Daily driver 2000 Accord LX V6 3.0 stops responding to the gas pedal for 2-5 seconds during the first 30-60 seconds of a trip. Sporadic, but getting worse. When the acceleration returns, there is a sudden increase in acceleration for a moment until it starts responding normally. It is also starting to idle very roughly if at a stop during the same 30-60 seconds of a drive. No error codes. 170,000 miles. Replaced all plugs and coils about a year ago. Any thoughts?

 

From your description, I'd be leaning towards a transmission issue. When was the last time you changed the transmission fluid? What fluid did you use?

 

Last transmission fluid change was November 2020, done at a shop, so not sure what brand of fluid was used. Fluid level doesn't appear low or overly discolored.

 

It does sound like a transmission shifting issue based on your description. The 98-02 V6 transmissions have a much higher failure rate vs other generation accords. If this were my car, I'd drain the trans fluid (about 3 qts), add 3 qts of honda atf, then drive. Repeat 2 more times (~9qts total) to exchange most of the fluid. The trans holds 7-8 qts and you can only drain ~3 qts, so 3 drain refills replaces most of the fluid. I'd also consider cleaning the screens for the solenoids.

Not sure if you are DIYing this, but below is a good video on the process. The fliud change and solenoid cleaning could not solve the problem if something internal is shot or the clutches are worn in the transmission. The cost of a fluid change and time cleaning the solenoids is much less expensive vs replacing the transmission.

 

Thank you for the great info. This will be a DIY with my very capable brother, so I appreciate your help. Really hoping the transmission isn't going out.

 

Good luck. Hope the fluid change and cleaning solves the problem. Let us know the results.

The driving between the drain and refill is to mix in the new transmission fluid, so a 10-15 minute drive going through all the gears should be enough to mix. I'd probably just drive for the week and do the drain/refill on the weekend to space it out.