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2ndGenGuy
10-26-2006, 05:57 PM
Anybody out there with a factory service manual happen to know the gear ratios for the Accord 5-speed transmission? Trying to figure out if I want to get a Prelude tranny or Accord tranny for the hatch. The Prelude ratios are as follows:



1 - 3.181
2 - 1.944
3 - 1.291
4 - .928
5 - .774
R 3.0
final 4.214

Man I really should buy a FSM now...

79cord
10-26-2006, 06:44 PM
I went through this as well earlier in the year, trying to figure out my Prelude's g/box.
http://www.1stgencivic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1334

Hope this helps. Probably best too forget about pre '79 for simplicity since they were quite dfferent & clutch dimensions changed which could complicate matters.
Sources were Non CVCC Factory service manuals & "World Cars guide for '82"
If your car's '81 you'll probably need the '81- M12 bolt flywheel to match your crankshaft as well....

2ndGenGuy
10-26-2006, 07:00 PM
I went through this as well earlier in the year, trying to figure out my Prelude's g/box.
http://www.1stgencivic.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1334
Hope this helps. Probably best too forget about pre '79 for simplicity since they were quite dfferent & clutch dimensions changed which could complicate matters.
Sources were Non CVCC Factory service manuals & "World Cars guide for '82"
If your car's '81 you'll probably need the '81- M12 bolt flywheel to match your crankshaft as well....

'81 Accord Quint(et) Prelude (Non CVCC)
1st 3.181 3.181 3.181
2nd 1.944 1.944 1.842
3rd 1.291 1.291 1.291
4th 0.928 0.928 0.928
5th 0.774 0.774 0.774
Final drive 4.071 4.071 4.214

I assume that the 81's down there are the 1602. Woud that mean that the ratios are the same? Hmm... I need some US specs just to be sure. But it looks like your ratios match the US Prelude ratios. By the way, what are the 3 columns?

EDIT: Never mind, I see the 1st column is Accord, 2nd is the Quintet (whatever that is) and the 3rd is the Prelude.

Of course the smaller engines would have the shorter ratios to make them feel more powerful. So it's possible that the 1.8 liter Accords here still kept the taller gearing in the US since they may have had a more powerful motor.

offthahook
10-27-2006, 10:34 AM
Just looked it up in the Helm manual. The USDM 81 Accord 5 speed has the exact same ratios as the Prelude (if Craig B. is on point). I would guess it is the exact same tranny in both cars.

Fuzy Navel
10-27-2006, 01:07 PM
http://www.accordproject.com/transmission.htm

oldschool3g
10-27-2006, 01:17 PM
cool...so you can put a B20 prelude transmission in your accord?

Listen2myBASS
10-27-2006, 01:24 PM
im a newb to trannys, so how does one like me go about putting faster gears into my car? new tranny? or new gears?

MessyHonda
10-27-2006, 02:20 PM
im a newb to trannys, so how does one like me go about putting faster gears into my car? new tranny? or new gears?

welllllllllll.......you need 1st gen integra gears and put it in the accord tranny....easy peasy

most ppl run like 1-4 teg and 5th gear accord so you get hella good MPG on the freeway

2ndGenGuy
10-27-2006, 04:21 PM
Umm... hey guys, we're talking 1geez here. Like 1981 Honda Accord and 1981 Prelude. No LSD or any Integra swapping or any of that stuff. This is pure old school EK1 madness.

2ndGenGuy
10-27-2006, 04:23 PM
Just looked it up in the Helm manual. The USDM 81 Accord 5 speed has the exact same ratios as the Prelude (if Craig B. is on point). I would guess it is the exact same tranny in both cars.

Gotcha. Now I know. Accord or Prelude. I wonder if the Prelude has the hydraulic clutch too...

79cord
10-28-2006, 01:42 AM
Yep, Prelude was hydraulic Clutch 'till 82 when it picked up the next Accord drivetrain for its last year. Although they did it with a twist, Accords master cylinder was in engine bay, Preludes hidden inside on pedal box with remote reservoir.
Don't think the Accord changed its hub/driveshaft spline pattern when the Prelude did for '81 though (inner pattern never changed).

edit
Odd that the Helm manual should suggest lower final drive(higher numerically) for '81 US 1751EK Accord to match Prelude than suggested for 1602EL variants by Honda manual?

