Honda Accord MY98 - Auto transmission problem?

[Dangrs]

Hi guys

I have an MY98 6cyl Accord with less than 100000kms which i think has gone into limp mode. There are no fault codes appearing for any of the sensors, but the transmission seems to be limited to only D2 or D3 and reverse which intermittently works.

When driving the gearbox will jerk as if hunting for gears and reverse can only be selected once after turning the ignition off for a few seconds.

Has anyone had a similar problem with these American built accords?
I'm not convinced its a transmission problem as the car is well maintained. I suspect it might be the PCM failing or something else related to the electronics / control unit.

If anyone knows about these accords and its gearbox issue could you pls drop me a line

cheers
Rob

[aaronng]

How often did you change auto trans fluid?

[SiReal]

these cars are famous for their tranny issues.

as above, fluid change? also, if ur tranny is really really buggered, the "D4" light should usually blink.

[aaronng]

D4 only blinks if the VSS is faulty. We had our 94 Accord lose 2nd gear, so in D, it went 1st, (rev bloody high), 3rd and then 4th. The D4 didn't blink. Turns out the ATF strainer was clogged.

[SiReal]

aahh icic.. u the man!

[Zilli]

these cars are famous for their tranny issues.

as above, fluid change? also, if ur tranny is really really buggered, the "D4" light should usually blink.

is the V6 generally the motor with the gearbox problem? or accross the board, im thinking of getting a 98 vti

[SiReal]

I've spoken to two ppl that work at honda - one in service and another one in general area. and they say most of the rebuilds occur in the V6. very rare to see a 4cyl - probs cos lack of power ;)

[Dangrs]

Thanks for your replies guys. Not sure when the last transmission fliud change was, but its possible its hasn't had one since new.
SiReal, do u know how often it should be?

Just an update if anyone is interested. Recently drain a bit of transmission juice to get a sample to send off to a lab - they check for metal bits i think. Not sure of where, but a guy at work is helping me with that. Will post details when i find out.

Also went back to playing with the electronics. The ABS light keeps blinking what appears to be a code 11 (long flash + short flash) in diagnostic mode. Does anyone know what it actually means? I suspect it means LIMP mode. I pulled out some sensors and the approriate codes flashed when the diagnostics circuit was connected.

Love Hondas and have never had a problem this annoying before. Its frustrating :confused:

Did a bit of googling the other night. Found that gearbox problems were common with these accords in the US, as mentioned by SiReal. Apparently Honda offerd to extend the warranty. Pity nothing like that was offered here :thumbdwn:

Cheers Rob

[aaronng]

Your Accord should have its ATF fluid changed every year if possible. Even the 4-cyl's autobox is not immune. Our 94 Accord auto had its gearbox die after about 7 years. And it had its ATF changed every 3 years.

[Aco3n]

most likely your tranny is stuffed. You might wanna start to look for one from the wreckers. I did trans fluid change in every 20ks, still the gear is a bit clumsy. It was getting rougher at about 120ks.

[SiReal]

I have mine changed every 10,000kms. and i dont drive it hard.so its still fine after 80,000kms. i can occasionally feel it slipping (once in a blue moon), when that happens, i just take my foot off the accel and let it sort itself out and then keep going.

[aaronng]

The reason why the 4-cyl's auto transmission fails is because the internal strainer for the ATF gets clogged up with bits of worn out clutch pack.

[Hans Bond]

used to have a 4 cyl auto cg accord which has 180,000kms before i swapped it with current car, no problem with transmission.

I agree with SiReal not to drive it hard even it's a 4cyl, however I think to replace the trans fluid every 10,000kms is a bit too much. Every 20,000kms will do, as long as you don't drive it hard and spend 20,000kms average a year.