The transmission in my 2011 4 cyl got really hot when pulling a long mountain grade. Was looking for the fluid cooler to check for damage (hit a deer a few months ago) but couldn't find the cooler. Doesn"t seem to be in the radiator since there are no lines. Where is it?

 

I moved your thread to the General Tech Help section. We no longer use the DIY section for help questions, there are various postings there regarding that.

See this thread to answer your question.
https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...-cooler-51768/

 

Any idea what would make it overheat? Engine temp was fine. It has 30,000 miles and is under warranty but I wanted to make sure the deer wasn't the cause before I take it to the dealer. The deer caused only a little cosmetic damage to the crossmember under the radiator. This was the first time it ever pulled a serious grade. It was really hot, smoked the fluid. Seems fine now but am sure the problem persists.

 

Make a visual check of the coolant lines going through the warmer/cooler (I highlighted the connectors in green and yellow in the images) in post #4 of the other thread. In addition, check the transmission fluid lines going through the warmer/cooler (I highlighted the connectors in red/pink).

You may want to get the transmission fluid changed to be on the safe side if it smoked the fluid. Use only Honda DW-1.

 

For the 4 cylinder automatic, the cut-out on the plastic splash shield doesn't align with the transmission drain plug. If you want to do it yourself, you can either remove the splash shield or cut a larger access port. See this thread:

https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/for...id-plug-43520/

You also might want to do several drain and fills since it smoked the fluid. For example, drain and fill, run car a little bit and through the gears and repeat. 2-3 drain and fills; 3 is better.

This was Honda method years ago:
1. Set the parking brake, and raise the vehicle on a lift.
2. Drain the trans, and refill it with Honda Genuine ATF.
3. Start the engine, shift into Drive, and release the parking brake.
4. Push down on the accelerator pedal to raise the vehicle speed to 2,500 rpm.
• If the trans shifts past 2nd gear, go to step 5.
• If the trans won’t shift past 2nd gear, keep the engine speed at 2,500 rpm and shift from Drive to
Neutral and back to Drive. Then go to step 5.
5. Make sure that the trans shifts through all the forward gears and goes into torque converter lockup.
6. Let off the accelerator pedal, and press the brake pedal to drop the vehicle speed to zero. Shift into
Reverse and then into Neutral.
7. Shift into Drive, and repeat steps 4 thru 6 four more times.
8. Set the parking brake, and repeat steps 2 thru 6 two more times.
9. Drain the trans, and reinstall the drain plug with a new sealing washer.
10. Refill the A/T with ATF.

 

Lines all look good. No damage or leaks. Could it be a clogged filter? Will definitely have the fluid changed and checked out at dealer.

 

Although the filter can be changed, Honda does not include it as a scheduled maintenance item. It is changed if there are issues. I don't see how your filter would be clogged at 30,000 miles.