'92 Accord, Auto Trans, 143k miles

At the recommendation of our mechanic, the radiator was replaced in my daughter's car. The radiator turned out to be defective causing the automatic transmission to leak at the transmission cooling line connection. The fluid leaked out while she was driving home (75 miles) from school at night, so she never knew it was leaking until it was too late. The transmission and radiator were replaced last week. I drove the car to work for a couple of daysand the car seemed to run fine. When she drove back to school on Monday, she called and said that the car was accelerating/decelerating erratically...+/- 5 mph while she was on the highway, enough to cause the cruise control to continually disengage. She pulled into a gas station to call me and the car surged, almost causing her to run over a lady that was walking in front of the car. She drove the car back home last night and the D4 indicator light on the shift console started flashing. The owner's manual states that the flashing light indicates possible transmission problems.

Any thoughts on what could be going on here?

Thanks for your help!

 

The trans control unit is detecting a problem. You can have her jump the service connector with a thin paper clip and have her count the flashes on the D4 l light.

Have her follow the instructions on this site. http://www.dhost.info/accordinfo/

Just click on the CEL Check Engine Light Code retrieval. The CEL instructions are identical to the TCU instructions, except that you count the D4 flashes. Post the code(s) on here and someone can provide you with some information on the likely problem.

 

If your mechanic isn't a real Honda specialist, he may not know that Hondas really don't like ANY air pockets in the cooling system. There's a bleed valve at the thermostat housing, and you work any other air towards the radiator cap & out.

Air pockets going through the FITV & AICV will cause the idle speed to increase.

 

I am ok with loosening the bleed valve and adding coolant until it starts coming out of the valve, but when you say "work any other air towards the radiator cap & out" are you saying to let it run/idle with the cap off? Also, would air pockets in the cooling system cause the D4 indicator light to flash?

Thanks!

 

I usually have to squeeze the upper radiator hose & push air towards the radiator cap. Maybe if you park uphill it's better?

Air should not cause the D4 lamp to flash, that's a stored error code kinda likea CEL. I was just suggesting easy stuff to check but you shouldstill do what PA said.