car trouble - transmission?

[Bliz]

I've got a 99 accord (automatic) with about $157k miles. Lately it seems like it's been shifting a little rough, then over the last few weeks sometimes when I throw it into reverse, if I have to hit the gas to back up a hill or whatever, the engine just revs but the car barely moves, as if I'm somewhere in between reverse and neutral. It doesn't happen every time, and power in reverse when it's just idling seems to be consistent.

Transmission fluid looks a little burned maybe, but level is good. I called a place, and they basically said we can flush it, but that probably won't do anything. Nothing you can really do but drive it until it becomes a serious problem then replace the transmission (which is apparently going to be cheaper than trying to fix the transmission).

I don't really like that answer. Any of you experts out there have any idea what might be causing this sort of problem?

Thanks.

[jrockster21]

The problem with transmissions are that they are enormous. So to fix it, its a big ordeal to get it out of the car, which is a ton of labor. So once all the labor is totaled up to get it out of the car, fix it, and then put it back in the car, its cheaper to just get a new one installed.

Besides, transmission is a pretty important piece of your car - you don't want to mess around with that. Is it an automatic or a manual? If its a manual, you might just need a new clutch which is much cheaper.

[Koolblue13]

Honda is about as good as making a solid auto as Ford and that's a shame.

Good luck on that. Drive it until it's done and sell it for scrap ($350), because you won't find a used one, they all are junk.

You have to pull the engine and then some to change it, so you can imagine what that will cost, cheaper to find another running 99 Accord and just buy that one.

Sorry.

[Bliz]

The problem with transmissions are that they are enormous. So to fix it, its a big ordeal to get it out of the car, which is a ton of labor. So once all the labor is totaled up to get it out of the car, fix it, and then put it back in the car, its cheaper to just get a new one installed.

Besides, transmission is a pretty important piece of your car - you don't want to mess around with that. Is it an automatic or a manual? If its a manual, you might just need a new clutch which is much cheaper.

Automatic.

To clarify, I meant I don't like the guy's answer because of how non-specific it is, and that his only advice to drive it until it craps out. I certainly understand why it's better to get a new transmission than fix an old one, but was hoping someone who knows a lot more than me about cars might have an idea of something else that could be contributing.

[Koolblue13]

Automatic.

To clarify, I meant I don't like the guy's answer because of how non-specific it is, and that his only advice to drive it until it craps out. I certainly understand why it's better to get a new transmission than fix an old one, but was hoping someone who knows a lot more than me about cars might have an idea of something else that could be contributing.

Nope. Your trans is spent. Time for a new beater.

Try and find a used one and a new one, add that price to the replacement of your old one. Then, add the money you would make seling it to a junkyard in and see the cash you're spending keeping the car on the road.

I worked at a junkyard for a long time and also had my own garage for a bit. I still do work for old customers of mine.

[Bliz]

Honda is about as good as making a solid auto as Ford and that's a shame.

Good luck on that. Drive it until it's done and sell it for scrap ($350), because you won't find a used one, they all are junk.

You have to pull the engine and then some to change it, so you can imagine what that will cost, cheaper to find another running 99 Accord and just buy that one.

Sorry.

uhm. okay. sooo...had a bad experience with Honda previously?

[Koolblue13]

uhm. okay. sooo...had a bad experience with Honda previously?

Nope, I don't drive forign cars. I worked in used auto parts for a long time and know first hand the reputation of cars. I know what parts sell and why cars die.

[DeanCollins]

uhm. okay. sooo...had a bad experience with Honda previously?

I bought my wife a '93 accord ex, with 30K miles, shortly after we started dating. great car, drove it for 5 years a 75k miles. It never gave us any trouble.

Someone at that time told me that that transmission, even though a automatic, shifted manually inside. Can't verify that but the understanding was that they were pretty well built. Most cars go to the junkyard because the tranmission fails and it would cost more than the car is worth ($1700-$2700) to rebuild overdrive transmissions. The trans fluid should be changed every year, or at least every 30k miles (that's what I do).

I think Aamco transmisions will do a free estimate. Why don't you go there and get a second opinion. Koolblue is probably correct though, it does sound rough, but who knows, a fluid change and some kind of conditioner might squeek another 30k miles out of it. I'd keep the AAA card paid up though

[zoony]

It's important to keep your transmission fluid changed. Every 40k or so

I know with Hondas you can only change 2 qts at a time, so they need to be changed more often.

[Springfield]

When you say "It looks a little burnt" what do you mean. What color is it? Is it bright pink, a brown color or black? Is your Check engine light on?

Many of the newer Hondas (late 90's and early 00's) are starting to have automatic transmission problems. They are, of course, not cheap to fix.

Sounds to me like 2 different possibilities:

1. The fluid is bad, debris has built up and your pump pressure isn't good enough to shift into reverse and also causes harsh shifting inbetween gears.

