7th Gen Transmission Failures - Logbook

[n1accord]

With my Ody and now an Accord, I thought it weird that when the driver selects 2nd gear it locks the tranny in 2nd. It will not downshift, even when you start from a stop. It leaves me wondering if starts in 2nd gear might put a strain on things that contribute to tranny failure???

[princess]

I thought all AT's stayed in the gear you put it in. When we'd change it for a massive hill, it stayed until we took it out..... whether it was the '82, '86, '02 or the '03.

Am I misunderstanding the statement???

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally Posted by princess

I thought all AT's stayed in the gear you put it in. When we'd change it for a massive hill, it stayed until we took it out..... whether it was the '82, '86, '02 or the '03.

Am I misunderstanding the statement???

They should downshift though when needed. If you put it into D3, it shouldn't be in third gear starting off from a light. That's what he was trying to say.

[VTECaddict]

well the "2" doesnt have a "D" so it locks the tranny in second. there are some situations where you may want to start in 2nd...ie. slippery, low traction conditions where first will just cause the tires to slip.

heres a breakdown of all the positions for the 5AT:
P - Park
R - Reverse
N - Neutral
D - gears 1-5
D3 - gears 1-3
2 - locks second gear
1 - locks first gear

[princess]

yeah, that's right!!!

If you wore out something it would be a clutch pack, not the gear!

[Pairallel]

Another 2003 V6 trans bites the dust at 23k miles:

http://honda-acura.net/forums/showth...39#post2430239

Pretty funny arguing on this thread too...good reminder why driveaccord continues to be the best Accord site on the 'net today...

[princess]

In talking to some other Honda techs their theory is that if the oil jet kit isn't put in right, it can't do it's job right & can cause failure. Apparently it's really picky about it going in perfect!

At least at 23K it's no probably getting another tranny put in!

[CA05LXDriver]

One again, I suggest adding a tranny cooler if you own a v6.

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally Posted by CA05LXDriver

One again, I suggest adding a tranny cooler if you own a v6.

Don't know if it's going to help you a whole lot. The whole jet kit fix thing was because the clutch packs would wear out at low-mid RPM range and then block up some of the smaller passages so that 2nd gear wouldn't get lubed, overheat, and the rest is history. A cooler wouldn't help that really.

[Unity1]

So, let me get this straight...

The only 7th-gen Accords to have a much-higher-than-normal risk of transmission problems are V6 models?

[thoots]

Originally Posted by Unity1

So, let me get this straight...

The only 7th-gen Accords to have a much-higher-than-normal risk of transmission problems are V6 models?

Frankly, doesn't most of the real information mentioned in this thread point to something along the lines of "full-throttle burn-outs with the V6 torque wreaking havoc on the 2nd gear when that first shift happens"?

That's the "reading between the lines" that occurred to me.....

[princess]

A cooler MAY help....since it's over heating the effected parts.

Yes, it's just the V6 trannies at this point.

It's not a FULL throttle, it's a light to medium. I don't think you can prevent it by driving style. Keeping it all clean in there & as cool as possible....MAY help.

I believe in time they'll discover post oil jet kit failures will be from techs not installing them right & may have to stupid proof the kits. I don't know if there's even rumors about factory jetted ones failing. They also may discover that for some it was too late for the kits to help...the damage, although minor, was too much.

I don't baby my car at all by driving style..... just the maintaince.

[Pairallel]

Originally Posted by Unity1

The only 7th-gen Accords to have a much-higher-than-normal risk of transmission problems are V6 models?

Please read the whole thread.

We are not trying to evaluate the transmission reliability here - just report any instances or occurences that would help to give us a feel for whether the 7th gen trans may become a real problem.

So far:

1. No reported failures from the almost 1,200 members on driveaccord

2. Info from a V6-only site shows 12 reported failures - all V6 (duh)

3. One other V6 failure is reported on an Accord forum

4. Of this limited failure sample, most are 2003 models, but that probably means nothing since they have a 12 - 15k head start over the 2004 models.

5. A senior Honda tech reports only 2 failures of this transmission at his dealership - in Accords, Odysseys and Pilots combined over the last 3 years. This is a very low incidence rate.

Bottom line - this is not enough info to base any conclusions on...we will continue to gather reports here to see if it gets worse with time.

[princess]

[Fredsvt]

I can report 3 failures:

1- '98 EX V6 coupe, 159k, carrier bearing failure, leakage, horrid noise, had some noise from 107k to failure, fluid was changed every 30k (in first 2 years car had 80k put on it)

2- '98 LX 4 cyl sedan, 80k, carrier bearing failure, awful noise and then leakage, noise from 60k till failure, Honda covered trans no labor

3- '00 EX 4 cyl sedan, 60k, carrier bearing failure, severe leakage, slipping, covered under extended warranty