'89 LXi Automatic 3&4th gear gone; now what?

[hughesjim]

I have a 1989 Accord LXi with an automatic transmission. I bought the car used a few months back for $1,800. It appeared to be in sound condition when I bought it. Engine and drivetrain, electrical, A/C - everything worked perfectly. After about a month I was out on the highway and all of a sudden I had no forward acceleration. I pulled over and found that 3rd & 4th gear were gone. I still had reverse, 1st, and 2nd gear. So I drove it back home in 2nd, and it's been parked ever since. I did check the transmission fluid at the time, and it was VERY low (dry?). I added fluid up to the line, but still no 3rd or 4th gear. I figured it was too late, I've fried it. I don't know.

So, now what? I'm not sure what to do with it. Actually, I'm not CERTAIN about what's wrong, I'm just assuming that the transmission has given out on the high end and I'll have to replace the transmission, sell the car, burn it and collect an insurance settlement (just kidding), or something. I guess I should have someone look at it? (I don't know enough about it). But that will also cost money. Is it worth it> Is there some "stupid little thing" that I don't know about that might be wrong, a simple fix?

If the transmission IS shot, would replacing it with a USED one be a good idea, or just get rid of it? Keep it? Sell it? Drive it off the nearest bridge?Any thoughts on this out there? Actually, aside from this transmission issue, everything else appears to be fine. It does have over 140K on the odometer, but the engine seems strong. Electrical works, to include door locks, sun/moon roof, etc. Body is in good shape, paint is good. I'd hate to get rid of it if there is a reasonable fix.

JimH
Oklahoma

[Vanilla Sky]

my transmission died, too... i just swapped it with an auto i had laying in the back yard... dunno if it's gonna last because i've only put about 50 miles on the car since... it should, though...

i'd go ahead and fix it... it's gonna need a new transmission or gonna need that one rebuilt

[acco-R-d]

man that sucks. how many miles are on it?

[danronian]

I would call around junkyards for a used tranny and also ask how much it will be to install it. You should try to find one that comes with at least a 30 day warranty so that you aren't totally burned on the cost if it's broken, but they'lll probably still charge you for the labor either way. It should be around $100 for a used tranny and about $300 to get it installed. Also ask them to install the oil seals for the axles while it is out and also replace the 1/2 shafts if they are clicking or if the boots are ripped since this is all accesible when removing the tranny. If the car has had the timing belt changed, (if not his will cost about $300 to get it changed) and it has recently passed inspection I would get the tranny put in, but if not I would just junk it since it could need brakes and that alone could cost you around $500, and if it needs suspension work on top of that a different car could be the better solution (this is all assuming you have no mechanical background b/c if you do it would be a better idea to keep it).

[acco-R-d]

so have you discovered the problem yet? How many miles are on the transmission?

[YK86]

You might want to try refilling with Honda ATF and also add some Lubeguard ATF additive. It works wonders on Honda AT's. I had a simular problem with one of the 86 Accords I was working on and I drained the old fluid and refilled with the stuff I mentioned above. Now it shifts very smoothly and no problems since. It still grinds a bit when I put it into park but beats putting in a new tranny. I think it was $20 for a bottle and you don't need to use much. Made my brother's 96 Accord shift much smoother too.

http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/trans_atf_hfm.html

You want the stuff in the black bottle.

[acco-R-d]

i wanna check that out. do you have 2 special order it or can u get it at like autozone?

[BITESIZE]

Quit messing around and do a 5 speed swap...coming from experience my friend.

[YK86]

i wanna check that out. do you have 2 special order it or can u get it at like autozone?

I live up in Canada so I had to get it at a tranny specialist shop. They had the whole Lubegard line in stock. But if I remember right, it should be on the shelf at NAPA. Actually, here you go:
http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/find_supplier_us.html
Make sure you follow directions. That stuff can make things worse if you use too much and do nothing if you don't use enough. I usually premix the reccomended amount in each 1L ATF bottle, shake it a bit to mix it, and then put it into the tranny like you normally would.

[POS carb]

when my auto gave out I took it to a shop that fixed it and it worked for a year. it broke aggain, I fixed it, and it broke again. Swapped in a 5speed for $300 and no more worries

[A20A1]

I've had 3 and 4 drop out beofe but that was becuase a fluid line burst... I'd say check the lines for leakage... and also make sure you've driven the car and then check the fluid level cause you need to let the fluid run thru the system... some fluid goes in and stays inside the Torque convertor... shut off the car and check the fluid level.

I've been running Mobil 1 ATF with some B&M trickshift... I also added some oil coolers but thats for a different reason.

[hughesjim]

when my auto gave out I took it to a shop that fixed it and it worked for a year. it broke aggain, I fixed it, and it broke again. Swapped in a 5speed for $300 and no more worries

Forgive my ignorance about this particular car (I've never owned one before), but are you saying that I should be able to put a 5-speed standard transmission in this car if I choose to do that (if the automatic is toast) and that will work fine? No complications? I'm not sure how that would work, and I certainly want to avoid "issues." I'm a single parent, a college student, I don't have a lot of money, and I have even less time.

Thanks for your input.

JimH

[hughesjim]

Quit messing around and do a 5 speed swap...coming from experience my friend.

Can you give me some details about what this would require (if it turns out to be necessary)? I would almost certainly buy a used 5-speed transmission for this, first of all, but I don't know how much that would cost. And once I had the transmission in hand, I have no idea how much money it would cost to do the replacement (along with *whatever else* might need to be done while I'm in there). I have no idea how long it would take to do the swap, nor what sort of facilities I would need to do it, what kind of specialized tools, etc. I need to get an idea of what this will cost, all things considered, before I press into it. I've looked at the pictures on the link you provided and I can see that you have done this level of work on your LXi. Any advice on the matter is appreciated. Thanks.

