speed sensor and tranny problems (from a new user)

[rigel]

so i picked up an old 87 automatic carbureted (A20A1) accord from an auto auction for hella-cheap-but-i-still-probably-paid-too-much, as a project. it drove well enough to get me the 7 or 8 miles or so home, but it was having serious tranny problems, clunking when shifting into reverse, and not shifting into a higher gear. i had to run it in 2 for a good 3-4 miles. thought i smelled some smoke too but that may have just been the interior.

theres a bunch of congealed transmission fluid all over the underside of the tranny. drained it and got 3L of non-burnt-smelling, decently red-looking clear fluid, with no metal shavings on the plug or anything (though maybe it's not magnetic as indicated in the shop manual).

i pulled the power steerling fluid hoses to the speed sensor, and whoa, the whole unit came out. looks like a previous owner had broken the mounting ear and jb-welded it, though it seems a little soft for jb-weld. (maybe RTV or something?) i may decide to post a picture of it later because i thought it was hilarious.

now, i am hoping replacing the speed sensor will shore up the car to at least make it driveable. i'm heading to pick and pull later to try and find one. it's a project so theres generally a lot to be done to it but i'd like to avoid replacing the tranny right now if i can help it, because i dont want to have to buy a transmission jack.

was 3L the "right" amount to get from draining it? capacity is supposed to be 6L total but you're only supposed to add 3L or something? and if that is the right amount of fluid, then i dont see how the speed sensor would be connected to the tranny problems, because doesnt it only drive the speedometer/gauge cluster?

[Dr_Snooz]

The fluid was nice and pretty because it was brand new. The other stuff got drained out, or blown out around the speed sensor and other failed seals. The only suggestion I might have had was to check the oil level, but 3L is about right, so scratch that idea. I'd say a MT swap is in your future. That trans is done. :(

[Oldblueaccord]

I dont think you will find the speed sensor new I had to get one from a junk yard about 6 months ago. Or if you do it is very expensive.

[rigel]

got the sensor and installed it. still havent filled up the tranny yet. doing an oil change now, because i woulda had to do it anyway.

regarding the MT swap, i can get a "good quality" AT from a junkyard a couple hours away for not much more than the price of a MT/pedals/shifting assembly from pick-n-pull, so i'm leaning that way. because if i absolutely have to swap it out, i'd rather just do one piece and be done with it.

prolly gotta get a transmission jack for that however i do it though.

[firefighterwhite89]

Welcome aboard. Good luck. Trans jacks are awesome but I don't have one. Our trans weigh little enough to lift and put on without a jack but it is a struggle by yourself.

[rigel]

thanks.

its starting up fine now, even after removing the bolt someone dropped into the carb butterfly. I'm not smelling any fuel through the oil fill hole either, and I was before.

but it is running rough and blowing white smoke that I am certain isn't steam. gonna check the compression tomorrow, maybe replace plugs/wires but I fear a head gasket leak or worse. I did read a bit about the carb gasket failure that can look like a blown head gasket. im hoping that's the issue, but I'm thinking that a compression test will be able to distinguish between the two. please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

it needs a new tire, so I haven't been able to drive it and check how the tranny is doing. I expect to do that this week though.

[firefighterwhite89]

You're correct for the most part about the head gasket. Mine has blown twice (DO NOT TRUST A GASKET FROM ERISTIC GASKETS. THEY'RE POORLY MADE) and both times I had cylinder pressure in two of the cylinders leak between the two. Your carb gasket shouldn't affect a compression test. You can also check for coolant in you oil and vice versa. When they mix, it looks like a milky like fluid. The white smoke could also be worn cylinder rings or too much oil.

[rigel]

i was thinking about worn rings too (it's got 230k miles on the odometer, but who knows how long that speed sensor has been broken), which would be a real headache/delay, because of the strong smell of gas i was getting from the oil fill hole and from the oil that came out of it. i think that's lower on my list of potentially wrong things now that i dont smell fuel from the oil fill hole.

i was eyeing that $26 victor reinz head gasket (http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Honda/Accord/Victor_Reinz/Cylinder_Head_Gasket/1987/Base/4_Cyl_2-dot-0L/W0133-1628473.html), but i guess i should probably also replace the intake and exhaust manifold gaskets while im in there huh? was also thinking of doing a valve job while in in there, but that might be asking too much. i kind of want to be in and out as quickly as possible.

[rigel]

so did a dry-only compression test, and even though by cylinder #3 the battery was audibly struggling, i got 150, 150, 110, 130. so at least im pretty sure where the problem is. also, just a little bit of little tiny milky looking bubbles in the oil. gonna just assume the head gasket has failed and replace it, and hope the head isnt warped or the block cracked.

one of the spark plug cables (#2) was just barely hanging on, too, so im hoping if i replace the head gasket, plugs, and cables i should be good engine-wise. then ill have to figure out the tranny situation.

[firefighterwhite89]

Sounds like your headgasket. When you replace it, you'll have to replace your exhaust manifold gasket as it has to come off. It's easier to leave the intake on and remove it with the head then replace the gasket after you get the head out. The lower nuts can be a bitch to remove.

[Oldblueaccord]

Since maybe this cars not been run much I would run it some get some of the moisture etc out of motor and see what else it needs. As long as it was safe to drive I would drive it she what shakes loose.

[niles]

A note about your tranny, mine was in pretty bad shape when I first got my car. It had generic transmission fluid in it. I did fluid changes every few months with genuine Honda atf (called Z1 now) and it came back to life. Been six years now and it still works perfect.

Maybe adjust your TV cable too?