Hi All,
I am new to this forum. I recently bought a 2000 Accord EXV6 with 55K miles. It's been about 10 years since I owned a car so I am pretty paranoid about problems. I had the car checked by a mechanic before buying and the only thing he found was worn out engine mounts, which I had replaced. Besides the engine mounts the car seems very clean and straight.

Anyway here is my question. I just took my first long highway trip ~ 250 miles. I noticed that at crusing speed (~70 mph) the car occasionally has a very, very slight jerk or hesitation. It's so slight that my wife could not feel it. There is no unusual noise and the tach needle does not move at all.

Could this be a transmission problem? The tranny seems otherwise fine - it seems to shift quickly, and it does not jerk.

I have looked throught the previous owner's maintenance records and it appears that the AT fluid has never been changed. Could that be the problem? The AT fluid level is fine and the fluid does not smell burned. Obviously I am having it changed asap regardless. But wouldn't the converter be locked at highway speed anyway?

Any other possible culprits? Something in the engine? EGR? There is no check engine light though. Throttle issue? Fuel issue? Or am I just being paranoid?

Thanks!

 

Bump?

 

The torque converter locks between 65 and 75 mph. That could be what you are feeling.

98-02 automatic trannies have about a 1 in 2 (50%) failing rate, just FYI.

Drain and refill the tranny 3x with Honda Genuine ATF-Z1. If you are having a mechanic do that, instruct him not to "flush" the tranny or use detergents or another brand of ATF.

 

Hi Finch13
Does your note on tranny failure rates include the 4 speed automatic in the 04 (Canadian) Accord with a 2.4L 4 cylinder engine? If so, any other instructions to follow besides doing regular fluid changesand avoidingflushes?
Thanks

 

I don't believe so. The tranny failures really only included the 6th generation of Accords (98-02), you own a 7th gen which I haven't heard of any major design flaws.

 

Thanks for the replies. Ouch - 50% tranny failure! What are the typical advanced symtoms of ternminal failure? I guess I should have held out for a manual. Perhaps what I am feeling is the converter locking. Has anyone else ever felt the converter lock/unlock on the highway?

 

I felt it ALL the time in my 5th gen auto. Honda ATs are known for harsher shifts and what have you. Just something to get used to...

 

Here is an update to my transmission post. I took the car to a honda dealership and had them change the ATF. They did the work and said that there was no obvious problem with the transmission. However, I did notice that now the fluid is sort of pink-ish brown. It is not the bright red that I have seen with with other ATF's. Is this the normal color? Or because they only changeed the fluid once there is still a lot of the old fluid inside? I read the posts that said that you you should change the fluid four times. The dealership said they only did this if there was something obviously wrong with the tranny.

I should note that the transmission seems to be working OK. It shifts reasonably fast and there is no noise or jerking. And the fluid does not seem to be burned.

Thanks!

 

IIRC, genuine Honda ATF isnt a real strong red color. Dexron is more red.

 

Thanks Jim. That helps. I guess I will wait and see if the tranny holds up.