JimH

[hughesjim]

I've had 3 and 4 drop out beofe but that was becuase a fluid line burst... I'd say check the lines for leakage... and also make sure you've driven the car and then check the fluid level cause you need to let the fluid run thru the system... some fluid goes in and stays inside the Torque convertor... shut off the car and check the fluid level.

I've been running Mobil 1 ATF with some B&M trickshift... I also added some oil coolers but thats for a different reason.

Thank you for the advice. Actually, when I first lost forward momentum in 3rd and 4th gear (on the highway) I pulled the car over immediately, and then I drove it in 2nd gear to the nearest gas station where I checked the transmission fluid level [I definitely should have done this right after I bought the car, probably a month earlier, but I had been "too busy"]. The stick showed no sign of fluid. *sigh* At that point I wasn't certain what to do simply because I didn't have any specs on the car and didn't know how much fluid I should put in, and it was after dark and I was nowhere near an auto parts store, etc.

I put in one quart of transmission fluid, as I recall, or maybe a little more - whatever it took to read the correct level on the stick. I had hoped that would do the job, but it didn't make any difference. So I just drove it home in 2nd gear and parked it. Incidentally, that drive home (from Tulsa, OK to Claremore, OK) took about 45 minutes, in 2nd gear (VERY slowly so as not to race the engine or transmission). I hope I didn't do any further damage, but I had no other way of getting it home.

I'm thinking that perhaps the fluid level got so low that it drained out of some place in the transmission that it must otherwise reach to engage 3rd and 4th ger, and that simply adding a quart or more fluid so that it showed up on the stick was not enough. Maybe I need to drain it all out, fill it back up to FULL according to the specs (I still need to get a book on this car), and make sure the fluid gets pumped up into every area of the transmission (where at the moment perhaps it is not). But again, I know basically nothing about this car, so I'm just going on past experience with automatic transmissions.

In any case, thank you for your help.

JimH
Oklahoma

[hughesjim]

You might want to try refilling with Honda ATF and also add some Lubeguard ATF additive. It works wonders on Honda AT's. I had a simular problem with one of the 86 Accords I was working on and I drained the old fluid and refilled with the stuff I mentioned above. Now it shifts very smoothly and no problems since. It still grinds a bit when I put it into park but beats putting in a new tranny. I think it was $20 for a bottle and you don't need to use much. Made my brother's 96 Accord shift much smoother too.

http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/trans_atf_hfm.html

You want the stuff in the black bottle.

This is encouraging. Maybe it is only the fluid and the fluid level. That sure would be great if it turned out to be only that. I will definitely do what you've suggested here. I have a NAPA store here in town, as well as other good auto parts stores. I'm sure I can find what you recommend here, and if not I will buy it over the phone or over the Web. I'll let you know what happens. I hope it works.

JimH
Oklahoma

[hughesjim]

so have you discovered the problem yet? How many miles are on the transmission?

Honestly, I've been up to my neck at school and work, and since I have my daughter's Civic DX to drive (she doesn't have her license yet), I have not yet attempted to work on the Accord since my last (first) post. It's still sitting in the parking lot (and now the battery is dead). My daughter will be driving her Civic soon, so I need to get this Accord fixed, or replaced.

I can only surmise that the transmission is original equipment and the miles on the odometer are correct. If that is the case, then I'd say the transmission has somewhere around 140,000 miles on it (or a little more). That's about all I know at this point.

Thanks for any help you might offer.

JimH
Oklahoma

[hughesjim]

I would call around junkyards for a used tranny and also ask how much it will be to install it. You should try to find one that comes with at least a 30 day warranty so that you aren't totally burned on the cost if it's broken, but they'lll probably still charge you for the labor either way. It should be around $100 for a used tranny and about $300 to get it installed. Also ask them to install the oil seals for the axles while it is out and also replace the 1/2 shafts if they are clicking or if the boots are ripped since this is all accesible when removing the tranny. If the car has had the timing belt changed, (if not his will cost about $300 to get it changed) and it has recently passed inspection I would get the tranny put in, but if not I would just junk it since it could need brakes and that alone could cost you around $500, and if it needs suspension work on top of that a different car could be the better solution (this is all assuming you have no mechanical background b/c if you do it would be a better idea to keep it).

Thanks for this good advice. I will need to check into the timing belt and the brakes. Actually, aside from the AT, everything else seems very sound. I do have a mechanical background (I've worked on my cars a lot in the past), so doing this work myself would be doable theoretically; however, I am REALLY busy and may not be able to afford the time; never mind that, I live in an apartment complex and really have nowhere to do the work except out in the parking lot. And I do not have any specialized tools. I'd likely have someone else do the work at their shop. Given the cost involved it might turn out to be more trouble than it's worth (if I do need to replace the transmission). I'm not certain yet. I still need to investigate the matter further. I'll keep you posted.

JimH
Oklahoma

[POS carb]

you can always try flushing out the transmission, it'll run you about $15.

drain, refill, run the car around the block, drain it again, add some Lucas or other ATF additive and refill. Pray.

if not then you can graab a used automatic tranny for about $100 or a standard but you must also purchace the pedals, driver's side axle, shifter and rods, and rear engine mount. Also the starter mounting plate is different but the starter itself is interchangable and you have to run 2 wires for the reverse lights and jump the park/neutral start safety switch. it'll take you all weekend by yourself