according2me
01-17-2004, 09:59 AM
A bit of info before the horror story. Mine is a 2001 4cyl automatic LX model for which Honda had extended the tranny warranty to 100K.
Knowing about the 6th Gen tranny issues, I've been draining/refilling the tranny fluid every 15-20K and have only used the Honda ATF-Z1 since this Accord first rolled off the dealers lot new in December of 2000.
Most of my miles are interstate cruising @70mph on mostly flat terrain.
At 112K my tranny started to leak from the axle seals during an unusual extended cold snap for our area. This fluid had been drained/refilled at 101K previously and at that time the undercarriage was bone dry and no shifting issues were present.
I immediately drained the fluid and to my shock it was full of metal. Almost immediatedly thereafter, I started noticing shifting irregularities and it threw P1751 (2-3 shift malfunction) and P0740 (TCC lockup failure) codes. Thanks for the codes Autozone.
I brought it to the local Cottman for the free inspection and they confirmed my fear, worn carrier bearings in the differential and metal through out the transmission. BTW, you need to unweight the front wheels in order to test for this condition. They quoted $2500 for a repair price.
I called Honda and explained my situation. Because I was outside of the 100K extension I didn't expect much, but thought it would be worth a try. The end result was a Honda supplied remanufactured unit and installation for less than 1/3 of what the dealers normally charge and much less expensive than having Cottman repair the old one.
I'm disappointed that this tranny failed at this mileage, especially considering the excellent maintenance and the easy (cruising) miles. But I'm also encouraged that Honda seems to believe their product shouldn't fail shortly after the 100K mark and is willing to discount the repair.
The moral to this story is if you have a 6th Gen auto, you need to have the dealer do an inspection of the differential bearings before you pass the 100K extended warranty limit, even if you experience no transmission issues.
Knowing about the 6th Gen tranny issues, I've been draining/refilling the tranny fluid every 15-20K and have only used the Honda ATF-Z1 since this Accord first rolled off the dealers lot new in December of 2000.
Most of my miles are interstate cruising @70mph on mostly flat terrain.
At 112K my tranny started to leak from the axle seals during an unusual extended cold snap for our area. This fluid had been drained/refilled at 101K previously and at that time the undercarriage was bone dry and no shifting issues were present.
I immediately drained the fluid and to my shock it was full of metal. Almost immediatedly thereafter, I started noticing shifting irregularities and it threw P1751 (2-3 shift malfunction) and P0740 (TCC lockup failure) codes. Thanks for the codes Autozone.
I brought it to the local Cottman for the free inspection and they confirmed my fear, worn carrier bearings in the differential and metal through out the transmission. BTW, you need to unweight the front wheels in order to test for this condition. They quoted $2500 for a repair price.
I called Honda and explained my situation. Because I was outside of the 100K extension I didn't expect much, but thought it would be worth a try. The end result was a Honda supplied remanufactured unit and installation for less than 1/3 of what the dealers normally charge and much less expensive than having Cottman repair the old one.
I'm disappointed that this tranny failed at this mileage, especially considering the excellent maintenance and the easy (cruising) miles. But I'm also encouraged that Honda seems to believe their product shouldn't fail shortly after the 100K mark and is willing to discount the repair.
The moral to this story is if you have a 6th Gen auto, you need to have the dealer do an inspection of the differential bearings before you pass the 100K extended warranty limit, even if you experience no transmission issues.