2002 Accord automatic downshift problems
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From: Assplosion, NE
You are correct, I have one of the cheaper OBD II readers, actron OBD II PocketScan.
I removed the Lock-up control/shift control solenoid today, cleaned the screens which did have a lot of gunk on them in my opinion, maybe a little better, however problem still persists. I'm a machine technician by trade, and I plan to do a fluid change soon, however from my experience it never works. I don't have a lot of experience on this type of problem, however it seems more like an electrical problem than a mechanical, but when you combine fluid hydraulics with electronic controls it gets complicated for me!!
If anyone has any advise, pointers, information I would really appreciate it. I checked the coolant, and someone has changed it to green, no idea what, so I purchased some Honda coolant as well for a change, at $20 per gallon on a 50/50 mix that's a rip off for sure. I have a 97 accord EX auto, 4 cylinder V-tech with 246,000 on the clock, never had a transmission fluid change, as I was scared to after it not being changed so long. Zero problem with that car, still going strong, I have maintained the car well other than the transmission fluid.
I removed the Lock-up control/shift control solenoid today, cleaned the screens which did have a lot of gunk on them in my opinion, maybe a little better, however problem still persists. I'm a machine technician by trade, and I plan to do a fluid change soon, however from my experience it never works. I don't have a lot of experience on this type of problem, however it seems more like an electrical problem than a mechanical, but when you combine fluid hydraulics with electronic controls it gets complicated for me!!
If anyone has any advise, pointers, information I would really appreciate it. I checked the coolant, and someone has changed it to green, no idea what, so I purchased some Honda coolant as well for a change, at $20 per gallon on a 50/50 mix that's a rip off for sure. I have a 97 accord EX auto, 4 cylinder V-tech with 246,000 on the clock, never had a transmission fluid change, as I was scared to after it not being changed so long. Zero problem with that car, still going strong, I have maintained the car well other than the transmission fluid.
I could see not wanting to do a flush (on a car where that can normally be done, it's never OK on a Honda) but just draining and refilling the fluid isn't a bad thing.
If anything, you'd want to change it several times in a row (w/ short drives in between) if you believe the fluid had extremely high miles on it. That wouldn't only apply to a hondamatic either.
Last edited by A-series; Feb 14, 2009 at 02:44 AM.
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tranny fluid change
heres my experiece as i work in a shop
drain and fill is not a bad thing--this flushing never drains the fluid in the torque converter
if you are using a machine to flush the atf, its a good idea to smell the current fluid on it, now if the fluid smells burnt and you see some metal particles on the dipstick, i dont suggest you change it as it will make your tranny slip and slide then you will get a car that shifts too early or too late.
its important to use the correct fluid type as well
for the one who have this tranny problem, if you think the problem is electrical, they mostly set a code. how do i know this, coz i work in a shop and i see these. i wouldnt suggest you changing anymore electrical part while trouble shoooting
drain and fill is not a bad thing--this flushing never drains the fluid in the torque converter
if you are using a machine to flush the atf, its a good idea to smell the current fluid on it, now if the fluid smells burnt and you see some metal particles on the dipstick, i dont suggest you change it as it will make your tranny slip and slide then you will get a car that shifts too early or too late.
its important to use the correct fluid type as well
for the one who have this tranny problem, if you think the problem is electrical, they mostly set a code. how do i know this, coz i work in a shop and i see these. i wouldnt suggest you changing anymore electrical part while trouble shoooting
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From: Assplosion, NE
^I'm sure you've changed a lot more ATF then I have, but I would strongly recommend against ever performing anything other than a drain and refill on any honda/acura model. That means never hooking a machine up to it to perform a flush, no matter the year or the miles.
Honda/Acura automatics are set up differently from all other makes, yes a drain will not get all the fluid out (on some only ~1/3 of the fluid comes out) but it's still not safe to do a flush.
Also, and this may apply differently to some non-Hondas, if the fluid smells burnt or has particles in it, you should drain and refill 3 times in a row. Leaving the old, dirty ATF in there is not the best thing to do, changing it (making sure to use Genuine Honda ATF) will only help prolong the life.
Honda/Acura automatics are set up differently from all other makes, yes a drain will not get all the fluid out (on some only ~1/3 of the fluid comes out) but it's still not safe to do a flush.
Also, and this may apply differently to some non-Hondas, if the fluid smells burnt or has particles in it, you should drain and refill 3 times in a row. Leaving the old, dirty ATF in there is not the best thing to do, changing it (making sure to use Genuine Honda ATF) will only help prolong the life.
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particles in the atf are actually friction materials kinda like your brake pads. this is what makes the gears engage and stay engaged throughout the gear ratios with the help of the line pressure off course. overtime, these particles wear out just like your brake pads and becomes part of the atf. when these friction materials worn out, the friction material just becomes metal to metal and the shiftpoints just rely on the friction dust that is going around on your the atf.
now if you drain your fluid, that is how you damage your tranny. undesired shiftpoint, shifts too early, shifts too late. etc
now if you drain your fluid, that is how you damage your tranny. undesired shiftpoint, shifts too early, shifts too late. etc
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From: Assplosion, NE
I realize what happens as they wear, it's inevitable that the clutch packs will deteriorate and contaminate the fluid. On a Honda automatic, at least, I would expect that such a significant amount of friction material floating in the fluid wouldn't take long to clog up the mesh screens on solenoids, etc. That's if it didn't start slipping before that could even happen. Certain models, b/c of design differences, may be less susceptible to that - I'm not an expert on the subject, but I base my advice on what I've been told by Honda service technicians/engineers.
Just one recent ex. that comes to mind would be an '01 civic auto, original fluid, ~100k miles where 2nd gear began to slip. Obviously the friction material had deteriorated too much, but despite original fluid (so all that crap was still floating around) the transmission began to slip and had to be replaced. The fluid was burnt of course and the owner was told that, with the rebuilt trans. that was installed, they should stick to 30k fluid changes in order to prolong it's life.
Just one recent ex. that comes to mind would be an '01 civic auto, original fluid, ~100k miles where 2nd gear began to slip. Obviously the friction material had deteriorated too much, but despite original fluid (so all that crap was still floating around) the transmission began to slip and had to be replaced. The fluid was burnt of course and the owner was told that, with the rebuilt trans. that was installed, they should stick to 30k fluid changes in order to prolong it's life.
Last edited by A-series; Feb 14, 2009 at 03:07 PM.