atf.

The problem that I have is that after I drive the car for a while, it will begin soft-shifting between 1 & 2 and then it will progress to slipping in the other upshifts until the car will not move at all. The downshifts seem to be normal (I guess as I wrote this car is new to me). Now, for the puzzle. I found that when I turn the engine off and let it sit for a minute that I can restart the engine and the transmission will shift "normally" again.

I'm suspecting that this problem is not internally mechanical at this point and must be electrical since turning the engine off and then restarting it would appear to reset something to make it shift normally again.

What is the consensus here regarding my experience and what should I do to remedy it other than replacing the atf since I have no idea either when it was last change or what fluid is in it now.

 

TCU problems were common for this generation Accords. Last time I checked used and rebuilts were readily available for reasonable costs.

Here is TSB on issue.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2j...o0YjN1bW8/edit

Check youtube for TCU repair videos, if needed.

good luck

 

Thank you for responding TexasHonda.

Would you suspect the TCU over one of the solenoids or their connections?

 

With all due respect TexasHonda deserve, but I think Ill disagree with him. I´m 99% sure the problem Nealva´s tranny is experiencing has something to do with the Transmission filter itself. Remember it´s a 1991 car and the tranny might have never been rebuilt. The transmission filter it´s getting clogged with clutch material due to friction over these years. It´s like trying to breath with a big plastic bag on the head, the air supply (ATF flow in this case), will be over in matter of minutes, and you (Or the Tranny in this case) won´t be longer able to breathe because the supply way is clogged or blocked. Once you turn the car off the filter “unclogs“ a little bit and the tranny is able to shift normally again for a little while and the cycle starts over.

What I recommend is you try to do all the tests you can before thinking about rebuilding or replacing your tranny, Solenoids tests, OBD Scannings, TCU inspection, etc... If everything looks, sounds, and reads “normal“ in these components, then I can show you pictures of how mine (transmission filter) was before rebuilding the tranny. Before they replaced the filter it only took a couple of minutes of the engine running idle for the tranny began to “slip“, everything else was perfect, I mean the shifts were nice and smooth. And now with the new filter I can have my engine running for hours and the tranny doesn't “slip“ at all. Now the odd behaviour in mine after the rebuilding process is another story, and IDK what could have gone wrong.

So if all the tests you perform on the components named before goes ok, and you're a DIY guy or enthusiast enough to try to rebuild it yourself, just let me know and I´ll give you some valuable tips and hints.

Good Luck!

 

Thank you Frank_Jr. Your explanation is nearly identical to an answer that I received from a member on the Honda-Tech forum.

He suggested doing drain and fill cleanings 3X with ab out 30 miles in between and adding Sea Foam Trans Fix on the first fill. He also suggested that I may want to park the car with the left side higher than the right side to try to move as much sludge and debris to the drain side as possible.

Your answers sound completely plausible in explaining why it will shift normally after a turn off the engine and restart it.

Is a transmission rebuild for a Honda a DIY shade-tree project? I'll appreciate any and all tips and tricks that you can share with me. I like to learn as much as possible about the vehicles that I drive and do most of my own repairs.

 

I remember seeing the post you posted and mad_mike responded. I had a friend with your same issues and what mad_mike recommended worked.

 

Sorry for the late response. I´m still having issues with my tranny

While a Honda transmission rebuild could be a Shade-tree project, it is always recommended to be performed by an expert and qualified technician.

Now, I don't consider myself a pro, but God I really am enthusiastic (I´m a millennial after all, lol just kidding), But I managed to perform a successful Balance Shaft removal on my engine, Pinion and rack steering rebuild (Didn't notice inverted fluid lines when reassembled it first time though, with a really funny outcome on the steering wheel, then fixed it properly), and a tranny rebuild (unfinished yet), and... This is my first Honda!

So if you feel like you wanna go for it, and you´re enthusiastic enough, just perform your tests and try any other recommendations you got from other members and forums and let me know the results, if you still have the Issue I can Gladly share with you all the tips and tricks I had to learn in this short time.

 

If you plan on doing something like a rebuild, you need to arm yourself with information on how to do it. The honda shop manual for your car is something you must have. Read through the procedure, then try to find out as much info from the web (forms, youtube, etc..) before attempting.

You don't want to run into something you didn't think about and have the proper tools/parts to do the rebuild.