Hello, I'm a first time car owner who lives at home, and I'm employed as an office intern. I bought a used '98 Honda Accord (LX model, four cylinder, assembled in America) with just over $1000, and that was all of my savings and I urgently needed a car. The car is running really well besides a concerning slip when it speeds up to 20 mph. The engine revs up a lot. I'm told this is a "slip."
I can't really afford for this problem to be a bad transmission, and even if I could, I am a complete novice who couldn't do the work myself.
The only two OBDII codes I get are P0325 and P0420 (I already ordered a cheap knock sensor online and I don't really care too much about the catalytic converter right now. This is a 25 year old car, who cares how much it pollutes? lol.)
Anywho, a friend tells me it's possible that the wrong transmission fluid was put in it and could cause these problems. I'm going to try changing it, but I would appreciate any other advice or ideas that could help.
I also know the V6 Accords from '98 were known for having bad transmissions. I've heard better for the four cylinders and I hope whatever the issue is, it's simple/cheap to solve.
From your desription it sounds like the transmission is slipping as it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear.
First thing I would do is check that you have sufficient transmission fluid. This is generally checked with the transmission at operating temperature and with the engine running, trans in park or neutral. (Some dipsticks will also have markings for checking with the transmission cold.)
If it has sufficient fluid, what does it look like on the dipstick? Fresh fluid is bright red. Old fluid is dark red. Severely spent fluid will be very dark and may smell burnt, may also feel gritty.
If the fluid is not burnt and gritty it should be safe to do a drain and fill of the fluid. Also change the filter if it has one. This is only a partial change. You'd have to do that 3 or 4 times, driving around for a while between times, to change out most of the fluid. (If the fluid is burnt and gritty, fresh fluid will likely make matters worse.)
If the problem persists after that about all you can do would be to try something like Lucas "no-slip" transmission additive. You don't want to overfill the transmission so if you do this you need to drain enough fluid out to allow for the additive. It may or may not help. Some people report success with it, but it is a temporary bandaid at best.
Be aware that it has been reported that it's best not to use additives in Honda transmissions. However if the fluid is too spent to risk changing, or it's still slipping after a fluid change, you are in the position of having nothing to lose.
Another thing to possibly look at is it appears that transmission uses a TV (Throttle Valve) cable adjustment to regulate shift pressure. (Also referred to as a "kickdown cable".) If that's not adjusted properly it can cause slippage. You might want to ask in this forum about a more detailed description:
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-accord-1990-2002-2/kickdown-cable-how-do-i-adjust-2429398/
The 1-2 shift clutch is probably worn out (90% of the time), and there's isn't much you can do except baby it. It's downhill from here unfortunately. You've got a pretty old car, with very likely high mileage, so a transmission replacement doesn't make sense.
If it starts to get bad enough, consider accelerating from a stop in 2nd gear.
Start saving your pennies for a new car. Maybe replace some of those unpaid intern hours for a paying job.
It's actually a paying job, just a low rung position... and I don't expect to have any money for a new car any time soon. If I want to spend another $1000 gambling on a car, I might as well find a junk yard transmission and pay for the labor to swap it.
junkyard tranny is a gamble too. you could end up in exactly the same spot, but much poorer.
Yes, but buying a new car is the same gamble. At least these transmissions on the four cylinder models are suposed to last and I know everything else on the car is doing well.
the risk is MUCH lower for cars that aren't a quarter of a century old.
No car less than 25 years old that doesn't have any of these problems is lying around for sale for $1000 or less. I'm not going to have that kind of cash to spend on a car for a long time, probably a couple years. I have to help my family with almost all I make.
@friendfromflorida, I've done OK with used transmissions but I install them myself so I'm only risking the cost of the used part plus some sweat equity. (Last used trans I installed cost $200 and has been working perfectly for 5 years now.) A lot of junkyards will guarantee that their used parts are not DOA but you are still on the hook for labor if you're paying a mechanic to install a used trans that you purchased on your own.
So if you cannot do the work yourself I would only look at a used transmission if provided by a mechanic who sources it as part of the job and stands behind his work. Otherwise as @mmj says you could well find yourself digging yourself into an even deeper hole.
Hello, thank you for your help. I have not had the opportunity to do anything to rectify the problem yet.
I asked a friend, and he said the 1998 Accord would NOT have a kickdown cable and that by that point in time the transmission would have been fully electric. I dunno which of you would be right but food for thought.
I checked the fluid. It was at the right level and a bright red color... but it smelt like burnt rubber. I'm still strapped for cash and I need to get the money to buy the fluid (which should be Import Multivehicle, correct?)
Hi FriendFromFlorida. Feel free to use this reply function(Add a comment button) when responding to a mod or answer or updating a post. This will notify the person responding to your question so they can easily see and track your update if you have one. If you just post in the answer space like you did here, it's possible for the mods and forum members to miss this update. Thanks for joining the forum and I wish you best with your transmission issue.
@friendfromflorida, I don't know for sure about the TV cable, however I found a reference to it in that Honda tech forum so thought it might be worth checking out. It's easy to verify it visually. If you have a TV cable you will see the cable it going from your throttle linkage into the transmission.