Am new to this forum and have noticed a lot of Auto Trans problems/questions and disinformation.Being a factory trained Honda tech for the past 22 years ive leaned a few things. Auto Trans slippage problems in 1990 and new cars is ALMOST always due to the Torque Converter clutch plate material coming off and plugging the pump screen. When this happens, the pump cannot supply enough pressure to the clutch packs and that clutch slips causeing lack of power to the axles. No fluid or additive in the world will fix the problem, The trans must be disassembled, cleaned,torque converter replaced and clutch packs rebuilt. regular fluid changes are a must, I suggest every 15K miles.Speaking of fluids, Honda recommends useing their fluid for a reason,its because their fluid contains a high amount of friction modifier,, meaning,, its slippery as compared to Dextron, this allows smooth shift. Dextron useage will provide a firmer shift.Will Dextron cause more wear of the clutch plates? I have NO idea.. I said earier that ALMOST all problems are caused by above, you can also have soleniod,control unit/PCM and linkage problems, but they are rare..

 

Ok man...this isn't a transmission prob...but since you're a Honda tech. I might as well ask you my questions concerning my AC...

Last summer my AC stopped working and I took it to a full service shop (Goodyear). They refilled the refrigerant twice but both times it stopped working again. Finally, they told me I had 2 holes in my condensor. I didn't get it fixed becuz this was into late July and I said I'd wait till the following yr...

This past May I had a car fire under my hood...part of the AC system was damaged...what they ended up having to do was replace some of the actual hoses that are part of the system...but not the condensor...they also filled it up with as much refirgerant as possible (to the max pt.)

The AC works but not that well. I've compared how cool it is on the highest setting w/ other accords...and it doesn't compare...but it is still cool...not warm air most of the time...


What should I do? Is it still the condensor? I think the Goodyear ppl might have just said that to get the max $$$ out of me. If ther really were 2 holes in the condensor then the refrigerant that the body shop put in it after my fire would have just leaked out and no cool air would have come out right? And the guys who fixed my car after the fire were great...the damage ended up costing 5k+...so if the condensor needed to be replaced I'm pretty confident they would have replaced it...

Give me your input...thanx

 

Love Allah2,Since I am in a rare friendly mood I will try and make some sense out of your posting.. Lets start at the begining,, 2 recharges and then they tell you you had holes in your condensor.. Problem #1,, freon dosent wear out, it leaks out. The correct repair the 1st time should have been a recharge with a leak detecting dye, then when it quit again,, they can find the leaks and give you an estimate for a correct repair. Since then you had an engine fire that damaged some hoses, they were replaced and if the Condensor wasnt damaged by the fire, they cant replace it. Now your AC works but not correctly? Heck that could be a lot of things from Air in the system to the heater control valve/door not working correctly to other component problems?? Without pressure readings of your AC system,, im shooting in the dark.. What I suggest is that you bring your car to a GOOD dealer, tell them everything that has happened to your car and pay for an estimate.This cost should not exceed 1.0 hour of diagnosis time, should even be less.Cold Air Costs money my friend, last I looked, its not in our Constitution or Bill Of Rights.. Thanks for your question..

 

well i have a 98 accord v6 coupe w/155k miles on it. When i drained the tranny fluid it was almost black and there was alot of shavings on the tranny fluid drain bolt. I am experiencing slipping from 1st to 2nd gear. How much would you expect me to have to pay to get that done? Is it possible i could do it myself?

 

Welcome Lager.

Nice to have a Honda Tech on the board.

 

 

Well, since you an experienced honda tech talking auto trannies right now, i might as well ask one of the most asked questions on this board concerning automatic trannys. Is it bad for the auto tranny to shift through the gears manually like a manual without a clutch? Although it says directly in the car manual that this can be done it doesn't mention anything about excesive wear. I would like to hear your opinion on it please.

 

Wow,, lots of responses,, Cool deal,, 1st things first,, Tyrant,, your Trans is toast,let me contact Honda tomorrow and see about possible assistance,, need your E Mail adress Bro..Jschmid and Alpha,, Way cool cars you have,, Thanks for the welcome.. Smakdown,, Your trans dont give a hoot it you shift manually or leave it in Auto Mode..What is Does care about is proper maintence,, Change your fluid !! Often!! Its cheap,,It can and will save you money..Otherwise all of you are looking at a $2500 repair bill like Tyrant is.. Thanks for your questions and comments.

 

wow, so it is not the so call "design of positive feel shifting"

I had no experience with Japanese cars nor have owned cars in this price range (accord came with my wife when we got married). All along people were trying to tell me (lying to me?) that's how Hondas are like and I have a hard time believeing that people will buy Honda if a car is designed to shift so violently.

 

Lager, like others have said, welcome to the board. Hope you stick around for awhile. It'll be nice having someone to bounce problems on...if you are up for it. With that in mind, I'll hold my question until later. Cheers.