I have a '95 Honda Accord with 140k miles. I often hear a clacking noise when shifting the automatic transmission from reverse to drive and when shifting from drive to reverse.

I thought it was a bad CV joint and took it to my mechanic to have him confirm this and replace the half axle if needed. His diagnosis is that the noise is coming from the transmission, not any of the CV joints. He recommended taking it to a transmission shop.

Questions:
- Could this be the transmission as he suggests?
- If so, is this something that I can ignore for a while, or is it something I had better get fixed before it strands me or gets more expensive to repair?
- What will the repair entail and what is it likely to cost?

Thanks in advance for any help or guidance you can provide.

 

It could be a bad motor or transmission mount. Have transmission fluid changed (not flushed) with honda atf if you are due for a change. Search threads about changing the trans. fluid.

I would have it inspected by a shop that specializes in hondas or take it to a dealership.

 

Since my original post I jacked the car up to get the front wheels off the ground. With the transmission in Park, I can rotate either front wheel a few degrees back and forth and get the clacking sound. The sound does seem to be coming from the transmission, not any of the CV joints. I'm pretty sure it's not a motor/transmission mount (don't have to rotate the the wheels very hard). The transmission fluid was changed out about 4k miles ago. I checked it, and it is topped up and clean.

 

UPDATE: I took the car to the Cottman Transmission in Wheat Ridge, CO, to the have the problem diagnosed. Their diagnosis was a bad CV joint (my original diagnosis!). For $180 they replaced the passenger side half axle and the "clack" is now gone. I was most happy to not have to pay for transmission repairs. Cottman Transmission did great work at a reasonable price and I am most happy with the result.

 

THANKS for coming back & letting us know.

Too often, we never hear about the final fix.