Accord Euro 2006 - Need assistance with potential issues

[aaronng]

Sorry I'm not sure what you mean by "set cruise". Can you please clarify ? If you mean cruise control, then that's definitely not the case. So to give a simple example: from stationary, i hit the gas uniformly untill car is say mid gear 2 (say 30kmph), and then i just lift my foot off the gas (but not putting it on break). As soon as my foot leaves the gas, the rpm arrow drops below 1000rpm, and immediately bounces back to above 1000rpm (and then stays there).

When you do this on most cars, doesn't the rpm just fall to above 1000rpm and stay there ? i.e. there is never that dramatic bounce below 1000 and then back up.

Never happens on higher speed / gears, only on slow speed / low gears.

Every car has a flywheel, even an auto transmission one, and when you release your foot off the gas, the flywheel will start to slow down. It will slow down quickly until under 1000rpm when the ECU finally decides it is too low and tells the electronic throttle to give it a bit more gas to keep the RPM up. If you get someone to observe the RPM dropping, it should dip below 1000rpm but still stay above 700rpm or so. Old auto transmission fluid can also contribute to this. Because of the way the torque converter works by using the transmission fluid to create friction in the torque convertor as the RPM increases, old fluid can have more slip which contributes to it.

If the transmission fluid has not been replaced in the past 2 years or you have no records of it being done, I recommend that you do it. Use only Honda auto transmission fluid (ATF).

Thanks those are useful starters. Yes, i would say the "drumming noise" is somewhat diesel-sounding (although not as loud, but clearly distinguishable from normal). That's alot of suggestions though, can you list them in descending order of likelihood (i.e. first one being the most likely and last one being least probable) ? What will a mechanic charge for them ? Sorry i'm very new to all this.

If it sounds like a diesel, and it is worse when it is cold, then you need to get the valve clearance of the engine checked and adjusted if required. This is part of the service schedule and should be carried out every 2 years or 40,000km.

I've fueled up with 98 Octane twice during the 3 weeks i've owned the car. Although i suspect the previous owner may have used E10. Does prolonged use of E10 harm the Euro ? And if so is it reversible ? Would it help explain any of the symptoms i'm experiencing ?

E10 itself is ok, but the majority of E10 out there is 91 octane, which is way below the minimum requirement of 95 octane. As long as the previous owner did not thrash the car on 91 octane, the engine will be fine. The ECU listens for knock from using too low an octane and adjusts the air/fuel mixture accordingly to protect the engine.

Really ? So there is no ways to ease that sensation ? I live in neighborhood with lots of hills and this is very annoying. Never happens in previous cars i've driven (incluidng a Honda CRV)

It is actually a feature so that the car slows down using engine braking when you are going downhill and you will end up using less of your brakes (and making it last longer). The ECU learns your driving style and changes to suit, so if you find it annoying, just use your brakes more when you are going downhill and after a while it should remember that and use less engine braking.

So to give a simple example again. Road is normal (flat), everything is normal. Then road goes downhill, and the REV arrow slowly goes up up and up, all this time the engine feels like its stalling, steering wheel is very hard to turn, and the car just feels "heavier" (not sure how else to word it). REV just climbs higher and higher but never shifts into next gear. Its like the car is really struggling or stuck on something, hence i used the term "stuck" on a gear. Vibration and shakes are felt.

When this happens again, stick it into semi-auto mode and shift it into the next gear. Do this for a few days and see how it goes. Also, it shouldn't vibrate that badly. Change the auto transmission fluid and see how it goes.

For the same going downhill scenario, if i put the car in N, then everything is just fine as i go down the hill - no heavy sensations and no vibrations / shake.

It's because you don't have a revving engine and a revving gearbox. So at least you know where the issue is coming from. In addition, check the accessory belt. There is an auto tensioner for the belt behind the power steering pump and it has a triangle which points at a large rectangle and a smaller square on it. The triangle should point at the large rectangle or be in between the rectangle and the square. If it is pointing at the small square or even beyond that, then the belt needs to be replaced.

Is this a replaceable part and if so how much does it generally cost for a mechanic to replace it ?

Yes, it is replaceable and is actually a wear and tear item that should be replaced after a few years. I buy mine from the parts shop for about $60 and replace it myself. The belt width and length is 7PK1760 (7 ribs, 1760mm circumference). If you can't find this one, then 7PK1750 is fine as well.