Fix: You could try flushing the fluid, but there are no gurantees on that. If equiped (not sure on that model) you should flush it with a power flush machine that connects throught the transmission cooler lines. Be sure to use Honda ATF Z-1 if specified for that model, I'm not sure off the top of my head when Honda started using that fluid but it was around that time. If that doesn't work, it needs a new transmission.

2. The shift solenoids aren't working properly. This is why I was asking if your CEL was on. If there is a shift solenoid problem, it will usually set a trouble code and cause your CEL to come on. A shift solenoid problem could be electrical (solenoid pack is bad) or internal debris in the transmission (blocking passages to the solenoids).

Fix: If it is determined that there is an electrical problem with your solenoids, they can be replaced if they are external. If the solenoids are internal, it's time for a new tranny. If the passages to the solenoid are clogged by debris, you can try flushing it. If flushing (like stated above) doesn't work, it's time for a new tranny.

In summary... How much of an investment do you want to make on this vehicle before you send it to the junk yard? A $150 flush may fix your problem, it may not help or it may make it completely worse. If $150 is worth a try, then give it a shot.

Also, double check your fluid level. Make sure you are doing it the right way. Some Hondas need to be checked with the engine off as opposed to running in neutral or drive. Your symptom could also be the result of a low ATF level, it is possible that your transmisson is leaking after all of these years.

Hope that helps, good luck.

[Bliz]

No check engine light. Which is partly why I was thinking it might be something less serious than the onset of major transmission failure.

I'm definitely going in for a second opinion. My wife is pregnant with our first and we're about two months away, we just got her a new more family-friendly car (before mine started experiencing any problems), so if I can squeeze another year or two of life out of mine, even if it means dropping $2500 for a new trans, that's probably worth it to me.

Thanks everyone...

[kubstix]

Nope, I don't drive forign cars. I worked in used auto parts for a long time and know first hand the reputation of cars. I know what parts sell and why cars die.

Honda's are junk as well as foreign cars? Can you explain then why a foreign car has less maintanence and can actually hit 150k miles as opposed to American crap?

[AtlHog]

Hey Bliz,

I see you're in Atlanta, if you're on the west side you may want to check out these guys...

http://www.auto-ville.com/index.html

They've kept my '98 Accord(v6) cruising through 190k now on the orig. transmission...6th gen Accords ('98-'02) are notorious for trannie problems, esp. the V6.

Good luck!

[Koolblue13]

Honda's are junk as well as foreign cars? Can you explain then why a foreign car has less maintanence and can actually hit 150k miles as opposed to American crap?

I just try and always buy American owned companies goods, that's all. I'm not knocking Japaneses cars in the least, they are well made and easy to work on. I'll knock German cars all day as far as maintenance goes though.

Bottom line, in the past 15 or so years, all cars, foreign and domestic are about equal as far as reliability goes, with the exceptions of a few here and there. Most of the troubles all come when anybody changes the car up and it happens to every manufacturer.

[lovetoaster]

Honda's are junk as well as foreign cars? Can you explain then why a foreign car has less maintanence and can actually hit 150k miles as opposed to American crap?

I have had three Chevy sedans that have gone 180K+ without any major problems. I think if you do basic maintenance and take care of your car, most of the time you will get good mileage out of regardless of the make or model. Obviously, there are exceptions, but if you take care of your car, it will live a longer life.

[lovetoaster]

No check engine light. Which is partly why I was thinking it might be something less serious than the onset of major transmission failure.

A lot of transmission problems are not going to trigger the check engine light though. Some will, but I believe that many do not.

[DeanCollins]

I'm surprised that noone has said, flush the trans pour in some trans gism and Sell It Quickly!

[Bliz]

Hey Bliz,

I see you're in Atlanta, if you're on the west side you may want to check out these guys...

http://www.auto-ville.com/index.html

They've kept my '98 Accord(v6) cruising through 190k now on the orig. transmission...6th gen Accords ('98-'02) are notorious for trannie problems, esp. the V6.

Good luck!

I'm in Smyrna, so that place is actually pretty convenient to me. Thanks for the suggestion.

[ECU-ALUM]

Whne the transmission went in my ford...there was no warning...and it appropriately died in the parking lot of my wife's church.

One of the members had it towed to his garage he took a look at it and said, "Anywhere from 1500-2300 is what it'll cost you." My wife and decided that was a down-payment for a new one and we went car-shopping that night.

The Car had 145K and I was looking for a good reason to get rid of it....Divine intervention IMO.

[Koolblue13]

Ford and Honda just can not make a good overdrive automatic trans, it's pathetic. Ford is much worse though and neither make very solid front ends. They also share problems with master door switches and radios. Very similar vehicles.