2005 V6 Auto Transmission Question

[Phryxsos]

I have looked around a bit but need some reassurance/advice on my car...and I am not a car guru by any means lol. I just bought this car on the 17th of this month (April).

I currently have a 2005 Accord EX V6 Auto wiith 109k miles on it and I keep reading horror stories about transmissions failing left and right for people. Were all models affected with this issue of bad craftmanship or is it kind of hit or miss? Is there any way to tell based upon manufacturer date if its a possible candidate for disaster?

Mine shifts up perfectly fine under normal driving conditions, if I lay down on the gas pedal it seems like it actually shifts early...no RPM spike in between gears however (which one person noted as an indicator to slipping)...so is this normal?

The only transmission issue I have noticed is when the car downshifts while coasting to a stop, I can feel the car going into first...it jerks the vehicle a decent amount.

Also I plan on having a AT Drain and Fill X3 and a new AT Filter put in after having my timing belt and water pump looked at to see if they are new or original.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

[gwiffer]

Acurazine has some good info about the V6 transmissions (Accord 5AT = TL 5AT); you can replace the 3rd/4th gear pressure switches every 2-3yrs/50k miles, install an aftermarket external cooler w/ inline filter, and change the fluid regularly with DW-1, Redline synthetic, or a mix...read up on the forums. If I had an auto, that's what I would be doing to prolong its life.

[mc1114]

From what I've read, its hit or miss. People have said they are aware of transmission failures with 06 and 07 models.

I've been driving a friend's 05 V6 coupe automatic past couple days. The downshifts are like how you described. I'm gonna be doing drain and fills tomorrow with OEM ATF as I don't think its ever been changed.

This car is still fun to drive with the auto, but I'm not sure I like how these automatic transmissions shift. Glad I have a manual

[jreuschl]

I would look for info on here about changing the transmission FILTER. Honda dealers will at least claim it is "lifetime", or may even say it doesn't exist.

My transmission just failed, and trust me, I'll be checking up on this regularly (also the senors, too)

Thankfully Honda picked up more than half of the repair cost.

[yi3o8]

+1 one OEM DW1 fluid. With mine I did one drain and refill and waited a month to do the other two.

[mc1114]

I just finish the drain and fills with new filter and DW1 fluid.

[BLCKFLSH]

I have an 03 V6, which is supposedly the worst of the bunch. I do one drain and fill every 15k miles, and changed the filter at 60k miles. When Honda came out with the new DW-1 fluid, I did 3 drain and fills with about 1000 miles between. IMO, you should change the fluid as much as necessary to keep it clean. I now have 99k miles, and the transmission shifts just as it always has. I don't do full throttle at low speeds, because I've noticed the transmission takes a long time to get from 2nd to 3rd gear at high rpm. I haven't changed the pressure switches or added a cooler. If you notice the fluid gets dark quickly, or you drive up hills a lot, you might want to add a cooler. Again, IMO all of these transmissions are weak, so don't abuse it, and take good care of it, and it should last.

[MoroccanRed07EX]

Complete transmission failure at 41K on my '07 V6. Replaced by Honda with a remanufactured unit under warranty. Seems to be a hit & miss with all years V6 transmissions.

[BLCKFLSH]

The guy in this video seems to know a lot about these transmissions. According to him, it could be something as simple as over-torquing a couple bolts inside the tranny.

You Tube

You Tube

[RyanAccord]

from what i have been reading, its common for the downshifts to feel a bit like you explained.

[wheresbrando]

Just picked up an 06 Coupe v6 AT with 76k miles. I notice it idles a bit high (tiny bit above 1000rpm) so if i dont let it warm up, shifting through the first couple gears is a bit rough. Hopefully this isn't indicative of a failing trans. Also, when I'm in 2nd (i think, could be 3rd), and I let my foot off the gas pedal, there is a pretty noticeable decrease in speed as compared to being in the other gears. Usually happens most when going b/w 15-30 mph.

The lady that owned it before me got the ATF changed at ~30k and ~60k. I need to check the fluid to make sure its clean and maybe the trans filter. Don't really know much about cars but I've learned a lot in the past couple months doing research. Also, for my first couple gas ups i've been putting midgrade in it... I wonder if it would behave better if i put regular in it instead? The whole reason I got rid of my 01 tiburon was becasue the trans was failing, so I really hope I can drive this to at least 200k and get my money's worth.

[yi3o8]

Higher octane gas won't do anything unless your engine requires it by design.

Use a top tier gas station like Shell, there are posts about this.

For the trans, use OEM fluid and go to the DIY section to read up on it. The Honda trans feels different than most. Fresh fluid will help with the harsh downshift into first gear while going down a hill.

[mc1114]

Read up on the drain and fills procedure for the transmissions. I agree with the above post about using only OEM fluid.

[yi3o8]

Also, forgot to mention that if you still had Z1 fluid, the new OEM fluid DW1 was designed semi synthetic to help with shifting while cold.

3x drain and refill.