2ndGenGuy
10-29-2006, 01:26 AM
Yeah theres so much wierd stuff Honda did back in those days. It's just hard to know exactly what's going on. Things changed from one year to another. From country to country. I wish they would just release a master list of all thier cars and all the changes from year to year, country to country.

offthahook
10-29-2006, 09:04 AM
Yeah theres so much wierd stuff Honda did back in those days. It's just hard to know exactly what's going on. Things changed from one year to another. From country to country. I wish they would just release a master list of all thier cars and all the changes from year to year, country to country.

Yes siree! AND what parts will swap out, even if the part number is not exactly the same. For example, the 3G Accord has the DX/LX center console, the LX-i console (88 and 89 I believe), and the se-i console that all work, but the part numbers vary. Back in the day, Honda was up against it. Detroit was doing everything possible to keep them out of the US. Hondas had low emissions, but had to use a cat. converter anyway. Honda had to pay crazy tariffs just to get their whips in the US. Man, they made tweaks all the time to get it right, get it tight. I wish an old Honda engineer would just join this forum and pull out his diagrams (that he saved at his house) and hook us up!

2ndGenGuy
10-29-2006, 09:50 AM
Yeah where are all the old Honda engineer anyways? My buddy with his Corvette on the Corvette Forum has like 20 GM engineers on the site. Those guys have answers to everything. I guess that site is pretty big money though. They went around and bought up all the other Corvette-related forums and pooled them into one. I hear that the site owner makes like $500/mo per ad on the site. Pretty big business there.

offthahook
10-29-2006, 11:08 AM
Yeah where are all the old Honda engineer anyways? My buddy with his Corvette on the Corvette Forum has like 20 GM engineers on the site. Those guys have answers to everything. I guess that site is pretty big money though. They went around and bought up all the other Corvette-related forums and pooled them into one. I hear that the site owner makes like $500/mo per ad on the site. Pretty big business there.

The Honda engineers are probably in Japan. GM needs its customer loyalty, so they probably do troll the Internet and support their product. Corvette guy is a loyal brand guy, and GM's customer base is dying off. No one, except us, is into old Hondas. Plus, Honda is so damn secretive that they'd probably never let anything get out. Even all these years later. But that would be sweet to get an old school tech. or engineer in here to give us some 411.

Oddball808
12-03-2012, 05:35 AM
Hi. Newbie here. I just got an 89 accord no fifth on trans. Bought a 85 accord for parts (not that bright i know now...) does anyone know if I can use fifth on my 89 from 85? And ive taken off endcap from trans but cant get off gears. Help plz! Also im a girl thats been working on small things ( never trans) i dont have much arm/finger strength.. am i gonna need special tools? Also i heard one of the.se nuts turn righty loosey lefty tighty?

Dr_Snooz
12-04-2012, 10:49 PM
I don't think the '85 parts are going to work out for you. You can check, but I think you'll be disappointed. You can buy 5th gears on eBay, so it might be worth checking there. There is a reverse thread nut on the mainshaft. The mainshaft has the fork around it. If the nut is on too tight for you, use a breaker bar. If you can't get a breaker bar, then put a pipe over your ratchet handle. Just know that you run a risk of breaking your ratchet that way.

When you get it fixed, take some pics and post and intro thread.

Oddball808
12-06-2012, 08:15 PM
Thanks drsnooz. Well i took off the end cap and that gear was rounded... so back to square 1. I cant seem to find the final gear on ebay (or anywhere for that matter) Im gonna see if maybe the honda dealership has one?? I was told I could have one made but wasnt told how or where to go.. If anyone knows where I can get it plz enlighten me! :)

Oddball808
12-06-2012, 08:18 PM
O also thanks to the person who posted what the gear was supposed to look like or else I would have done all that to end up with a *&%$ed gear anyway!

Dr_Snooz
12-07-2012, 07:56 PM
I swear someone on here bought a 5th gear set from eBay. Oh well. The junkyard is probably going to be your best bet at this point, though they will likely want you to buy a whole transmission.