hondAGon
08-31-2016, 05:20 PM
Edit#4 - Thanks to user conozo's spare parts, I've resolved my car issue so this thread can be marked solved/closed/locked by a mod.
Edit#3 - Well due to me traveling in a few days and my family not wanting to leave a car in need of repairs sitting in the driveway for some months, I'll have to sell this as is :( I'll have a post up in the marketplace section soon.
Hi all, I'll keep this as short as possible. I have an 89 Honda Accord LX with 156.5K miles on it and have had it for about 3 years. It was driving with no problems; no slipping gears, no delays between pressing the pedal and car accelerating, nothing. Then while driving at highway speeds I slowed down for traffic and then when I went to accelerate again it no longer shifted out of first gear. There were no sounds, jolts, bumps, burning smell, smoke, etc. The RPMs just revved into the 5-6 range and the speed capped out between 30 - 40 MPH. Even after this happened, the engine is very responsive to pressing on the gas pedal. It accelerates with the same behavior it always has, it just doesn't shift into higher gears. Reverse gear works normally, shifting into D3, 2 works (doesn't up shift though of course).
After searching the forum, I didn't see a situation similar to this. It seems most other people had some signs that their transmission was on its way out.
What I did:
- I bought a bottle of transmission fluid for Honda's and filled up. I think there is a leak because the stick showed there was pretty much no fluid left. I last checked my transmission fluid last year and it was fine then (my brother was using my car for the past year).
- I reconnected a radiator hose or auto-transmission cooling hose (not sure which it is) that had come off. It connects to the front-left side of the engine area.
- I haven't adjusted the throttle linkage because as I mentioned before the responsiveness of the car's acceleration hasn't changed.
- I haven't used a magnet to check for metal filing buildup through transmission drain plug (as I saw suggested in a post) because I don't have the tools to get underneath my car.
- I took my car to a transmission place (didn't specialize in Honda's however) and the guy there said it is something in the transmission so they'd have to take it apart. We all know how expensive that is.
Because there were no driving issues prior and how the car still handles now, my gut is (probably wrongly) telling me that it could be something else. So with all that said, does this sound like the A/T is a goner or should I (or a mechanic) check out/repair something else first?
Thanks!
Edit#1 - After test driving it some more, now when I drive the car between 1 - 2 RPM range for about 5 minutes white smoke begins coming from the front of the car. I popped the hood and can see fluid on the top of the transmission that is evaporating into white smoke. So leak confirmed.
Edit#2 - If the A/T is bad does anyone on this forum happen to have a low-mileage A/T they don't mind passing on? :D
Something like 87hondalx's post here: http://www.3geez.com/forum/3geez-accords/77772-transmission-rebuild.html?highlight=auto+transmission
Edit#3 - Well due to me traveling in a few days and my family not wanting to leave a car in need of repairs sitting in the driveway for some months, I'll have to sell this as is :( I'll have a post up in the marketplace section soon.
Hi all, I'll keep this as short as possible. I have an 89 Honda Accord LX with 156.5K miles on it and have had it for about 3 years. It was driving with no problems; no slipping gears, no delays between pressing the pedal and car accelerating, nothing. Then while driving at highway speeds I slowed down for traffic and then when I went to accelerate again it no longer shifted out of first gear. There were no sounds, jolts, bumps, burning smell, smoke, etc. The RPMs just revved into the 5-6 range and the speed capped out between 30 - 40 MPH. Even after this happened, the engine is very responsive to pressing on the gas pedal. It accelerates with the same behavior it always has, it just doesn't shift into higher gears. Reverse gear works normally, shifting into D3, 2 works (doesn't up shift though of course).
After searching the forum, I didn't see a situation similar to this. It seems most other people had some signs that their transmission was on its way out.
What I did:
- I bought a bottle of transmission fluid for Honda's and filled up. I think there is a leak because the stick showed there was pretty much no fluid left. I last checked my transmission fluid last year and it was fine then (my brother was using my car for the past year).
- I reconnected a radiator hose or auto-transmission cooling hose (not sure which it is) that had come off. It connects to the front-left side of the engine area.
- I haven't adjusted the throttle linkage because as I mentioned before the responsiveness of the car's acceleration hasn't changed.
- I haven't used a magnet to check for metal filing buildup through transmission drain plug (as I saw suggested in a post) because I don't have the tools to get underneath my car.
- I took my car to a transmission place (didn't specialize in Honda's however) and the guy there said it is something in the transmission so they'd have to take it apart. We all know how expensive that is.
Because there were no driving issues prior and how the car still handles now, my gut is (probably wrongly) telling me that it could be something else. So with all that said, does this sound like the A/T is a goner or should I (or a mechanic) check out/repair something else first?
Thanks!
Edit#1 - After test driving it some more, now when I drive the car between 1 - 2 RPM range for about 5 minutes white smoke begins coming from the front of the car. I popped the hood and can see fluid on the top of the transmission that is evaporating into white smoke. So leak confirmed.
Edit#2 - If the A/T is bad does anyone on this forum happen to have a low-mileage A/T they don't mind passing on? :D
Something like 87hondalx's post here: http://www.3geez.com/forum/3geez-accords/77772-transmission-rebuild.html?highlight=auto+transmission