Hi,
I have a 96 Accord 2.2L non V-Tech, automatic trans. Yesterday, while driving at about 25 mph, I slowed down slightly as I made my way over a railroad crossing. Upon accelerating again, the engine would rev but the car was just coasting like the transmission was in neutral. I pulled over and put the car in park for about a minute or so, then tried reverse and the same result, engine revving like normal but no car movement at all. Still like the car is in neutral, not even slipping. Checked the trans fluid and it was full, normal color and no burnt odor. So I let the car sit for a couple of minutes with the engine off and then started it back up. This time it drove about 100 feet and felt like it just came out of gear, again not like it's slipping. So, I had it towed home. Basically, it feels like the car won't engage in any gear, doesn't even feel like it's trying. I was kind of leaning toward the torque converter as the culprit although trans. is quiet. I didn't notice much of a trans fluid level drop with the engine on vs. off, don't know if that could be a sign of pump failure. Any troubleshooting suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

Axle shaft? Jack up the front and turn one wheel by hand. Does the wheel on the other side turn?

 

Thanks for replying! I jacked up the front of the car and when I spin the left side wheel, more than a full turn, the right side wheel moves not quite a 1/4 of a turn in the opposite direction. Also, before I jacked up the car I tried the trans again and it moved in reverse for about five feet, I stopped, then moved in drive for about 5 feet, I stopped and tried reverse again, now nothing in any gear.

 

From memory, with the wheels off the ground, on an open diff when one wheel is turned the opposite wheel should turn the same number of turns in the other direction.

I'm suspicious about the axles because the trans was working fine before the railroad crossing then, presumably jolted, it quit altogether. The fact that you have no forward or reverse gears would point at a final drive problem - CV joint or axle shaft splines or differential - vs. a transmission problem. I've had one or two automatics fail on me and they usually start slipping or completely lose just one or two gears, not all the gears at the same time.

I'd jack the car up, put it on stands, take off the front wheels, and check if the axles were fully seated in the differential. There should be no more than about 3/8" between the inner joint and the differential housing. If they looked to be seated, with the front end still up in the air, start the car and put it in gear. Try to determine if the differential is turning. Maybe grasp each axle shaft and try pushing it towards the differential. Listen to hear if the differential is turning using a stethoscope or a big screwdriver held against your ear.

 

Again, thanks for replying! I've had transmissions fail too and in my experience there were always indications of imminent failure. That's what has me puzzled. The transmission was shifting fine before it quit. So, the fact that I don't have equal, opposite rotation between the two wheels seems to be abnormal? I will try what you suggested tomorrow.

 

On front engine, rear wheel drive vehicles, if the driveshaft isn't allowed to turn, with both wheels in the air, when one wheel is rotated then the other wheel has to spin the same speed but in the opposite direction. But on a transaxle, how do you know if the final driven gear (the "driveshaft") isn't turning? The parking pawl? Not sure but I think so. I think I remember my nephew "helping" me do a repair on my current car and commenting that when he rotated one wheel, the opposite wheel turned the other direction.

 

So, today I jacked up the front of the car and checked the axles and both seem to be fully inserted into the trans. Next, I started the car (with the front wheels still off the ground ) and put it in drive and the trans engaged. The wheels spun and the speed increased to about 20 mph, I don't think it ever shifted. The CEL came on and the D4 light flashed. I shut the car down and retrieved the trouble codes. The CEL code was a 7, which is throttle position sensor or circuit. The D4 code was a 15 - faulty NM speed sensor, still trying to find some information on that. Not sure if any of the codes were a result of the wheels being off the ground, but this is the first time I had any kind of fault codes since the trans quit. I cleared the codes, and still with the front of the car off the ground, I started the engine and tried all the gears and none engaged. Right now no CEL or flashing D4. I'm gonna pull and inspect a couple of the trans. sensors tomorrow. Apparently, the TPS is part of the throttle body and must be replaced as a unit.

 

"http://techauto.awardspace.com/transmission.html#nc"

Bottom of the page, bad TPS & weird trans problems:

• An interesting personal experience from a reader.
• An interesting personal experience from a second reader.

 

Yes, very interesting indeed. I came across the same site while looking for the D4 code 15 information. There's some good information on page. I'm going to do some troubleshooting on that sensor first thing tomorrow.

 

Did you solve the problem of your honda accord?how? Because i also have a honda accord 1996 automatic trans. same problem as yours.